❓ Mr. Nalder questions the Premier on WA's wage growth, citing ABS data. The Premier deflects, highlighting past economic performance under the previous government and defends the current wage policy as a necessary measure to address inherited debt.
AnsweredQoN 1035Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
STATE ECONOMY —
WAGES GROWTH
1035. Mr D.C. NALDER to the Premier:
Given
the Premier's recent interest in the Australian Bureau of Statistics, I
would like to refer the Premier to its release about wage growth today.
Can the Premier confirm that under his economic mismanagement, Western Australia
has the lowest wage growth in the nation for both the quarter and for the year?
WAGES GROWTH
1035. Mr D.C. NALDER to the Premier:
Given
the Premier's recent interest in the Australian Bureau of Statistics, I
would like to refer the Premier to its release about wage growth today.
Can the Premier confirm that under his economic mismanagement, Western Australia
has the lowest wage growth in the nation for both the quarter and for the year?
AnswerView source ↗
Obviously, the shadow Treasurer is
too afraid to ask the Treasurer a question. We have here Australia's
outstanding Treasurer and he is too afraid to ask him a question, which is
understandable.
Mr D.C. Nalder interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Bateman, you have asked the question; wait for the answer.
Mr
M. McGOWAN : The advice the
Treasurer has given me, which I will pass on to the member, is that wages are growing at double the rate they were when we were elected. If it is so bad now,
what was it when the member was in office? He cannot answer the question.
Mr D.C. Nalder interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members! Member
for Bateman!
Mr M. McGOWAN : When the
member was in office the government had the state in the first recession in
history. In the last year of the member's time in office, we had the
first recession in history. When the member was in office, the former
government lifted the state's debt by $40 billion—the worst
debt ever on record.
Mr D.C. Nalder : That is
untrue.
Mr M. McGOWAN : The member's
argument is it was $32 billion. That is his argument. I say it was $40 billion.
Mr D.C. Nalder interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Bateman, please.
Mr M. McGOWAN : The member
says $32 billion; I say $40 billion. We have had that argument for two and a half
years, but if the member wants to settle on $32 billion, he can settle on $32 billion.
All of that happened during the member's term in office.
Obviously as a government there are
some things we can control. We do know that we have had a fairly tight wages
policy. That, I think, is regrettable. It is not exactly something we wanted to
do, but we had to have a tight wages policy because of the debt and deficit we
were left. There were limited other options. I think across the Western Australian
government workforce, I appreciate that there has been broad acceptance that
that is what had to happen. We did set the example in our first year in office,
as members will recall, by bringing in the wage freeze for politicians, judges
and senior public servants. We did that to set an example for the Western Australian government workforce. It is regrettable, but
unfortunately that is what had to happen. That is a four-year policy we brought in that we had control of, but I am advised again by the Treasurer that
wages growth is double what it was when the member was in office.
too afraid to ask the Treasurer a question. We have here Australia's
outstanding Treasurer and he is too afraid to ask him a question, which is
understandable.
Mr D.C. Nalder interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Bateman, you have asked the question; wait for the answer.
Mr
M. McGOWAN : The advice the
Treasurer has given me, which I will pass on to the member, is that wages are growing at double the rate they were when we were elected. If it is so bad now,
what was it when the member was in office? He cannot answer the question.
Mr D.C. Nalder interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members! Member
for Bateman!
Mr M. McGOWAN : When the
member was in office the government had the state in the first recession in
history. In the last year of the member's time in office, we had the
first recession in history. When the member was in office, the former
government lifted the state's debt by $40 billion—the worst
debt ever on record.
Mr D.C. Nalder : That is
untrue.
Mr M. McGOWAN : The member's
argument is it was $32 billion. That is his argument. I say it was $40 billion.
Mr D.C. Nalder interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Bateman, please.
Mr M. McGOWAN : The member
says $32 billion; I say $40 billion. We have had that argument for two and a half
years, but if the member wants to settle on $32 billion, he can settle on $32 billion.
All of that happened during the member's term in office.
Obviously as a government there are
some things we can control. We do know that we have had a fairly tight wages
policy. That, I think, is regrettable. It is not exactly something we wanted to
do, but we had to have a tight wages policy because of the debt and deficit we
were left. There were limited other options. I think across the Western Australian
government workforce, I appreciate that there has been broad acceptance that
that is what had to happen. We did set the example in our first year in office,
as members will recall, by bringing in the wage freeze for politicians, judges
and senior public servants. We did that to set an example for the Western Australian government workforce. It is regrettable, but
unfortunately that is what had to happen. That is a four-year policy we brought in that we had control of, but I am advised again by the Treasurer that
wages growth is double what it was when the member was in office.
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