❓ A member of parliament questions the Minister for Water about significant cuts to the capital works budget, citing concerns about environmental impact and economic consequences. The Minister deflects by blaming global financial circumstances and criticising the member's sources.
AnsweredQoN 449Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
DEPARTMENT OF WATER — CAPITAL WORKS
(1) Why did the minister agree to his own capital works budget being slashed by $620 million? (2) At a time when the Western Australian environment is becoming drier, why is his capital works program being reduced to $1.1 billion? (3) Can the minister outline exactly what impact his bad decision-making will have on land development, housing prices, jobs, water security and the protection of our natural environment? Dr G.G. JACOBS
(1) Why did the minister agree to his own capital works budget being slashed by $620 million? (2) At a time when the Western Australian environment is becoming drier, why is his capital works program being reduced to $1.1 billion? (3) Can the minister outline exactly what impact his bad decision-making will have on land development, housing prices, jobs, water security and the protection of our natural environment? Dr G.G. JACOBS
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question. (1)-(3) If he had not noticed, we are faced with some difficult economic times. If he had not noticed, due to some global financial circumstances, some programs have been deferred. Progress has been made delivering these programs up to date, and this will not necessarily mean that they have been axed permanently. They are deferred, recognising the difficult times we are faced with. I draw the attention of the house to some mischievous information that the member for Cockburn and the member for Collie-Preston have been putting out, scaremongering about which projects have been axed. Point of Order Mr M. McGOWAN : Raising material about something that someone else said when the question was quite clearly about the minister’s own capital works budget is clearly not relevant to the question under standing order 78. The minister should answer the question. The SPEAKER : Thank you, member for Rockingham. I expect that the minister will wrap this into the answer to the question Questions without Notice Resumed Dr G.G. JACOBS : Some of the scuttlebutt being put about by the member for Cockburn and the member for Collie-Preston is contained in a press release dated 15 May. None of it was printed in Saturday’s The West Australian because the reporter recognised that it was a load of rubbish and was not worth printing. The press release referred to the cutting of the prevention of falls program just days after the death of a man in Australind. These people know no bounds. The prevention of falls program has been allocated more than $9 million over the next eight to nine years in the budget. The program will continue. The member claimed that the East Rockingham waste water scheme had been cut. The site has been agreed to, and the program is going through a LandCorp approval process. This program has not been cut; it must go through a process. The press release also refers to the Gnangara mound rehabilitation project being cut. I have been talking in this house about the Gnangara sustainability strategy, but because the member has his mouth open so much he cannot hear what I am saying. The multimillion-dollar Water Forever program is run by the Water Corporation, and will continue. I refer him to the document if he would like to read it. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I formally call the member for Albany and the member for Collie-Preston. I suggest to other members on my left that the question has been asked by the member for Cockburn. The member knows me fairly well by now, and I will give him a supplementary, but I ask him to cease interjecting if he does not want to be called as well. Dr G.G. JACOBS : The member for Cockburn says that I have scrapped the highly successful Waterwise program. He does not know the difference between the Waterwise rebate scheme and the Waterwise program. He does not make a study of it. He just goes once over the top lightly, picks the low-hanging fruit and runs with it. The Waterwise program involves a schools program, the WaterSmart Margaret River program, an irrigation program, rostering schedules and education websites. The program goes on. The member does not understand what he is talking about in his press release; so much so that none of it was printed in Saturday’s The West Australian because the journalist recognised it for what it was—errant nonsense.
(2) At a time when the Western Australian environment is becoming drier, why is his capital works program being reduced to $1.1 billion? (3) Can the minister outline exactly what impact his bad decision-making will have on land development, housing prices, jobs, water security and the protection of our natural environment? Dr G.G. JACOBS replied: I thank the member for the question. (1)-(3) If he had not noticed, we are faced with some difficult economic times. If he had not noticed, due to some global financial circumstances, some programs have been deferred. Progress has been made delivering these programs up to date, and this will not necessarily mean that they have been axed permanently. They are deferred, recognising the difficult times we are faced with. I draw the attention of the house to some mischievous information that the member for Cockburn and the member for Collie-Preston have been putting out, scaremongering about which projects have been axed. Point of Order Mr M. McGOWAN : Raising material about something that someone else said when the question was quite clearly about the minister’s own capital works budget is clearly not relevant to the question under standing order 78. The minister should answer the question. The SPEAKER : Thank you, member for Rockingham. I expect that the minister will wrap this into the answer to the question Questions without Notice Resumed Dr G.G. JACOBS : Some of the scuttlebutt being put about by the member for Cockburn and the member for Collie-Preston is contained in a press release dated 15 May. None of it was printed in Saturday’s The West Australian because the reporter recognised that it was a load of rubbish and was not worth printing. The press release referred to the cutting of the prevention of falls program just days after the death of a man in Australind. These people know no bounds. The prevention of falls program has been allocated more than $9 million over the next eight to nine years in the budget. The program will continue. The member claimed that the East Rockingham waste water scheme had been cut. The site has been agreed to, and the program is going through a LandCorp approval process. This program has not been cut; it must go through a process. The press release also refers to the Gnangara mound rehabilitation project being cut. I have been talking in this house about the Gnangara sustainability strategy, but because the member has his mouth open so much he cannot hear what I am saying. The multimillion-dollar Water Forever program is run by the Water Corporation, and will continue. I refer him to the document if he would like to read it. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I formally call the member for Albany and the member for Collie-Preston. I suggest to other members on my left that the question has been asked by the member for Cockburn. The member knows me fairly well by now, and I will give him a supplementary, but I ask him to cease interjecting if he does not want to be called as well. Dr G.G. JACOBS : The member for Cockburn says that I have scrapped the highly successful Waterwise program. He does not know the difference between the Waterwise rebate scheme and the Waterwise program. He does not make a study of it. He just goes once over the top lightly, picks the low-hanging fruit and runs with it. The Waterwise program involves a schools program, the WaterSmart Margaret River program, an irrigation program, rostering schedules and education websites. The program goes on. The member does not understand what he is talking about in his press release; so much so that none of it was printed in Saturday’s The West Australian because the journalist recognised it for what it was—errant nonsense.
(3) Can the minister outline exactly what impact his bad decision-making will have on land development, housing prices, jobs, water security and the protection of our natural environment? Dr G.G. JACOBS replied: I thank the member for the question. (1)-(3) If he had not noticed, we are faced with some difficult economic times. If he had not noticed, due to some global financial circumstances, some programs have been deferred. Progress has been made delivering these programs up to date, and this will not necessarily mean that they have been axed permanently. They are deferred, recognising the difficult times we are faced with. I draw the attention of the house to some mischievous information that the member for Cockburn and the member for Collie-Preston have been putting out, scaremongering about which projects have been axed. Point of Order Mr M. McGOWAN : Raising material about something that someone else said when the question was quite clearly about the minister’s own capital works budget is clearly not relevant to the question under standing order 78. The minister should answer the question. The SPEAKER : Thank you, member for Rockingham. I expect that the minister will wrap this into the answer to the question Questions without Notice Resumed Dr G.G. JACOBS : Some of the scuttlebutt being put about by the member for Cockburn and the member for Collie-Preston is contained in a press release dated 15 May. None of it was printed in Saturday’s The West Australian because the reporter recognised that it was a load of rubbish and was not worth printing. The press release referred to the cutting of the prevention of falls program just days after the death of a man in Australind. These people know no bounds. The prevention of falls program has been allocated more than $9 million over the next eight to nine years in the budget. The program will continue. The member claimed that the East Rockingham waste water scheme had been cut. The site has been agreed to, and the program is going through a LandCorp approval process. This program has not been cut; it must go through a process. The press release also refers to the Gnangara mound rehabilitation project being cut. I have been talking in this house about the Gnangara sustainability strategy, but because the member has his mouth open so much he cannot hear what I am saying. The multimillion-dollar Water Forever program is run by the Water Corporation, and will continue. I refer him to the document if he would like to read it. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I formally call the member for Albany and the member for Collie-Preston. I suggest to other members on my left that the question has been asked by the member for Cockburn. The member knows me fairly well by now, and I will give him a supplementary, but I ask him to cease interjecting if he does not want to be called as well. Dr G.G. JACOBS : The member for Cockburn says that I have scrapped the highly successful Waterwise program. He does not know the difference between the Waterwise rebate scheme and the Waterwise program. He does not make a study of it. He just goes once over the top lightly, picks the low-hanging fruit and runs with it. The Waterwise program involves a schools program, the WaterSmart Margaret River program, an irrigation program, rostering schedules and education websites. The program goes on. The member does not understand what he is talking about in his press release; so much so that none of it was printed in Saturday’s The West Australian because the journalist recognised it for what it was—errant nonsense.
Dr G.G. JACOBS replied: I thank the member for the question. (1)-(3) If he had not noticed, we are faced with some difficult economic times. If he had not noticed, due to some global financial circumstances, some programs have been deferred. Progress has been made delivering these programs up to date, and this will not necessarily mean that they have been axed permanently. They are deferred, recognising the difficult times we are faced with. I draw the attention of the house to some mischievous information that the member for Cockburn and the member for Collie-Preston have been putting out, scaremongering about which projects have been axed. Point of Order Mr M. McGOWAN : Raising material about something that someone else said when the question was quite clearly about the minister’s own capital works budget is clearly not relevant to the question under standing order 78. The minister should answer the question. The SPEAKER : Thank you, member for Rockingham. I expect that the minister will wrap this into the answer to the question Questions without Notice Resumed Dr G.G. JACOBS : Some of the scuttlebutt being put about by the member for Cockburn and the member for Collie-Preston is contained in a press release dated 15 May. None of it was printed in Saturday’s The West Australian because the reporter recognised that it was a load of rubbish and was not worth printing. The press release referred to the cutting of the prevention of falls program just days after the death of a man in Australind. These people know no bounds. The prevention of falls program has been allocated more than $9 million over the next eight to nine years in the budget. The program will continue. The member claimed that the East Rockingham waste water scheme had been cut. The site has been agreed to, and the program is going through a LandCorp approval process. This program has not been cut; it must go through a process. The press release also refers to the Gnangara mound rehabilitation project being cut. I have been talking in this house about the Gnangara sustainability strategy, but because the member has his mouth open so much he cannot hear what I am saying. The multimillion-dollar Water Forever program is run by the Water Corporation, and will continue. I refer him to the document if he would like to read it. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I formally call the member for Albany and the member for Collie-Preston. I suggest to other members on my left that the question has been asked by the member for Cockburn. The member knows me fairly well by now, and I will give him a supplementary, but I ask him to cease interjecting if he does not want to be called as well. Dr G.G. JACOBS : The member for Cockburn says that I have scrapped the highly successful Waterwise program. He does not know the difference between the Waterwise rebate scheme and the Waterwise program. He does not make a study of it. He just goes once over the top lightly, picks the low-hanging fruit and runs with it. The Waterwise program involves a schools program, the WaterSmart Margaret River program, an irrigation program, rostering schedules and education websites. The program goes on. The member does not understand what he is talking about in his press release; so much so that none of it was printed in Saturday’s The West Australian because the journalist recognised it for what it was—errant nonsense.
I thank the member for the question. (1)-(3) If he had not noticed, we are faced with some difficult economic times. If he had not noticed, due to some global financial circumstances, some programs have been deferred. Progress has been made delivering these programs up to date, and this will not necessarily mean that they have been axed permanently. They are deferred, recognising the difficult times we are faced with. I draw the attention of the house to some mischievous information that the member for Cockburn and the member for Collie-Preston have been putting out, scaremongering about which projects have been axed. Point of Order Mr M. McGOWAN : Raising material about something that someone else said when the question was quite clearly about the minister’s own capital works budget is clearly not relevant to the question under standing order 78. The minister should answer the question. The SPEAKER : Thank you, member for Rockingham. I expect that the minister will wrap this into the answer to the question Questions without Notice Resumed Dr G.G. JACOBS : Some of the scuttlebutt being put about by the member for Cockburn and the member for Collie-Preston is contained in a press release dated 15 May. None of it was printed in Saturday’s The West Australian because the reporter recognised that it was a load of rubbish and was not worth printing. The press release referred to the cutting of the prevention of falls program just days after the death of a man in Australind. These people know no bounds. The prevention of falls program has been allocated more than $9 million over the next eight to nine years in the budget. The program will continue. The member claimed that the East Rockingham waste water scheme had been cut. The site has been agreed to, and the program is going through a LandCorp approval process. This program has not been cut; it must go through a process. The press release also refers to the Gnangara mound rehabilitation project being cut. I have been talking in this house about the Gnangara sustainability strategy, but because the member has his mouth open so much he cannot hear what I am saying. The multimillion-dollar Water Forever program is run by the Water Corporation, and will continue. I refer him to the document if he would like to read it. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I formally call the member for Albany and the member for Collie-Preston. I suggest to other members on my left that the question has been asked by the member for Cockburn. The member knows me fairly well by now, and I will give him a supplementary, but I ask him to cease interjecting if he does not want to be called as well. Dr G.G. JACOBS : The member for Cockburn says that I have scrapped the highly successful Waterwise program. He does not know the difference between the Waterwise rebate scheme and the Waterwise program. He does not make a study of it. He just goes once over the top lightly, picks the low-hanging fruit and runs with it. The Waterwise program involves a schools program, the WaterSmart Margaret River program, an irrigation program, rostering schedules and education websites. The program goes on. The member does not understand what he is talking about in his press release; so much so that none of it was printed in Saturday’s The West Australian because the journalist recognised it for what it was—errant nonsense.
(1)-(3) If he had not noticed, we are faced with some difficult economic times. If he had not noticed, due to some global financial circumstances, some programs have been deferred. Progress has been made delivering these programs up to date, and this will not necessarily mean that they have been axed permanently. They are deferred, recognising the difficult times we are faced with. I draw the attention of the house to some mischievous information that the member for Cockburn and the member for Collie-Preston have been putting out, scaremongering about which projects have been axed. Point of Order Mr M. McGOWAN : Raising material about something that someone else said when the question was quite clearly about the minister’s own capital works budget is clearly not relevant to the question under standing order 78. The minister should answer the question. The SPEAKER : Thank you, member for Rockingham. I expect that the minister will wrap this into the answer to the question Questions without Notice Resumed Dr G.G. JACOBS : Some of the scuttlebutt being put about by the member for Cockburn and the member for Collie-Preston is contained in a press release dated 15 May. None of it was printed in Saturday’s The West Australian because the reporter recognised that it was a load of rubbish and was not worth printing. The press release referred to the cutting of the prevention of falls program just days after the death of a man in Australind. These people know no bounds. The prevention of falls program has been allocated more than $9 million over the next eight to nine years in the budget. The program will continue. The member claimed that the East Rockingham waste water scheme had been cut. The site has been agreed to, and the program is going through a LandCorp approval process. This program has not been cut; it must go through a process. The press release also refers to the Gnangara mound rehabilitation project being cut. I have been talking in this house about the Gnangara sustainability strategy, but because the member has his mouth open so much he cannot hear what I am saying. The multimillion-dollar Water Forever program is run by the Water Corporation, and will continue. I refer him to the document if he would like to read it. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I formally call the member for Albany and the member for Collie-Preston. I suggest to other members on my left that the question has been asked by the member for Cockburn. The member knows me fairly well by now, and I will give him a supplementary, but I ask him to cease interjecting if he does not want to be called as well. Dr G.G. JACOBS : The member for Cockburn says that I have scrapped the highly successful Waterwise program. He does not know the difference between the Waterwise rebate scheme and the Waterwise program. He does not make a study of it. He just goes once over the top lightly, picks the low-hanging fruit and runs with it. The Waterwise program involves a schools program, the WaterSmart Margaret River program, an irrigation program, rostering schedules and education websites. The program goes on. The member does not understand what he is talking about in his press release; so much so that none of it was printed in Saturday’s The West Australian because the journalist recognised it for what it was—errant nonsense.
I draw the attention of the house to some mischievous information that the member for Cockburn and the member for Collie-Preston have been putting out, scaremongering about which projects have been axed.
The SPEAKER : Thank you, member for Rockingham. I expect that the minister will wrap this into the answer to the question Questions without Notice Resumed Dr G.G. JACOBS : Some of the scuttlebutt being put about by the member for Cockburn and the member for Collie-Preston is contained in a press release dated 15 May. None of it was printed in Saturday’s The West Australian because the reporter recognised that it was a load of rubbish and was not worth printing. The press release referred to the cutting of the prevention of falls program just days after the death of a man in Australind. These people know no bounds. The prevention of falls program has been allocated more than $9 million over the next eight to nine years in the budget. The program will continue. The member claimed that the East Rockingham waste water scheme had been cut. The site has been agreed to, and the program is going through a LandCorp approval process. This program has not been cut; it must go through a process. The press release also refers to the Gnangara mound rehabilitation project being cut. I have been talking in this house about the Gnangara sustainability strategy, but because the member has his mouth open so much he cannot hear what I am saying. The multimillion-dollar Water Forever program is run by the Water Corporation, and will continue. I refer him to the document if he would like to read it. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I formally call the member for Albany and the member for Collie-Preston. I suggest to other members on my left that the question has been asked by the member for Cockburn. The member knows me fairly well by now, and I will give him a supplementary, but I ask him to cease interjecting if he does not want to be called as well. Dr G.G. JACOBS : The member for Cockburn says that I have scrapped the highly successful Waterwise program. He does not know the difference between the Waterwise rebate scheme and the Waterwise program. He does not make a study of it. He just goes once over the top lightly, picks the low-hanging fruit and runs with it. The Waterwise program involves a schools program, the WaterSmart Margaret River program, an irrigation program, rostering schedules and education websites. The program goes on. The member does not understand what he is talking about in his press release; so much so that none of it was printed in Saturday’s The West Australian because the journalist recognised it for what it was—errant nonsense.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I formally call the member for Albany and the member for Collie-Preston. I suggest to other members on my left that the question has been asked by the member for Cockburn. The member knows me fairly well by now, and I will give him a supplementary, but I ask him to cease interjecting if he does not want to be called as well. Dr G.G. JACOBS : The member for Cockburn says that I have scrapped the highly successful Waterwise program. He does not know the difference between the Waterwise rebate scheme and the Waterwise program. He does not make a study of it. He just goes once over the top lightly, picks the low-hanging fruit and runs with it. The Waterwise program involves a schools program, the WaterSmart Margaret River program, an irrigation program, rostering schedules and education websites. The program goes on. The member does not understand what he is talking about in his press release; so much so that none of it was printed in Saturday’s The West Australian because the journalist recognised it for what it was—errant nonsense.
The SPEAKER : I formally call the member for Albany and the member for Collie-Preston. I suggest to other members on my left that the question has been asked by the member for Cockburn. The member knows me fairly well by now, and I will give him a supplementary, but I ask him to cease interjecting if he does not want to be called as well. Dr G.G. JACOBS : The member for Cockburn says that I have scrapped the highly successful Waterwise program. He does not know the difference between the Waterwise rebate scheme and the Waterwise program. He does not make a study of it. He just goes once over the top lightly, picks the low-hanging fruit and runs with it. The Waterwise program involves a schools program, the WaterSmart Margaret River program, an irrigation program, rostering schedules and education websites. The program goes on. The member does not understand what he is talking about in his press release; so much so that none of it was printed in Saturday’s The West Australian because the journalist recognised it for what it was—errant nonsense.
Dr G.G. JACOBS : The member for Cockburn says that I have scrapped the highly successful Waterwise program. He does not know the difference between the Waterwise rebate scheme and the Waterwise program. He does not make a study of it. He just goes once over the top lightly, picks the low-hanging fruit and runs with it. The Waterwise program involves a schools program, the WaterSmart Margaret River program, an irrigation program, rostering schedules and education websites. The program goes on. The member does not understand what he is talking about in his press release; so much so that none of it was printed in Saturday’s The West Australian because the journalist recognised it for what it was—errant nonsense.
(2) At a time when the Western Australian environment is becoming drier, why is his capital works program being reduced to $1.1 billion? (3) Can the minister outline exactly what impact his bad decision-making will have on land development, housing prices, jobs, water security and the protection of our natural environment? Dr G.G. JACOBS replied: I thank the member for the question. (1)-(3) If he had not noticed, we are faced with some difficult economic times. If he had not noticed, due to some global financial circumstances, some programs have been deferred. Progress has been made delivering these programs up to date, and this will not necessarily mean that they have been axed permanently. They are deferred, recognising the difficult times we are faced with. I draw the attention of the house to some mischievous information that the member for Cockburn and the member for Collie-Preston have been putting out, scaremongering about which projects have been axed. Point of Order Mr M. McGOWAN : Raising material about something that someone else said when the question was quite clearly about the minister’s own capital works budget is clearly not relevant to the question under standing order 78. The minister should answer the question. The SPEAKER : Thank you, member for Rockingham. I expect that the minister will wrap this into the answer to the question Questions without Notice Resumed Dr G.G. JACOBS : Some of the scuttlebutt being put about by the member for Cockburn and the member for Collie-Preston is contained in a press release dated 15 May. None of it was printed in Saturday’s The West Australian because the reporter recognised that it was a load of rubbish and was not worth printing. The press release referred to the cutting of the prevention of falls program just days after the death of a man in Australind. These people know no bounds. The prevention of falls program has been allocated more than $9 million over the next eight to nine years in the budget. The program will continue. The member claimed that the East Rockingham waste water scheme had been cut. The site has been agreed to, and the program is going through a LandCorp approval process. This program has not been cut; it must go through a process. The press release also refers to the Gnangara mound rehabilitation project being cut. I have been talking in this house about the Gnangara sustainability strategy, but because the member has his mouth open so much he cannot hear what I am saying. The multimillion-dollar Water Forever program is run by the Water Corporation, and will continue. I refer him to the document if he would like to read it. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I formally call the member for Albany and the member for Collie-Preston. I suggest to other members on my left that the question has been asked by the member for Cockburn. The member knows me fairly well by now, and I will give him a supplementary, but I ask him to cease interjecting if he does not want to be called as well. Dr G.G. JACOBS : The member for Cockburn says that I have scrapped the highly successful Waterwise program. He does not know the difference between the Waterwise rebate scheme and the Waterwise program. He does not make a study of it. He just goes once over the top lightly, picks the low-hanging fruit and runs with it. The Waterwise program involves a schools program, the WaterSmart Margaret River program, an irrigation program, rostering schedules and education websites. The program goes on. The member does not understand what he is talking about in his press release; so much so that none of it was printed in Saturday’s The West Australian because the journalist recognised it for what it was—errant nonsense.
(3) Can the minister outline exactly what impact his bad decision-making will have on land development, housing prices, jobs, water security and the protection of our natural environment? Dr G.G. JACOBS replied: I thank the member for the question. (1)-(3) If he had not noticed, we are faced with some difficult economic times. If he had not noticed, due to some global financial circumstances, some programs have been deferred. Progress has been made delivering these programs up to date, and this will not necessarily mean that they have been axed permanently. They are deferred, recognising the difficult times we are faced with. I draw the attention of the house to some mischievous information that the member for Cockburn and the member for Collie-Preston have been putting out, scaremongering about which projects have been axed. Point of Order Mr M. McGOWAN : Raising material about something that someone else said when the question was quite clearly about the minister’s own capital works budget is clearly not relevant to the question under standing order 78. The minister should answer the question. The SPEAKER : Thank you, member for Rockingham. I expect that the minister will wrap this into the answer to the question Questions without Notice Resumed Dr G.G. JACOBS : Some of the scuttlebutt being put about by the member for Cockburn and the member for Collie-Preston is contained in a press release dated 15 May. None of it was printed in Saturday’s The West Australian because the reporter recognised that it was a load of rubbish and was not worth printing. The press release referred to the cutting of the prevention of falls program just days after the death of a man in Australind. These people know no bounds. The prevention of falls program has been allocated more than $9 million over the next eight to nine years in the budget. The program will continue. The member claimed that the East Rockingham waste water scheme had been cut. The site has been agreed to, and the program is going through a LandCorp approval process. This program has not been cut; it must go through a process. The press release also refers to the Gnangara mound rehabilitation project being cut. I have been talking in this house about the Gnangara sustainability strategy, but because the member has his mouth open so much he cannot hear what I am saying. The multimillion-dollar Water Forever program is run by the Water Corporation, and will continue. I refer him to the document if he would like to read it. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I formally call the member for Albany and the member for Collie-Preston. I suggest to other members on my left that the question has been asked by the member for Cockburn. The member knows me fairly well by now, and I will give him a supplementary, but I ask him to cease interjecting if he does not want to be called as well. Dr G.G. JACOBS : The member for Cockburn says that I have scrapped the highly successful Waterwise program. He does not know the difference between the Waterwise rebate scheme and the Waterwise program. He does not make a study of it. He just goes once over the top lightly, picks the low-hanging fruit and runs with it. The Waterwise program involves a schools program, the WaterSmart Margaret River program, an irrigation program, rostering schedules and education websites. The program goes on. The member does not understand what he is talking about in his press release; so much so that none of it was printed in Saturday’s The West Australian because the journalist recognised it for what it was—errant nonsense.
Dr G.G. JACOBS replied: I thank the member for the question. (1)-(3) If he had not noticed, we are faced with some difficult economic times. If he had not noticed, due to some global financial circumstances, some programs have been deferred. Progress has been made delivering these programs up to date, and this will not necessarily mean that they have been axed permanently. They are deferred, recognising the difficult times we are faced with. I draw the attention of the house to some mischievous information that the member for Cockburn and the member for Collie-Preston have been putting out, scaremongering about which projects have been axed. Point of Order Mr M. McGOWAN : Raising material about something that someone else said when the question was quite clearly about the minister’s own capital works budget is clearly not relevant to the question under standing order 78. The minister should answer the question. The SPEAKER : Thank you, member for Rockingham. I expect that the minister will wrap this into the answer to the question Questions without Notice Resumed Dr G.G. JACOBS : Some of the scuttlebutt being put about by the member for Cockburn and the member for Collie-Preston is contained in a press release dated 15 May. None of it was printed in Saturday’s The West Australian because the reporter recognised that it was a load of rubbish and was not worth printing. The press release referred to the cutting of the prevention of falls program just days after the death of a man in Australind. These people know no bounds. The prevention of falls program has been allocated more than $9 million over the next eight to nine years in the budget. The program will continue. The member claimed that the East Rockingham waste water scheme had been cut. The site has been agreed to, and the program is going through a LandCorp approval process. This program has not been cut; it must go through a process. The press release also refers to the Gnangara mound rehabilitation project being cut. I have been talking in this house about the Gnangara sustainability strategy, but because the member has his mouth open so much he cannot hear what I am saying. The multimillion-dollar Water Forever program is run by the Water Corporation, and will continue. I refer him to the document if he would like to read it. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I formally call the member for Albany and the member for Collie-Preston. I suggest to other members on my left that the question has been asked by the member for Cockburn. The member knows me fairly well by now, and I will give him a supplementary, but I ask him to cease interjecting if he does not want to be called as well. Dr G.G. JACOBS : The member for Cockburn says that I have scrapped the highly successful Waterwise program. He does not know the difference between the Waterwise rebate scheme and the Waterwise program. He does not make a study of it. He just goes once over the top lightly, picks the low-hanging fruit and runs with it. The Waterwise program involves a schools program, the WaterSmart Margaret River program, an irrigation program, rostering schedules and education websites. The program goes on. The member does not understand what he is talking about in his press release; so much so that none of it was printed in Saturday’s The West Australian because the journalist recognised it for what it was—errant nonsense.
I thank the member for the question. (1)-(3) If he had not noticed, we are faced with some difficult economic times. If he had not noticed, due to some global financial circumstances, some programs have been deferred. Progress has been made delivering these programs up to date, and this will not necessarily mean that they have been axed permanently. They are deferred, recognising the difficult times we are faced with. I draw the attention of the house to some mischievous information that the member for Cockburn and the member for Collie-Preston have been putting out, scaremongering about which projects have been axed. Point of Order Mr M. McGOWAN : Raising material about something that someone else said when the question was quite clearly about the minister’s own capital works budget is clearly not relevant to the question under standing order 78. The minister should answer the question. The SPEAKER : Thank you, member for Rockingham. I expect that the minister will wrap this into the answer to the question Questions without Notice Resumed Dr G.G. JACOBS : Some of the scuttlebutt being put about by the member for Cockburn and the member for Collie-Preston is contained in a press release dated 15 May. None of it was printed in Saturday’s The West Australian because the reporter recognised that it was a load of rubbish and was not worth printing. The press release referred to the cutting of the prevention of falls program just days after the death of a man in Australind. These people know no bounds. The prevention of falls program has been allocated more than $9 million over the next eight to nine years in the budget. The program will continue. The member claimed that the East Rockingham waste water scheme had been cut. The site has been agreed to, and the program is going through a LandCorp approval process. This program has not been cut; it must go through a process. The press release also refers to the Gnangara mound rehabilitation project being cut. I have been talking in this house about the Gnangara sustainability strategy, but because the member has his mouth open so much he cannot hear what I am saying. The multimillion-dollar Water Forever program is run by the Water Corporation, and will continue. I refer him to the document if he would like to read it. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I formally call the member for Albany and the member for Collie-Preston. I suggest to other members on my left that the question has been asked by the member for Cockburn. The member knows me fairly well by now, and I will give him a supplementary, but I ask him to cease interjecting if he does not want to be called as well. Dr G.G. JACOBS : The member for Cockburn says that I have scrapped the highly successful Waterwise program. He does not know the difference between the Waterwise rebate scheme and the Waterwise program. He does not make a study of it. He just goes once over the top lightly, picks the low-hanging fruit and runs with it. The Waterwise program involves a schools program, the WaterSmart Margaret River program, an irrigation program, rostering schedules and education websites. The program goes on. The member does not understand what he is talking about in his press release; so much so that none of it was printed in Saturday’s The West Australian because the journalist recognised it for what it was—errant nonsense.
(1)-(3) If he had not noticed, we are faced with some difficult economic times. If he had not noticed, due to some global financial circumstances, some programs have been deferred. Progress has been made delivering these programs up to date, and this will not necessarily mean that they have been axed permanently. They are deferred, recognising the difficult times we are faced with. I draw the attention of the house to some mischievous information that the member for Cockburn and the member for Collie-Preston have been putting out, scaremongering about which projects have been axed. Point of Order Mr M. McGOWAN : Raising material about something that someone else said when the question was quite clearly about the minister’s own capital works budget is clearly not relevant to the question under standing order 78. The minister should answer the question. The SPEAKER : Thank you, member for Rockingham. I expect that the minister will wrap this into the answer to the question Questions without Notice Resumed Dr G.G. JACOBS : Some of the scuttlebutt being put about by the member for Cockburn and the member for Collie-Preston is contained in a press release dated 15 May. None of it was printed in Saturday’s The West Australian because the reporter recognised that it was a load of rubbish and was not worth printing. The press release referred to the cutting of the prevention of falls program just days after the death of a man in Australind. These people know no bounds. The prevention of falls program has been allocated more than $9 million over the next eight to nine years in the budget. The program will continue. The member claimed that the East Rockingham waste water scheme had been cut. The site has been agreed to, and the program is going through a LandCorp approval process. This program has not been cut; it must go through a process. The press release also refers to the Gnangara mound rehabilitation project being cut. I have been talking in this house about the Gnangara sustainability strategy, but because the member has his mouth open so much he cannot hear what I am saying. The multimillion-dollar Water Forever program is run by the Water Corporation, and will continue. I refer him to the document if he would like to read it. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I formally call the member for Albany and the member for Collie-Preston. I suggest to other members on my left that the question has been asked by the member for Cockburn. The member knows me fairly well by now, and I will give him a supplementary, but I ask him to cease interjecting if he does not want to be called as well. Dr G.G. JACOBS : The member for Cockburn says that I have scrapped the highly successful Waterwise program. He does not know the difference between the Waterwise rebate scheme and the Waterwise program. He does not make a study of it. He just goes once over the top lightly, picks the low-hanging fruit and runs with it. The Waterwise program involves a schools program, the WaterSmart Margaret River program, an irrigation program, rostering schedules and education websites. The program goes on. The member does not understand what he is talking about in his press release; so much so that none of it was printed in Saturday’s The West Australian because the journalist recognised it for what it was—errant nonsense.
I draw the attention of the house to some mischievous information that the member for Cockburn and the member for Collie-Preston have been putting out, scaremongering about which projects have been axed.
The SPEAKER : Thank you, member for Rockingham. I expect that the minister will wrap this into the answer to the question Questions without Notice Resumed Dr G.G. JACOBS : Some of the scuttlebutt being put about by the member for Cockburn and the member for Collie-Preston is contained in a press release dated 15 May. None of it was printed in Saturday’s The West Australian because the reporter recognised that it was a load of rubbish and was not worth printing. The press release referred to the cutting of the prevention of falls program just days after the death of a man in Australind. These people know no bounds. The prevention of falls program has been allocated more than $9 million over the next eight to nine years in the budget. The program will continue. The member claimed that the East Rockingham waste water scheme had been cut. The site has been agreed to, and the program is going through a LandCorp approval process. This program has not been cut; it must go through a process. The press release also refers to the Gnangara mound rehabilitation project being cut. I have been talking in this house about the Gnangara sustainability strategy, but because the member has his mouth open so much he cannot hear what I am saying. The multimillion-dollar Water Forever program is run by the Water Corporation, and will continue. I refer him to the document if he would like to read it. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I formally call the member for Albany and the member for Collie-Preston. I suggest to other members on my left that the question has been asked by the member for Cockburn. The member knows me fairly well by now, and I will give him a supplementary, but I ask him to cease interjecting if he does not want to be called as well. Dr G.G. JACOBS : The member for Cockburn says that I have scrapped the highly successful Waterwise program. He does not know the difference between the Waterwise rebate scheme and the Waterwise program. He does not make a study of it. He just goes once over the top lightly, picks the low-hanging fruit and runs with it. The Waterwise program involves a schools program, the WaterSmart Margaret River program, an irrigation program, rostering schedules and education websites. The program goes on. The member does not understand what he is talking about in his press release; so much so that none of it was printed in Saturday’s The West Australian because the journalist recognised it for what it was—errant nonsense.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I formally call the member for Albany and the member for Collie-Preston. I suggest to other members on my left that the question has been asked by the member for Cockburn. The member knows me fairly well by now, and I will give him a supplementary, but I ask him to cease interjecting if he does not want to be called as well. Dr G.G. JACOBS : The member for Cockburn says that I have scrapped the highly successful Waterwise program. He does not know the difference between the Waterwise rebate scheme and the Waterwise program. He does not make a study of it. He just goes once over the top lightly, picks the low-hanging fruit and runs with it. The Waterwise program involves a schools program, the WaterSmart Margaret River program, an irrigation program, rostering schedules and education websites. The program goes on. The member does not understand what he is talking about in his press release; so much so that none of it was printed in Saturday’s The West Australian because the journalist recognised it for what it was—errant nonsense.
The SPEAKER : I formally call the member for Albany and the member for Collie-Preston. I suggest to other members on my left that the question has been asked by the member for Cockburn. The member knows me fairly well by now, and I will give him a supplementary, but I ask him to cease interjecting if he does not want to be called as well. Dr G.G. JACOBS : The member for Cockburn says that I have scrapped the highly successful Waterwise program. He does not know the difference between the Waterwise rebate scheme and the Waterwise program. He does not make a study of it. He just goes once over the top lightly, picks the low-hanging fruit and runs with it. The Waterwise program involves a schools program, the WaterSmart Margaret River program, an irrigation program, rostering schedules and education websites. The program goes on. The member does not understand what he is talking about in his press release; so much so that none of it was printed in Saturday’s The West Australian because the journalist recognised it for what it was—errant nonsense.
Dr G.G. JACOBS : The member for Cockburn says that I have scrapped the highly successful Waterwise program. He does not know the difference between the Waterwise rebate scheme and the Waterwise program. He does not make a study of it. He just goes once over the top lightly, picks the low-hanging fruit and runs with it. The Waterwise program involves a schools program, the WaterSmart Margaret River program, an irrigation program, rostering schedules and education websites. The program goes on. The member does not understand what he is talking about in his press release; so much so that none of it was printed in Saturday’s The West Australian because the journalist recognised it for what it was—errant nonsense.
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