❓ The Leader of the Opposition questions the Treasurer on conflicting statements regarding state debt and the proposed sale of Western Power. The Treasurer defends the government's infrastructure investment and asset recycling strategy, criticising the opposition's lack of alternative plans.
AnsweredQoN 898Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
STATE DEBT
— ASSET SALES — MINISTER FOR FISHERIES' COMMENTS
898. Mr M. McGOWAN to the
Treasurer:
I refer to comments made on the weekend by the Minister for
Fisheries that state debt was not too high and advocating for borrowing more
money, and the Treasurer's comments: ''That is too high. We will
bring it back.''
(1) Who is
correct—the Treasurer who says debt is too high or the minister who
says we should borrow more?
(2) If the minister is correct, why is the Treasurer so
determined to sell Western Power?
(3) Does the
Treasurer still stand by his previous comments that there is no plan B if
Western Power is not sold?
— ASSET SALES — MINISTER FOR FISHERIES' COMMENTS
898. Mr M. McGOWAN to the
Treasurer:
I refer to comments made on the weekend by the Minister for
Fisheries that state debt was not too high and advocating for borrowing more
money, and the Treasurer's comments: ''That is too high. We will
bring it back.''
(1) Who is
correct—the Treasurer who says debt is too high or the minister who
says we should borrow more?
(2) If the minister is correct, why is the Treasurer so
determined to sell Western Power?
(3) Does the
Treasurer still stand by his previous comments that there is no plan B if
Western Power is not sold?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(3)
I thank the member to the question, which illustrates that the Leader of the
Opposition has no plan for this state—none. He has a plan for cage fighting
parliamentarians, but not for the state. What the member said is right: our
debt currently stands at about $27.8 billion. Over that period, we have
invested in $51 billion worth of new assets and our debt is at $27.8 billion.
Is that too high? No.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : That
is enough!
Dr M.D. NAHAN :
Next year —
Mr B.S. Wyatt interjected.
Dr M.D. NAHAN : If
the member wants to ask a question, he should stand up and do so; otherwise,
quit carping and harping. The member does not like the answer, so he should
just be quiet and let me answer the question.
At the end of 2016–17, we forecast debt to be $33.8 billion.
That is on top of the very large growth in business investment. When the
collapse in iron ore prices and the collapse in GST happened simultaneously, we
made an explicit decision to keep our capital works program going. Until
recently, it was the largest capital works program relative to the other states—other
than New South Wales now.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : That
is enough!
Dr M.D. NAHAN : We
cap our capital works at a record high—sometimes 50 per cent above that
of the other states—and we have kept expenditure going. We have done
that to create jobs—some 100 000 jobs so far and going forward. About
every one of those major projects, what do we hear from the miserable Leader of
the Opposition? It is whine and whinge. Members opposite criticise every action
we take not only to keep capital works going, but also to cut the rate of
growth in expenditure—every one. They illustrate that their plan for
the future of Western Australia is to whine and whinge. Going forward, we on
this side of the chamber believe that the capital works and infrastructure
needs of this state —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : We
are getting the wall of noise now. Come back to the answer, please. There were
three questions.
Dr M.D. NAHAN : The
infrastructure needs of this state are greater than we have committed to so
far. We are doing the rational, appropriate thing—something that the
best Labor Treasurer for some time suggested: we are going to take assets that
we no longer need to own and recycle those into assets and infrastructure that
we need to build. That is our strategy.
I thank the member to the question, which illustrates that the Leader of the
Opposition has no plan for this state—none. He has a plan for cage fighting
parliamentarians, but not for the state. What the member said is right: our
debt currently stands at about $27.8 billion. Over that period, we have
invested in $51 billion worth of new assets and our debt is at $27.8 billion.
Is that too high? No.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : That
is enough!
Dr M.D. NAHAN :
Next year —
Mr B.S. Wyatt interjected.
Dr M.D. NAHAN : If
the member wants to ask a question, he should stand up and do so; otherwise,
quit carping and harping. The member does not like the answer, so he should
just be quiet and let me answer the question.
At the end of 2016–17, we forecast debt to be $33.8 billion.
That is on top of the very large growth in business investment. When the
collapse in iron ore prices and the collapse in GST happened simultaneously, we
made an explicit decision to keep our capital works program going. Until
recently, it was the largest capital works program relative to the other states—other
than New South Wales now.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : That
is enough!
Dr M.D. NAHAN : We
cap our capital works at a record high—sometimes 50 per cent above that
of the other states—and we have kept expenditure going. We have done
that to create jobs—some 100 000 jobs so far and going forward. About
every one of those major projects, what do we hear from the miserable Leader of
the Opposition? It is whine and whinge. Members opposite criticise every action
we take not only to keep capital works going, but also to cut the rate of
growth in expenditure—every one. They illustrate that their plan for
the future of Western Australia is to whine and whinge. Going forward, we on
this side of the chamber believe that the capital works and infrastructure
needs of this state —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : We
are getting the wall of noise now. Come back to the answer, please. There were
three questions.
Dr M.D. NAHAN : The
infrastructure needs of this state are greater than we have committed to so
far. We are doing the rational, appropriate thing—something that the
best Labor Treasurer for some time suggested: we are going to take assets that
we no longer need to own and recycle those into assets and infrastructure that
we need to build. That is our strategy.
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