❓ A parliamentary question regarding the Leader of the Opposition's comments on WA's tax competitiveness is deemed out of order. The Treasurer uses the opportunity to defend the government's economic performance and attack the Opposition's record.
AnsweredQoN 673Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
Is the Treasurer aware of comments made today by the Leader of the Opposition in his thrashing around on Western Australia’s tax-competitive position? Does anything the Leader of the Opposition says have credibility? Mr E.S. RIPPER
AnswerView source ↗
What a great day! Point of Order Mr R.F. JOHNSON: The question is seeking an opinion, and is therefore in violation of the standing orders. The SPEAKER: The second half of the question clearly asks for an opinion. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr E.S. RIPPER: What a great day! The pipeline has been sold and our energy security for the next 25 years has been settled. All the problems flowing from the botched privatisation engaged in by the Leader of the Opposition have been solved. On the economy, we hear Nostradamus over there grumping and whingeing that all his predictions have come to naught. By now Western Australia was supposed to have been facing a depression and huge unemployment, and was supposed to be sinking into a sea of debt. Instead, Western Australia has the lowest unemployment rate for a quarter of a century and debt is lower than when the Government was elected. However, the Leader of the Opposition still thinks he may have a shred of credibility. He still thinks of himself as the master economic commentator, so he went on ABC radio to perpetrate yet another untruth. How many times are we expected to expose this man as someone who cannot be trusted to tell the truth in his political comments? This is what the Leader of the Opposition said - We have gone from being the second lowest taxed state, to the second highest . . . That is just plain wrong, wrong, wrong. In 2000-01, Western Australia was the third highest taxing State, behind New South Wales and Victoria or, in Treasury speak, it was the fourth lowest, not the second lowest. As a result of the phenomenal and unprecedented economic growth of the past financial year, Western Australia has moved ahead of Victoria, so is the second highest taxing State - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murray-Wellington and the Leader of the Opposition to order. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the Leader of the National Party to order for the second time. Mr E.S. RIPPER: I would like another year of seven per cent economic growth. I would prefer it to a year presided over by the former Minister for State Development, now the Leader of the Opposition; a year in which the economy got smaller by one per cent. I would certainly prefer the past year under this Government to the last year of the previous Government, in which the economy declined by one per cent. As a result of the Government’s billion-dollar tax package, Western Australia will return to the ranking it had at the time the present Government assumed office. That is a good thing; it is an investment in Western Australia’s economic future. The Leader of the Opposition cannot be trusted on this. He wants to pretend that, somehow or other, Western Australia was the second lowest taxing State in 2000-01, when he was on the budget committee of the previous Government. He presided over five budgets that delivered tax increases, and five deficit budgets out of eight. Breaking an election promise, he introduced a new tax - the gold royalty. The only taxes abolished by the previous Government were taxes that ended on the watch of the present Government, so the previous Government did not actually have to pay for any tax abolitions. That is the sort of record the Leader of the Opposition has. He just seems incapable of being straight with the people of Western Australia on these matters. I understand that the Leader of the Opposition was denying to the media that there was any marginal payroll tax rate of 9.4 per cent under the previous Government. Of course there was; it cut in at a payroll tax threshold of $4.5 million per annum payroll. It was a 9.4 per cent marginal payroll tax rate. That is what the Leader of the Opposition presided over. That is punishment for growth. The present Government wants to reward and promote growth. We want more growth at seven per cent per annum, and more jobs, and we want that to be sustained into the future. That is why the Government has produced its billion-dollar tax package. It is an investment in the economic future of this State and in sustainable economic development, continuing the record of the present Government and avoiding the record presided over by the Leader of the Opposition in the previous Government - a one per cent contraction in the economy. The master economic commentator presided over an economy in this State that actually got smaller. We are not going to get anywhere with this guy. He has a promise for everyone - $1 billion worth of promises out there - but no credible economic plan and no credibility on privatisation or any economic issues. He has made two mistakes in one day already and it is only 2.25 pm. There is still a substantial portion of the day to go. How many more examples of misleading the public will we see just today?
Mr E.S. RIPPER replied: What a great day! Point of Order Mr R.F. JOHNSON: The question is seeking an opinion, and is therefore in violation of the standing orders. The SPEAKER: The second half of the question clearly asks for an opinion. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr E.S. RIPPER: What a great day! The pipeline has been sold and our energy security for the next 25 years has been settled. All the problems flowing from the botched privatisation engaged in by the Leader of the Opposition have been solved. On the economy, we hear Nostradamus over there grumping and whingeing that all his predictions have come to naught. By now Western Australia was supposed to have been facing a depression and huge unemployment, and was supposed to be sinking into a sea of debt. Instead, Western Australia has the lowest unemployment rate for a quarter of a century and debt is lower than when the Government was elected. However, the Leader of the Opposition still thinks he may have a shred of credibility. He still thinks of himself as the master economic commentator, so he went on ABC radio to perpetrate yet another untruth. How many times are we expected to expose this man as someone who cannot be trusted to tell the truth in his political comments? This is what the Leader of the Opposition said - We have gone from being the second lowest taxed state, to the second highest . . . That is just plain wrong, wrong, wrong. In 2000-01, Western Australia was the third highest taxing State, behind New South Wales and Victoria or, in Treasury speak, it was the fourth lowest, not the second lowest. As a result of the phenomenal and unprecedented economic growth of the past financial year, Western Australia has moved ahead of Victoria, so is the second highest taxing State - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murray-Wellington and the Leader of the Opposition to order. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the Leader of the National Party to order for the second time. Mr E.S. RIPPER: I would like another year of seven per cent economic growth. I would prefer it to a year presided over by the former Minister for State Development, now the Leader of the Opposition; a year in which the economy got smaller by one per cent. I would certainly prefer the past year under this Government to the last year of the previous Government, in which the economy declined by one per cent. As a result of the Government’s billion-dollar tax package, Western Australia will return to the ranking it had at the time the present Government assumed office. That is a good thing; it is an investment in Western Australia’s economic future. The Leader of the Opposition cannot be trusted on this. He wants to pretend that, somehow or other, Western Australia was the second lowest taxing State in 2000-01, when he was on the budget committee of the previous Government. He presided over five budgets that delivered tax increases, and five deficit budgets out of eight. Breaking an election promise, he introduced a new tax - the gold royalty. The only taxes abolished by the previous Government were taxes that ended on the watch of the present Government, so the previous Government did not actually have to pay for any tax abolitions. That is the sort of record the Leader of the Opposition has. He just seems incapable of being straight with the people of Western Australia on these matters. I understand that the Leader of the Opposition was denying to the media that there was any marginal payroll tax rate of 9.4 per cent under the previous Government. Of course there was; it cut in at a payroll tax threshold of $4.5 million per annum payroll. It was a 9.4 per cent marginal payroll tax rate. That is what the Leader of the Opposition presided over. That is punishment for growth. The present Government wants to reward and promote growth. We want more growth at seven per cent per annum, and more jobs, and we want that to be sustained into the future. That is why the Government has produced its billion-dollar tax package. It is an investment in the economic future of this State and in sustainable economic development, continuing the record of the present Government and avoiding the record presided over by the Leader of the Opposition in the previous Government - a one per cent contraction in the economy. The master economic commentator presided over an economy in this State that actually got smaller. We are not going to get anywhere with this guy. He has a promise for everyone - $1 billion worth of promises out there - but no credible economic plan and no credibility on privatisation or any economic issues. He has made two mistakes in one day already and it is only 2.25 pm. There is still a substantial portion of the day to go. How many more examples of misleading the public will we see just today?
What a great day! Point of Order Mr R.F. JOHNSON: The question is seeking an opinion, and is therefore in violation of the standing orders. The SPEAKER: The second half of the question clearly asks for an opinion. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr E.S. RIPPER: What a great day! The pipeline has been sold and our energy security for the next 25 years has been settled. All the problems flowing from the botched privatisation engaged in by the Leader of the Opposition have been solved. On the economy, we hear Nostradamus over there grumping and whingeing that all his predictions have come to naught. By now Western Australia was supposed to have been facing a depression and huge unemployment, and was supposed to be sinking into a sea of debt. Instead, Western Australia has the lowest unemployment rate for a quarter of a century and debt is lower than when the Government was elected. However, the Leader of the Opposition still thinks he may have a shred of credibility. He still thinks of himself as the master economic commentator, so he went on ABC radio to perpetrate yet another untruth. How many times are we expected to expose this man as someone who cannot be trusted to tell the truth in his political comments? This is what the Leader of the Opposition said - We have gone from being the second lowest taxed state, to the second highest . . . That is just plain wrong, wrong, wrong. In 2000-01, Western Australia was the third highest taxing State, behind New South Wales and Victoria or, in Treasury speak, it was the fourth lowest, not the second lowest. As a result of the phenomenal and unprecedented economic growth of the past financial year, Western Australia has moved ahead of Victoria, so is the second highest taxing State - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murray-Wellington and the Leader of the Opposition to order. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the Leader of the National Party to order for the second time. Mr E.S. RIPPER: I would like another year of seven per cent economic growth. I would prefer it to a year presided over by the former Minister for State Development, now the Leader of the Opposition; a year in which the economy got smaller by one per cent. I would certainly prefer the past year under this Government to the last year of the previous Government, in which the economy declined by one per cent. As a result of the Government’s billion-dollar tax package, Western Australia will return to the ranking it had at the time the present Government assumed office. That is a good thing; it is an investment in Western Australia’s economic future. The Leader of the Opposition cannot be trusted on this. He wants to pretend that, somehow or other, Western Australia was the second lowest taxing State in 2000-01, when he was on the budget committee of the previous Government. He presided over five budgets that delivered tax increases, and five deficit budgets out of eight. Breaking an election promise, he introduced a new tax - the gold royalty. The only taxes abolished by the previous Government were taxes that ended on the watch of the present Government, so the previous Government did not actually have to pay for any tax abolitions. That is the sort of record the Leader of the Opposition has. He just seems incapable of being straight with the people of Western Australia on these matters. I understand that the Leader of the Opposition was denying to the media that there was any marginal payroll tax rate of 9.4 per cent under the previous Government. Of course there was; it cut in at a payroll tax threshold of $4.5 million per annum payroll. It was a 9.4 per cent marginal payroll tax rate. That is what the Leader of the Opposition presided over. That is punishment for growth. The present Government wants to reward and promote growth. We want more growth at seven per cent per annum, and more jobs, and we want that to be sustained into the future. That is why the Government has produced its billion-dollar tax package. It is an investment in the economic future of this State and in sustainable economic development, continuing the record of the present Government and avoiding the record presided over by the Leader of the Opposition in the previous Government - a one per cent contraction in the economy. The master economic commentator presided over an economy in this State that actually got smaller. We are not going to get anywhere with this guy. He has a promise for everyone - $1 billion worth of promises out there - but no credible economic plan and no credibility on privatisation or any economic issues. He has made two mistakes in one day already and it is only 2.25 pm. There is still a substantial portion of the day to go. How many more examples of misleading the public will we see just today?
The SPEAKER: The second half of the question clearly asks for an opinion. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr E.S. RIPPER: What a great day! The pipeline has been sold and our energy security for the next 25 years has been settled. All the problems flowing from the botched privatisation engaged in by the Leader of the Opposition have been solved. On the economy, we hear Nostradamus over there grumping and whingeing that all his predictions have come to naught. By now Western Australia was supposed to have been facing a depression and huge unemployment, and was supposed to be sinking into a sea of debt. Instead, Western Australia has the lowest unemployment rate for a quarter of a century and debt is lower than when the Government was elected. However, the Leader of the Opposition still thinks he may have a shred of credibility. He still thinks of himself as the master economic commentator, so he went on ABC radio to perpetrate yet another untruth. How many times are we expected to expose this man as someone who cannot be trusted to tell the truth in his political comments? This is what the Leader of the Opposition said - We have gone from being the second lowest taxed state, to the second highest . . . That is just plain wrong, wrong, wrong. In 2000-01, Western Australia was the third highest taxing State, behind New South Wales and Victoria or, in Treasury speak, it was the fourth lowest, not the second lowest. As a result of the phenomenal and unprecedented economic growth of the past financial year, Western Australia has moved ahead of Victoria, so is the second highest taxing State - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murray-Wellington and the Leader of the Opposition to order. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the Leader of the National Party to order for the second time. Mr E.S. RIPPER: I would like another year of seven per cent economic growth. I would prefer it to a year presided over by the former Minister for State Development, now the Leader of the Opposition; a year in which the economy got smaller by one per cent. I would certainly prefer the past year under this Government to the last year of the previous Government, in which the economy declined by one per cent. As a result of the Government’s billion-dollar tax package, Western Australia will return to the ranking it had at the time the present Government assumed office. That is a good thing; it is an investment in Western Australia’s economic future. The Leader of the Opposition cannot be trusted on this. He wants to pretend that, somehow or other, Western Australia was the second lowest taxing State in 2000-01, when he was on the budget committee of the previous Government. He presided over five budgets that delivered tax increases, and five deficit budgets out of eight. Breaking an election promise, he introduced a new tax - the gold royalty. The only taxes abolished by the previous Government were taxes that ended on the watch of the present Government, so the previous Government did not actually have to pay for any tax abolitions. That is the sort of record the Leader of the Opposition has. He just seems incapable of being straight with the people of Western Australia on these matters. I understand that the Leader of the Opposition was denying to the media that there was any marginal payroll tax rate of 9.4 per cent under the previous Government. Of course there was; it cut in at a payroll tax threshold of $4.5 million per annum payroll. It was a 9.4 per cent marginal payroll tax rate. That is what the Leader of the Opposition presided over. That is punishment for growth. The present Government wants to reward and promote growth. We want more growth at seven per cent per annum, and more jobs, and we want that to be sustained into the future. That is why the Government has produced its billion-dollar tax package. It is an investment in the economic future of this State and in sustainable economic development, continuing the record of the present Government and avoiding the record presided over by the Leader of the Opposition in the previous Government - a one per cent contraction in the economy. The master economic commentator presided over an economy in this State that actually got smaller. We are not going to get anywhere with this guy. He has a promise for everyone - $1 billion worth of promises out there - but no credible economic plan and no credibility on privatisation or any economic issues. He has made two mistakes in one day already and it is only 2.25 pm. There is still a substantial portion of the day to go. How many more examples of misleading the public will we see just today?
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murray-Wellington and the Leader of the Opposition to order. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the Leader of the National Party to order for the second time. Mr E.S. RIPPER: I would like another year of seven per cent economic growth. I would prefer it to a year presided over by the former Minister for State Development, now the Leader of the Opposition; a year in which the economy got smaller by one per cent. I would certainly prefer the past year under this Government to the last year of the previous Government, in which the economy declined by one per cent. As a result of the Government’s billion-dollar tax package, Western Australia will return to the ranking it had at the time the present Government assumed office. That is a good thing; it is an investment in Western Australia’s economic future. The Leader of the Opposition cannot be trusted on this. He wants to pretend that, somehow or other, Western Australia was the second lowest taxing State in 2000-01, when he was on the budget committee of the previous Government. He presided over five budgets that delivered tax increases, and five deficit budgets out of eight. Breaking an election promise, he introduced a new tax - the gold royalty. The only taxes abolished by the previous Government were taxes that ended on the watch of the present Government, so the previous Government did not actually have to pay for any tax abolitions. That is the sort of record the Leader of the Opposition has. He just seems incapable of being straight with the people of Western Australia on these matters. I understand that the Leader of the Opposition was denying to the media that there was any marginal payroll tax rate of 9.4 per cent under the previous Government. Of course there was; it cut in at a payroll tax threshold of $4.5 million per annum payroll. It was a 9.4 per cent marginal payroll tax rate. That is what the Leader of the Opposition presided over. That is punishment for growth. The present Government wants to reward and promote growth. We want more growth at seven per cent per annum, and more jobs, and we want that to be sustained into the future. That is why the Government has produced its billion-dollar tax package. It is an investment in the economic future of this State and in sustainable economic development, continuing the record of the present Government and avoiding the record presided over by the Leader of the Opposition in the previous Government - a one per cent contraction in the economy. The master economic commentator presided over an economy in this State that actually got smaller. We are not going to get anywhere with this guy. He has a promise for everyone - $1 billion worth of promises out there - but no credible economic plan and no credibility on privatisation or any economic issues. He has made two mistakes in one day already and it is only 2.25 pm. There is still a substantial portion of the day to go. How many more examples of misleading the public will we see just today?
The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murray-Wellington and the Leader of the Opposition to order. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the Leader of the National Party to order for the second time. Mr E.S. RIPPER: I would like another year of seven per cent economic growth. I would prefer it to a year presided over by the former Minister for State Development, now the Leader of the Opposition; a year in which the economy got smaller by one per cent. I would certainly prefer the past year under this Government to the last year of the previous Government, in which the economy declined by one per cent. As a result of the Government’s billion-dollar tax package, Western Australia will return to the ranking it had at the time the present Government assumed office. That is a good thing; it is an investment in Western Australia’s economic future. The Leader of the Opposition cannot be trusted on this. He wants to pretend that, somehow or other, Western Australia was the second lowest taxing State in 2000-01, when he was on the budget committee of the previous Government. He presided over five budgets that delivered tax increases, and five deficit budgets out of eight. Breaking an election promise, he introduced a new tax - the gold royalty. The only taxes abolished by the previous Government were taxes that ended on the watch of the present Government, so the previous Government did not actually have to pay for any tax abolitions. That is the sort of record the Leader of the Opposition has. He just seems incapable of being straight with the people of Western Australia on these matters. I understand that the Leader of the Opposition was denying to the media that there was any marginal payroll tax rate of 9.4 per cent under the previous Government. Of course there was; it cut in at a payroll tax threshold of $4.5 million per annum payroll. It was a 9.4 per cent marginal payroll tax rate. That is what the Leader of the Opposition presided over. That is punishment for growth. The present Government wants to reward and promote growth. We want more growth at seven per cent per annum, and more jobs, and we want that to be sustained into the future. That is why the Government has produced its billion-dollar tax package. It is an investment in the economic future of this State and in sustainable economic development, continuing the record of the present Government and avoiding the record presided over by the Leader of the Opposition in the previous Government - a one per cent contraction in the economy. The master economic commentator presided over an economy in this State that actually got smaller. We are not going to get anywhere with this guy. He has a promise for everyone - $1 billion worth of promises out there - but no credible economic plan and no credibility on privatisation or any economic issues. He has made two mistakes in one day already and it is only 2.25 pm. There is still a substantial portion of the day to go. How many more examples of misleading the public will we see just today?
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the Leader of the National Party to order for the second time. Mr E.S. RIPPER: I would like another year of seven per cent economic growth. I would prefer it to a year presided over by the former Minister for State Development, now the Leader of the Opposition; a year in which the economy got smaller by one per cent. I would certainly prefer the past year under this Government to the last year of the previous Government, in which the economy declined by one per cent. As a result of the Government’s billion-dollar tax package, Western Australia will return to the ranking it had at the time the present Government assumed office. That is a good thing; it is an investment in Western Australia’s economic future. The Leader of the Opposition cannot be trusted on this. He wants to pretend that, somehow or other, Western Australia was the second lowest taxing State in 2000-01, when he was on the budget committee of the previous Government. He presided over five budgets that delivered tax increases, and five deficit budgets out of eight. Breaking an election promise, he introduced a new tax - the gold royalty. The only taxes abolished by the previous Government were taxes that ended on the watch of the present Government, so the previous Government did not actually have to pay for any tax abolitions. That is the sort of record the Leader of the Opposition has. He just seems incapable of being straight with the people of Western Australia on these matters. I understand that the Leader of the Opposition was denying to the media that there was any marginal payroll tax rate of 9.4 per cent under the previous Government. Of course there was; it cut in at a payroll tax threshold of $4.5 million per annum payroll. It was a 9.4 per cent marginal payroll tax rate. That is what the Leader of the Opposition presided over. That is punishment for growth. The present Government wants to reward and promote growth. We want more growth at seven per cent per annum, and more jobs, and we want that to be sustained into the future. That is why the Government has produced its billion-dollar tax package. It is an investment in the economic future of this State and in sustainable economic development, continuing the record of the present Government and avoiding the record presided over by the Leader of the Opposition in the previous Government - a one per cent contraction in the economy. The master economic commentator presided over an economy in this State that actually got smaller. We are not going to get anywhere with this guy. He has a promise for everyone - $1 billion worth of promises out there - but no credible economic plan and no credibility on privatisation or any economic issues. He has made two mistakes in one day already and it is only 2.25 pm. There is still a substantial portion of the day to go. How many more examples of misleading the public will we see just today?
The SPEAKER: I call the Leader of the National Party to order for the second time. Mr E.S. RIPPER: I would like another year of seven per cent economic growth. I would prefer it to a year presided over by the former Minister for State Development, now the Leader of the Opposition; a year in which the economy got smaller by one per cent. I would certainly prefer the past year under this Government to the last year of the previous Government, in which the economy declined by one per cent. As a result of the Government’s billion-dollar tax package, Western Australia will return to the ranking it had at the time the present Government assumed office. That is a good thing; it is an investment in Western Australia’s economic future. The Leader of the Opposition cannot be trusted on this. He wants to pretend that, somehow or other, Western Australia was the second lowest taxing State in 2000-01, when he was on the budget committee of the previous Government. He presided over five budgets that delivered tax increases, and five deficit budgets out of eight. Breaking an election promise, he introduced a new tax - the gold royalty. The only taxes abolished by the previous Government were taxes that ended on the watch of the present Government, so the previous Government did not actually have to pay for any tax abolitions. That is the sort of record the Leader of the Opposition has. He just seems incapable of being straight with the people of Western Australia on these matters. I understand that the Leader of the Opposition was denying to the media that there was any marginal payroll tax rate of 9.4 per cent under the previous Government. Of course there was; it cut in at a payroll tax threshold of $4.5 million per annum payroll. It was a 9.4 per cent marginal payroll tax rate. That is what the Leader of the Opposition presided over. That is punishment for growth. The present Government wants to reward and promote growth. We want more growth at seven per cent per annum, and more jobs, and we want that to be sustained into the future. That is why the Government has produced its billion-dollar tax package. It is an investment in the economic future of this State and in sustainable economic development, continuing the record of the present Government and avoiding the record presided over by the Leader of the Opposition in the previous Government - a one per cent contraction in the economy. The master economic commentator presided over an economy in this State that actually got smaller. We are not going to get anywhere with this guy. He has a promise for everyone - $1 billion worth of promises out there - but no credible economic plan and no credibility on privatisation or any economic issues. He has made two mistakes in one day already and it is only 2.25 pm. There is still a substantial portion of the day to go. How many more examples of misleading the public will we see just today?
Mr E.S. RIPPER: I would like another year of seven per cent economic growth. I would prefer it to a year presided over by the former Minister for State Development, now the Leader of the Opposition; a year in which the economy got smaller by one per cent. I would certainly prefer the past year under this Government to the last year of the previous Government, in which the economy declined by one per cent. As a result of the Government’s billion-dollar tax package, Western Australia will return to the ranking it had at the time the present Government assumed office. That is a good thing; it is an investment in Western Australia’s economic future. The Leader of the Opposition cannot be trusted on this. He wants to pretend that, somehow or other, Western Australia was the second lowest taxing State in 2000-01, when he was on the budget committee of the previous Government. He presided over five budgets that delivered tax increases, and five deficit budgets out of eight. Breaking an election promise, he introduced a new tax - the gold royalty. The only taxes abolished by the previous Government were taxes that ended on the watch of the present Government, so the previous Government did not actually have to pay for any tax abolitions. That is the sort of record the Leader of the Opposition has. He just seems incapable of being straight with the people of Western Australia on these matters. I understand that the Leader of the Opposition was denying to the media that there was any marginal payroll tax rate of 9.4 per cent under the previous Government. Of course there was; it cut in at a payroll tax threshold of $4.5 million per annum payroll. It was a 9.4 per cent marginal payroll tax rate. That is what the Leader of the Opposition presided over. That is punishment for growth. The present Government wants to reward and promote growth. We want more growth at seven per cent per annum, and more jobs, and we want that to be sustained into the future. That is why the Government has produced its billion-dollar tax package. It is an investment in the economic future of this State and in sustainable economic development, continuing the record of the present Government and avoiding the record presided over by the Leader of the Opposition in the previous Government - a one per cent contraction in the economy. The master economic commentator presided over an economy in this State that actually got smaller. We are not going to get anywhere with this guy. He has a promise for everyone - $1 billion worth of promises out there - but no credible economic plan and no credibility on privatisation or any economic issues. He has made two mistakes in one day already and it is only 2.25 pm. There is still a substantial portion of the day to go. How many more examples of misleading the public will we see just today?
I understand that the Leader of the Opposition was denying to the media that there was any marginal payroll tax rate of 9.4 per cent under the previous Government. Of course there was; it cut in at a payroll tax threshold of $4.5 million per annum payroll. It was a 9.4 per cent marginal payroll tax rate. That is what the Leader of the Opposition presided over. That is punishment for growth. The present Government wants to reward and promote growth. We want more growth at seven per cent per annum, and more jobs, and we want that to be sustained into the future. That is why the Government has produced its billion-dollar tax package. It is an investment in the economic future of this State and in sustainable economic development, continuing the record of the present Government and avoiding the record presided over by the Leader of the Opposition in the previous Government - a one per cent contraction in the economy. The master economic commentator presided over an economy in this State that actually got smaller. We are not going to get anywhere with this guy. He has a promise for everyone - $1 billion worth of promises out there - but no credible economic plan and no credibility on privatisation or any economic issues. He has made two mistakes in one day already and it is only 2.25 pm. There is still a substantial portion of the day to go. How many more examples of misleading the public will we see just today?
Mr E.S. RIPPER replied: What a great day! Point of Order Mr R.F. JOHNSON: The question is seeking an opinion, and is therefore in violation of the standing orders. The SPEAKER: The second half of the question clearly asks for an opinion. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr E.S. RIPPER: What a great day! The pipeline has been sold and our energy security for the next 25 years has been settled. All the problems flowing from the botched privatisation engaged in by the Leader of the Opposition have been solved. On the economy, we hear Nostradamus over there grumping and whingeing that all his predictions have come to naught. By now Western Australia was supposed to have been facing a depression and huge unemployment, and was supposed to be sinking into a sea of debt. Instead, Western Australia has the lowest unemployment rate for a quarter of a century and debt is lower than when the Government was elected. However, the Leader of the Opposition still thinks he may have a shred of credibility. He still thinks of himself as the master economic commentator, so he went on ABC radio to perpetrate yet another untruth. How many times are we expected to expose this man as someone who cannot be trusted to tell the truth in his political comments? This is what the Leader of the Opposition said - We have gone from being the second lowest taxed state, to the second highest . . . That is just plain wrong, wrong, wrong. In 2000-01, Western Australia was the third highest taxing State, behind New South Wales and Victoria or, in Treasury speak, it was the fourth lowest, not the second lowest. As a result of the phenomenal and unprecedented economic growth of the past financial year, Western Australia has moved ahead of Victoria, so is the second highest taxing State - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murray-Wellington and the Leader of the Opposition to order. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the Leader of the National Party to order for the second time. Mr E.S. RIPPER: I would like another year of seven per cent economic growth. I would prefer it to a year presided over by the former Minister for State Development, now the Leader of the Opposition; a year in which the economy got smaller by one per cent. I would certainly prefer the past year under this Government to the last year of the previous Government, in which the economy declined by one per cent. As a result of the Government’s billion-dollar tax package, Western Australia will return to the ranking it had at the time the present Government assumed office. That is a good thing; it is an investment in Western Australia’s economic future. The Leader of the Opposition cannot be trusted on this. He wants to pretend that, somehow or other, Western Australia was the second lowest taxing State in 2000-01, when he was on the budget committee of the previous Government. He presided over five budgets that delivered tax increases, and five deficit budgets out of eight. Breaking an election promise, he introduced a new tax - the gold royalty. The only taxes abolished by the previous Government were taxes that ended on the watch of the present Government, so the previous Government did not actually have to pay for any tax abolitions. That is the sort of record the Leader of the Opposition has. He just seems incapable of being straight with the people of Western Australia on these matters. I understand that the Leader of the Opposition was denying to the media that there was any marginal payroll tax rate of 9.4 per cent under the previous Government. Of course there was; it cut in at a payroll tax threshold of $4.5 million per annum payroll. It was a 9.4 per cent marginal payroll tax rate. That is what the Leader of the Opposition presided over. That is punishment for growth. The present Government wants to reward and promote growth. We want more growth at seven per cent per annum, and more jobs, and we want that to be sustained into the future. That is why the Government has produced its billion-dollar tax package. It is an investment in the economic future of this State and in sustainable economic development, continuing the record of the present Government and avoiding the record presided over by the Leader of the Opposition in the previous Government - a one per cent contraction in the economy. The master economic commentator presided over an economy in this State that actually got smaller. We are not going to get anywhere with this guy. He has a promise for everyone - $1 billion worth of promises out there - but no credible economic plan and no credibility on privatisation or any economic issues. He has made two mistakes in one day already and it is only 2.25 pm. There is still a substantial portion of the day to go. How many more examples of misleading the public will we see just today?
What a great day! Point of Order Mr R.F. JOHNSON: The question is seeking an opinion, and is therefore in violation of the standing orders. The SPEAKER: The second half of the question clearly asks for an opinion. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr E.S. RIPPER: What a great day! The pipeline has been sold and our energy security for the next 25 years has been settled. All the problems flowing from the botched privatisation engaged in by the Leader of the Opposition have been solved. On the economy, we hear Nostradamus over there grumping and whingeing that all his predictions have come to naught. By now Western Australia was supposed to have been facing a depression and huge unemployment, and was supposed to be sinking into a sea of debt. Instead, Western Australia has the lowest unemployment rate for a quarter of a century and debt is lower than when the Government was elected. However, the Leader of the Opposition still thinks he may have a shred of credibility. He still thinks of himself as the master economic commentator, so he went on ABC radio to perpetrate yet another untruth. How many times are we expected to expose this man as someone who cannot be trusted to tell the truth in his political comments? This is what the Leader of the Opposition said - We have gone from being the second lowest taxed state, to the second highest . . . That is just plain wrong, wrong, wrong. In 2000-01, Western Australia was the third highest taxing State, behind New South Wales and Victoria or, in Treasury speak, it was the fourth lowest, not the second lowest. As a result of the phenomenal and unprecedented economic growth of the past financial year, Western Australia has moved ahead of Victoria, so is the second highest taxing State - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murray-Wellington and the Leader of the Opposition to order. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the Leader of the National Party to order for the second time. Mr E.S. RIPPER: I would like another year of seven per cent economic growth. I would prefer it to a year presided over by the former Minister for State Development, now the Leader of the Opposition; a year in which the economy got smaller by one per cent. I would certainly prefer the past year under this Government to the last year of the previous Government, in which the economy declined by one per cent. As a result of the Government’s billion-dollar tax package, Western Australia will return to the ranking it had at the time the present Government assumed office. That is a good thing; it is an investment in Western Australia’s economic future. The Leader of the Opposition cannot be trusted on this. He wants to pretend that, somehow or other, Western Australia was the second lowest taxing State in 2000-01, when he was on the budget committee of the previous Government. He presided over five budgets that delivered tax increases, and five deficit budgets out of eight. Breaking an election promise, he introduced a new tax - the gold royalty. The only taxes abolished by the previous Government were taxes that ended on the watch of the present Government, so the previous Government did not actually have to pay for any tax abolitions. That is the sort of record the Leader of the Opposition has. He just seems incapable of being straight with the people of Western Australia on these matters. I understand that the Leader of the Opposition was denying to the media that there was any marginal payroll tax rate of 9.4 per cent under the previous Government. Of course there was; it cut in at a payroll tax threshold of $4.5 million per annum payroll. It was a 9.4 per cent marginal payroll tax rate. That is what the Leader of the Opposition presided over. That is punishment for growth. The present Government wants to reward and promote growth. We want more growth at seven per cent per annum, and more jobs, and we want that to be sustained into the future. That is why the Government has produced its billion-dollar tax package. It is an investment in the economic future of this State and in sustainable economic development, continuing the record of the present Government and avoiding the record presided over by the Leader of the Opposition in the previous Government - a one per cent contraction in the economy. The master economic commentator presided over an economy in this State that actually got smaller. We are not going to get anywhere with this guy. He has a promise for everyone - $1 billion worth of promises out there - but no credible economic plan and no credibility on privatisation or any economic issues. He has made two mistakes in one day already and it is only 2.25 pm. There is still a substantial portion of the day to go. How many more examples of misleading the public will we see just today?
The SPEAKER: The second half of the question clearly asks for an opinion. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr E.S. RIPPER: What a great day! The pipeline has been sold and our energy security for the next 25 years has been settled. All the problems flowing from the botched privatisation engaged in by the Leader of the Opposition have been solved. On the economy, we hear Nostradamus over there grumping and whingeing that all his predictions have come to naught. By now Western Australia was supposed to have been facing a depression and huge unemployment, and was supposed to be sinking into a sea of debt. Instead, Western Australia has the lowest unemployment rate for a quarter of a century and debt is lower than when the Government was elected. However, the Leader of the Opposition still thinks he may have a shred of credibility. He still thinks of himself as the master economic commentator, so he went on ABC radio to perpetrate yet another untruth. How many times are we expected to expose this man as someone who cannot be trusted to tell the truth in his political comments? This is what the Leader of the Opposition said - We have gone from being the second lowest taxed state, to the second highest . . . That is just plain wrong, wrong, wrong. In 2000-01, Western Australia was the third highest taxing State, behind New South Wales and Victoria or, in Treasury speak, it was the fourth lowest, not the second lowest. As a result of the phenomenal and unprecedented economic growth of the past financial year, Western Australia has moved ahead of Victoria, so is the second highest taxing State - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murray-Wellington and the Leader of the Opposition to order. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the Leader of the National Party to order for the second time. Mr E.S. RIPPER: I would like another year of seven per cent economic growth. I would prefer it to a year presided over by the former Minister for State Development, now the Leader of the Opposition; a year in which the economy got smaller by one per cent. I would certainly prefer the past year under this Government to the last year of the previous Government, in which the economy declined by one per cent. As a result of the Government’s billion-dollar tax package, Western Australia will return to the ranking it had at the time the present Government assumed office. That is a good thing; it is an investment in Western Australia’s economic future. The Leader of the Opposition cannot be trusted on this. He wants to pretend that, somehow or other, Western Australia was the second lowest taxing State in 2000-01, when he was on the budget committee of the previous Government. He presided over five budgets that delivered tax increases, and five deficit budgets out of eight. Breaking an election promise, he introduced a new tax - the gold royalty. The only taxes abolished by the previous Government were taxes that ended on the watch of the present Government, so the previous Government did not actually have to pay for any tax abolitions. That is the sort of record the Leader of the Opposition has. He just seems incapable of being straight with the people of Western Australia on these matters. I understand that the Leader of the Opposition was denying to the media that there was any marginal payroll tax rate of 9.4 per cent under the previous Government. Of course there was; it cut in at a payroll tax threshold of $4.5 million per annum payroll. It was a 9.4 per cent marginal payroll tax rate. That is what the Leader of the Opposition presided over. That is punishment for growth. The present Government wants to reward and promote growth. We want more growth at seven per cent per annum, and more jobs, and we want that to be sustained into the future. That is why the Government has produced its billion-dollar tax package. It is an investment in the economic future of this State and in sustainable economic development, continuing the record of the present Government and avoiding the record presided over by the Leader of the Opposition in the previous Government - a one per cent contraction in the economy. The master economic commentator presided over an economy in this State that actually got smaller. We are not going to get anywhere with this guy. He has a promise for everyone - $1 billion worth of promises out there - but no credible economic plan and no credibility on privatisation or any economic issues. He has made two mistakes in one day already and it is only 2.25 pm. There is still a substantial portion of the day to go. How many more examples of misleading the public will we see just today?
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murray-Wellington and the Leader of the Opposition to order. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the Leader of the National Party to order for the second time. Mr E.S. RIPPER: I would like another year of seven per cent economic growth. I would prefer it to a year presided over by the former Minister for State Development, now the Leader of the Opposition; a year in which the economy got smaller by one per cent. I would certainly prefer the past year under this Government to the last year of the previous Government, in which the economy declined by one per cent. As a result of the Government’s billion-dollar tax package, Western Australia will return to the ranking it had at the time the present Government assumed office. That is a good thing; it is an investment in Western Australia’s economic future. The Leader of the Opposition cannot be trusted on this. He wants to pretend that, somehow or other, Western Australia was the second lowest taxing State in 2000-01, when he was on the budget committee of the previous Government. He presided over five budgets that delivered tax increases, and five deficit budgets out of eight. Breaking an election promise, he introduced a new tax - the gold royalty. The only taxes abolished by the previous Government were taxes that ended on the watch of the present Government, so the previous Government did not actually have to pay for any tax abolitions. That is the sort of record the Leader of the Opposition has. He just seems incapable of being straight with the people of Western Australia on these matters. I understand that the Leader of the Opposition was denying to the media that there was any marginal payroll tax rate of 9.4 per cent under the previous Government. Of course there was; it cut in at a payroll tax threshold of $4.5 million per annum payroll. It was a 9.4 per cent marginal payroll tax rate. That is what the Leader of the Opposition presided over. That is punishment for growth. The present Government wants to reward and promote growth. We want more growth at seven per cent per annum, and more jobs, and we want that to be sustained into the future. That is why the Government has produced its billion-dollar tax package. It is an investment in the economic future of this State and in sustainable economic development, continuing the record of the present Government and avoiding the record presided over by the Leader of the Opposition in the previous Government - a one per cent contraction in the economy. The master economic commentator presided over an economy in this State that actually got smaller. We are not going to get anywhere with this guy. He has a promise for everyone - $1 billion worth of promises out there - but no credible economic plan and no credibility on privatisation or any economic issues. He has made two mistakes in one day already and it is only 2.25 pm. There is still a substantial portion of the day to go. How many more examples of misleading the public will we see just today?
The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murray-Wellington and the Leader of the Opposition to order. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the Leader of the National Party to order for the second time. Mr E.S. RIPPER: I would like another year of seven per cent economic growth. I would prefer it to a year presided over by the former Minister for State Development, now the Leader of the Opposition; a year in which the economy got smaller by one per cent. I would certainly prefer the past year under this Government to the last year of the previous Government, in which the economy declined by one per cent. As a result of the Government’s billion-dollar tax package, Western Australia will return to the ranking it had at the time the present Government assumed office. That is a good thing; it is an investment in Western Australia’s economic future. The Leader of the Opposition cannot be trusted on this. He wants to pretend that, somehow or other, Western Australia was the second lowest taxing State in 2000-01, when he was on the budget committee of the previous Government. He presided over five budgets that delivered tax increases, and five deficit budgets out of eight. Breaking an election promise, he introduced a new tax - the gold royalty. The only taxes abolished by the previous Government were taxes that ended on the watch of the present Government, so the previous Government did not actually have to pay for any tax abolitions. That is the sort of record the Leader of the Opposition has. He just seems incapable of being straight with the people of Western Australia on these matters. I understand that the Leader of the Opposition was denying to the media that there was any marginal payroll tax rate of 9.4 per cent under the previous Government. Of course there was; it cut in at a payroll tax threshold of $4.5 million per annum payroll. It was a 9.4 per cent marginal payroll tax rate. That is what the Leader of the Opposition presided over. That is punishment for growth. The present Government wants to reward and promote growth. We want more growth at seven per cent per annum, and more jobs, and we want that to be sustained into the future. That is why the Government has produced its billion-dollar tax package. It is an investment in the economic future of this State and in sustainable economic development, continuing the record of the present Government and avoiding the record presided over by the Leader of the Opposition in the previous Government - a one per cent contraction in the economy. The master economic commentator presided over an economy in this State that actually got smaller. We are not going to get anywhere with this guy. He has a promise for everyone - $1 billion worth of promises out there - but no credible economic plan and no credibility on privatisation or any economic issues. He has made two mistakes in one day already and it is only 2.25 pm. There is still a substantial portion of the day to go. How many more examples of misleading the public will we see just today?
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the Leader of the National Party to order for the second time. Mr E.S. RIPPER: I would like another year of seven per cent economic growth. I would prefer it to a year presided over by the former Minister for State Development, now the Leader of the Opposition; a year in which the economy got smaller by one per cent. I would certainly prefer the past year under this Government to the last year of the previous Government, in which the economy declined by one per cent. As a result of the Government’s billion-dollar tax package, Western Australia will return to the ranking it had at the time the present Government assumed office. That is a good thing; it is an investment in Western Australia’s economic future. The Leader of the Opposition cannot be trusted on this. He wants to pretend that, somehow or other, Western Australia was the second lowest taxing State in 2000-01, when he was on the budget committee of the previous Government. He presided over five budgets that delivered tax increases, and five deficit budgets out of eight. Breaking an election promise, he introduced a new tax - the gold royalty. The only taxes abolished by the previous Government were taxes that ended on the watch of the present Government, so the previous Government did not actually have to pay for any tax abolitions. That is the sort of record the Leader of the Opposition has. He just seems incapable of being straight with the people of Western Australia on these matters. I understand that the Leader of the Opposition was denying to the media that there was any marginal payroll tax rate of 9.4 per cent under the previous Government. Of course there was; it cut in at a payroll tax threshold of $4.5 million per annum payroll. It was a 9.4 per cent marginal payroll tax rate. That is what the Leader of the Opposition presided over. That is punishment for growth. The present Government wants to reward and promote growth. We want more growth at seven per cent per annum, and more jobs, and we want that to be sustained into the future. That is why the Government has produced its billion-dollar tax package. It is an investment in the economic future of this State and in sustainable economic development, continuing the record of the present Government and avoiding the record presided over by the Leader of the Opposition in the previous Government - a one per cent contraction in the economy. The master economic commentator presided over an economy in this State that actually got smaller. We are not going to get anywhere with this guy. He has a promise for everyone - $1 billion worth of promises out there - but no credible economic plan and no credibility on privatisation or any economic issues. He has made two mistakes in one day already and it is only 2.25 pm. There is still a substantial portion of the day to go. How many more examples of misleading the public will we see just today?
The SPEAKER: I call the Leader of the National Party to order for the second time. Mr E.S. RIPPER: I would like another year of seven per cent economic growth. I would prefer it to a year presided over by the former Minister for State Development, now the Leader of the Opposition; a year in which the economy got smaller by one per cent. I would certainly prefer the past year under this Government to the last year of the previous Government, in which the economy declined by one per cent. As a result of the Government’s billion-dollar tax package, Western Australia will return to the ranking it had at the time the present Government assumed office. That is a good thing; it is an investment in Western Australia’s economic future. The Leader of the Opposition cannot be trusted on this. He wants to pretend that, somehow or other, Western Australia was the second lowest taxing State in 2000-01, when he was on the budget committee of the previous Government. He presided over five budgets that delivered tax increases, and five deficit budgets out of eight. Breaking an election promise, he introduced a new tax - the gold royalty. The only taxes abolished by the previous Government were taxes that ended on the watch of the present Government, so the previous Government did not actually have to pay for any tax abolitions. That is the sort of record the Leader of the Opposition has. He just seems incapable of being straight with the people of Western Australia on these matters. I understand that the Leader of the Opposition was denying to the media that there was any marginal payroll tax rate of 9.4 per cent under the previous Government. Of course there was; it cut in at a payroll tax threshold of $4.5 million per annum payroll. It was a 9.4 per cent marginal payroll tax rate. That is what the Leader of the Opposition presided over. That is punishment for growth. The present Government wants to reward and promote growth. We want more growth at seven per cent per annum, and more jobs, and we want that to be sustained into the future. That is why the Government has produced its billion-dollar tax package. It is an investment in the economic future of this State and in sustainable economic development, continuing the record of the present Government and avoiding the record presided over by the Leader of the Opposition in the previous Government - a one per cent contraction in the economy. The master economic commentator presided over an economy in this State that actually got smaller. We are not going to get anywhere with this guy. He has a promise for everyone - $1 billion worth of promises out there - but no credible economic plan and no credibility on privatisation or any economic issues. He has made two mistakes in one day already and it is only 2.25 pm. There is still a substantial portion of the day to go. How many more examples of misleading the public will we see just today?
Mr E.S. RIPPER: I would like another year of seven per cent economic growth. I would prefer it to a year presided over by the former Minister for State Development, now the Leader of the Opposition; a year in which the economy got smaller by one per cent. I would certainly prefer the past year under this Government to the last year of the previous Government, in which the economy declined by one per cent. As a result of the Government’s billion-dollar tax package, Western Australia will return to the ranking it had at the time the present Government assumed office. That is a good thing; it is an investment in Western Australia’s economic future. The Leader of the Opposition cannot be trusted on this. He wants to pretend that, somehow or other, Western Australia was the second lowest taxing State in 2000-01, when he was on the budget committee of the previous Government. He presided over five budgets that delivered tax increases, and five deficit budgets out of eight. Breaking an election promise, he introduced a new tax - the gold royalty. The only taxes abolished by the previous Government were taxes that ended on the watch of the present Government, so the previous Government did not actually have to pay for any tax abolitions. That is the sort of record the Leader of the Opposition has. He just seems incapable of being straight with the people of Western Australia on these matters. I understand that the Leader of the Opposition was denying to the media that there was any marginal payroll tax rate of 9.4 per cent under the previous Government. Of course there was; it cut in at a payroll tax threshold of $4.5 million per annum payroll. It was a 9.4 per cent marginal payroll tax rate. That is what the Leader of the Opposition presided over. That is punishment for growth. The present Government wants to reward and promote growth. We want more growth at seven per cent per annum, and more jobs, and we want that to be sustained into the future. That is why the Government has produced its billion-dollar tax package. It is an investment in the economic future of this State and in sustainable economic development, continuing the record of the present Government and avoiding the record presided over by the Leader of the Opposition in the previous Government - a one per cent contraction in the economy. The master economic commentator presided over an economy in this State that actually got smaller. We are not going to get anywhere with this guy. He has a promise for everyone - $1 billion worth of promises out there - but no credible economic plan and no credibility on privatisation or any economic issues. He has made two mistakes in one day already and it is only 2.25 pm. There is still a substantial portion of the day to go. How many more examples of misleading the public will we see just today?
I understand that the Leader of the Opposition was denying to the media that there was any marginal payroll tax rate of 9.4 per cent under the previous Government. Of course there was; it cut in at a payroll tax threshold of $4.5 million per annum payroll. It was a 9.4 per cent marginal payroll tax rate. That is what the Leader of the Opposition presided over. That is punishment for growth. The present Government wants to reward and promote growth. We want more growth at seven per cent per annum, and more jobs, and we want that to be sustained into the future. That is why the Government has produced its billion-dollar tax package. It is an investment in the economic future of this State and in sustainable economic development, continuing the record of the present Government and avoiding the record presided over by the Leader of the Opposition in the previous Government - a one per cent contraction in the economy. The master economic commentator presided over an economy in this State that actually got smaller. We are not going to get anywhere with this guy. He has a promise for everyone - $1 billion worth of promises out there - but no credible economic plan and no credibility on privatisation or any economic issues. He has made two mistakes in one day already and it is only 2.25 pm. There is still a substantial portion of the day to go. How many more examples of misleading the public will we see just today?
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