❓ Question regarding WA's affordability compared to eastern states, particularly in transport, in light of the Premier's efforts to attract interstate migration. The Minister's answer focuses on lower public transport costs and the absence of tolls in WA.
AnsweredQoN 376Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
TRANSPORT —
AFFORDABILITY
376. Ms E.L. HAMILTON to the Minister for Transport:
I refer to the upcoming national
cabinet meeting of state and territory leaders at which the Premier will urge
those on the east coast to move to Western Australia. Can the minister outline
to the house how the McGowan Labor government is ensuring that commuting in Western
Australia is more affordable than in the other states, and can the minister
outline to the house how the McGowan Labor government's record investment
in roads and Metronet will further ease congestion, as opposed to the cities in
the eastern states?
AFFORDABILITY
376. Ms E.L. HAMILTON to the Minister for Transport:
I refer to the upcoming national
cabinet meeting of state and territory leaders at which the Premier will urge
those on the east coast to move to Western Australia. Can the minister outline
to the house how the McGowan Labor government is ensuring that commuting in Western
Australia is more affordable than in the other states, and can the minister
outline to the house how the McGowan Labor government's record investment
in roads and Metronet will further ease congestion, as opposed to the cities in
the eastern states?
AnswerView source ↗
The
Liberal and National Parties want to talk down WA. The Premier is going over
east today as part of the Council of Australian Governments to promote
living in Western Australia. Yesterday, the Premier made a key point about
housing affordability in Western Australia compared with the case in other
states. I thought I would like to extend that analysis.
An opposition member interjected.
Ms
R. SAFFIOTI : Do opposition
members continually want to run down WA? They did it in the 2021 election and
the prior three years. That is why no-one supports them. They do not think
people should come to Western Australia. We have a major political party
that is trying to make the point that people should not come to WA. I never
thought I would see it.
The Premier outlined Western Australia's
housing affordability and the average house prices compared with the other
states. We thought we would extend that analysis and look at other key
components. Transport is a key cost for families. Look at what we are doing for
transport costs in this state for not only regional airfares, but also public
transport initiatives, including our two-zone cap. That sees people who travel
70 kilometres from Mandurah paying only $4 per
trip. For travelling a similar distance in Queensland, people are paying over
$10.80. Travelling between Geelong and Melbourne in Victoria costs $13
compared to our $4. A similar trip in New South Wales costs $7 compared to $4. The other key component is that we
do not have toll roads. People in New South Wales, for example , pay $21 in tolls when they travel about 60
kilometres from the CBD. People living in Western Australia do not face those costs. An analysis was produced recently showing the average annual
expenditure spent on tolls by people who live in the outer suburbs. This is the
total amount divided by the number of people living in those areas. The average
annual expenditure per household is $539 in Penrith, $503 in Campbelltown and
$498 in Blacktown. Some users are paying thousands of dollars per annum in
tolls. When we compare the public transport costs and toll costs for people
living in some of those suburbs in those areas, we can see that WA is much more
affordable. Housing affordability, public transport and road transport is much
more affordable in WA. We will continue to make the point when attracting
people from overseas and interstate that WA's lifestyle is the best in
the world and it is much more affordable than any other state.
Liberal and National Parties want to talk down WA. The Premier is going over
east today as part of the Council of Australian Governments to promote
living in Western Australia. Yesterday, the Premier made a key point about
housing affordability in Western Australia compared with the case in other
states. I thought I would like to extend that analysis.
An opposition member interjected.
Ms
R. SAFFIOTI : Do opposition
members continually want to run down WA? They did it in the 2021 election and
the prior three years. That is why no-one supports them. They do not think
people should come to Western Australia. We have a major political party
that is trying to make the point that people should not come to WA. I never
thought I would see it.
The Premier outlined Western Australia's
housing affordability and the average house prices compared with the other
states. We thought we would extend that analysis and look at other key
components. Transport is a key cost for families. Look at what we are doing for
transport costs in this state for not only regional airfares, but also public
transport initiatives, including our two-zone cap. That sees people who travel
70 kilometres from Mandurah paying only $4 per
trip. For travelling a similar distance in Queensland, people are paying over
$10.80. Travelling between Geelong and Melbourne in Victoria costs $13
compared to our $4. A similar trip in New South Wales costs $7 compared to $4. The other key component is that we
do not have toll roads. People in New South Wales, for example , pay $21 in tolls when they travel about 60
kilometres from the CBD. People living in Western Australia do not face those costs. An analysis was produced recently showing the average annual
expenditure spent on tolls by people who live in the outer suburbs. This is the
total amount divided by the number of people living in those areas. The average
annual expenditure per household is $539 in Penrith, $503 in Campbelltown and
$498 in Blacktown. Some users are paying thousands of dollars per annum in
tolls. When we compare the public transport costs and toll costs for people
living in some of those suburbs in those areas, we can see that WA is much more
affordable. Housing affordability, public transport and road transport is much
more affordable in WA. We will continue to make the point when attracting
people from overseas and interstate that WA's lifestyle is the best in
the world and it is much more affordable than any other state.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.