❓ Mr. Logan questions the Liberal government's commitment to a previous cabinet decision to increase wages for government building cleaners. Mr. Buswell rejects the commitment, leading to heated exchanges and accusations of incompetence.
AnsweredQoN 31Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
GOVERNMENT CLEANING TENDERS — FAIR PAY POLICY
I welcome to Parliament the workers who are the subject of the question I am about to ask. (1) Does the minority Liberal government intend to honour the fair pay policy for government cleaning tenders that was agreed to by the previous cabinet in February 2008, which would have increased the wages for cleaners of government-owned buildings from $14 an hour to $18 an hour? (2) If not, on what grounds does the minister intend to dishonour a cabinet decision and deny these low-paid workers a relatively small pay rise and an improvement in their working conditions? Mr T.R. BUSWELL
I welcome to Parliament the workers who are the subject of the question I am about to ask. (1) Does the minority Liberal government intend to honour the fair pay policy for government cleaning tenders that was agreed to by the previous cabinet in February 2008, which would have increased the wages for cleaners of government-owned buildings from $14 an hour to $18 an hour? (2) If not, on what grounds does the minister intend to dishonour a cabinet decision and deny these low-paid workers a relatively small pay rise and an improvement in their working conditions? Mr T.R. BUSWELL
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member opposite for the question. (1)-(2) I will answer in a very short statement: no, the government will not honour the commitment of the former government given in a cabinet decision in February this year under the fair pay and conditions policy of Western Australia. It does not surprise me to hear the retired, disgraced union hack bleat on. It does not bother me at all. Withdrawal of Remark Mr M. McGOWAN : The Treasurer used a phrase that I regard as unparliamentary and I ask you to ask him to withdraw, Mr Speaker. The SPEAKER : I ask the Treasurer to withdraw. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Mr Speaker, I am certainly not questioning your ruling. I withdraw, being unsure about what aspect of my remarks was unparliamentary. My understanding is that the term “retired failed unionist” is not unparliamentary because it describes so many members opposite. Indeed, every time I look at the member opposite, I am reminded that the member’s only legacy in this Parliament will be the help given to Mr Jock Ferguson, that vibrant new member of the upper house, who will arrive next May! Questions without Notice Resumed Mr T.R. BUSWELL : The issue at hand is this: across most areas of government, cleaning contracts are outsourced, with the exception in the main, as I understand it, of the education department contracts. I will get back to that in a minute. The Leader of the Opposition might be interested to know that that outsourcing is generally conducted by a competitive tendering process overseen by what I think is one of his successes, as former Treasurer, in one of the institutions he set up; namely, the office of procurement that operates within the Department of Treasury and Finance. It oversees a competitive tendering process. As a result, tenders to clean government buildings are awarded. The arrangements between the successful tenderers and their staff is effectively a private arrangement. The state, in its wisdom—I support this—has in place conditions to make sure that workers employed under those contracts are protected. As I understand it, the current policy insists that contractors and subcontractors who provide services to government for cleaning, for example, must ensure that they meet all relevant employment conditions. The member for Cockburn knows that as well as I do. It is my view that that is where the role of the state procurement process should start and finish, and that the fair pay and conditions policy went a lot further than that. I acknowledge the issues confronted by the workers and their families. It happens in low-paid sectors of industry across Western Australia such as the retail and tourism sectors. This is a significant challenge facing a lot of Western Australian families, and I acknowledge the retention issues confronting those businesses. However, I contend that it is not the government’s role to subsidise that process. If it were, where would we start and where would we stop? Mr F.M. Logan : Why doesn’t the Treasurer let those companies pass on those pay increases? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have been led to believe that if those private contractors were to pay the workers at the government rate to clean government buildings, it would incur an extra cost increment of $8.5 million a year. Mr F.M. Logan : Is that because it would take them from $14 an hour to just under $18 an hour? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Those are arrangements the member for Cockburn could have influenced in the industrial relations process any time in eight years, but he sat on his hands and did absolutely nothing. He was sitting in his cosy little domicile in Swanbourne enjoying a chardonnay while watching the sun go down over the western suburbs. After eight years he has the gall to come in here and raise this matter, when he could have got off his backside and done something. He did absolutely nothing. Those arrangements were agreed to in February, but the member for Cockburn sat on it because he is grossly incompetent. Do members know what else? Sadly, it is more than that because this is another example of a government sop to the miscellaneous workers’ union. We saw it before in this state with the outsourcing of cleaning contracts in the education system, which incurred at least $3.5 million in extra costs to the education system. To his credit, the member for Willagee refused to take that action when he was the Minister for Education and Training. The Leader of the Opposition may be familiar with the person who signed off on it. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich signed off on it, did she not? The member for Cockburn is saying that the taxpayers of this state should help support a fundraising drive by the miscellaneous workers’ union. It is not going to happen. Do members know what? A couple of other things are not going to happen. Funds will no longer flow from taxpayers to the mates of members opposite in this state, full stop. How dare he get up and make these claims; he is a gross hypocrite. Withdrawal of Remark Mr M. McGOWAN : The Treasurer has a well-deserved reputation for boorish behaviour, but he has once again used an unparliamentary term in his reply to the second question today, and I ask him to withdraw. The SPEAKER : I do not think the member has a point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : He used the term “hypocrite”. The SPEAKER : I do not think the member has a point of order.
(1) Does the minority Liberal government intend to honour the fair pay policy for government cleaning tenders that was agreed to by the previous cabinet in February 2008, which would have increased the wages for cleaners of government-owned buildings from $14 an hour to $18 an hour? (2) If not, on what grounds does the minister intend to dishonour a cabinet decision and deny these low-paid workers a relatively small pay rise and an improvement in their working conditions? Mr T.R. BUSWELL replied: I thank the member opposite for the question. (1)-(2) I will answer in a very short statement: no, the government will not honour the commitment of the former government given in a cabinet decision in February this year under the fair pay and conditions policy of Western Australia. It does not surprise me to hear the retired, disgraced union hack bleat on. It does not bother me at all. Withdrawal of Remark Mr M. McGOWAN : The Treasurer used a phrase that I regard as unparliamentary and I ask you to ask him to withdraw, Mr Speaker. The SPEAKER : I ask the Treasurer to withdraw. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Mr Speaker, I am certainly not questioning your ruling. I withdraw, being unsure about what aspect of my remarks was unparliamentary. My understanding is that the term “retired failed unionist” is not unparliamentary because it describes so many members opposite. Indeed, every time I look at the member opposite, I am reminded that the member’s only legacy in this Parliament will be the help given to Mr Jock Ferguson, that vibrant new member of the upper house, who will arrive next May! Questions without Notice Resumed Mr T.R. BUSWELL : The issue at hand is this: across most areas of government, cleaning contracts are outsourced, with the exception in the main, as I understand it, of the education department contracts. I will get back to that in a minute. The Leader of the Opposition might be interested to know that that outsourcing is generally conducted by a competitive tendering process overseen by what I think is one of his successes, as former Treasurer, in one of the institutions he set up; namely, the office of procurement that operates within the Department of Treasury and Finance. It oversees a competitive tendering process. As a result, tenders to clean government buildings are awarded. The arrangements between the successful tenderers and their staff is effectively a private arrangement. The state, in its wisdom—I support this—has in place conditions to make sure that workers employed under those contracts are protected. As I understand it, the current policy insists that contractors and subcontractors who provide services to government for cleaning, for example, must ensure that they meet all relevant employment conditions. The member for Cockburn knows that as well as I do. It is my view that that is where the role of the state procurement process should start and finish, and that the fair pay and conditions policy went a lot further than that. I acknowledge the issues confronted by the workers and their families. It happens in low-paid sectors of industry across Western Australia such as the retail and tourism sectors. This is a significant challenge facing a lot of Western Australian families, and I acknowledge the retention issues confronting those businesses. However, I contend that it is not the government’s role to subsidise that process. If it were, where would we start and where would we stop? Mr F.M. Logan : Why doesn’t the Treasurer let those companies pass on those pay increases? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have been led to believe that if those private contractors were to pay the workers at the government rate to clean government buildings, it would incur an extra cost increment of $8.5 million a year. Mr F.M. Logan : Is that because it would take them from $14 an hour to just under $18 an hour? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Those are arrangements the member for Cockburn could have influenced in the industrial relations process any time in eight years, but he sat on his hands and did absolutely nothing. He was sitting in his cosy little domicile in Swanbourne enjoying a chardonnay while watching the sun go down over the western suburbs. After eight years he has the gall to come in here and raise this matter, when he could have got off his backside and done something. He did absolutely nothing. Those arrangements were agreed to in February, but the member for Cockburn sat on it because he is grossly incompetent. Do members know what else? Sadly, it is more than that because this is another example of a government sop to the miscellaneous workers’ union. We saw it before in this state with the outsourcing of cleaning contracts in the education system, which incurred at least $3.5 million in extra costs to the education system. To his credit, the member for Willagee refused to take that action when he was the Minister for Education and Training. The Leader of the Opposition may be familiar with the person who signed off on it. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich signed off on it, did she not? The member for Cockburn is saying that the taxpayers of this state should help support a fundraising drive by the miscellaneous workers’ union. It is not going to happen. Do members know what? A couple of other things are not going to happen. Funds will no longer flow from taxpayers to the mates of members opposite in this state, full stop. How dare he get up and make these claims; he is a gross hypocrite. Withdrawal of Remark Mr M. McGOWAN : The Treasurer has a well-deserved reputation for boorish behaviour, but he has once again used an unparliamentary term in his reply to the second question today, and I ask him to withdraw. The SPEAKER : I do not think the member has a point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : He used the term “hypocrite”. The SPEAKER : I do not think the member has a point of order.
(2) If not, on what grounds does the minister intend to dishonour a cabinet decision and deny these low-paid workers a relatively small pay rise and an improvement in their working conditions? Mr T.R. BUSWELL replied: I thank the member opposite for the question. (1)-(2) I will answer in a very short statement: no, the government will not honour the commitment of the former government given in a cabinet decision in February this year under the fair pay and conditions policy of Western Australia. It does not surprise me to hear the retired, disgraced union hack bleat on. It does not bother me at all. Withdrawal of Remark Mr M. McGOWAN : The Treasurer used a phrase that I regard as unparliamentary and I ask you to ask him to withdraw, Mr Speaker. The SPEAKER : I ask the Treasurer to withdraw. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Mr Speaker, I am certainly not questioning your ruling. I withdraw, being unsure about what aspect of my remarks was unparliamentary. My understanding is that the term “retired failed unionist” is not unparliamentary because it describes so many members opposite. Indeed, every time I look at the member opposite, I am reminded that the member’s only legacy in this Parliament will be the help given to Mr Jock Ferguson, that vibrant new member of the upper house, who will arrive next May! Questions without Notice Resumed Mr T.R. BUSWELL : The issue at hand is this: across most areas of government, cleaning contracts are outsourced, with the exception in the main, as I understand it, of the education department contracts. I will get back to that in a minute. The Leader of the Opposition might be interested to know that that outsourcing is generally conducted by a competitive tendering process overseen by what I think is one of his successes, as former Treasurer, in one of the institutions he set up; namely, the office of procurement that operates within the Department of Treasury and Finance. It oversees a competitive tendering process. As a result, tenders to clean government buildings are awarded. The arrangements between the successful tenderers and their staff is effectively a private arrangement. The state, in its wisdom—I support this—has in place conditions to make sure that workers employed under those contracts are protected. As I understand it, the current policy insists that contractors and subcontractors who provide services to government for cleaning, for example, must ensure that they meet all relevant employment conditions. The member for Cockburn knows that as well as I do. It is my view that that is where the role of the state procurement process should start and finish, and that the fair pay and conditions policy went a lot further than that. I acknowledge the issues confronted by the workers and their families. It happens in low-paid sectors of industry across Western Australia such as the retail and tourism sectors. This is a significant challenge facing a lot of Western Australian families, and I acknowledge the retention issues confronting those businesses. However, I contend that it is not the government’s role to subsidise that process. If it were, where would we start and where would we stop? Mr F.M. Logan : Why doesn’t the Treasurer let those companies pass on those pay increases? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have been led to believe that if those private contractors were to pay the workers at the government rate to clean government buildings, it would incur an extra cost increment of $8.5 million a year. Mr F.M. Logan : Is that because it would take them from $14 an hour to just under $18 an hour? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Those are arrangements the member for Cockburn could have influenced in the industrial relations process any time in eight years, but he sat on his hands and did absolutely nothing. He was sitting in his cosy little domicile in Swanbourne enjoying a chardonnay while watching the sun go down over the western suburbs. After eight years he has the gall to come in here and raise this matter, when he could have got off his backside and done something. He did absolutely nothing. Those arrangements were agreed to in February, but the member for Cockburn sat on it because he is grossly incompetent. Do members know what else? Sadly, it is more than that because this is another example of a government sop to the miscellaneous workers’ union. We saw it before in this state with the outsourcing of cleaning contracts in the education system, which incurred at least $3.5 million in extra costs to the education system. To his credit, the member for Willagee refused to take that action when he was the Minister for Education and Training. The Leader of the Opposition may be familiar with the person who signed off on it. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich signed off on it, did she not? The member for Cockburn is saying that the taxpayers of this state should help support a fundraising drive by the miscellaneous workers’ union. It is not going to happen. Do members know what? A couple of other things are not going to happen. Funds will no longer flow from taxpayers to the mates of members opposite in this state, full stop. How dare he get up and make these claims; he is a gross hypocrite. Withdrawal of Remark Mr M. McGOWAN : The Treasurer has a well-deserved reputation for boorish behaviour, but he has once again used an unparliamentary term in his reply to the second question today, and I ask him to withdraw. The SPEAKER : I do not think the member has a point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : He used the term “hypocrite”. The SPEAKER : I do not think the member has a point of order.
Mr T.R. BUSWELL replied: I thank the member opposite for the question. (1)-(2) I will answer in a very short statement: no, the government will not honour the commitment of the former government given in a cabinet decision in February this year under the fair pay and conditions policy of Western Australia. It does not surprise me to hear the retired, disgraced union hack bleat on. It does not bother me at all. Withdrawal of Remark Mr M. McGOWAN : The Treasurer used a phrase that I regard as unparliamentary and I ask you to ask him to withdraw, Mr Speaker. The SPEAKER : I ask the Treasurer to withdraw. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Mr Speaker, I am certainly not questioning your ruling. I withdraw, being unsure about what aspect of my remarks was unparliamentary. My understanding is that the term “retired failed unionist” is not unparliamentary because it describes so many members opposite. Indeed, every time I look at the member opposite, I am reminded that the member’s only legacy in this Parliament will be the help given to Mr Jock Ferguson, that vibrant new member of the upper house, who will arrive next May! Questions without Notice Resumed Mr T.R. BUSWELL : The issue at hand is this: across most areas of government, cleaning contracts are outsourced, with the exception in the main, as I understand it, of the education department contracts. I will get back to that in a minute. The Leader of the Opposition might be interested to know that that outsourcing is generally conducted by a competitive tendering process overseen by what I think is one of his successes, as former Treasurer, in one of the institutions he set up; namely, the office of procurement that operates within the Department of Treasury and Finance. It oversees a competitive tendering process. As a result, tenders to clean government buildings are awarded. The arrangements between the successful tenderers and their staff is effectively a private arrangement. The state, in its wisdom—I support this—has in place conditions to make sure that workers employed under those contracts are protected. As I understand it, the current policy insists that contractors and subcontractors who provide services to government for cleaning, for example, must ensure that they meet all relevant employment conditions. The member for Cockburn knows that as well as I do. It is my view that that is where the role of the state procurement process should start and finish, and that the fair pay and conditions policy went a lot further than that. I acknowledge the issues confronted by the workers and their families. It happens in low-paid sectors of industry across Western Australia such as the retail and tourism sectors. This is a significant challenge facing a lot of Western Australian families, and I acknowledge the retention issues confronting those businesses. However, I contend that it is not the government’s role to subsidise that process. If it were, where would we start and where would we stop? Mr F.M. Logan : Why doesn’t the Treasurer let those companies pass on those pay increases? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have been led to believe that if those private contractors were to pay the workers at the government rate to clean government buildings, it would incur an extra cost increment of $8.5 million a year. Mr F.M. Logan : Is that because it would take them from $14 an hour to just under $18 an hour? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Those are arrangements the member for Cockburn could have influenced in the industrial relations process any time in eight years, but he sat on his hands and did absolutely nothing. He was sitting in his cosy little domicile in Swanbourne enjoying a chardonnay while watching the sun go down over the western suburbs. After eight years he has the gall to come in here and raise this matter, when he could have got off his backside and done something. He did absolutely nothing. Those arrangements were agreed to in February, but the member for Cockburn sat on it because he is grossly incompetent. Do members know what else? Sadly, it is more than that because this is another example of a government sop to the miscellaneous workers’ union. We saw it before in this state with the outsourcing of cleaning contracts in the education system, which incurred at least $3.5 million in extra costs to the education system. To his credit, the member for Willagee refused to take that action when he was the Minister for Education and Training. The Leader of the Opposition may be familiar with the person who signed off on it. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich signed off on it, did she not? The member for Cockburn is saying that the taxpayers of this state should help support a fundraising drive by the miscellaneous workers’ union. It is not going to happen. Do members know what? A couple of other things are not going to happen. Funds will no longer flow from taxpayers to the mates of members opposite in this state, full stop. How dare he get up and make these claims; he is a gross hypocrite. Withdrawal of Remark Mr M. McGOWAN : The Treasurer has a well-deserved reputation for boorish behaviour, but he has once again used an unparliamentary term in his reply to the second question today, and I ask him to withdraw. The SPEAKER : I do not think the member has a point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : He used the term “hypocrite”. The SPEAKER : I do not think the member has a point of order.
I thank the member opposite for the question. (1)-(2) I will answer in a very short statement: no, the government will not honour the commitment of the former government given in a cabinet decision in February this year under the fair pay and conditions policy of Western Australia. It does not surprise me to hear the retired, disgraced union hack bleat on. It does not bother me at all. Withdrawal of Remark Mr M. McGOWAN : The Treasurer used a phrase that I regard as unparliamentary and I ask you to ask him to withdraw, Mr Speaker. The SPEAKER : I ask the Treasurer to withdraw. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Mr Speaker, I am certainly not questioning your ruling. I withdraw, being unsure about what aspect of my remarks was unparliamentary. My understanding is that the term “retired failed unionist” is not unparliamentary because it describes so many members opposite. Indeed, every time I look at the member opposite, I am reminded that the member’s only legacy in this Parliament will be the help given to Mr Jock Ferguson, that vibrant new member of the upper house, who will arrive next May! Questions without Notice Resumed Mr T.R. BUSWELL : The issue at hand is this: across most areas of government, cleaning contracts are outsourced, with the exception in the main, as I understand it, of the education department contracts. I will get back to that in a minute. The Leader of the Opposition might be interested to know that that outsourcing is generally conducted by a competitive tendering process overseen by what I think is one of his successes, as former Treasurer, in one of the institutions he set up; namely, the office of procurement that operates within the Department of Treasury and Finance. It oversees a competitive tendering process. As a result, tenders to clean government buildings are awarded. The arrangements between the successful tenderers and their staff is effectively a private arrangement. The state, in its wisdom—I support this—has in place conditions to make sure that workers employed under those contracts are protected. As I understand it, the current policy insists that contractors and subcontractors who provide services to government for cleaning, for example, must ensure that they meet all relevant employment conditions. The member for Cockburn knows that as well as I do. It is my view that that is where the role of the state procurement process should start and finish, and that the fair pay and conditions policy went a lot further than that. I acknowledge the issues confronted by the workers and their families. It happens in low-paid sectors of industry across Western Australia such as the retail and tourism sectors. This is a significant challenge facing a lot of Western Australian families, and I acknowledge the retention issues confronting those businesses. However, I contend that it is not the government’s role to subsidise that process. If it were, where would we start and where would we stop? Mr F.M. Logan : Why doesn’t the Treasurer let those companies pass on those pay increases? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have been led to believe that if those private contractors were to pay the workers at the government rate to clean government buildings, it would incur an extra cost increment of $8.5 million a year. Mr F.M. Logan : Is that because it would take them from $14 an hour to just under $18 an hour? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Those are arrangements the member for Cockburn could have influenced in the industrial relations process any time in eight years, but he sat on his hands and did absolutely nothing. He was sitting in his cosy little domicile in Swanbourne enjoying a chardonnay while watching the sun go down over the western suburbs. After eight years he has the gall to come in here and raise this matter, when he could have got off his backside and done something. He did absolutely nothing. Those arrangements were agreed to in February, but the member for Cockburn sat on it because he is grossly incompetent. Do members know what else? Sadly, it is more than that because this is another example of a government sop to the miscellaneous workers’ union. We saw it before in this state with the outsourcing of cleaning contracts in the education system, which incurred at least $3.5 million in extra costs to the education system. To his credit, the member for Willagee refused to take that action when he was the Minister for Education and Training. The Leader of the Opposition may be familiar with the person who signed off on it. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich signed off on it, did she not? The member for Cockburn is saying that the taxpayers of this state should help support a fundraising drive by the miscellaneous workers’ union. It is not going to happen. Do members know what? A couple of other things are not going to happen. Funds will no longer flow from taxpayers to the mates of members opposite in this state, full stop. How dare he get up and make these claims; he is a gross hypocrite. Withdrawal of Remark Mr M. McGOWAN : The Treasurer has a well-deserved reputation for boorish behaviour, but he has once again used an unparliamentary term in his reply to the second question today, and I ask him to withdraw. The SPEAKER : I do not think the member has a point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : He used the term “hypocrite”. The SPEAKER : I do not think the member has a point of order.
(1)-(2) I will answer in a very short statement: no, the government will not honour the commitment of the former government given in a cabinet decision in February this year under the fair pay and conditions policy of Western Australia. It does not surprise me to hear the retired, disgraced union hack bleat on. It does not bother me at all. Withdrawal of Remark Mr M. McGOWAN : The Treasurer used a phrase that I regard as unparliamentary and I ask you to ask him to withdraw, Mr Speaker. The SPEAKER : I ask the Treasurer to withdraw. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Mr Speaker, I am certainly not questioning your ruling. I withdraw, being unsure about what aspect of my remarks was unparliamentary. My understanding is that the term “retired failed unionist” is not unparliamentary because it describes so many members opposite. Indeed, every time I look at the member opposite, I am reminded that the member’s only legacy in this Parliament will be the help given to Mr Jock Ferguson, that vibrant new member of the upper house, who will arrive next May! Questions without Notice Resumed Mr T.R. BUSWELL : The issue at hand is this: across most areas of government, cleaning contracts are outsourced, with the exception in the main, as I understand it, of the education department contracts. I will get back to that in a minute. The Leader of the Opposition might be interested to know that that outsourcing is generally conducted by a competitive tendering process overseen by what I think is one of his successes, as former Treasurer, in one of the institutions he set up; namely, the office of procurement that operates within the Department of Treasury and Finance. It oversees a competitive tendering process. As a result, tenders to clean government buildings are awarded. The arrangements between the successful tenderers and their staff is effectively a private arrangement. The state, in its wisdom—I support this—has in place conditions to make sure that workers employed under those contracts are protected. As I understand it, the current policy insists that contractors and subcontractors who provide services to government for cleaning, for example, must ensure that they meet all relevant employment conditions. The member for Cockburn knows that as well as I do. It is my view that that is where the role of the state procurement process should start and finish, and that the fair pay and conditions policy went a lot further than that. I acknowledge the issues confronted by the workers and their families. It happens in low-paid sectors of industry across Western Australia such as the retail and tourism sectors. This is a significant challenge facing a lot of Western Australian families, and I acknowledge the retention issues confronting those businesses. However, I contend that it is not the government’s role to subsidise that process. If it were, where would we start and where would we stop? Mr F.M. Logan : Why doesn’t the Treasurer let those companies pass on those pay increases? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have been led to believe that if those private contractors were to pay the workers at the government rate to clean government buildings, it would incur an extra cost increment of $8.5 million a year. Mr F.M. Logan : Is that because it would take them from $14 an hour to just under $18 an hour? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Those are arrangements the member for Cockburn could have influenced in the industrial relations process any time in eight years, but he sat on his hands and did absolutely nothing. He was sitting in his cosy little domicile in Swanbourne enjoying a chardonnay while watching the sun go down over the western suburbs. After eight years he has the gall to come in here and raise this matter, when he could have got off his backside and done something. He did absolutely nothing. Those arrangements were agreed to in February, but the member for Cockburn sat on it because he is grossly incompetent. Do members know what else? Sadly, it is more than that because this is another example of a government sop to the miscellaneous workers’ union. We saw it before in this state with the outsourcing of cleaning contracts in the education system, which incurred at least $3.5 million in extra costs to the education system. To his credit, the member for Willagee refused to take that action when he was the Minister for Education and Training. The Leader of the Opposition may be familiar with the person who signed off on it. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich signed off on it, did she not? The member for Cockburn is saying that the taxpayers of this state should help support a fundraising drive by the miscellaneous workers’ union. It is not going to happen. Do members know what? A couple of other things are not going to happen. Funds will no longer flow from taxpayers to the mates of members opposite in this state, full stop. How dare he get up and make these claims; he is a gross hypocrite. Withdrawal of Remark Mr M. McGOWAN : The Treasurer has a well-deserved reputation for boorish behaviour, but he has once again used an unparliamentary term in his reply to the second question today, and I ask him to withdraw. The SPEAKER : I do not think the member has a point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : He used the term “hypocrite”. The SPEAKER : I do not think the member has a point of order.
The SPEAKER : I ask the Treasurer to withdraw. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Mr Speaker, I am certainly not questioning your ruling. I withdraw, being unsure about what aspect of my remarks was unparliamentary. My understanding is that the term “retired failed unionist” is not unparliamentary because it describes so many members opposite. Indeed, every time I look at the member opposite, I am reminded that the member’s only legacy in this Parliament will be the help given to Mr Jock Ferguson, that vibrant new member of the upper house, who will arrive next May! Questions without Notice Resumed Mr T.R. BUSWELL : The issue at hand is this: across most areas of government, cleaning contracts are outsourced, with the exception in the main, as I understand it, of the education department contracts. I will get back to that in a minute. The Leader of the Opposition might be interested to know that that outsourcing is generally conducted by a competitive tendering process overseen by what I think is one of his successes, as former Treasurer, in one of the institutions he set up; namely, the office of procurement that operates within the Department of Treasury and Finance. It oversees a competitive tendering process. As a result, tenders to clean government buildings are awarded. The arrangements between the successful tenderers and their staff is effectively a private arrangement. The state, in its wisdom—I support this—has in place conditions to make sure that workers employed under those contracts are protected. As I understand it, the current policy insists that contractors and subcontractors who provide services to government for cleaning, for example, must ensure that they meet all relevant employment conditions. The member for Cockburn knows that as well as I do. It is my view that that is where the role of the state procurement process should start and finish, and that the fair pay and conditions policy went a lot further than that. I acknowledge the issues confronted by the workers and their families. It happens in low-paid sectors of industry across Western Australia such as the retail and tourism sectors. This is a significant challenge facing a lot of Western Australian families, and I acknowledge the retention issues confronting those businesses. However, I contend that it is not the government’s role to subsidise that process. If it were, where would we start and where would we stop? Mr F.M. Logan : Why doesn’t the Treasurer let those companies pass on those pay increases? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have been led to believe that if those private contractors were to pay the workers at the government rate to clean government buildings, it would incur an extra cost increment of $8.5 million a year. Mr F.M. Logan : Is that because it would take them from $14 an hour to just under $18 an hour? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Those are arrangements the member for Cockburn could have influenced in the industrial relations process any time in eight years, but he sat on his hands and did absolutely nothing. He was sitting in his cosy little domicile in Swanbourne enjoying a chardonnay while watching the sun go down over the western suburbs. After eight years he has the gall to come in here and raise this matter, when he could have got off his backside and done something. He did absolutely nothing. Those arrangements were agreed to in February, but the member for Cockburn sat on it because he is grossly incompetent. Do members know what else? Sadly, it is more than that because this is another example of a government sop to the miscellaneous workers’ union. We saw it before in this state with the outsourcing of cleaning contracts in the education system, which incurred at least $3.5 million in extra costs to the education system. To his credit, the member for Willagee refused to take that action when he was the Minister for Education and Training. The Leader of the Opposition may be familiar with the person who signed off on it. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich signed off on it, did she not? The member for Cockburn is saying that the taxpayers of this state should help support a fundraising drive by the miscellaneous workers’ union. It is not going to happen. Do members know what? A couple of other things are not going to happen. Funds will no longer flow from taxpayers to the mates of members opposite in this state, full stop. How dare he get up and make these claims; he is a gross hypocrite. Withdrawal of Remark Mr M. McGOWAN : The Treasurer has a well-deserved reputation for boorish behaviour, but he has once again used an unparliamentary term in his reply to the second question today, and I ask him to withdraw. The SPEAKER : I do not think the member has a point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : He used the term “hypocrite”. The SPEAKER : I do not think the member has a point of order.
Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Mr Speaker, I am certainly not questioning your ruling. I withdraw, being unsure about what aspect of my remarks was unparliamentary. My understanding is that the term “retired failed unionist” is not unparliamentary because it describes so many members opposite. Indeed, every time I look at the member opposite, I am reminded that the member’s only legacy in this Parliament will be the help given to Mr Jock Ferguson, that vibrant new member of the upper house, who will arrive next May! Questions without Notice Resumed Mr T.R. BUSWELL : The issue at hand is this: across most areas of government, cleaning contracts are outsourced, with the exception in the main, as I understand it, of the education department contracts. I will get back to that in a minute. The Leader of the Opposition might be interested to know that that outsourcing is generally conducted by a competitive tendering process overseen by what I think is one of his successes, as former Treasurer, in one of the institutions he set up; namely, the office of procurement that operates within the Department of Treasury and Finance. It oversees a competitive tendering process. As a result, tenders to clean government buildings are awarded. The arrangements between the successful tenderers and their staff is effectively a private arrangement. The state, in its wisdom—I support this—has in place conditions to make sure that workers employed under those contracts are protected. As I understand it, the current policy insists that contractors and subcontractors who provide services to government for cleaning, for example, must ensure that they meet all relevant employment conditions. The member for Cockburn knows that as well as I do. It is my view that that is where the role of the state procurement process should start and finish, and that the fair pay and conditions policy went a lot further than that. I acknowledge the issues confronted by the workers and their families. It happens in low-paid sectors of industry across Western Australia such as the retail and tourism sectors. This is a significant challenge facing a lot of Western Australian families, and I acknowledge the retention issues confronting those businesses. However, I contend that it is not the government’s role to subsidise that process. If it were, where would we start and where would we stop? Mr F.M. Logan : Why doesn’t the Treasurer let those companies pass on those pay increases? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have been led to believe that if those private contractors were to pay the workers at the government rate to clean government buildings, it would incur an extra cost increment of $8.5 million a year. Mr F.M. Logan : Is that because it would take them from $14 an hour to just under $18 an hour? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Those are arrangements the member for Cockburn could have influenced in the industrial relations process any time in eight years, but he sat on his hands and did absolutely nothing. He was sitting in his cosy little domicile in Swanbourne enjoying a chardonnay while watching the sun go down over the western suburbs. After eight years he has the gall to come in here and raise this matter, when he could have got off his backside and done something. He did absolutely nothing. Those arrangements were agreed to in February, but the member for Cockburn sat on it because he is grossly incompetent. Do members know what else? Sadly, it is more than that because this is another example of a government sop to the miscellaneous workers’ union. We saw it before in this state with the outsourcing of cleaning contracts in the education system, which incurred at least $3.5 million in extra costs to the education system. To his credit, the member for Willagee refused to take that action when he was the Minister for Education and Training. The Leader of the Opposition may be familiar with the person who signed off on it. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich signed off on it, did she not? The member for Cockburn is saying that the taxpayers of this state should help support a fundraising drive by the miscellaneous workers’ union. It is not going to happen. Do members know what? A couple of other things are not going to happen. Funds will no longer flow from taxpayers to the mates of members opposite in this state, full stop. How dare he get up and make these claims; he is a gross hypocrite. Withdrawal of Remark Mr M. McGOWAN : The Treasurer has a well-deserved reputation for boorish behaviour, but he has once again used an unparliamentary term in his reply to the second question today, and I ask him to withdraw. The SPEAKER : I do not think the member has a point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : He used the term “hypocrite”. The SPEAKER : I do not think the member has a point of order.
I acknowledge the issues confronted by the workers and their families. It happens in low-paid sectors of industry across Western Australia such as the retail and tourism sectors. This is a significant challenge facing a lot of Western Australian families, and I acknowledge the retention issues confronting those businesses. However, I contend that it is not the government’s role to subsidise that process. If it were, where would we start and where would we stop? Mr F.M. Logan : Why doesn’t the Treasurer let those companies pass on those pay increases? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have been led to believe that if those private contractors were to pay the workers at the government rate to clean government buildings, it would incur an extra cost increment of $8.5 million a year. Mr F.M. Logan : Is that because it would take them from $14 an hour to just under $18 an hour? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Those are arrangements the member for Cockburn could have influenced in the industrial relations process any time in eight years, but he sat on his hands and did absolutely nothing. He was sitting in his cosy little domicile in Swanbourne enjoying a chardonnay while watching the sun go down over the western suburbs. After eight years he has the gall to come in here and raise this matter, when he could have got off his backside and done something. He did absolutely nothing. Those arrangements were agreed to in February, but the member for Cockburn sat on it because he is grossly incompetent. Do members know what else? Sadly, it is more than that because this is another example of a government sop to the miscellaneous workers’ union. We saw it before in this state with the outsourcing of cleaning contracts in the education system, which incurred at least $3.5 million in extra costs to the education system. To his credit, the member for Willagee refused to take that action when he was the Minister for Education and Training. The Leader of the Opposition may be familiar with the person who signed off on it. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich signed off on it, did she not? The member for Cockburn is saying that the taxpayers of this state should help support a fundraising drive by the miscellaneous workers’ union. It is not going to happen. Do members know what? A couple of other things are not going to happen. Funds will no longer flow from taxpayers to the mates of members opposite in this state, full stop. How dare he get up and make these claims; he is a gross hypocrite. Withdrawal of Remark Mr M. McGOWAN : The Treasurer has a well-deserved reputation for boorish behaviour, but he has once again used an unparliamentary term in his reply to the second question today, and I ask him to withdraw. The SPEAKER : I do not think the member has a point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : He used the term “hypocrite”. The SPEAKER : I do not think the member has a point of order.
Mr F.M. Logan : Why doesn’t the Treasurer let those companies pass on those pay increases? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have been led to believe that if those private contractors were to pay the workers at the government rate to clean government buildings, it would incur an extra cost increment of $8.5 million a year. Mr F.M. Logan : Is that because it would take them from $14 an hour to just under $18 an hour? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Those are arrangements the member for Cockburn could have influenced in the industrial relations process any time in eight years, but he sat on his hands and did absolutely nothing. He was sitting in his cosy little domicile in Swanbourne enjoying a chardonnay while watching the sun go down over the western suburbs. After eight years he has the gall to come in here and raise this matter, when he could have got off his backside and done something. He did absolutely nothing. Those arrangements were agreed to in February, but the member for Cockburn sat on it because he is grossly incompetent. Do members know what else? Sadly, it is more than that because this is another example of a government sop to the miscellaneous workers’ union. We saw it before in this state with the outsourcing of cleaning contracts in the education system, which incurred at least $3.5 million in extra costs to the education system. To his credit, the member for Willagee refused to take that action when he was the Minister for Education and Training. The Leader of the Opposition may be familiar with the person who signed off on it. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich signed off on it, did she not? The member for Cockburn is saying that the taxpayers of this state should help support a fundraising drive by the miscellaneous workers’ union. It is not going to happen. Do members know what? A couple of other things are not going to happen. Funds will no longer flow from taxpayers to the mates of members opposite in this state, full stop. How dare he get up and make these claims; he is a gross hypocrite. Withdrawal of Remark Mr M. McGOWAN : The Treasurer has a well-deserved reputation for boorish behaviour, but he has once again used an unparliamentary term in his reply to the second question today, and I ask him to withdraw. The SPEAKER : I do not think the member has a point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : He used the term “hypocrite”. The SPEAKER : I do not think the member has a point of order.
Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have been led to believe that if those private contractors were to pay the workers at the government rate to clean government buildings, it would incur an extra cost increment of $8.5 million a year. Mr F.M. Logan : Is that because it would take them from $14 an hour to just under $18 an hour? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Those are arrangements the member for Cockburn could have influenced in the industrial relations process any time in eight years, but he sat on his hands and did absolutely nothing. He was sitting in his cosy little domicile in Swanbourne enjoying a chardonnay while watching the sun go down over the western suburbs. After eight years he has the gall to come in here and raise this matter, when he could have got off his backside and done something. He did absolutely nothing. Those arrangements were agreed to in February, but the member for Cockburn sat on it because he is grossly incompetent. Do members know what else? Sadly, it is more than that because this is another example of a government sop to the miscellaneous workers’ union. We saw it before in this state with the outsourcing of cleaning contracts in the education system, which incurred at least $3.5 million in extra costs to the education system. To his credit, the member for Willagee refused to take that action when he was the Minister for Education and Training. The Leader of the Opposition may be familiar with the person who signed off on it. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich signed off on it, did she not? The member for Cockburn is saying that the taxpayers of this state should help support a fundraising drive by the miscellaneous workers’ union. It is not going to happen. Do members know what? A couple of other things are not going to happen. Funds will no longer flow from taxpayers to the mates of members opposite in this state, full stop. How dare he get up and make these claims; he is a gross hypocrite. Withdrawal of Remark Mr M. McGOWAN : The Treasurer has a well-deserved reputation for boorish behaviour, but he has once again used an unparliamentary term in his reply to the second question today, and I ask him to withdraw. The SPEAKER : I do not think the member has a point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : He used the term “hypocrite”. The SPEAKER : I do not think the member has a point of order.
Mr F.M. Logan : Is that because it would take them from $14 an hour to just under $18 an hour? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Those are arrangements the member for Cockburn could have influenced in the industrial relations process any time in eight years, but he sat on his hands and did absolutely nothing. He was sitting in his cosy little domicile in Swanbourne enjoying a chardonnay while watching the sun go down over the western suburbs. After eight years he has the gall to come in here and raise this matter, when he could have got off his backside and done something. He did absolutely nothing. Those arrangements were agreed to in February, but the member for Cockburn sat on it because he is grossly incompetent. Do members know what else? Sadly, it is more than that because this is another example of a government sop to the miscellaneous workers’ union. We saw it before in this state with the outsourcing of cleaning contracts in the education system, which incurred at least $3.5 million in extra costs to the education system. To his credit, the member for Willagee refused to take that action when he was the Minister for Education and Training. The Leader of the Opposition may be familiar with the person who signed off on it. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich signed off on it, did she not? The member for Cockburn is saying that the taxpayers of this state should help support a fundraising drive by the miscellaneous workers’ union. It is not going to happen. Do members know what? A couple of other things are not going to happen. Funds will no longer flow from taxpayers to the mates of members opposite in this state, full stop. How dare he get up and make these claims; he is a gross hypocrite. Withdrawal of Remark Mr M. McGOWAN : The Treasurer has a well-deserved reputation for boorish behaviour, but he has once again used an unparliamentary term in his reply to the second question today, and I ask him to withdraw. The SPEAKER : I do not think the member has a point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : He used the term “hypocrite”. The SPEAKER : I do not think the member has a point of order.
Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Those are arrangements the member for Cockburn could have influenced in the industrial relations process any time in eight years, but he sat on his hands and did absolutely nothing. He was sitting in his cosy little domicile in Swanbourne enjoying a chardonnay while watching the sun go down over the western suburbs. After eight years he has the gall to come in here and raise this matter, when he could have got off his backside and done something. He did absolutely nothing. Those arrangements were agreed to in February, but the member for Cockburn sat on it because he is grossly incompetent. Do members know what else? Sadly, it is more than that because this is another example of a government sop to the miscellaneous workers’ union. We saw it before in this state with the outsourcing of cleaning contracts in the education system, which incurred at least $3.5 million in extra costs to the education system. To his credit, the member for Willagee refused to take that action when he was the Minister for Education and Training. The Leader of the Opposition may be familiar with the person who signed off on it. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich signed off on it, did she not? The member for Cockburn is saying that the taxpayers of this state should help support a fundraising drive by the miscellaneous workers’ union. It is not going to happen. Do members know what? A couple of other things are not going to happen. Funds will no longer flow from taxpayers to the mates of members opposite in this state, full stop. How dare he get up and make these claims; he is a gross hypocrite. Withdrawal of Remark Mr M. McGOWAN : The Treasurer has a well-deserved reputation for boorish behaviour, but he has once again used an unparliamentary term in his reply to the second question today, and I ask him to withdraw. The SPEAKER : I do not think the member has a point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : He used the term “hypocrite”. The SPEAKER : I do not think the member has a point of order.
Do members know what else? Sadly, it is more than that because this is another example of a government sop to the miscellaneous workers’ union. We saw it before in this state with the outsourcing of cleaning contracts in the education system, which incurred at least $3.5 million in extra costs to the education system. To his credit, the member for Willagee refused to take that action when he was the Minister for Education and Training. The Leader of the Opposition may be familiar with the person who signed off on it. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich signed off on it, did she not? The member for Cockburn is saying that the taxpayers of this state should help support a fundraising drive by the miscellaneous workers’ union. It is not going to happen. Do members know what? A couple of other things are not going to happen. Funds will no longer flow from taxpayers to the mates of members opposite in this state, full stop. How dare he get up and make these claims; he is a gross hypocrite. Withdrawal of Remark Mr M. McGOWAN : The Treasurer has a well-deserved reputation for boorish behaviour, but he has once again used an unparliamentary term in his reply to the second question today, and I ask him to withdraw. The SPEAKER : I do not think the member has a point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : He used the term “hypocrite”. The SPEAKER : I do not think the member has a point of order.
The SPEAKER : I do not think the member has a point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : He used the term “hypocrite”. The SPEAKER : I do not think the member has a point of order.
Mr M. McGOWAN : He used the term “hypocrite”. The SPEAKER : I do not think the member has a point of order.
The SPEAKER : I do not think the member has a point of order.
(1) Does the minority Liberal government intend to honour the fair pay policy for government cleaning tenders that was agreed to by the previous cabinet in February 2008, which would have increased the wages for cleaners of government-owned buildings from $14 an hour to $18 an hour? (2) If not, on what grounds does the minister intend to dishonour a cabinet decision and deny these low-paid workers a relatively small pay rise and an improvement in their working conditions? Mr T.R. BUSWELL replied: I thank the member opposite for the question. (1)-(2) I will answer in a very short statement: no, the government will not honour the commitment of the former government given in a cabinet decision in February this year under the fair pay and conditions policy of Western Australia. It does not surprise me to hear the retired, disgraced union hack bleat on. It does not bother me at all. Withdrawal of Remark Mr M. McGOWAN : The Treasurer used a phrase that I regard as unparliamentary and I ask you to ask him to withdraw, Mr Speaker. The SPEAKER : I ask the Treasurer to withdraw. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Mr Speaker, I am certainly not questioning your ruling. I withdraw, being unsure about what aspect of my remarks was unparliamentary. My understanding is that the term “retired failed unionist” is not unparliamentary because it describes so many members opposite. Indeed, every time I look at the member opposite, I am reminded that the member’s only legacy in this Parliament will be the help given to Mr Jock Ferguson, that vibrant new member of the upper house, who will arrive next May! Questions without Notice Resumed Mr T.R. BUSWELL : The issue at hand is this: across most areas of government, cleaning contracts are outsourced, with the exception in the main, as I understand it, of the education department contracts. I will get back to that in a minute. The Leader of the Opposition might be interested to know that that outsourcing is generally conducted by a competitive tendering process overseen by what I think is one of his successes, as former Treasurer, in one of the institutions he set up; namely, the office of procurement that operates within the Department of Treasury and Finance. It oversees a competitive tendering process. As a result, tenders to clean government buildings are awarded. The arrangements between the successful tenderers and their staff is effectively a private arrangement. The state, in its wisdom—I support this—has in place conditions to make sure that workers employed under those contracts are protected. As I understand it, the current policy insists that contractors and subcontractors who provide services to government for cleaning, for example, must ensure that they meet all relevant employment conditions. The member for Cockburn knows that as well as I do. It is my view that that is where the role of the state procurement process should start and finish, and that the fair pay and conditions policy went a lot further than that. I acknowledge the issues confronted by the workers and their families. It happens in low-paid sectors of industry across Western Australia such as the retail and tourism sectors. This is a significant challenge facing a lot of Western Australian families, and I acknowledge the retention issues confronting those businesses. However, I contend that it is not the government’s role to subsidise that process. If it were, where would we start and where would we stop? Mr F.M. Logan : Why doesn’t the Treasurer let those companies pass on those pay increases? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have been led to believe that if those private contractors were to pay the workers at the government rate to clean government buildings, it would incur an extra cost increment of $8.5 million a year. Mr F.M. Logan : Is that because it would take them from $14 an hour to just under $18 an hour? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Those are arrangements the member for Cockburn could have influenced in the industrial relations process any time in eight years, but he sat on his hands and did absolutely nothing. He was sitting in his cosy little domicile in Swanbourne enjoying a chardonnay while watching the sun go down over the western suburbs. After eight years he has the gall to come in here and raise this matter, when he could have got off his backside and done something. He did absolutely nothing. Those arrangements were agreed to in February, but the member for Cockburn sat on it because he is grossly incompetent. Do members know what else? Sadly, it is more than that because this is another example of a government sop to the miscellaneous workers’ union. We saw it before in this state with the outsourcing of cleaning contracts in the education system, which incurred at least $3.5 million in extra costs to the education system. To his credit, the member for Willagee refused to take that action when he was the Minister for Education and Training. The Leader of the Opposition may be familiar with the person who signed off on it. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich signed off on it, did she not? The member for Cockburn is saying that the taxpayers of this state should help support a fundraising drive by the miscellaneous workers’ union. It is not going to happen. Do members know what? A couple of other things are not going to happen. Funds will no longer flow from taxpayers to the mates of members opposite in this state, full stop. How dare he get up and make these claims; he is a gross hypocrite. Withdrawal of Remark Mr M. McGOWAN : The Treasurer has a well-deserved reputation for boorish behaviour, but he has once again used an unparliamentary term in his reply to the second question today, and I ask him to withdraw. The SPEAKER : I do not think the member has a point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : He used the term “hypocrite”. The SPEAKER : I do not think the member has a point of order.
(2) If not, on what grounds does the minister intend to dishonour a cabinet decision and deny these low-paid workers a relatively small pay rise and an improvement in their working conditions? Mr T.R. BUSWELL replied: I thank the member opposite for the question. (1)-(2) I will answer in a very short statement: no, the government will not honour the commitment of the former government given in a cabinet decision in February this year under the fair pay and conditions policy of Western Australia. It does not surprise me to hear the retired, disgraced union hack bleat on. It does not bother me at all. Withdrawal of Remark Mr M. McGOWAN : The Treasurer used a phrase that I regard as unparliamentary and I ask you to ask him to withdraw, Mr Speaker. The SPEAKER : I ask the Treasurer to withdraw. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Mr Speaker, I am certainly not questioning your ruling. I withdraw, being unsure about what aspect of my remarks was unparliamentary. My understanding is that the term “retired failed unionist” is not unparliamentary because it describes so many members opposite. Indeed, every time I look at the member opposite, I am reminded that the member’s only legacy in this Parliament will be the help given to Mr Jock Ferguson, that vibrant new member of the upper house, who will arrive next May! Questions without Notice Resumed Mr T.R. BUSWELL : The issue at hand is this: across most areas of government, cleaning contracts are outsourced, with the exception in the main, as I understand it, of the education department contracts. I will get back to that in a minute. The Leader of the Opposition might be interested to know that that outsourcing is generally conducted by a competitive tendering process overseen by what I think is one of his successes, as former Treasurer, in one of the institutions he set up; namely, the office of procurement that operates within the Department of Treasury and Finance. It oversees a competitive tendering process. As a result, tenders to clean government buildings are awarded. The arrangements between the successful tenderers and their staff is effectively a private arrangement. The state, in its wisdom—I support this—has in place conditions to make sure that workers employed under those contracts are protected. As I understand it, the current policy insists that contractors and subcontractors who provide services to government for cleaning, for example, must ensure that they meet all relevant employment conditions. The member for Cockburn knows that as well as I do. It is my view that that is where the role of the state procurement process should start and finish, and that the fair pay and conditions policy went a lot further than that. I acknowledge the issues confronted by the workers and their families. It happens in low-paid sectors of industry across Western Australia such as the retail and tourism sectors. This is a significant challenge facing a lot of Western Australian families, and I acknowledge the retention issues confronting those businesses. However, I contend that it is not the government’s role to subsidise that process. If it were, where would we start and where would we stop? Mr F.M. Logan : Why doesn’t the Treasurer let those companies pass on those pay increases? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have been led to believe that if those private contractors were to pay the workers at the government rate to clean government buildings, it would incur an extra cost increment of $8.5 million a year. Mr F.M. Logan : Is that because it would take them from $14 an hour to just under $18 an hour? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Those are arrangements the member for Cockburn could have influenced in the industrial relations process any time in eight years, but he sat on his hands and did absolutely nothing. He was sitting in his cosy little domicile in Swanbourne enjoying a chardonnay while watching the sun go down over the western suburbs. After eight years he has the gall to come in here and raise this matter, when he could have got off his backside and done something. He did absolutely nothing. Those arrangements were agreed to in February, but the member for Cockburn sat on it because he is grossly incompetent. Do members know what else? Sadly, it is more than that because this is another example of a government sop to the miscellaneous workers’ union. We saw it before in this state with the outsourcing of cleaning contracts in the education system, which incurred at least $3.5 million in extra costs to the education system. To his credit, the member for Willagee refused to take that action when he was the Minister for Education and Training. The Leader of the Opposition may be familiar with the person who signed off on it. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich signed off on it, did she not? The member for Cockburn is saying that the taxpayers of this state should help support a fundraising drive by the miscellaneous workers’ union. It is not going to happen. Do members know what? A couple of other things are not going to happen. Funds will no longer flow from taxpayers to the mates of members opposite in this state, full stop. How dare he get up and make these claims; he is a gross hypocrite. Withdrawal of Remark Mr M. McGOWAN : The Treasurer has a well-deserved reputation for boorish behaviour, but he has once again used an unparliamentary term in his reply to the second question today, and I ask him to withdraw. The SPEAKER : I do not think the member has a point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : He used the term “hypocrite”. The SPEAKER : I do not think the member has a point of order.
Mr T.R. BUSWELL replied: I thank the member opposite for the question. (1)-(2) I will answer in a very short statement: no, the government will not honour the commitment of the former government given in a cabinet decision in February this year under the fair pay and conditions policy of Western Australia. It does not surprise me to hear the retired, disgraced union hack bleat on. It does not bother me at all. Withdrawal of Remark Mr M. McGOWAN : The Treasurer used a phrase that I regard as unparliamentary and I ask you to ask him to withdraw, Mr Speaker. The SPEAKER : I ask the Treasurer to withdraw. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Mr Speaker, I am certainly not questioning your ruling. I withdraw, being unsure about what aspect of my remarks was unparliamentary. My understanding is that the term “retired failed unionist” is not unparliamentary because it describes so many members opposite. Indeed, every time I look at the member opposite, I am reminded that the member’s only legacy in this Parliament will be the help given to Mr Jock Ferguson, that vibrant new member of the upper house, who will arrive next May! Questions without Notice Resumed Mr T.R. BUSWELL : The issue at hand is this: across most areas of government, cleaning contracts are outsourced, with the exception in the main, as I understand it, of the education department contracts. I will get back to that in a minute. The Leader of the Opposition might be interested to know that that outsourcing is generally conducted by a competitive tendering process overseen by what I think is one of his successes, as former Treasurer, in one of the institutions he set up; namely, the office of procurement that operates within the Department of Treasury and Finance. It oversees a competitive tendering process. As a result, tenders to clean government buildings are awarded. The arrangements between the successful tenderers and their staff is effectively a private arrangement. The state, in its wisdom—I support this—has in place conditions to make sure that workers employed under those contracts are protected. As I understand it, the current policy insists that contractors and subcontractors who provide services to government for cleaning, for example, must ensure that they meet all relevant employment conditions. The member for Cockburn knows that as well as I do. It is my view that that is where the role of the state procurement process should start and finish, and that the fair pay and conditions policy went a lot further than that. I acknowledge the issues confronted by the workers and their families. It happens in low-paid sectors of industry across Western Australia such as the retail and tourism sectors. This is a significant challenge facing a lot of Western Australian families, and I acknowledge the retention issues confronting those businesses. However, I contend that it is not the government’s role to subsidise that process. If it were, where would we start and where would we stop? Mr F.M. Logan : Why doesn’t the Treasurer let those companies pass on those pay increases? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have been led to believe that if those private contractors were to pay the workers at the government rate to clean government buildings, it would incur an extra cost increment of $8.5 million a year. Mr F.M. Logan : Is that because it would take them from $14 an hour to just under $18 an hour? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Those are arrangements the member for Cockburn could have influenced in the industrial relations process any time in eight years, but he sat on his hands and did absolutely nothing. He was sitting in his cosy little domicile in Swanbourne enjoying a chardonnay while watching the sun go down over the western suburbs. After eight years he has the gall to come in here and raise this matter, when he could have got off his backside and done something. He did absolutely nothing. Those arrangements were agreed to in February, but the member for Cockburn sat on it because he is grossly incompetent. Do members know what else? Sadly, it is more than that because this is another example of a government sop to the miscellaneous workers’ union. We saw it before in this state with the outsourcing of cleaning contracts in the education system, which incurred at least $3.5 million in extra costs to the education system. To his credit, the member for Willagee refused to take that action when he was the Minister for Education and Training. The Leader of the Opposition may be familiar with the person who signed off on it. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich signed off on it, did she not? The member for Cockburn is saying that the taxpayers of this state should help support a fundraising drive by the miscellaneous workers’ union. It is not going to happen. Do members know what? A couple of other things are not going to happen. Funds will no longer flow from taxpayers to the mates of members opposite in this state, full stop. How dare he get up and make these claims; he is a gross hypocrite. Withdrawal of Remark Mr M. McGOWAN : The Treasurer has a well-deserved reputation for boorish behaviour, but he has once again used an unparliamentary term in his reply to the second question today, and I ask him to withdraw. The SPEAKER : I do not think the member has a point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : He used the term “hypocrite”. The SPEAKER : I do not think the member has a point of order.
I thank the member opposite for the question. (1)-(2) I will answer in a very short statement: no, the government will not honour the commitment of the former government given in a cabinet decision in February this year under the fair pay and conditions policy of Western Australia. It does not surprise me to hear the retired, disgraced union hack bleat on. It does not bother me at all. Withdrawal of Remark Mr M. McGOWAN : The Treasurer used a phrase that I regard as unparliamentary and I ask you to ask him to withdraw, Mr Speaker. The SPEAKER : I ask the Treasurer to withdraw. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Mr Speaker, I am certainly not questioning your ruling. I withdraw, being unsure about what aspect of my remarks was unparliamentary. My understanding is that the term “retired failed unionist” is not unparliamentary because it describes so many members opposite. Indeed, every time I look at the member opposite, I am reminded that the member’s only legacy in this Parliament will be the help given to Mr Jock Ferguson, that vibrant new member of the upper house, who will arrive next May! Questions without Notice Resumed Mr T.R. BUSWELL : The issue at hand is this: across most areas of government, cleaning contracts are outsourced, with the exception in the main, as I understand it, of the education department contracts. I will get back to that in a minute. The Leader of the Opposition might be interested to know that that outsourcing is generally conducted by a competitive tendering process overseen by what I think is one of his successes, as former Treasurer, in one of the institutions he set up; namely, the office of procurement that operates within the Department of Treasury and Finance. It oversees a competitive tendering process. As a result, tenders to clean government buildings are awarded. The arrangements between the successful tenderers and their staff is effectively a private arrangement. The state, in its wisdom—I support this—has in place conditions to make sure that workers employed under those contracts are protected. As I understand it, the current policy insists that contractors and subcontractors who provide services to government for cleaning, for example, must ensure that they meet all relevant employment conditions. The member for Cockburn knows that as well as I do. It is my view that that is where the role of the state procurement process should start and finish, and that the fair pay and conditions policy went a lot further than that. I acknowledge the issues confronted by the workers and their families. It happens in low-paid sectors of industry across Western Australia such as the retail and tourism sectors. This is a significant challenge facing a lot of Western Australian families, and I acknowledge the retention issues confronting those businesses. However, I contend that it is not the government’s role to subsidise that process. If it were, where would we start and where would we stop? Mr F.M. Logan : Why doesn’t the Treasurer let those companies pass on those pay increases? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have been led to believe that if those private contractors were to pay the workers at the government rate to clean government buildings, it would incur an extra cost increment of $8.5 million a year. Mr F.M. Logan : Is that because it would take them from $14 an hour to just under $18 an hour? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Those are arrangements the member for Cockburn could have influenced in the industrial relations process any time in eight years, but he sat on his hands and did absolutely nothing. He was sitting in his cosy little domicile in Swanbourne enjoying a chardonnay while watching the sun go down over the western suburbs. After eight years he has the gall to come in here and raise this matter, when he could have got off his backside and done something. He did absolutely nothing. Those arrangements were agreed to in February, but the member for Cockburn sat on it because he is grossly incompetent. Do members know what else? Sadly, it is more than that because this is another example of a government sop to the miscellaneous workers’ union. We saw it before in this state with the outsourcing of cleaning contracts in the education system, which incurred at least $3.5 million in extra costs to the education system. To his credit, the member for Willagee refused to take that action when he was the Minister for Education and Training. The Leader of the Opposition may be familiar with the person who signed off on it. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich signed off on it, did she not? The member for Cockburn is saying that the taxpayers of this state should help support a fundraising drive by the miscellaneous workers’ union. It is not going to happen. Do members know what? A couple of other things are not going to happen. Funds will no longer flow from taxpayers to the mates of members opposite in this state, full stop. How dare he get up and make these claims; he is a gross hypocrite. Withdrawal of Remark Mr M. McGOWAN : The Treasurer has a well-deserved reputation for boorish behaviour, but he has once again used an unparliamentary term in his reply to the second question today, and I ask him to withdraw. The SPEAKER : I do not think the member has a point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : He used the term “hypocrite”. The SPEAKER : I do not think the member has a point of order.
(1)-(2) I will answer in a very short statement: no, the government will not honour the commitment of the former government given in a cabinet decision in February this year under the fair pay and conditions policy of Western Australia. It does not surprise me to hear the retired, disgraced union hack bleat on. It does not bother me at all. Withdrawal of Remark Mr M. McGOWAN : The Treasurer used a phrase that I regard as unparliamentary and I ask you to ask him to withdraw, Mr Speaker. The SPEAKER : I ask the Treasurer to withdraw. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Mr Speaker, I am certainly not questioning your ruling. I withdraw, being unsure about what aspect of my remarks was unparliamentary. My understanding is that the term “retired failed unionist” is not unparliamentary because it describes so many members opposite. Indeed, every time I look at the member opposite, I am reminded that the member’s only legacy in this Parliament will be the help given to Mr Jock Ferguson, that vibrant new member of the upper house, who will arrive next May! Questions without Notice Resumed Mr T.R. BUSWELL : The issue at hand is this: across most areas of government, cleaning contracts are outsourced, with the exception in the main, as I understand it, of the education department contracts. I will get back to that in a minute. The Leader of the Opposition might be interested to know that that outsourcing is generally conducted by a competitive tendering process overseen by what I think is one of his successes, as former Treasurer, in one of the institutions he set up; namely, the office of procurement that operates within the Department of Treasury and Finance. It oversees a competitive tendering process. As a result, tenders to clean government buildings are awarded. The arrangements between the successful tenderers and their staff is effectively a private arrangement. The state, in its wisdom—I support this—has in place conditions to make sure that workers employed under those contracts are protected. As I understand it, the current policy insists that contractors and subcontractors who provide services to government for cleaning, for example, must ensure that they meet all relevant employment conditions. The member for Cockburn knows that as well as I do. It is my view that that is where the role of the state procurement process should start and finish, and that the fair pay and conditions policy went a lot further than that. I acknowledge the issues confronted by the workers and their families. It happens in low-paid sectors of industry across Western Australia such as the retail and tourism sectors. This is a significant challenge facing a lot of Western Australian families, and I acknowledge the retention issues confronting those businesses. However, I contend that it is not the government’s role to subsidise that process. If it were, where would we start and where would we stop? Mr F.M. Logan : Why doesn’t the Treasurer let those companies pass on those pay increases? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have been led to believe that if those private contractors were to pay the workers at the government rate to clean government buildings, it would incur an extra cost increment of $8.5 million a year. Mr F.M. Logan : Is that because it would take them from $14 an hour to just under $18 an hour? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Those are arrangements the member for Cockburn could have influenced in the industrial relations process any time in eight years, but he sat on his hands and did absolutely nothing. He was sitting in his cosy little domicile in Swanbourne enjoying a chardonnay while watching the sun go down over the western suburbs. After eight years he has the gall to come in here and raise this matter, when he could have got off his backside and done something. He did absolutely nothing. Those arrangements were agreed to in February, but the member for Cockburn sat on it because he is grossly incompetent. Do members know what else? Sadly, it is more than that because this is another example of a government sop to the miscellaneous workers’ union. We saw it before in this state with the outsourcing of cleaning contracts in the education system, which incurred at least $3.5 million in extra costs to the education system. To his credit, the member for Willagee refused to take that action when he was the Minister for Education and Training. The Leader of the Opposition may be familiar with the person who signed off on it. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich signed off on it, did she not? The member for Cockburn is saying that the taxpayers of this state should help support a fundraising drive by the miscellaneous workers’ union. It is not going to happen. Do members know what? A couple of other things are not going to happen. Funds will no longer flow from taxpayers to the mates of members opposite in this state, full stop. How dare he get up and make these claims; he is a gross hypocrite. Withdrawal of Remark Mr M. McGOWAN : The Treasurer has a well-deserved reputation for boorish behaviour, but he has once again used an unparliamentary term in his reply to the second question today, and I ask him to withdraw. The SPEAKER : I do not think the member has a point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : He used the term “hypocrite”. The SPEAKER : I do not think the member has a point of order.
The SPEAKER : I ask the Treasurer to withdraw. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Mr Speaker, I am certainly not questioning your ruling. I withdraw, being unsure about what aspect of my remarks was unparliamentary. My understanding is that the term “retired failed unionist” is not unparliamentary because it describes so many members opposite. Indeed, every time I look at the member opposite, I am reminded that the member’s only legacy in this Parliament will be the help given to Mr Jock Ferguson, that vibrant new member of the upper house, who will arrive next May! Questions without Notice Resumed Mr T.R. BUSWELL : The issue at hand is this: across most areas of government, cleaning contracts are outsourced, with the exception in the main, as I understand it, of the education department contracts. I will get back to that in a minute. The Leader of the Opposition might be interested to know that that outsourcing is generally conducted by a competitive tendering process overseen by what I think is one of his successes, as former Treasurer, in one of the institutions he set up; namely, the office of procurement that operates within the Department of Treasury and Finance. It oversees a competitive tendering process. As a result, tenders to clean government buildings are awarded. The arrangements between the successful tenderers and their staff is effectively a private arrangement. The state, in its wisdom—I support this—has in place conditions to make sure that workers employed under those contracts are protected. As I understand it, the current policy insists that contractors and subcontractors who provide services to government for cleaning, for example, must ensure that they meet all relevant employment conditions. The member for Cockburn knows that as well as I do. It is my view that that is where the role of the state procurement process should start and finish, and that the fair pay and conditions policy went a lot further than that. I acknowledge the issues confronted by the workers and their families. It happens in low-paid sectors of industry across Western Australia such as the retail and tourism sectors. This is a significant challenge facing a lot of Western Australian families, and I acknowledge the retention issues confronting those businesses. However, I contend that it is not the government’s role to subsidise that process. If it were, where would we start and where would we stop? Mr F.M. Logan : Why doesn’t the Treasurer let those companies pass on those pay increases? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have been led to believe that if those private contractors were to pay the workers at the government rate to clean government buildings, it would incur an extra cost increment of $8.5 million a year. Mr F.M. Logan : Is that because it would take them from $14 an hour to just under $18 an hour? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Those are arrangements the member for Cockburn could have influenced in the industrial relations process any time in eight years, but he sat on his hands and did absolutely nothing. He was sitting in his cosy little domicile in Swanbourne enjoying a chardonnay while watching the sun go down over the western suburbs. After eight years he has the gall to come in here and raise this matter, when he could have got off his backside and done something. He did absolutely nothing. Those arrangements were agreed to in February, but the member for Cockburn sat on it because he is grossly incompetent. Do members know what else? Sadly, it is more than that because this is another example of a government sop to the miscellaneous workers’ union. We saw it before in this state with the outsourcing of cleaning contracts in the education system, which incurred at least $3.5 million in extra costs to the education system. To his credit, the member for Willagee refused to take that action when he was the Minister for Education and Training. The Leader of the Opposition may be familiar with the person who signed off on it. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich signed off on it, did she not? The member for Cockburn is saying that the taxpayers of this state should help support a fundraising drive by the miscellaneous workers’ union. It is not going to happen. Do members know what? A couple of other things are not going to happen. Funds will no longer flow from taxpayers to the mates of members opposite in this state, full stop. How dare he get up and make these claims; he is a gross hypocrite. Withdrawal of Remark Mr M. McGOWAN : The Treasurer has a well-deserved reputation for boorish behaviour, but he has once again used an unparliamentary term in his reply to the second question today, and I ask him to withdraw. The SPEAKER : I do not think the member has a point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : He used the term “hypocrite”. The SPEAKER : I do not think the member has a point of order.
Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Mr Speaker, I am certainly not questioning your ruling. I withdraw, being unsure about what aspect of my remarks was unparliamentary. My understanding is that the term “retired failed unionist” is not unparliamentary because it describes so many members opposite. Indeed, every time I look at the member opposite, I am reminded that the member’s only legacy in this Parliament will be the help given to Mr Jock Ferguson, that vibrant new member of the upper house, who will arrive next May! Questions without Notice Resumed Mr T.R. BUSWELL : The issue at hand is this: across most areas of government, cleaning contracts are outsourced, with the exception in the main, as I understand it, of the education department contracts. I will get back to that in a minute. The Leader of the Opposition might be interested to know that that outsourcing is generally conducted by a competitive tendering process overseen by what I think is one of his successes, as former Treasurer, in one of the institutions he set up; namely, the office of procurement that operates within the Department of Treasury and Finance. It oversees a competitive tendering process. As a result, tenders to clean government buildings are awarded. The arrangements between the successful tenderers and their staff is effectively a private arrangement. The state, in its wisdom—I support this—has in place conditions to make sure that workers employed under those contracts are protected. As I understand it, the current policy insists that contractors and subcontractors who provide services to government for cleaning, for example, must ensure that they meet all relevant employment conditions. The member for Cockburn knows that as well as I do. It is my view that that is where the role of the state procurement process should start and finish, and that the fair pay and conditions policy went a lot further than that. I acknowledge the issues confronted by the workers and their families. It happens in low-paid sectors of industry across Western Australia such as the retail and tourism sectors. This is a significant challenge facing a lot of Western Australian families, and I acknowledge the retention issues confronting those businesses. However, I contend that it is not the government’s role to subsidise that process. If it were, where would we start and where would we stop? Mr F.M. Logan : Why doesn’t the Treasurer let those companies pass on those pay increases? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have been led to believe that if those private contractors were to pay the workers at the government rate to clean government buildings, it would incur an extra cost increment of $8.5 million a year. Mr F.M. Logan : Is that because it would take them from $14 an hour to just under $18 an hour? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Those are arrangements the member for Cockburn could have influenced in the industrial relations process any time in eight years, but he sat on his hands and did absolutely nothing. He was sitting in his cosy little domicile in Swanbourne enjoying a chardonnay while watching the sun go down over the western suburbs. After eight years he has the gall to come in here and raise this matter, when he could have got off his backside and done something. He did absolutely nothing. Those arrangements were agreed to in February, but the member for Cockburn sat on it because he is grossly incompetent. Do members know what else? Sadly, it is more than that because this is another example of a government sop to the miscellaneous workers’ union. We saw it before in this state with the outsourcing of cleaning contracts in the education system, which incurred at least $3.5 million in extra costs to the education system. To his credit, the member for Willagee refused to take that action when he was the Minister for Education and Training. The Leader of the Opposition may be familiar with the person who signed off on it. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich signed off on it, did she not? The member for Cockburn is saying that the taxpayers of this state should help support a fundraising drive by the miscellaneous workers’ union. It is not going to happen. Do members know what? A couple of other things are not going to happen. Funds will no longer flow from taxpayers to the mates of members opposite in this state, full stop. How dare he get up and make these claims; he is a gross hypocrite. Withdrawal of Remark Mr M. McGOWAN : The Treasurer has a well-deserved reputation for boorish behaviour, but he has once again used an unparliamentary term in his reply to the second question today, and I ask him to withdraw. The SPEAKER : I do not think the member has a point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : He used the term “hypocrite”. The SPEAKER : I do not think the member has a point of order.
I acknowledge the issues confronted by the workers and their families. It happens in low-paid sectors of industry across Western Australia such as the retail and tourism sectors. This is a significant challenge facing a lot of Western Australian families, and I acknowledge the retention issues confronting those businesses. However, I contend that it is not the government’s role to subsidise that process. If it were, where would we start and where would we stop? Mr F.M. Logan : Why doesn’t the Treasurer let those companies pass on those pay increases? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have been led to believe that if those private contractors were to pay the workers at the government rate to clean government buildings, it would incur an extra cost increment of $8.5 million a year. Mr F.M. Logan : Is that because it would take them from $14 an hour to just under $18 an hour? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Those are arrangements the member for Cockburn could have influenced in the industrial relations process any time in eight years, but he sat on his hands and did absolutely nothing. He was sitting in his cosy little domicile in Swanbourne enjoying a chardonnay while watching the sun go down over the western suburbs. After eight years he has the gall to come in here and raise this matter, when he could have got off his backside and done something. He did absolutely nothing. Those arrangements were agreed to in February, but the member for Cockburn sat on it because he is grossly incompetent. Do members know what else? Sadly, it is more than that because this is another example of a government sop to the miscellaneous workers’ union. We saw it before in this state with the outsourcing of cleaning contracts in the education system, which incurred at least $3.5 million in extra costs to the education system. To his credit, the member for Willagee refused to take that action when he was the Minister for Education and Training. The Leader of the Opposition may be familiar with the person who signed off on it. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich signed off on it, did she not? The member for Cockburn is saying that the taxpayers of this state should help support a fundraising drive by the miscellaneous workers’ union. It is not going to happen. Do members know what? A couple of other things are not going to happen. Funds will no longer flow from taxpayers to the mates of members opposite in this state, full stop. How dare he get up and make these claims; he is a gross hypocrite. Withdrawal of Remark Mr M. McGOWAN : The Treasurer has a well-deserved reputation for boorish behaviour, but he has once again used an unparliamentary term in his reply to the second question today, and I ask him to withdraw. The SPEAKER : I do not think the member has a point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : He used the term “hypocrite”. The SPEAKER : I do not think the member has a point of order.
Mr F.M. Logan : Why doesn’t the Treasurer let those companies pass on those pay increases? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have been led to believe that if those private contractors were to pay the workers at the government rate to clean government buildings, it would incur an extra cost increment of $8.5 million a year. Mr F.M. Logan : Is that because it would take them from $14 an hour to just under $18 an hour? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Those are arrangements the member for Cockburn could have influenced in the industrial relations process any time in eight years, but he sat on his hands and did absolutely nothing. He was sitting in his cosy little domicile in Swanbourne enjoying a chardonnay while watching the sun go down over the western suburbs. After eight years he has the gall to come in here and raise this matter, when he could have got off his backside and done something. He did absolutely nothing. Those arrangements were agreed to in February, but the member for Cockburn sat on it because he is grossly incompetent. Do members know what else? Sadly, it is more than that because this is another example of a government sop to the miscellaneous workers’ union. We saw it before in this state with the outsourcing of cleaning contracts in the education system, which incurred at least $3.5 million in extra costs to the education system. To his credit, the member for Willagee refused to take that action when he was the Minister for Education and Training. The Leader of the Opposition may be familiar with the person who signed off on it. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich signed off on it, did she not? The member for Cockburn is saying that the taxpayers of this state should help support a fundraising drive by the miscellaneous workers’ union. It is not going to happen. Do members know what? A couple of other things are not going to happen. Funds will no longer flow from taxpayers to the mates of members opposite in this state, full stop. How dare he get up and make these claims; he is a gross hypocrite. Withdrawal of Remark Mr M. McGOWAN : The Treasurer has a well-deserved reputation for boorish behaviour, but he has once again used an unparliamentary term in his reply to the second question today, and I ask him to withdraw. The SPEAKER : I do not think the member has a point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : He used the term “hypocrite”. The SPEAKER : I do not think the member has a point of order.
Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have been led to believe that if those private contractors were to pay the workers at the government rate to clean government buildings, it would incur an extra cost increment of $8.5 million a year. Mr F.M. Logan : Is that because it would take them from $14 an hour to just under $18 an hour? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Those are arrangements the member for Cockburn could have influenced in the industrial relations process any time in eight years, but he sat on his hands and did absolutely nothing. He was sitting in his cosy little domicile in Swanbourne enjoying a chardonnay while watching the sun go down over the western suburbs. After eight years he has the gall to come in here and raise this matter, when he could have got off his backside and done something. He did absolutely nothing. Those arrangements were agreed to in February, but the member for Cockburn sat on it because he is grossly incompetent. Do members know what else? Sadly, it is more than that because this is another example of a government sop to the miscellaneous workers’ union. We saw it before in this state with the outsourcing of cleaning contracts in the education system, which incurred at least $3.5 million in extra costs to the education system. To his credit, the member for Willagee refused to take that action when he was the Minister for Education and Training. The Leader of the Opposition may be familiar with the person who signed off on it. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich signed off on it, did she not? The member for Cockburn is saying that the taxpayers of this state should help support a fundraising drive by the miscellaneous workers’ union. It is not going to happen. Do members know what? A couple of other things are not going to happen. Funds will no longer flow from taxpayers to the mates of members opposite in this state, full stop. How dare he get up and make these claims; he is a gross hypocrite. Withdrawal of Remark Mr M. McGOWAN : The Treasurer has a well-deserved reputation for boorish behaviour, but he has once again used an unparliamentary term in his reply to the second question today, and I ask him to withdraw. The SPEAKER : I do not think the member has a point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : He used the term “hypocrite”. The SPEAKER : I do not think the member has a point of order.
Mr F.M. Logan : Is that because it would take them from $14 an hour to just under $18 an hour? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Those are arrangements the member for Cockburn could have influenced in the industrial relations process any time in eight years, but he sat on his hands and did absolutely nothing. He was sitting in his cosy little domicile in Swanbourne enjoying a chardonnay while watching the sun go down over the western suburbs. After eight years he has the gall to come in here and raise this matter, when he could have got off his backside and done something. He did absolutely nothing. Those arrangements were agreed to in February, but the member for Cockburn sat on it because he is grossly incompetent. Do members know what else? Sadly, it is more than that because this is another example of a government sop to the miscellaneous workers’ union. We saw it before in this state with the outsourcing of cleaning contracts in the education system, which incurred at least $3.5 million in extra costs to the education system. To his credit, the member for Willagee refused to take that action when he was the Minister for Education and Training. The Leader of the Opposition may be familiar with the person who signed off on it. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich signed off on it, did she not? The member for Cockburn is saying that the taxpayers of this state should help support a fundraising drive by the miscellaneous workers’ union. It is not going to happen. Do members know what? A couple of other things are not going to happen. Funds will no longer flow from taxpayers to the mates of members opposite in this state, full stop. How dare he get up and make these claims; he is a gross hypocrite. Withdrawal of Remark Mr M. McGOWAN : The Treasurer has a well-deserved reputation for boorish behaviour, but he has once again used an unparliamentary term in his reply to the second question today, and I ask him to withdraw. The SPEAKER : I do not think the member has a point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : He used the term “hypocrite”. The SPEAKER : I do not think the member has a point of order.
Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Those are arrangements the member for Cockburn could have influenced in the industrial relations process any time in eight years, but he sat on his hands and did absolutely nothing. He was sitting in his cosy little domicile in Swanbourne enjoying a chardonnay while watching the sun go down over the western suburbs. After eight years he has the gall to come in here and raise this matter, when he could have got off his backside and done something. He did absolutely nothing. Those arrangements were agreed to in February, but the member for Cockburn sat on it because he is grossly incompetent. Do members know what else? Sadly, it is more than that because this is another example of a government sop to the miscellaneous workers’ union. We saw it before in this state with the outsourcing of cleaning contracts in the education system, which incurred at least $3.5 million in extra costs to the education system. To his credit, the member for Willagee refused to take that action when he was the Minister for Education and Training. The Leader of the Opposition may be familiar with the person who signed off on it. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich signed off on it, did she not? The member for Cockburn is saying that the taxpayers of this state should help support a fundraising drive by the miscellaneous workers’ union. It is not going to happen. Do members know what? A couple of other things are not going to happen. Funds will no longer flow from taxpayers to the mates of members opposite in this state, full stop. How dare he get up and make these claims; he is a gross hypocrite. Withdrawal of Remark Mr M. McGOWAN : The Treasurer has a well-deserved reputation for boorish behaviour, but he has once again used an unparliamentary term in his reply to the second question today, and I ask him to withdraw. The SPEAKER : I do not think the member has a point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : He used the term “hypocrite”. The SPEAKER : I do not think the member has a point of order.
Do members know what else? Sadly, it is more than that because this is another example of a government sop to the miscellaneous workers’ union. We saw it before in this state with the outsourcing of cleaning contracts in the education system, which incurred at least $3.5 million in extra costs to the education system. To his credit, the member for Willagee refused to take that action when he was the Minister for Education and Training. The Leader of the Opposition may be familiar with the person who signed off on it. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich signed off on it, did she not? The member for Cockburn is saying that the taxpayers of this state should help support a fundraising drive by the miscellaneous workers’ union. It is not going to happen. Do members know what? A couple of other things are not going to happen. Funds will no longer flow from taxpayers to the mates of members opposite in this state, full stop. How dare he get up and make these claims; he is a gross hypocrite. Withdrawal of Remark Mr M. McGOWAN : The Treasurer has a well-deserved reputation for boorish behaviour, but he has once again used an unparliamentary term in his reply to the second question today, and I ask him to withdraw. The SPEAKER : I do not think the member has a point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : He used the term “hypocrite”. The SPEAKER : I do not think the member has a point of order.
The SPEAKER : I do not think the member has a point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : He used the term “hypocrite”. The SPEAKER : I do not think the member has a point of order.
Mr M. McGOWAN : He used the term “hypocrite”. The SPEAKER : I do not think the member has a point of order.
The SPEAKER : I do not think the member has a point of order.
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