❓ Premier responds to a question regarding NSW Liberal Party's campaign against WA's GST distribution, defending WA's share and warning other states against challenging the agreement, highlighting WA's strong economic performance.
AnsweredQoN 943Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
GST DISTRIBUTION
943. Mr T.J. HEALY to the Premier:
I refer to the New South Wales
Liberal Party's campaign to rip up the fair deal to the GST distribution
that the McGowan Labor government has worked hard to secure. Can the Premier
outline to the house why the McGowan Labor government will stand up for Western
Australia and fight any attempts by the Liberal Party to overturn the
hard-fought reforms of the GST distribution?
943. Mr T.J. HEALY to the Premier:
I refer to the New South Wales
Liberal Party's campaign to rip up the fair deal to the GST distribution
that the McGowan Labor government has worked hard to secure. Can the Premier
outline to the house why the McGowan Labor government will stand up for Western
Australia and fight any attempts by the Liberal Party to overturn the
hard-fought reforms of the GST distribution?
AnswerView source ↗
I was in Parliament in 1999 when the
then Liberal state and federal governments signed us up to the GST deal. Of
course, for the next 20 years, that deal ripped money away from Western Australia
and sent it east in large amounts, as the Treasurer has just outlined. We then
learnt yesterday or today that the New South Wales government, in its budget
documents, has a breakout box. The breakout box details how all the problems
for New South Wales are because Western Australia is getting GST money and that
is to blame for the situation that New South Wales finds itself in.
The fact of the matter is that New South Wales is getting 92�
in the dollar. Western Australia is getting 70� in the dollar, yet somehow in the tortured imaginations of members of the
Liberal Party in New South Wales, that is unfair . For some reason,
Liberal Party members over there seem to think they can blame Western Australia.
We heard the shadow Treasurer; he endorses
many of the New South Wales Liberal Party policies. We know that, and I will
come to that later if he asks me a question.�
Somehow in the tortured and fevered imagination of the New
South Wales cabinet, Western Australia has an unfair advantage because we get
70� in the dollar and they get 92� in the dollar. The reason our economy is
going strong, which the New South Wales
government bemoans, is that we have managed COVID well, we have got our economy back, and we made sure upon coming to government that we put a proper footing under
our economy.
We find from the
Australian Bureau of Statistics' weekly payroll jobs data that Western Australia
leads the economy . We are back to basically 99.6 per cent of all work
recovered since COVID hit the state. We are leading the country. Internet job vacancies are the highest since March
2013 and our retail figures have the strongest year-on-year growth in
the country. We have the highest land development, land sales and building
approvals, and fly in, fly out workers are moving to Western Australia in their
thousands. We are the only economy in the country that did not go into
recession. All the other states went into recession, but not Western Australia.
New South Wales is run by the Liberal Party. It has sold off
nearly everything. Its debt is now heading towards $104 billion and it has a $16
billion deficit, while this government delivered a $1.2 billion surplus, which,
again the Liberal Party complains about. We undertook responsible financial
management. We have been recognised for that by Moody's and Standard
and Poor's. But I must say, it is up to the New South Wales government
whether it wants to complain. It is the
master of its own domain. New South Wales needs to manage its own budget
responsibly and not blame other states for what it has achieved.
I want to be really clear about this: the New South Wales
Liberal Party has launched a campaign against us. It has launched a campaign in
its budget. I expect that it will want other states to join that campaign so
that it can point the finger at Western Australia and say, ''That is
what is responsible for what is going on over there.'' I say to all the
states and all the Treasurers across Australia, especially the Treasurer in New
South Wales, do not take on Western Australia. They will be declaring war upon
this state if they go in that direction. Western Australia's GST share
was hard fought for 20 years. Do not try to unwind this deal. We do not want a war
with the other states, but if they want a war, we will go to war with
everything at our disposal to protect this deal.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for Churchlands, I was on my feet
for about five minutes!
An opposition member interjected.
The SPEAKER : I was concentrating on him because he was
so loud, but all the rest, if you do it again, I will call you to order.
then Liberal state and federal governments signed us up to the GST deal. Of
course, for the next 20 years, that deal ripped money away from Western Australia
and sent it east in large amounts, as the Treasurer has just outlined. We then
learnt yesterday or today that the New South Wales government, in its budget
documents, has a breakout box. The breakout box details how all the problems
for New South Wales are because Western Australia is getting GST money and that
is to blame for the situation that New South Wales finds itself in.
The fact of the matter is that New South Wales is getting 92�
in the dollar. Western Australia is getting 70� in the dollar, yet somehow in the tortured imaginations of members of the
Liberal Party in New South Wales, that is unfair . For some reason,
Liberal Party members over there seem to think they can blame Western Australia.
We heard the shadow Treasurer; he endorses
many of the New South Wales Liberal Party policies. We know that, and I will
come to that later if he asks me a question.�
Somehow in the tortured and fevered imagination of the New
South Wales cabinet, Western Australia has an unfair advantage because we get
70� in the dollar and they get 92� in the dollar. The reason our economy is
going strong, which the New South Wales
government bemoans, is that we have managed COVID well, we have got our economy back, and we made sure upon coming to government that we put a proper footing under
our economy.
We find from the
Australian Bureau of Statistics' weekly payroll jobs data that Western Australia
leads the economy . We are back to basically 99.6 per cent of all work
recovered since COVID hit the state. We are leading the country. Internet job vacancies are the highest since March
2013 and our retail figures have the strongest year-on-year growth in
the country. We have the highest land development, land sales and building
approvals, and fly in, fly out workers are moving to Western Australia in their
thousands. We are the only economy in the country that did not go into
recession. All the other states went into recession, but not Western Australia.
New South Wales is run by the Liberal Party. It has sold off
nearly everything. Its debt is now heading towards $104 billion and it has a $16
billion deficit, while this government delivered a $1.2 billion surplus, which,
again the Liberal Party complains about. We undertook responsible financial
management. We have been recognised for that by Moody's and Standard
and Poor's. But I must say, it is up to the New South Wales government
whether it wants to complain. It is the
master of its own domain. New South Wales needs to manage its own budget
responsibly and not blame other states for what it has achieved.
I want to be really clear about this: the New South Wales
Liberal Party has launched a campaign against us. It has launched a campaign in
its budget. I expect that it will want other states to join that campaign so
that it can point the finger at Western Australia and say, ''That is
what is responsible for what is going on over there.'' I say to all the
states and all the Treasurers across Australia, especially the Treasurer in New
South Wales, do not take on Western Australia. They will be declaring war upon
this state if they go in that direction. Western Australia's GST share
was hard fought for 20 years. Do not try to unwind this deal. We do not want a war
with the other states, but if they want a war, we will go to war with
everything at our disposal to protect this deal.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for Churchlands, I was on my feet
for about five minutes!
An opposition member interjected.
The SPEAKER : I was concentrating on him because he was
so loud, but all the rest, if you do it again, I will call you to order.
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