❓ Dr. Honey questions the Minister for Water about continuing a $400 water tax despite a GST windfall. The Minister refutes the 'windfall' claim, defends the water price increases as less than those under the previous government, and highlights measures to assist struggling families with water bills.
AnsweredQoN 935Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
WATER CORPORATION —
FEES AND CHARGES
935. Dr D.J. HONEY to the Minister for Water:
Given the $ 4.7 billion GST windfall
from the federal Liberal government, will the minister outline to this house
whether he will continue his $400 water tax on struggling Western Australian
families; and, if so, how can he continue to justify this unjustified attack on
households?
FEES AND CHARGES
935. Dr D.J. HONEY to the Minister for Water:
Given the $ 4.7 billion GST windfall
from the federal Liberal government, will the minister outline to this house
whether he will continue his $400 water tax on struggling Western Australian
families; and, if so, how can he continue to justify this unjustified attack on
households?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the self-confessed member
for Struggle Street, the member for Cottesloe! The Treasurer has asked me to
make a point and I agree with him. This is not a windfall. The GST top-up
payments that we will receive under this new arrangement are not a windfall. A
windfall is something that is undeserved or unexpected. What we have got out of
this deal that this government has negotiated, that members opposite could not
get, is a fair share for Western Australia. It is not a windfall; it is simply
righting a historical wrong that Eric Ripper and Geoff Gallop pointed out in
this chamber would occur when members opposite signed up for the GST deal 20 years
ago.
Members opposite really need to
temper their language around the GST issue. They are saying it is now money
that we can just squander on whatever project comes to their mind first. We
have already seen the press releases put out by the Leader of the Opposition in
which he said it should be spent on debt recovery. Almost every member of the
frontbench opposite has given another spending priority. The National Party,
the partner in crime, has already come up with a different agenda for where
that money should be spent. If the member for Cottesloe really cares about the
people of Western Australia, he should rethink what he is saying.
The increases in water prices that we have implemented in the
first two budgets are less than the increases in water charges that were in the
budget that we inherited from members opposite. Had the member for Cottesloe
been the Minister for Water—heaven forbid—he would have
increased water charges more. Within the constraints, we have done our best to
moderate the impact on low-income families. That is borne out by two
statistics. The number of Western Australians who have had their water cut off
because they cannot pay their bills under us is down 60 per cent on what it was
when you people were on the government benches. The number of Western Australians
who are paying interest on their water bills is down by over 10 per cent in the
last two years. Notwithstanding that we have had to increase water charges, we
have made it easier for people to pay their bills. People who are having
difficulties paying their water bills can now contact the Water Corporation and
the Water Corporation will engage with them and offer them a range of options
to make it easier for them to meet their bills. We have done much more to make
it easier for Western Australians to pay their water bills than the Liberal–National
government certainly did in eight years.
for Struggle Street, the member for Cottesloe! The Treasurer has asked me to
make a point and I agree with him. This is not a windfall. The GST top-up
payments that we will receive under this new arrangement are not a windfall. A
windfall is something that is undeserved or unexpected. What we have got out of
this deal that this government has negotiated, that members opposite could not
get, is a fair share for Western Australia. It is not a windfall; it is simply
righting a historical wrong that Eric Ripper and Geoff Gallop pointed out in
this chamber would occur when members opposite signed up for the GST deal 20 years
ago.
Members opposite really need to
temper their language around the GST issue. They are saying it is now money
that we can just squander on whatever project comes to their mind first. We
have already seen the press releases put out by the Leader of the Opposition in
which he said it should be spent on debt recovery. Almost every member of the
frontbench opposite has given another spending priority. The National Party,
the partner in crime, has already come up with a different agenda for where
that money should be spent. If the member for Cottesloe really cares about the
people of Western Australia, he should rethink what he is saying.
The increases in water prices that we have implemented in the
first two budgets are less than the increases in water charges that were in the
budget that we inherited from members opposite. Had the member for Cottesloe
been the Minister for Water—heaven forbid—he would have
increased water charges more. Within the constraints, we have done our best to
moderate the impact on low-income families. That is borne out by two
statistics. The number of Western Australians who have had their water cut off
because they cannot pay their bills under us is down 60 per cent on what it was
when you people were on the government benches. The number of Western Australians
who are paying interest on their water bills is down by over 10 per cent in the
last two years. Notwithstanding that we have had to increase water charges, we
have made it easier for people to pay their bills. People who are having
difficulties paying their water bills can now contact the Water Corporation and
the Water Corporation will engage with them and offer them a range of options
to make it easier for them to meet their bills. We have done much more to make
it easier for Western Australians to pay their water bills than the Liberal–National
government certainly did in eight years.
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