❓ Dr. Honey questions the Premier about cost-of-living assistance due to potential fruit and vegetable price increases resulting from labour shortages in the Metropolitan Market Gardens. The Premier deflects blame, citing the pandemic and Commonwealth border closures.
AnsweredQoN 702Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
METROPOLITAN MARKET
GARDENS — SEASONAL LABOUR
702. Dr D.J. HONEY to the Premier:
I have a supplementary question.
Recognising that the fixes that the Premier has proposed will take perhaps
months to gain momentum, will the Premier
provide struggling Western Australians with additional cost-of-living
assistance in the lead-up to Christmas if the cost of fresh fruit and
vegetable increases as a result of his government's failure to properly
and safely address this immediate labour shortage issue?
GARDENS — SEASONAL LABOUR
702. Dr D.J. HONEY to the Premier:
I have a supplementary question.
Recognising that the fixes that the Premier has proposed will take perhaps
months to gain momentum, will the Premier
provide struggling Western Australians with additional cost-of-living
assistance in the lead-up to Christmas if the cost of fresh fruit and
vegetable increases as a result of his government's failure to properly
and safely address this immediate labour shortage issue?
AnswerView source ↗
Today, we had a world-record
question for falsehoods in the preamble, and we also had a Guinness World
Records effort to segue from one argument into another and draw a conclusion
that somehow everything in Australia is my fault—everything! Is there
anything out there that is not my fault, member for Cottesloe? No, okay—so
everything is my fault. A pandemic is impacting the state, the country and the
world in all sorts of ways, and we are managing it as best we can to get people
back to work and keep people safe with now 160 days without community spread,
and all the member for Cottesloe can see is that everything is wrong. Somehow
everything that happens, including farmers not being able to secure
international labour because the commonwealth government has an international
hard border, is my fault. Apparently, member for Cottesloe, the commonwealth
putting in a border to stop labour coming from Sweden, Germany or the Pacific
Islands is suddenly my fault.
Mr A. Krsticevic interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Carine!
Dr D.J. Honey interjected.
Mr M. McGOWAN : Well, I am not
the Prime Minister, member for Cottesloe. I do not actually want to be the
Prime Minister. I am happy being the Premier of the greatest state in the
commonwealth. But I will just say this about this matter: I proposed a solution
nationally. The solution is clear. It may not be perfect and it might not work
perfectly and a lot of Australians may not want to or be able to do this sort
of work, but I am confident that if the commonwealth puts in place the solution
that I have recommended, it will make a material difference in favour of our
farming communities, and therefore in favour of the price of fruit and
vegetables. I have put that to the commonwealth repeatedly now for months and I
urge it to act.
question for falsehoods in the preamble, and we also had a Guinness World
Records effort to segue from one argument into another and draw a conclusion
that somehow everything in Australia is my fault—everything! Is there
anything out there that is not my fault, member for Cottesloe? No, okay—so
everything is my fault. A pandemic is impacting the state, the country and the
world in all sorts of ways, and we are managing it as best we can to get people
back to work and keep people safe with now 160 days without community spread,
and all the member for Cottesloe can see is that everything is wrong. Somehow
everything that happens, including farmers not being able to secure
international labour because the commonwealth government has an international
hard border, is my fault. Apparently, member for Cottesloe, the commonwealth
putting in a border to stop labour coming from Sweden, Germany or the Pacific
Islands is suddenly my fault.
Mr A. Krsticevic interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Carine!
Dr D.J. Honey interjected.
Mr M. McGOWAN : Well, I am not
the Prime Minister, member for Cottesloe. I do not actually want to be the
Prime Minister. I am happy being the Premier of the greatest state in the
commonwealth. But I will just say this about this matter: I proposed a solution
nationally. The solution is clear. It may not be perfect and it might not work
perfectly and a lot of Australians may not want to or be able to do this sort
of work, but I am confident that if the commonwealth puts in place the solution
that I have recommended, it will make a material difference in favour of our
farming communities, and therefore in favour of the price of fruit and
vegetables. I have put that to the commonwealth repeatedly now for months and I
urge it to act.
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