❓ Mrs. Harvey questions the Premier on the progress of the Yanchep rail line construction and job creation. The Premier avoids directly answering, instead criticising the previous Liberal government's record on rail projects and handling of the John Holland contract.
AnsweredQoN 1097Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
METRONET —
YANCHEP LINE
1097. Mrs L.M. HARVEY to the Premier:
Given the Premier's
political grandstanding yesterday on the progress of Metronet, could he outline
to the house at the end of his third parliamentary year exactly how many
kilometres of the Yanchep line have been constructed, and how many jobs have
been created?
YANCHEP LINE
1097. Mrs L.M. HARVEY to the Premier:
Given the Premier's
political grandstanding yesterday on the progress of Metronet, could he outline
to the house at the end of his third parliamentary year exactly how many
kilometres of the Yanchep line have been constructed, and how many jobs have
been created?
AnswerView source ↗
The pathetic questions that the
Liberal Party asks in this place know no bounds. There is no limit.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members! I want
to hear this. We are running out of time.
Mr M. McGOWAN : There is no
boundary to how bad their questions can be. It is extraordinary.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr M. McGOWAN : Just so that
members understand about building a railway, I want to take them through it.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Wanneroo, I call you to order for the third time.
Mr
M. McGOWAN : Considering that in
eight and a half years of government, the last government opened seven kilometres
of rail, the previous Labor government opened 70 kilometres or thereabouts of
rail, and the Liberal government before that did none.
Several members interjected.
Mr M. McGOWAN : No, you are missing a government. The
Liberal government before that did none.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr M. McGOWAN : The Labor
government before that built the Joondalup line and reopened the Fremantle
line.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr M. McGOWAN : The Liberal
government before that closed the Fremantle line. There is a little bit of
history for members.
In relation to this one, I will
explain to members what it takes to build a railway. Firstly, we have to get
the funding together, which we have done.
Ms L. Mettam interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Vasse, I call you to order for the first time.
Mr M. McGOWAN : We have
secured $350 million from the commonwealth.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr M. McGOWAN : We secured
that. Then we have to do all the planning, business case and pre-engineering
work. Then we have to put a tender out to the private sector for it to build
it. Before that, we actually have to pass legislation. It is a strange anomaly
that in Western Australia we have to pass an act of Parliament to build a railway. We have to do all those things, and we have
done them all over the course of the last two and a half years. We started work on the Yanchep railway on Sunday, with Christian Porter and members of
Parliament from the northern suburbs. That is what we did.
Ms L. Mettam interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Vasse, I call you to order for the second time.
Mr M. McGOWAN : It is
extraordinary that the Leader of the Opposition would ask me this question in
light of the fact that when those members were in government, they did not
build the Ellenbrook railway, despite promising it in two elections.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr M. McGOWAN : They promised
the Metro Area Express light rail and then revoked that promise after the
election—that is what they did.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr M. McGOWAN : I find it
interesting that the Leader of the Opposition would ask me any question about a
contracting matter or a building matter in light of what has occurred with John
Holland today, which I would put totally at the foot of the last Liberal–National
government, which, I note, some members are nodding about. How those members
handled that contract was the most incompetent example of public
administration, I think, in recent political history. What we have done is
ensure that that hospital is open and we have taken up the case for the people
of Western Australia. I look forward to the Leader of the Opposition's
supplementary.
Liberal Party asks in this place know no bounds. There is no limit.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members! I want
to hear this. We are running out of time.
Mr M. McGOWAN : There is no
boundary to how bad their questions can be. It is extraordinary.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr M. McGOWAN : Just so that
members understand about building a railway, I want to take them through it.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Wanneroo, I call you to order for the third time.
Mr
M. McGOWAN : Considering that in
eight and a half years of government, the last government opened seven kilometres
of rail, the previous Labor government opened 70 kilometres or thereabouts of
rail, and the Liberal government before that did none.
Several members interjected.
Mr M. McGOWAN : No, you are missing a government. The
Liberal government before that did none.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr M. McGOWAN : The Labor
government before that built the Joondalup line and reopened the Fremantle
line.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr M. McGOWAN : The Liberal
government before that closed the Fremantle line. There is a little bit of
history for members.
In relation to this one, I will
explain to members what it takes to build a railway. Firstly, we have to get
the funding together, which we have done.
Ms L. Mettam interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Vasse, I call you to order for the first time.
Mr M. McGOWAN : We have
secured $350 million from the commonwealth.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr M. McGOWAN : We secured
that. Then we have to do all the planning, business case and pre-engineering
work. Then we have to put a tender out to the private sector for it to build
it. Before that, we actually have to pass legislation. It is a strange anomaly
that in Western Australia we have to pass an act of Parliament to build a railway. We have to do all those things, and we have
done them all over the course of the last two and a half years. We started work on the Yanchep railway on Sunday, with Christian Porter and members of
Parliament from the northern suburbs. That is what we did.
Ms L. Mettam interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Vasse, I call you to order for the second time.
Mr M. McGOWAN : It is
extraordinary that the Leader of the Opposition would ask me this question in
light of the fact that when those members were in government, they did not
build the Ellenbrook railway, despite promising it in two elections.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr M. McGOWAN : They promised
the Metro Area Express light rail and then revoked that promise after the
election—that is what they did.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr M. McGOWAN : I find it
interesting that the Leader of the Opposition would ask me any question about a
contracting matter or a building matter in light of what has occurred with John
Holland today, which I would put totally at the foot of the last Liberal–National
government, which, I note, some members are nodding about. How those members
handled that contract was the most incompetent example of public
administration, I think, in recent political history. What we have done is
ensure that that hospital is open and we have taken up the case for the people
of Western Australia. I look forward to the Leader of the Opposition's
supplementary.
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