❓ Mr. Nalder questions the Premier about wages growth in WA, linking it to GST revenue and infrastructure spending. The Premier responds by detailing numerous infrastructure projects across the state and highlighting the government's financial management.
AnsweredQoN 1036Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
STATE ECONOMY — WAGES GROWTH
1036. Mr D.C. NALDER to the Premier:
I have a supplementary question. I note
the Premier's inability to answer the question.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr D.C. NALDER : Wages growth
is the lowest in the nation.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr D.C. NALDER : Given that
the government is currently rolling in billions of dollars of extra funds from
the GST fix, when will the Premier —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Start again.
Mr B.S. Wyatt interjected.
The SPEAKER : I do not know
who it is, but some child up there—I have not picked it up but I think
it might be the Attorney General. I call you to order for the first time.
Several members interjected.
Mr J.R. Quigley : I appeal!
The SPEAKER : And you should!
Mr J.R. Quigley : I did not
say a thing.
The SPEAKER : I withdraw that
and I give that back to the Treasurer.
Mr D.C. NALDER : I note the
Premier's inability to answer the question. Given that —
Point of Order
Mr W.J.
JOHNSTON : The standing orders make it clear that there be no
preambles to a question.
The SPEAKER : No, that is not
preamble; it is part of the question.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Mr D.C. NALDER : Given the
billions of dollars that are coming in from the fix of the GST —
Mr W.J.
JOHNSTON : Point of order—he is misleading the house.
The SPEAKER : I call you to order,
minister, for the first time.
Mr D.C. NALDER : Given the
billions of dollars from the fix of the GST and the increased iron ore
royalties, when is the Premier going to take the foot off the hose of major
job-creating infrastructure projects so that Western Australia can get
out of its domestic recession and support underlying —
Mr W.J. Johnston interjected.
The SPEAKER : I will make
that decision. If you keep disputing it, I will send you home.
Mr W.J. Johnston : I was not
disputing anything.
The SPEAKER : I beg your
pardon? Be very careful or I will go further than that.
Mr D.C. NALDER : When is the
Premier going to take the foot off the hose of major job-creating
infrastructure projects so that Western Australia can get out of its domestic
recession and support underlying wages growth?
Point of Order
Mr W.J.
JOHNSTON : The question from the member related to wages growth and
the supplementary relates to projects. That is clearly a separate issue. I would
ask the Speaker to rule whether that is a supplementary —
The SPEAKER : I already have
ruled, minister, and I call you to order now for the second time. As I say, if
you keep doing that you will not be here.
Questions without Notice Resumed
1036. Mr D.C. NALDER to the Premier:
I have a supplementary question. I note
the Premier's inability to answer the question.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr D.C. NALDER : Wages growth
is the lowest in the nation.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr D.C. NALDER : Given that
the government is currently rolling in billions of dollars of extra funds from
the GST fix, when will the Premier —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Start again.
Mr B.S. Wyatt interjected.
The SPEAKER : I do not know
who it is, but some child up there—I have not picked it up but I think
it might be the Attorney General. I call you to order for the first time.
Several members interjected.
Mr J.R. Quigley : I appeal!
The SPEAKER : And you should!
Mr J.R. Quigley : I did not
say a thing.
The SPEAKER : I withdraw that
and I give that back to the Treasurer.
Mr D.C. NALDER : I note the
Premier's inability to answer the question. Given that —
Point of Order
Mr W.J.
JOHNSTON : The standing orders make it clear that there be no
preambles to a question.
The SPEAKER : No, that is not
preamble; it is part of the question.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Mr D.C. NALDER : Given the
billions of dollars that are coming in from the fix of the GST —
Mr W.J.
JOHNSTON : Point of order—he is misleading the house.
The SPEAKER : I call you to order,
minister, for the first time.
Mr D.C. NALDER : Given the
billions of dollars from the fix of the GST and the increased iron ore
royalties, when is the Premier going to take the foot off the hose of major
job-creating infrastructure projects so that Western Australia can get
out of its domestic recession and support underlying —
Mr W.J. Johnston interjected.
The SPEAKER : I will make
that decision. If you keep disputing it, I will send you home.
Mr W.J. Johnston : I was not
disputing anything.
The SPEAKER : I beg your
pardon? Be very careful or I will go further than that.
Mr D.C. NALDER : When is the
Premier going to take the foot off the hose of major job-creating
infrastructure projects so that Western Australia can get out of its domestic
recession and support underlying wages growth?
Point of Order
Mr W.J.
JOHNSTON : The question from the member related to wages growth and
the supplementary relates to projects. That is clearly a separate issue. I would
ask the Speaker to rule whether that is a supplementary —
The SPEAKER : I already have
ruled, minister, and I call you to order now for the second time. As I say, if
you keep doing that you will not be here.
Questions without Notice Resumed
AnswerView source ↗
In
order to resolve everything, I am going to let the shadow Treasurer know about
some of our important infrastructure projects across Western Australia.
They include $310 million on the Karratha–Tom Price Road; $145 million
on widening Armadale Road; $40 million on widening Mitchell Freeway between
Cedric and Vincent Streets; $65 million on upgrading the Wanneroo Road–Ocean
Reef Road intersection; $50 million on upgrading the Wanneroo Road–Joondalup
Drive intersection; $70 million on widening Reid Highway between Altone Road
and West Swan Road; $49 million on widening Kwinana Freeway between Russell
Road and Roe Highway; $47 million on the Kwinana Freeway smart freeway project;
$112 million on the Murdoch Drive extension; $15 million on upgrading Karel
Avenue; $30 million on upgrading South Coast Highway between Albany and
Jerramungup; $35 million on the Manning Road on-ramp—the member for
South Perth is down there celebrating as we speak!—and $15 million on
widening Mitchell Freeway between Hutton and Cedric Streets. We are building 72 kilometres of rail lines. We are manufacturing
railcars in Western Australia for the first time in 30 years. We are building
the new Newman hospital. We are building the Bunbury Outer Ring Road. Bob Hawke
College is nearing completion as we speak. I mentioned the Albany ring-road
before, and we have set aside the revenue we secured from BHP—$250
million—and 65 per cent of the proceeds from the TAB sale for the new
women's and babies' hospital.
But
there is more that we are doing all over Western Australia in terms of
infrastructure. The great thing about it is we are doing it while still
driving down debt. New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria have large
infrastructure programs and debt is going up very heavily, particularly in New
South Wales. In Western Australia, there is a large infrastructure program and
debt is going down. How do you do that? You do it by doing two things: good
financial management and we get the commonwealth to pay for lots of it. They
are the two things. If only the Liberals and Nationals, in office, had learnt
those two amazing tactics: good financial management combined with working with
the commonwealth to get money to Western Australia. That is what we did. There
is no magic to it, except to have a cabinet
that is serious, a Treasurer who is effective, a government that works
effectively through the cabinet process to ensure money is spent wisely,
and a Premier who actually works with whoever the Prime Minister may be to get
good outcomes for Western Australia.
order to resolve everything, I am going to let the shadow Treasurer know about
some of our important infrastructure projects across Western Australia.
They include $310 million on the Karratha–Tom Price Road; $145 million
on widening Armadale Road; $40 million on widening Mitchell Freeway between
Cedric and Vincent Streets; $65 million on upgrading the Wanneroo Road–Ocean
Reef Road intersection; $50 million on upgrading the Wanneroo Road–Joondalup
Drive intersection; $70 million on widening Reid Highway between Altone Road
and West Swan Road; $49 million on widening Kwinana Freeway between Russell
Road and Roe Highway; $47 million on the Kwinana Freeway smart freeway project;
$112 million on the Murdoch Drive extension; $15 million on upgrading Karel
Avenue; $30 million on upgrading South Coast Highway between Albany and
Jerramungup; $35 million on the Manning Road on-ramp—the member for
South Perth is down there celebrating as we speak!—and $15 million on
widening Mitchell Freeway between Hutton and Cedric Streets. We are building 72 kilometres of rail lines. We are manufacturing
railcars in Western Australia for the first time in 30 years. We are building
the new Newman hospital. We are building the Bunbury Outer Ring Road. Bob Hawke
College is nearing completion as we speak. I mentioned the Albany ring-road
before, and we have set aside the revenue we secured from BHP—$250
million—and 65 per cent of the proceeds from the TAB sale for the new
women's and babies' hospital.
But
there is more that we are doing all over Western Australia in terms of
infrastructure. The great thing about it is we are doing it while still
driving down debt. New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria have large
infrastructure programs and debt is going up very heavily, particularly in New
South Wales. In Western Australia, there is a large infrastructure program and
debt is going down. How do you do that? You do it by doing two things: good
financial management and we get the commonwealth to pay for lots of it. They
are the two things. If only the Liberals and Nationals, in office, had learnt
those two amazing tactics: good financial management combined with working with
the commonwealth to get money to Western Australia. That is what we did. There
is no magic to it, except to have a cabinet
that is serious, a Treasurer who is effective, a government that works
effectively through the cabinet process to ensure money is spent wisely,
and a Premier who actually works with whoever the Prime Minister may be to get
good outcomes for Western Australia.
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