❓ Mrs O'Malley questions the Treasurer on the McGowan government's economic performance and GST success compared to the previous Liberal-National government. The Treasurer responds positively, highlighting economic growth, budget repair, and GST achievements.
AnsweredQoN 1019Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
STATE ECONOMY —
GST DISTRIBUTION
1019. Mrs L.M. O'MALLEY to the Treasurer:
(1) Can the
Treasurer update the house on the McGowan Labor government's success in
growing the economy, repairing the budget and finally securing a fair share of
the GST?
(2) Can the
Treasurer outline to the house how this compares with the efforts of the
previous Liberal–National government,
which saw the economy in recession, the state's finances destroyed and
no resolution to the GST?
Mr A. Krsticevic interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Carine, I call you to order for the third time.
GST DISTRIBUTION
1019. Mrs L.M. O'MALLEY to the Treasurer:
(1) Can the
Treasurer update the house on the McGowan Labor government's success in
growing the economy, repairing the budget and finally securing a fair share of
the GST?
(2) Can the
Treasurer outline to the house how this compares with the efforts of the
previous Liberal–National government,
which saw the economy in recession, the state's finances destroyed and
no resolution to the GST?
Mr A. Krsticevic interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Carine, I call you to order for the third time.
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I
thank the member for that very good question. I begin by thanking the Leader of
the Opposition for an early Christmas present, which is effectively his matter
of public interest, which I look forward to debating shortly.
What a year it has been. When we
think back two years ago to how bad things were and how much better they are
today, it is little wonder that members of the opposition sit on the other side
of the chamber cranky, cantankerous and irritable, just like my nine-year-old
daughter this morning as we head into the final two weeks of school.
I want to remind everybody what we
had. The voluntary targeted separation scheme will deliver us about $170 million
a year in ongoing recurrent savings. The things that we can control, such as
expense growth, means that expense growth in Western Australia is the lowest it
has been in over two decades, as opposed to the first term of the former government,
when it ticked along at about 10 per cent every single year. That is the reason
that the credit agencies said about us: ''strong financial management as
they upgrade our credit rating.'' What did they say about the Leader of
the Opposition and the Liberal Party as they downgraded the credit rating? They
said they had a lack of political will to implement budget initiatives.
What else have we done? We have tried
to extend the effort of budget repair to everyone. Even though we have seen the
Liberal Party protecting large gold miners and protecting foreign nationals
buying residential property in Western Australia over Western Australian
families, we have ensured that Western Australians get a fair return on the
investment and the infrastructure that they have built up over a long period. I
will go through this in some detail in probably about an hour as we debate that
Christmas present of a matter of public interest—that is the economy.
Who can forget the Leader of the Opposition who never saw the domestic economy
grow during his entire time as Treasurer? That is why, when I became Treasurer,
we had an economy in recession.
Mrs A.K. Hayden interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Darling Range, I call you to order for the first time.
Mr B.S. WYATT : Now it is growing
again. Why is it growing?
Dr D.J. Honey interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for Cottesloe!
Mr B.S. WYATT : The domestic
economy is growing again and the business sector is investing again, which is
what we want to see—that sector to have confidence. As the Premier just
outlined, everywhere we turn is good news from the private sector, confident in
the performance of this government to continue to invest. Of course, the jewel
in the crown of the McGowan government this year is resolving one of the key issues
that has bedevilled fiscals and federal–state relations for over a decade—that
is, ensuring that Western Australia gets its fair share in respect of our GST
return. That is only because the Premier took it upon himself to ensure that
the Productivity Commission commissioned that report, which gave us that body
of evidence to ensure that we could get our GST.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr B.S. WYATT : I remember the
Liberal Party's view at the time. It was going to fundraise to litigate
against the commonwealth government. That was the GST solution from the Liberal
Party! I assume that fundraiser is still ongoing. I am not sure whether it has
ticked over a thousand bucks yet, but hopefully it will get some success!
All Western Australians can look
back on the last nearly two years and understand that wherever people turn,
this government has made decisions in the interests of all Western Australians.
The economy is growing, jobs are being created, and the finances are being
repaired—and that is exactly why we were elected.
Mrs A.K. Hayden interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Darling Range, I call you to order for the second time.
thank the member for that very good question. I begin by thanking the Leader of
the Opposition for an early Christmas present, which is effectively his matter
of public interest, which I look forward to debating shortly.
What a year it has been. When we
think back two years ago to how bad things were and how much better they are
today, it is little wonder that members of the opposition sit on the other side
of the chamber cranky, cantankerous and irritable, just like my nine-year-old
daughter this morning as we head into the final two weeks of school.
I want to remind everybody what we
had. The voluntary targeted separation scheme will deliver us about $170 million
a year in ongoing recurrent savings. The things that we can control, such as
expense growth, means that expense growth in Western Australia is the lowest it
has been in over two decades, as opposed to the first term of the former government,
when it ticked along at about 10 per cent every single year. That is the reason
that the credit agencies said about us: ''strong financial management as
they upgrade our credit rating.'' What did they say about the Leader of
the Opposition and the Liberal Party as they downgraded the credit rating? They
said they had a lack of political will to implement budget initiatives.
What else have we done? We have tried
to extend the effort of budget repair to everyone. Even though we have seen the
Liberal Party protecting large gold miners and protecting foreign nationals
buying residential property in Western Australia over Western Australian
families, we have ensured that Western Australians get a fair return on the
investment and the infrastructure that they have built up over a long period. I
will go through this in some detail in probably about an hour as we debate that
Christmas present of a matter of public interest—that is the economy.
Who can forget the Leader of the Opposition who never saw the domestic economy
grow during his entire time as Treasurer? That is why, when I became Treasurer,
we had an economy in recession.
Mrs A.K. Hayden interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Darling Range, I call you to order for the first time.
Mr B.S. WYATT : Now it is growing
again. Why is it growing?
Dr D.J. Honey interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for Cottesloe!
Mr B.S. WYATT : The domestic
economy is growing again and the business sector is investing again, which is
what we want to see—that sector to have confidence. As the Premier just
outlined, everywhere we turn is good news from the private sector, confident in
the performance of this government to continue to invest. Of course, the jewel
in the crown of the McGowan government this year is resolving one of the key issues
that has bedevilled fiscals and federal–state relations for over a decade—that
is, ensuring that Western Australia gets its fair share in respect of our GST
return. That is only because the Premier took it upon himself to ensure that
the Productivity Commission commissioned that report, which gave us that body
of evidence to ensure that we could get our GST.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr B.S. WYATT : I remember the
Liberal Party's view at the time. It was going to fundraise to litigate
against the commonwealth government. That was the GST solution from the Liberal
Party! I assume that fundraiser is still ongoing. I am not sure whether it has
ticked over a thousand bucks yet, but hopefully it will get some success!
All Western Australians can look
back on the last nearly two years and understand that wherever people turn,
this government has made decisions in the interests of all Western Australians.
The economy is growing, jobs are being created, and the finances are being
repaired—and that is exactly why we were elected.
Mrs A.K. Hayden interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Darling Range, I call you to order for the second time.
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