❓ Mrs. Hughes asks what the WA government is doing to keep household costs down. Treasurer Ripper outlines measures like frozen electricity prices, education allowances, water rebates, transport subsidies, and reduced CTP insurance, claiming fees have decreased under Labor compared to the previous coalition government.
AnsweredQoN 484Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
HOUSEHOLD COSTS
Will the Treasurer please tell the house what the state government is doing to help keep down household costs? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! The Treasurer has not even started, and members are yelling at him. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I am serious. The Treasurer has not started, and members are already interjecting. Do not do it. Mr E.S. RIPPER
Will the Treasurer please tell the house what the state government is doing to help keep down household costs? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! The Treasurer has not even started, and members are yelling at him. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I am serious. The Treasurer has not started, and members are already interjecting. Do not do it. Mr E.S. RIPPER
AnswerView source ↗
I have not even had a chance to be provocative! Several members interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : They so like to interject on me that my very presence extracts interjections! Under this government, household fees and charges have increased by less than one per cent. That is well below the national headline inflation rate of four per cent. That is a significant contribution to containing household costs. To give members an example, electricity prices have been frozen for six years. Several members interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : That is except for 1997 and the GST increase, for which the member for Cottesloe has to take responsibility. Apart from that, we are also helping people in two areas. For example, in education, we have introduced the pay to learn allowance. People with children who turn 16 or 17 in years 11 and 12 can now get a $200 learning allowance; or, if their children are in training, they can now get a $400 learning allowance. In the area of water resources, people are getting assistance to buy water-saving devices. That helps them to save both water and money. We paid out $16.5 million in Waterwise rebates in 2005-06 alone. On the very important issue of transport, we have just doubled the subsidy for converting a car to LPG. The federal government has followed suit with its own subsidy. That is a good thing; it has accepted the leadership of the Western Australian government. We have cut compulsory third party motor vehicle insurance premiums by 10 per cent. That saves the average motorist $25 a year on every car he or she registers. Even before that reduction, our compulsory motor vehicle third party insurance premiums were at least 21 per cent lower than anywhere else in the country. We have a very good system of compulsory motor vehicle third party insurance premiums. We have maintained and adjusted for inflation the rebate on the registration of family motor vehicles. That rebate has gone up to $55 to keep pace with inflation. Also on the transport front, families with school-age children can now access the 50c Transperth fare for their children. That is a pretty significant contribution to containing household fees and charges. There is a way of measuring this. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the members for Vasse and Cottesloe to order for the first time. Mr E.S. RIPPER : In six years, in real terms we have reduced household fees and charges by $390. If we do the same calculation for the last four years of the coalition government, we see that it increased fees by $277. Under Labor, in real terms fees have gone down by $390; under the coalition, fees went up by $277. At a time when John Howard is trying to weasel out of his promise on interest rates, and at a time when fuel prices are increasing, this contribution to household costs is very welcome indeed.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! The Treasurer has not even started, and members are yelling at him. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I am serious. The Treasurer has not started, and members are already interjecting. Do not do it. Mr E.S. RIPPER replied: I have not even had a chance to be provocative! Several members interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : They so like to interject on me that my very presence extracts interjections! Under this government, household fees and charges have increased by less than one per cent. That is well below the national headline inflation rate of four per cent. That is a significant contribution to containing household costs. To give members an example, electricity prices have been frozen for six years. Several members interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : That is except for 1997 and the GST increase, for which the member for Cottesloe has to take responsibility. Apart from that, we are also helping people in two areas. For example, in education, we have introduced the pay to learn allowance. People with children who turn 16 or 17 in years 11 and 12 can now get a $200 learning allowance; or, if their children are in training, they can now get a $400 learning allowance. In the area of water resources, people are getting assistance to buy water-saving devices. That helps them to save both water and money. We paid out $16.5 million in Waterwise rebates in 2005-06 alone. On the very important issue of transport, we have just doubled the subsidy for converting a car to LPG. The federal government has followed suit with its own subsidy. That is a good thing; it has accepted the leadership of the Western Australian government. We have cut compulsory third party motor vehicle insurance premiums by 10 per cent. That saves the average motorist $25 a year on every car he or she registers. Even before that reduction, our compulsory motor vehicle third party insurance premiums were at least 21 per cent lower than anywhere else in the country. We have a very good system of compulsory motor vehicle third party insurance premiums. We have maintained and adjusted for inflation the rebate on the registration of family motor vehicles. That rebate has gone up to $55 to keep pace with inflation. Also on the transport front, families with school-age children can now access the 50c Transperth fare for their children. That is a pretty significant contribution to containing household fees and charges. There is a way of measuring this. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the members for Vasse and Cottesloe to order for the first time. Mr E.S. RIPPER : In six years, in real terms we have reduced household fees and charges by $390. If we do the same calculation for the last four years of the coalition government, we see that it increased fees by $277. Under Labor, in real terms fees have gone down by $390; under the coalition, fees went up by $277. At a time when John Howard is trying to weasel out of his promise on interest rates, and at a time when fuel prices are increasing, this contribution to household costs is very welcome indeed.
The SPEAKER : Order, members! The Treasurer has not even started, and members are yelling at him. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I am serious. The Treasurer has not started, and members are already interjecting. Do not do it. Mr E.S. RIPPER replied: I have not even had a chance to be provocative! Several members interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : They so like to interject on me that my very presence extracts interjections! Under this government, household fees and charges have increased by less than one per cent. That is well below the national headline inflation rate of four per cent. That is a significant contribution to containing household costs. To give members an example, electricity prices have been frozen for six years. Several members interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : That is except for 1997 and the GST increase, for which the member for Cottesloe has to take responsibility. Apart from that, we are also helping people in two areas. For example, in education, we have introduced the pay to learn allowance. People with children who turn 16 or 17 in years 11 and 12 can now get a $200 learning allowance; or, if their children are in training, they can now get a $400 learning allowance. In the area of water resources, people are getting assistance to buy water-saving devices. That helps them to save both water and money. We paid out $16.5 million in Waterwise rebates in 2005-06 alone. On the very important issue of transport, we have just doubled the subsidy for converting a car to LPG. The federal government has followed suit with its own subsidy. That is a good thing; it has accepted the leadership of the Western Australian government. We have cut compulsory third party motor vehicle insurance premiums by 10 per cent. That saves the average motorist $25 a year on every car he or she registers. Even before that reduction, our compulsory motor vehicle third party insurance premiums were at least 21 per cent lower than anywhere else in the country. We have a very good system of compulsory motor vehicle third party insurance premiums. We have maintained and adjusted for inflation the rebate on the registration of family motor vehicles. That rebate has gone up to $55 to keep pace with inflation. Also on the transport front, families with school-age children can now access the 50c Transperth fare for their children. That is a pretty significant contribution to containing household fees and charges. There is a way of measuring this. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the members for Vasse and Cottesloe to order for the first time. Mr E.S. RIPPER : In six years, in real terms we have reduced household fees and charges by $390. If we do the same calculation for the last four years of the coalition government, we see that it increased fees by $277. Under Labor, in real terms fees have gone down by $390; under the coalition, fees went up by $277. At a time when John Howard is trying to weasel out of his promise on interest rates, and at a time when fuel prices are increasing, this contribution to household costs is very welcome indeed.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I am serious. The Treasurer has not started, and members are already interjecting. Do not do it. Mr E.S. RIPPER replied: I have not even had a chance to be provocative! Several members interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : They so like to interject on me that my very presence extracts interjections! Under this government, household fees and charges have increased by less than one per cent. That is well below the national headline inflation rate of four per cent. That is a significant contribution to containing household costs. To give members an example, electricity prices have been frozen for six years. Several members interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : That is except for 1997 and the GST increase, for which the member for Cottesloe has to take responsibility. Apart from that, we are also helping people in two areas. For example, in education, we have introduced the pay to learn allowance. People with children who turn 16 or 17 in years 11 and 12 can now get a $200 learning allowance; or, if their children are in training, they can now get a $400 learning allowance. In the area of water resources, people are getting assistance to buy water-saving devices. That helps them to save both water and money. We paid out $16.5 million in Waterwise rebates in 2005-06 alone. On the very important issue of transport, we have just doubled the subsidy for converting a car to LPG. The federal government has followed suit with its own subsidy. That is a good thing; it has accepted the leadership of the Western Australian government. We have cut compulsory third party motor vehicle insurance premiums by 10 per cent. That saves the average motorist $25 a year on every car he or she registers. Even before that reduction, our compulsory motor vehicle third party insurance premiums were at least 21 per cent lower than anywhere else in the country. We have a very good system of compulsory motor vehicle third party insurance premiums. We have maintained and adjusted for inflation the rebate on the registration of family motor vehicles. That rebate has gone up to $55 to keep pace with inflation. Also on the transport front, families with school-age children can now access the 50c Transperth fare for their children. That is a pretty significant contribution to containing household fees and charges. There is a way of measuring this. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the members for Vasse and Cottesloe to order for the first time. Mr E.S. RIPPER : In six years, in real terms we have reduced household fees and charges by $390. If we do the same calculation for the last four years of the coalition government, we see that it increased fees by $277. Under Labor, in real terms fees have gone down by $390; under the coalition, fees went up by $277. At a time when John Howard is trying to weasel out of his promise on interest rates, and at a time when fuel prices are increasing, this contribution to household costs is very welcome indeed.
The SPEAKER : Order, members! I am serious. The Treasurer has not started, and members are already interjecting. Do not do it. Mr E.S. RIPPER replied: I have not even had a chance to be provocative! Several members interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : They so like to interject on me that my very presence extracts interjections! Under this government, household fees and charges have increased by less than one per cent. That is well below the national headline inflation rate of four per cent. That is a significant contribution to containing household costs. To give members an example, electricity prices have been frozen for six years. Several members interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : That is except for 1997 and the GST increase, for which the member for Cottesloe has to take responsibility. Apart from that, we are also helping people in two areas. For example, in education, we have introduced the pay to learn allowance. People with children who turn 16 or 17 in years 11 and 12 can now get a $200 learning allowance; or, if their children are in training, they can now get a $400 learning allowance. In the area of water resources, people are getting assistance to buy water-saving devices. That helps them to save both water and money. We paid out $16.5 million in Waterwise rebates in 2005-06 alone. On the very important issue of transport, we have just doubled the subsidy for converting a car to LPG. The federal government has followed suit with its own subsidy. That is a good thing; it has accepted the leadership of the Western Australian government. We have cut compulsory third party motor vehicle insurance premiums by 10 per cent. That saves the average motorist $25 a year on every car he or she registers. Even before that reduction, our compulsory motor vehicle third party insurance premiums were at least 21 per cent lower than anywhere else in the country. We have a very good system of compulsory motor vehicle third party insurance premiums. We have maintained and adjusted for inflation the rebate on the registration of family motor vehicles. That rebate has gone up to $55 to keep pace with inflation. Also on the transport front, families with school-age children can now access the 50c Transperth fare for their children. That is a pretty significant contribution to containing household fees and charges. There is a way of measuring this. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the members for Vasse and Cottesloe to order for the first time. Mr E.S. RIPPER : In six years, in real terms we have reduced household fees and charges by $390. If we do the same calculation for the last four years of the coalition government, we see that it increased fees by $277. Under Labor, in real terms fees have gone down by $390; under the coalition, fees went up by $277. At a time when John Howard is trying to weasel out of his promise on interest rates, and at a time when fuel prices are increasing, this contribution to household costs is very welcome indeed.
Mr E.S. RIPPER replied: I have not even had a chance to be provocative! Several members interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : They so like to interject on me that my very presence extracts interjections! Under this government, household fees and charges have increased by less than one per cent. That is well below the national headline inflation rate of four per cent. That is a significant contribution to containing household costs. To give members an example, electricity prices have been frozen for six years. Several members interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : That is except for 1997 and the GST increase, for which the member for Cottesloe has to take responsibility. Apart from that, we are also helping people in two areas. For example, in education, we have introduced the pay to learn allowance. People with children who turn 16 or 17 in years 11 and 12 can now get a $200 learning allowance; or, if their children are in training, they can now get a $400 learning allowance. In the area of water resources, people are getting assistance to buy water-saving devices. That helps them to save both water and money. We paid out $16.5 million in Waterwise rebates in 2005-06 alone. On the very important issue of transport, we have just doubled the subsidy for converting a car to LPG. The federal government has followed suit with its own subsidy. That is a good thing; it has accepted the leadership of the Western Australian government. We have cut compulsory third party motor vehicle insurance premiums by 10 per cent. That saves the average motorist $25 a year on every car he or she registers. Even before that reduction, our compulsory motor vehicle third party insurance premiums were at least 21 per cent lower than anywhere else in the country. We have a very good system of compulsory motor vehicle third party insurance premiums. We have maintained and adjusted for inflation the rebate on the registration of family motor vehicles. That rebate has gone up to $55 to keep pace with inflation. Also on the transport front, families with school-age children can now access the 50c Transperth fare for their children. That is a pretty significant contribution to containing household fees and charges. There is a way of measuring this. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the members for Vasse and Cottesloe to order for the first time. Mr E.S. RIPPER : In six years, in real terms we have reduced household fees and charges by $390. If we do the same calculation for the last four years of the coalition government, we see that it increased fees by $277. Under Labor, in real terms fees have gone down by $390; under the coalition, fees went up by $277. At a time when John Howard is trying to weasel out of his promise on interest rates, and at a time when fuel prices are increasing, this contribution to household costs is very welcome indeed.
I have not even had a chance to be provocative! Several members interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : They so like to interject on me that my very presence extracts interjections! Under this government, household fees and charges have increased by less than one per cent. That is well below the national headline inflation rate of four per cent. That is a significant contribution to containing household costs. To give members an example, electricity prices have been frozen for six years. Several members interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : That is except for 1997 and the GST increase, for which the member for Cottesloe has to take responsibility. Apart from that, we are also helping people in two areas. For example, in education, we have introduced the pay to learn allowance. People with children who turn 16 or 17 in years 11 and 12 can now get a $200 learning allowance; or, if their children are in training, they can now get a $400 learning allowance. In the area of water resources, people are getting assistance to buy water-saving devices. That helps them to save both water and money. We paid out $16.5 million in Waterwise rebates in 2005-06 alone. On the very important issue of transport, we have just doubled the subsidy for converting a car to LPG. The federal government has followed suit with its own subsidy. That is a good thing; it has accepted the leadership of the Western Australian government. We have cut compulsory third party motor vehicle insurance premiums by 10 per cent. That saves the average motorist $25 a year on every car he or she registers. Even before that reduction, our compulsory motor vehicle third party insurance premiums were at least 21 per cent lower than anywhere else in the country. We have a very good system of compulsory motor vehicle third party insurance premiums. We have maintained and adjusted for inflation the rebate on the registration of family motor vehicles. That rebate has gone up to $55 to keep pace with inflation. Also on the transport front, families with school-age children can now access the 50c Transperth fare for their children. That is a pretty significant contribution to containing household fees and charges. There is a way of measuring this. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the members for Vasse and Cottesloe to order for the first time. Mr E.S. RIPPER : In six years, in real terms we have reduced household fees and charges by $390. If we do the same calculation for the last four years of the coalition government, we see that it increased fees by $277. Under Labor, in real terms fees have gone down by $390; under the coalition, fees went up by $277. At a time when John Howard is trying to weasel out of his promise on interest rates, and at a time when fuel prices are increasing, this contribution to household costs is very welcome indeed.
Several members interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : They so like to interject on me that my very presence extracts interjections! Under this government, household fees and charges have increased by less than one per cent. That is well below the national headline inflation rate of four per cent. That is a significant contribution to containing household costs. To give members an example, electricity prices have been frozen for six years. Several members interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : That is except for 1997 and the GST increase, for which the member for Cottesloe has to take responsibility. Apart from that, we are also helping people in two areas. For example, in education, we have introduced the pay to learn allowance. People with children who turn 16 or 17 in years 11 and 12 can now get a $200 learning allowance; or, if their children are in training, they can now get a $400 learning allowance. In the area of water resources, people are getting assistance to buy water-saving devices. That helps them to save both water and money. We paid out $16.5 million in Waterwise rebates in 2005-06 alone. On the very important issue of transport, we have just doubled the subsidy for converting a car to LPG. The federal government has followed suit with its own subsidy. That is a good thing; it has accepted the leadership of the Western Australian government. We have cut compulsory third party motor vehicle insurance premiums by 10 per cent. That saves the average motorist $25 a year on every car he or she registers. Even before that reduction, our compulsory motor vehicle third party insurance premiums were at least 21 per cent lower than anywhere else in the country. We have a very good system of compulsory motor vehicle third party insurance premiums. We have maintained and adjusted for inflation the rebate on the registration of family motor vehicles. That rebate has gone up to $55 to keep pace with inflation. Also on the transport front, families with school-age children can now access the 50c Transperth fare for their children. That is a pretty significant contribution to containing household fees and charges. There is a way of measuring this. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the members for Vasse and Cottesloe to order for the first time. Mr E.S. RIPPER : In six years, in real terms we have reduced household fees and charges by $390. If we do the same calculation for the last four years of the coalition government, we see that it increased fees by $277. Under Labor, in real terms fees have gone down by $390; under the coalition, fees went up by $277. At a time when John Howard is trying to weasel out of his promise on interest rates, and at a time when fuel prices are increasing, this contribution to household costs is very welcome indeed.
Mr E.S. RIPPER : They so like to interject on me that my very presence extracts interjections! Under this government, household fees and charges have increased by less than one per cent. That is well below the national headline inflation rate of four per cent. That is a significant contribution to containing household costs. To give members an example, electricity prices have been frozen for six years. Several members interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : That is except for 1997 and the GST increase, for which the member for Cottesloe has to take responsibility. Apart from that, we are also helping people in two areas. For example, in education, we have introduced the pay to learn allowance. People with children who turn 16 or 17 in years 11 and 12 can now get a $200 learning allowance; or, if their children are in training, they can now get a $400 learning allowance. In the area of water resources, people are getting assistance to buy water-saving devices. That helps them to save both water and money. We paid out $16.5 million in Waterwise rebates in 2005-06 alone. On the very important issue of transport, we have just doubled the subsidy for converting a car to LPG. The federal government has followed suit with its own subsidy. That is a good thing; it has accepted the leadership of the Western Australian government. We have cut compulsory third party motor vehicle insurance premiums by 10 per cent. That saves the average motorist $25 a year on every car he or she registers. Even before that reduction, our compulsory motor vehicle third party insurance premiums were at least 21 per cent lower than anywhere else in the country. We have a very good system of compulsory motor vehicle third party insurance premiums. We have maintained and adjusted for inflation the rebate on the registration of family motor vehicles. That rebate has gone up to $55 to keep pace with inflation. Also on the transport front, families with school-age children can now access the 50c Transperth fare for their children. That is a pretty significant contribution to containing household fees and charges. There is a way of measuring this. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the members for Vasse and Cottesloe to order for the first time. Mr E.S. RIPPER : In six years, in real terms we have reduced household fees and charges by $390. If we do the same calculation for the last four years of the coalition government, we see that it increased fees by $277. Under Labor, in real terms fees have gone down by $390; under the coalition, fees went up by $277. At a time when John Howard is trying to weasel out of his promise on interest rates, and at a time when fuel prices are increasing, this contribution to household costs is very welcome indeed.
Under this government, household fees and charges have increased by less than one per cent. That is well below the national headline inflation rate of four per cent. That is a significant contribution to containing household costs. To give members an example, electricity prices have been frozen for six years. Several members interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : That is except for 1997 and the GST increase, for which the member for Cottesloe has to take responsibility. Apart from that, we are also helping people in two areas. For example, in education, we have introduced the pay to learn allowance. People with children who turn 16 or 17 in years 11 and 12 can now get a $200 learning allowance; or, if their children are in training, they can now get a $400 learning allowance. In the area of water resources, people are getting assistance to buy water-saving devices. That helps them to save both water and money. We paid out $16.5 million in Waterwise rebates in 2005-06 alone. On the very important issue of transport, we have just doubled the subsidy for converting a car to LPG. The federal government has followed suit with its own subsidy. That is a good thing; it has accepted the leadership of the Western Australian government. We have cut compulsory third party motor vehicle insurance premiums by 10 per cent. That saves the average motorist $25 a year on every car he or she registers. Even before that reduction, our compulsory motor vehicle third party insurance premiums were at least 21 per cent lower than anywhere else in the country. We have a very good system of compulsory motor vehicle third party insurance premiums. We have maintained and adjusted for inflation the rebate on the registration of family motor vehicles. That rebate has gone up to $55 to keep pace with inflation. Also on the transport front, families with school-age children can now access the 50c Transperth fare for their children. That is a pretty significant contribution to containing household fees and charges. There is a way of measuring this. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the members for Vasse and Cottesloe to order for the first time. Mr E.S. RIPPER : In six years, in real terms we have reduced household fees and charges by $390. If we do the same calculation for the last four years of the coalition government, we see that it increased fees by $277. Under Labor, in real terms fees have gone down by $390; under the coalition, fees went up by $277. At a time when John Howard is trying to weasel out of his promise on interest rates, and at a time when fuel prices are increasing, this contribution to household costs is very welcome indeed.
Several members interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : That is except for 1997 and the GST increase, for which the member for Cottesloe has to take responsibility. Apart from that, we are also helping people in two areas. For example, in education, we have introduced the pay to learn allowance. People with children who turn 16 or 17 in years 11 and 12 can now get a $200 learning allowance; or, if their children are in training, they can now get a $400 learning allowance. In the area of water resources, people are getting assistance to buy water-saving devices. That helps them to save both water and money. We paid out $16.5 million in Waterwise rebates in 2005-06 alone. On the very important issue of transport, we have just doubled the subsidy for converting a car to LPG. The federal government has followed suit with its own subsidy. That is a good thing; it has accepted the leadership of the Western Australian government. We have cut compulsory third party motor vehicle insurance premiums by 10 per cent. That saves the average motorist $25 a year on every car he or she registers. Even before that reduction, our compulsory motor vehicle third party insurance premiums were at least 21 per cent lower than anywhere else in the country. We have a very good system of compulsory motor vehicle third party insurance premiums. We have maintained and adjusted for inflation the rebate on the registration of family motor vehicles. That rebate has gone up to $55 to keep pace with inflation. Also on the transport front, families with school-age children can now access the 50c Transperth fare for their children. That is a pretty significant contribution to containing household fees and charges. There is a way of measuring this. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the members for Vasse and Cottesloe to order for the first time. Mr E.S. RIPPER : In six years, in real terms we have reduced household fees and charges by $390. If we do the same calculation for the last four years of the coalition government, we see that it increased fees by $277. Under Labor, in real terms fees have gone down by $390; under the coalition, fees went up by $277. At a time when John Howard is trying to weasel out of his promise on interest rates, and at a time when fuel prices are increasing, this contribution to household costs is very welcome indeed.
Mr E.S. RIPPER : That is except for 1997 and the GST increase, for which the member for Cottesloe has to take responsibility. Apart from that, we are also helping people in two areas. For example, in education, we have introduced the pay to learn allowance. People with children who turn 16 or 17 in years 11 and 12 can now get a $200 learning allowance; or, if their children are in training, they can now get a $400 learning allowance. In the area of water resources, people are getting assistance to buy water-saving devices. That helps them to save both water and money. We paid out $16.5 million in Waterwise rebates in 2005-06 alone. On the very important issue of transport, we have just doubled the subsidy for converting a car to LPG. The federal government has followed suit with its own subsidy. That is a good thing; it has accepted the leadership of the Western Australian government. We have cut compulsory third party motor vehicle insurance premiums by 10 per cent. That saves the average motorist $25 a year on every car he or she registers. Even before that reduction, our compulsory motor vehicle third party insurance premiums were at least 21 per cent lower than anywhere else in the country. We have a very good system of compulsory motor vehicle third party insurance premiums. We have maintained and adjusted for inflation the rebate on the registration of family motor vehicles. That rebate has gone up to $55 to keep pace with inflation. Also on the transport front, families with school-age children can now access the 50c Transperth fare for their children. That is a pretty significant contribution to containing household fees and charges. There is a way of measuring this. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the members for Vasse and Cottesloe to order for the first time. Mr E.S. RIPPER : In six years, in real terms we have reduced household fees and charges by $390. If we do the same calculation for the last four years of the coalition government, we see that it increased fees by $277. Under Labor, in real terms fees have gone down by $390; under the coalition, fees went up by $277. At a time when John Howard is trying to weasel out of his promise on interest rates, and at a time when fuel prices are increasing, this contribution to household costs is very welcome indeed.
Apart from that, we are also helping people in two areas. For example, in education, we have introduced the pay to learn allowance. People with children who turn 16 or 17 in years 11 and 12 can now get a $200 learning allowance; or, if their children are in training, they can now get a $400 learning allowance. In the area of water resources, people are getting assistance to buy water-saving devices. That helps them to save both water and money. We paid out $16.5 million in Waterwise rebates in 2005-06 alone. On the very important issue of transport, we have just doubled the subsidy for converting a car to LPG. The federal government has followed suit with its own subsidy. That is a good thing; it has accepted the leadership of the Western Australian government. We have cut compulsory third party motor vehicle insurance premiums by 10 per cent. That saves the average motorist $25 a year on every car he or she registers. Even before that reduction, our compulsory motor vehicle third party insurance premiums were at least 21 per cent lower than anywhere else in the country. We have a very good system of compulsory motor vehicle third party insurance premiums. We have maintained and adjusted for inflation the rebate on the registration of family motor vehicles. That rebate has gone up to $55 to keep pace with inflation. Also on the transport front, families with school-age children can now access the 50c Transperth fare for their children. That is a pretty significant contribution to containing household fees and charges. There is a way of measuring this. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the members for Vasse and Cottesloe to order for the first time. Mr E.S. RIPPER : In six years, in real terms we have reduced household fees and charges by $390. If we do the same calculation for the last four years of the coalition government, we see that it increased fees by $277. Under Labor, in real terms fees have gone down by $390; under the coalition, fees went up by $277. At a time when John Howard is trying to weasel out of his promise on interest rates, and at a time when fuel prices are increasing, this contribution to household costs is very welcome indeed.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the members for Vasse and Cottesloe to order for the first time. Mr E.S. RIPPER : In six years, in real terms we have reduced household fees and charges by $390. If we do the same calculation for the last four years of the coalition government, we see that it increased fees by $277. Under Labor, in real terms fees have gone down by $390; under the coalition, fees went up by $277. At a time when John Howard is trying to weasel out of his promise on interest rates, and at a time when fuel prices are increasing, this contribution to household costs is very welcome indeed.
The SPEAKER : Order! I call the members for Vasse and Cottesloe to order for the first time. Mr E.S. RIPPER : In six years, in real terms we have reduced household fees and charges by $390. If we do the same calculation for the last four years of the coalition government, we see that it increased fees by $277. Under Labor, in real terms fees have gone down by $390; under the coalition, fees went up by $277. At a time when John Howard is trying to weasel out of his promise on interest rates, and at a time when fuel prices are increasing, this contribution to household costs is very welcome indeed.
Mr E.S. RIPPER : In six years, in real terms we have reduced household fees and charges by $390. If we do the same calculation for the last four years of the coalition government, we see that it increased fees by $277. Under Labor, in real terms fees have gone down by $390; under the coalition, fees went up by $277. At a time when John Howard is trying to weasel out of his promise on interest rates, and at a time when fuel prices are increasing, this contribution to household costs is very welcome indeed.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! The Treasurer has not even started, and members are yelling at him. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I am serious. The Treasurer has not started, and members are already interjecting. Do not do it. Mr E.S. RIPPER replied: I have not even had a chance to be provocative! Several members interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : They so like to interject on me that my very presence extracts interjections! Under this government, household fees and charges have increased by less than one per cent. That is well below the national headline inflation rate of four per cent. That is a significant contribution to containing household costs. To give members an example, electricity prices have been frozen for six years. Several members interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : That is except for 1997 and the GST increase, for which the member for Cottesloe has to take responsibility. Apart from that, we are also helping people in two areas. For example, in education, we have introduced the pay to learn allowance. People with children who turn 16 or 17 in years 11 and 12 can now get a $200 learning allowance; or, if their children are in training, they can now get a $400 learning allowance. In the area of water resources, people are getting assistance to buy water-saving devices. That helps them to save both water and money. We paid out $16.5 million in Waterwise rebates in 2005-06 alone. On the very important issue of transport, we have just doubled the subsidy for converting a car to LPG. The federal government has followed suit with its own subsidy. That is a good thing; it has accepted the leadership of the Western Australian government. We have cut compulsory third party motor vehicle insurance premiums by 10 per cent. That saves the average motorist $25 a year on every car he or she registers. Even before that reduction, our compulsory motor vehicle third party insurance premiums were at least 21 per cent lower than anywhere else in the country. We have a very good system of compulsory motor vehicle third party insurance premiums. We have maintained and adjusted for inflation the rebate on the registration of family motor vehicles. That rebate has gone up to $55 to keep pace with inflation. Also on the transport front, families with school-age children can now access the 50c Transperth fare for their children. That is a pretty significant contribution to containing household fees and charges. There is a way of measuring this. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the members for Vasse and Cottesloe to order for the first time. Mr E.S. RIPPER : In six years, in real terms we have reduced household fees and charges by $390. If we do the same calculation for the last four years of the coalition government, we see that it increased fees by $277. Under Labor, in real terms fees have gone down by $390; under the coalition, fees went up by $277. At a time when John Howard is trying to weasel out of his promise on interest rates, and at a time when fuel prices are increasing, this contribution to household costs is very welcome indeed.
The SPEAKER : Order, members! The Treasurer has not even started, and members are yelling at him. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I am serious. The Treasurer has not started, and members are already interjecting. Do not do it. Mr E.S. RIPPER replied: I have not even had a chance to be provocative! Several members interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : They so like to interject on me that my very presence extracts interjections! Under this government, household fees and charges have increased by less than one per cent. That is well below the national headline inflation rate of four per cent. That is a significant contribution to containing household costs. To give members an example, electricity prices have been frozen for six years. Several members interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : That is except for 1997 and the GST increase, for which the member for Cottesloe has to take responsibility. Apart from that, we are also helping people in two areas. For example, in education, we have introduced the pay to learn allowance. People with children who turn 16 or 17 in years 11 and 12 can now get a $200 learning allowance; or, if their children are in training, they can now get a $400 learning allowance. In the area of water resources, people are getting assistance to buy water-saving devices. That helps them to save both water and money. We paid out $16.5 million in Waterwise rebates in 2005-06 alone. On the very important issue of transport, we have just doubled the subsidy for converting a car to LPG. The federal government has followed suit with its own subsidy. That is a good thing; it has accepted the leadership of the Western Australian government. We have cut compulsory third party motor vehicle insurance premiums by 10 per cent. That saves the average motorist $25 a year on every car he or she registers. Even before that reduction, our compulsory motor vehicle third party insurance premiums were at least 21 per cent lower than anywhere else in the country. We have a very good system of compulsory motor vehicle third party insurance premiums. We have maintained and adjusted for inflation the rebate on the registration of family motor vehicles. That rebate has gone up to $55 to keep pace with inflation. Also on the transport front, families with school-age children can now access the 50c Transperth fare for their children. That is a pretty significant contribution to containing household fees and charges. There is a way of measuring this. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the members for Vasse and Cottesloe to order for the first time. Mr E.S. RIPPER : In six years, in real terms we have reduced household fees and charges by $390. If we do the same calculation for the last four years of the coalition government, we see that it increased fees by $277. Under Labor, in real terms fees have gone down by $390; under the coalition, fees went up by $277. At a time when John Howard is trying to weasel out of his promise on interest rates, and at a time when fuel prices are increasing, this contribution to household costs is very welcome indeed.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I am serious. The Treasurer has not started, and members are already interjecting. Do not do it. Mr E.S. RIPPER replied: I have not even had a chance to be provocative! Several members interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : They so like to interject on me that my very presence extracts interjections! Under this government, household fees and charges have increased by less than one per cent. That is well below the national headline inflation rate of four per cent. That is a significant contribution to containing household costs. To give members an example, electricity prices have been frozen for six years. Several members interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : That is except for 1997 and the GST increase, for which the member for Cottesloe has to take responsibility. Apart from that, we are also helping people in two areas. For example, in education, we have introduced the pay to learn allowance. People with children who turn 16 or 17 in years 11 and 12 can now get a $200 learning allowance; or, if their children are in training, they can now get a $400 learning allowance. In the area of water resources, people are getting assistance to buy water-saving devices. That helps them to save both water and money. We paid out $16.5 million in Waterwise rebates in 2005-06 alone. On the very important issue of transport, we have just doubled the subsidy for converting a car to LPG. The federal government has followed suit with its own subsidy. That is a good thing; it has accepted the leadership of the Western Australian government. We have cut compulsory third party motor vehicle insurance premiums by 10 per cent. That saves the average motorist $25 a year on every car he or she registers. Even before that reduction, our compulsory motor vehicle third party insurance premiums were at least 21 per cent lower than anywhere else in the country. We have a very good system of compulsory motor vehicle third party insurance premiums. We have maintained and adjusted for inflation the rebate on the registration of family motor vehicles. That rebate has gone up to $55 to keep pace with inflation. Also on the transport front, families with school-age children can now access the 50c Transperth fare for their children. That is a pretty significant contribution to containing household fees and charges. There is a way of measuring this. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the members for Vasse and Cottesloe to order for the first time. Mr E.S. RIPPER : In six years, in real terms we have reduced household fees and charges by $390. If we do the same calculation for the last four years of the coalition government, we see that it increased fees by $277. Under Labor, in real terms fees have gone down by $390; under the coalition, fees went up by $277. At a time when John Howard is trying to weasel out of his promise on interest rates, and at a time when fuel prices are increasing, this contribution to household costs is very welcome indeed.
The SPEAKER : Order, members! I am serious. The Treasurer has not started, and members are already interjecting. Do not do it. Mr E.S. RIPPER replied: I have not even had a chance to be provocative! Several members interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : They so like to interject on me that my very presence extracts interjections! Under this government, household fees and charges have increased by less than one per cent. That is well below the national headline inflation rate of four per cent. That is a significant contribution to containing household costs. To give members an example, electricity prices have been frozen for six years. Several members interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : That is except for 1997 and the GST increase, for which the member for Cottesloe has to take responsibility. Apart from that, we are also helping people in two areas. For example, in education, we have introduced the pay to learn allowance. People with children who turn 16 or 17 in years 11 and 12 can now get a $200 learning allowance; or, if their children are in training, they can now get a $400 learning allowance. In the area of water resources, people are getting assistance to buy water-saving devices. That helps them to save both water and money. We paid out $16.5 million in Waterwise rebates in 2005-06 alone. On the very important issue of transport, we have just doubled the subsidy for converting a car to LPG. The federal government has followed suit with its own subsidy. That is a good thing; it has accepted the leadership of the Western Australian government. We have cut compulsory third party motor vehicle insurance premiums by 10 per cent. That saves the average motorist $25 a year on every car he or she registers. Even before that reduction, our compulsory motor vehicle third party insurance premiums were at least 21 per cent lower than anywhere else in the country. We have a very good system of compulsory motor vehicle third party insurance premiums. We have maintained and adjusted for inflation the rebate on the registration of family motor vehicles. That rebate has gone up to $55 to keep pace with inflation. Also on the transport front, families with school-age children can now access the 50c Transperth fare for their children. That is a pretty significant contribution to containing household fees and charges. There is a way of measuring this. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the members for Vasse and Cottesloe to order for the first time. Mr E.S. RIPPER : In six years, in real terms we have reduced household fees and charges by $390. If we do the same calculation for the last four years of the coalition government, we see that it increased fees by $277. Under Labor, in real terms fees have gone down by $390; under the coalition, fees went up by $277. At a time when John Howard is trying to weasel out of his promise on interest rates, and at a time when fuel prices are increasing, this contribution to household costs is very welcome indeed.
Mr E.S. RIPPER replied: I have not even had a chance to be provocative! Several members interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : They so like to interject on me that my very presence extracts interjections! Under this government, household fees and charges have increased by less than one per cent. That is well below the national headline inflation rate of four per cent. That is a significant contribution to containing household costs. To give members an example, electricity prices have been frozen for six years. Several members interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : That is except for 1997 and the GST increase, for which the member for Cottesloe has to take responsibility. Apart from that, we are also helping people in two areas. For example, in education, we have introduced the pay to learn allowance. People with children who turn 16 or 17 in years 11 and 12 can now get a $200 learning allowance; or, if their children are in training, they can now get a $400 learning allowance. In the area of water resources, people are getting assistance to buy water-saving devices. That helps them to save both water and money. We paid out $16.5 million in Waterwise rebates in 2005-06 alone. On the very important issue of transport, we have just doubled the subsidy for converting a car to LPG. The federal government has followed suit with its own subsidy. That is a good thing; it has accepted the leadership of the Western Australian government. We have cut compulsory third party motor vehicle insurance premiums by 10 per cent. That saves the average motorist $25 a year on every car he or she registers. Even before that reduction, our compulsory motor vehicle third party insurance premiums were at least 21 per cent lower than anywhere else in the country. We have a very good system of compulsory motor vehicle third party insurance premiums. We have maintained and adjusted for inflation the rebate on the registration of family motor vehicles. That rebate has gone up to $55 to keep pace with inflation. Also on the transport front, families with school-age children can now access the 50c Transperth fare for their children. That is a pretty significant contribution to containing household fees and charges. There is a way of measuring this. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the members for Vasse and Cottesloe to order for the first time. Mr E.S. RIPPER : In six years, in real terms we have reduced household fees and charges by $390. If we do the same calculation for the last four years of the coalition government, we see that it increased fees by $277. Under Labor, in real terms fees have gone down by $390; under the coalition, fees went up by $277. At a time when John Howard is trying to weasel out of his promise on interest rates, and at a time when fuel prices are increasing, this contribution to household costs is very welcome indeed.
I have not even had a chance to be provocative! Several members interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : They so like to interject on me that my very presence extracts interjections! Under this government, household fees and charges have increased by less than one per cent. That is well below the national headline inflation rate of four per cent. That is a significant contribution to containing household costs. To give members an example, electricity prices have been frozen for six years. Several members interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : That is except for 1997 and the GST increase, for which the member for Cottesloe has to take responsibility. Apart from that, we are also helping people in two areas. For example, in education, we have introduced the pay to learn allowance. People with children who turn 16 or 17 in years 11 and 12 can now get a $200 learning allowance; or, if their children are in training, they can now get a $400 learning allowance. In the area of water resources, people are getting assistance to buy water-saving devices. That helps them to save both water and money. We paid out $16.5 million in Waterwise rebates in 2005-06 alone. On the very important issue of transport, we have just doubled the subsidy for converting a car to LPG. The federal government has followed suit with its own subsidy. That is a good thing; it has accepted the leadership of the Western Australian government. We have cut compulsory third party motor vehicle insurance premiums by 10 per cent. That saves the average motorist $25 a year on every car he or she registers. Even before that reduction, our compulsory motor vehicle third party insurance premiums were at least 21 per cent lower than anywhere else in the country. We have a very good system of compulsory motor vehicle third party insurance premiums. We have maintained and adjusted for inflation the rebate on the registration of family motor vehicles. That rebate has gone up to $55 to keep pace with inflation. Also on the transport front, families with school-age children can now access the 50c Transperth fare for their children. That is a pretty significant contribution to containing household fees and charges. There is a way of measuring this. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the members for Vasse and Cottesloe to order for the first time. Mr E.S. RIPPER : In six years, in real terms we have reduced household fees and charges by $390. If we do the same calculation for the last four years of the coalition government, we see that it increased fees by $277. Under Labor, in real terms fees have gone down by $390; under the coalition, fees went up by $277. At a time when John Howard is trying to weasel out of his promise on interest rates, and at a time when fuel prices are increasing, this contribution to household costs is very welcome indeed.
Several members interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : They so like to interject on me that my very presence extracts interjections! Under this government, household fees and charges have increased by less than one per cent. That is well below the national headline inflation rate of four per cent. That is a significant contribution to containing household costs. To give members an example, electricity prices have been frozen for six years. Several members interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : That is except for 1997 and the GST increase, for which the member for Cottesloe has to take responsibility. Apart from that, we are also helping people in two areas. For example, in education, we have introduced the pay to learn allowance. People with children who turn 16 or 17 in years 11 and 12 can now get a $200 learning allowance; or, if their children are in training, they can now get a $400 learning allowance. In the area of water resources, people are getting assistance to buy water-saving devices. That helps them to save both water and money. We paid out $16.5 million in Waterwise rebates in 2005-06 alone. On the very important issue of transport, we have just doubled the subsidy for converting a car to LPG. The federal government has followed suit with its own subsidy. That is a good thing; it has accepted the leadership of the Western Australian government. We have cut compulsory third party motor vehicle insurance premiums by 10 per cent. That saves the average motorist $25 a year on every car he or she registers. Even before that reduction, our compulsory motor vehicle third party insurance premiums were at least 21 per cent lower than anywhere else in the country. We have a very good system of compulsory motor vehicle third party insurance premiums. We have maintained and adjusted for inflation the rebate on the registration of family motor vehicles. That rebate has gone up to $55 to keep pace with inflation. Also on the transport front, families with school-age children can now access the 50c Transperth fare for their children. That is a pretty significant contribution to containing household fees and charges. There is a way of measuring this. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the members for Vasse and Cottesloe to order for the first time. Mr E.S. RIPPER : In six years, in real terms we have reduced household fees and charges by $390. If we do the same calculation for the last four years of the coalition government, we see that it increased fees by $277. Under Labor, in real terms fees have gone down by $390; under the coalition, fees went up by $277. At a time when John Howard is trying to weasel out of his promise on interest rates, and at a time when fuel prices are increasing, this contribution to household costs is very welcome indeed.
Mr E.S. RIPPER : They so like to interject on me that my very presence extracts interjections! Under this government, household fees and charges have increased by less than one per cent. That is well below the national headline inflation rate of four per cent. That is a significant contribution to containing household costs. To give members an example, electricity prices have been frozen for six years. Several members interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : That is except for 1997 and the GST increase, for which the member for Cottesloe has to take responsibility. Apart from that, we are also helping people in two areas. For example, in education, we have introduced the pay to learn allowance. People with children who turn 16 or 17 in years 11 and 12 can now get a $200 learning allowance; or, if their children are in training, they can now get a $400 learning allowance. In the area of water resources, people are getting assistance to buy water-saving devices. That helps them to save both water and money. We paid out $16.5 million in Waterwise rebates in 2005-06 alone. On the very important issue of transport, we have just doubled the subsidy for converting a car to LPG. The federal government has followed suit with its own subsidy. That is a good thing; it has accepted the leadership of the Western Australian government. We have cut compulsory third party motor vehicle insurance premiums by 10 per cent. That saves the average motorist $25 a year on every car he or she registers. Even before that reduction, our compulsory motor vehicle third party insurance premiums were at least 21 per cent lower than anywhere else in the country. We have a very good system of compulsory motor vehicle third party insurance premiums. We have maintained and adjusted for inflation the rebate on the registration of family motor vehicles. That rebate has gone up to $55 to keep pace with inflation. Also on the transport front, families with school-age children can now access the 50c Transperth fare for their children. That is a pretty significant contribution to containing household fees and charges. There is a way of measuring this. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the members for Vasse and Cottesloe to order for the first time. Mr E.S. RIPPER : In six years, in real terms we have reduced household fees and charges by $390. If we do the same calculation for the last four years of the coalition government, we see that it increased fees by $277. Under Labor, in real terms fees have gone down by $390; under the coalition, fees went up by $277. At a time when John Howard is trying to weasel out of his promise on interest rates, and at a time when fuel prices are increasing, this contribution to household costs is very welcome indeed.
Under this government, household fees and charges have increased by less than one per cent. That is well below the national headline inflation rate of four per cent. That is a significant contribution to containing household costs. To give members an example, electricity prices have been frozen for six years. Several members interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : That is except for 1997 and the GST increase, for which the member for Cottesloe has to take responsibility. Apart from that, we are also helping people in two areas. For example, in education, we have introduced the pay to learn allowance. People with children who turn 16 or 17 in years 11 and 12 can now get a $200 learning allowance; or, if their children are in training, they can now get a $400 learning allowance. In the area of water resources, people are getting assistance to buy water-saving devices. That helps them to save both water and money. We paid out $16.5 million in Waterwise rebates in 2005-06 alone. On the very important issue of transport, we have just doubled the subsidy for converting a car to LPG. The federal government has followed suit with its own subsidy. That is a good thing; it has accepted the leadership of the Western Australian government. We have cut compulsory third party motor vehicle insurance premiums by 10 per cent. That saves the average motorist $25 a year on every car he or she registers. Even before that reduction, our compulsory motor vehicle third party insurance premiums were at least 21 per cent lower than anywhere else in the country. We have a very good system of compulsory motor vehicle third party insurance premiums. We have maintained and adjusted for inflation the rebate on the registration of family motor vehicles. That rebate has gone up to $55 to keep pace with inflation. Also on the transport front, families with school-age children can now access the 50c Transperth fare for their children. That is a pretty significant contribution to containing household fees and charges. There is a way of measuring this. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the members for Vasse and Cottesloe to order for the first time. Mr E.S. RIPPER : In six years, in real terms we have reduced household fees and charges by $390. If we do the same calculation for the last four years of the coalition government, we see that it increased fees by $277. Under Labor, in real terms fees have gone down by $390; under the coalition, fees went up by $277. At a time when John Howard is trying to weasel out of his promise on interest rates, and at a time when fuel prices are increasing, this contribution to household costs is very welcome indeed.
Several members interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : That is except for 1997 and the GST increase, for which the member for Cottesloe has to take responsibility. Apart from that, we are also helping people in two areas. For example, in education, we have introduced the pay to learn allowance. People with children who turn 16 or 17 in years 11 and 12 can now get a $200 learning allowance; or, if their children are in training, they can now get a $400 learning allowance. In the area of water resources, people are getting assistance to buy water-saving devices. That helps them to save both water and money. We paid out $16.5 million in Waterwise rebates in 2005-06 alone. On the very important issue of transport, we have just doubled the subsidy for converting a car to LPG. The federal government has followed suit with its own subsidy. That is a good thing; it has accepted the leadership of the Western Australian government. We have cut compulsory third party motor vehicle insurance premiums by 10 per cent. That saves the average motorist $25 a year on every car he or she registers. Even before that reduction, our compulsory motor vehicle third party insurance premiums were at least 21 per cent lower than anywhere else in the country. We have a very good system of compulsory motor vehicle third party insurance premiums. We have maintained and adjusted for inflation the rebate on the registration of family motor vehicles. That rebate has gone up to $55 to keep pace with inflation. Also on the transport front, families with school-age children can now access the 50c Transperth fare for their children. That is a pretty significant contribution to containing household fees and charges. There is a way of measuring this. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the members for Vasse and Cottesloe to order for the first time. Mr E.S. RIPPER : In six years, in real terms we have reduced household fees and charges by $390. If we do the same calculation for the last four years of the coalition government, we see that it increased fees by $277. Under Labor, in real terms fees have gone down by $390; under the coalition, fees went up by $277. At a time when John Howard is trying to weasel out of his promise on interest rates, and at a time when fuel prices are increasing, this contribution to household costs is very welcome indeed.
Mr E.S. RIPPER : That is except for 1997 and the GST increase, for which the member for Cottesloe has to take responsibility. Apart from that, we are also helping people in two areas. For example, in education, we have introduced the pay to learn allowance. People with children who turn 16 or 17 in years 11 and 12 can now get a $200 learning allowance; or, if their children are in training, they can now get a $400 learning allowance. In the area of water resources, people are getting assistance to buy water-saving devices. That helps them to save both water and money. We paid out $16.5 million in Waterwise rebates in 2005-06 alone. On the very important issue of transport, we have just doubled the subsidy for converting a car to LPG. The federal government has followed suit with its own subsidy. That is a good thing; it has accepted the leadership of the Western Australian government. We have cut compulsory third party motor vehicle insurance premiums by 10 per cent. That saves the average motorist $25 a year on every car he or she registers. Even before that reduction, our compulsory motor vehicle third party insurance premiums were at least 21 per cent lower than anywhere else in the country. We have a very good system of compulsory motor vehicle third party insurance premiums. We have maintained and adjusted for inflation the rebate on the registration of family motor vehicles. That rebate has gone up to $55 to keep pace with inflation. Also on the transport front, families with school-age children can now access the 50c Transperth fare for their children. That is a pretty significant contribution to containing household fees and charges. There is a way of measuring this. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the members for Vasse and Cottesloe to order for the first time. Mr E.S. RIPPER : In six years, in real terms we have reduced household fees and charges by $390. If we do the same calculation for the last four years of the coalition government, we see that it increased fees by $277. Under Labor, in real terms fees have gone down by $390; under the coalition, fees went up by $277. At a time when John Howard is trying to weasel out of his promise on interest rates, and at a time when fuel prices are increasing, this contribution to household costs is very welcome indeed.
Apart from that, we are also helping people in two areas. For example, in education, we have introduced the pay to learn allowance. People with children who turn 16 or 17 in years 11 and 12 can now get a $200 learning allowance; or, if their children are in training, they can now get a $400 learning allowance. In the area of water resources, people are getting assistance to buy water-saving devices. That helps them to save both water and money. We paid out $16.5 million in Waterwise rebates in 2005-06 alone. On the very important issue of transport, we have just doubled the subsidy for converting a car to LPG. The federal government has followed suit with its own subsidy. That is a good thing; it has accepted the leadership of the Western Australian government. We have cut compulsory third party motor vehicle insurance premiums by 10 per cent. That saves the average motorist $25 a year on every car he or she registers. Even before that reduction, our compulsory motor vehicle third party insurance premiums were at least 21 per cent lower than anywhere else in the country. We have a very good system of compulsory motor vehicle third party insurance premiums. We have maintained and adjusted for inflation the rebate on the registration of family motor vehicles. That rebate has gone up to $55 to keep pace with inflation. Also on the transport front, families with school-age children can now access the 50c Transperth fare for their children. That is a pretty significant contribution to containing household fees and charges. There is a way of measuring this. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the members for Vasse and Cottesloe to order for the first time. Mr E.S. RIPPER : In six years, in real terms we have reduced household fees and charges by $390. If we do the same calculation for the last four years of the coalition government, we see that it increased fees by $277. Under Labor, in real terms fees have gone down by $390; under the coalition, fees went up by $277. At a time when John Howard is trying to weasel out of his promise on interest rates, and at a time when fuel prices are increasing, this contribution to household costs is very welcome indeed.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the members for Vasse and Cottesloe to order for the first time. Mr E.S. RIPPER : In six years, in real terms we have reduced household fees and charges by $390. If we do the same calculation for the last four years of the coalition government, we see that it increased fees by $277. Under Labor, in real terms fees have gone down by $390; under the coalition, fees went up by $277. At a time when John Howard is trying to weasel out of his promise on interest rates, and at a time when fuel prices are increasing, this contribution to household costs is very welcome indeed.
The SPEAKER : Order! I call the members for Vasse and Cottesloe to order for the first time. Mr E.S. RIPPER : In six years, in real terms we have reduced household fees and charges by $390. If we do the same calculation for the last four years of the coalition government, we see that it increased fees by $277. Under Labor, in real terms fees have gone down by $390; under the coalition, fees went up by $277. At a time when John Howard is trying to weasel out of his promise on interest rates, and at a time when fuel prices are increasing, this contribution to household costs is very welcome indeed.
Mr E.S. RIPPER : In six years, in real terms we have reduced household fees and charges by $390. If we do the same calculation for the last four years of the coalition government, we see that it increased fees by $277. Under Labor, in real terms fees have gone down by $390; under the coalition, fees went up by $277. At a time when John Howard is trying to weasel out of his promise on interest rates, and at a time when fuel prices are increasing, this contribution to household costs is very welcome indeed.
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