❓ Ms. Mettam (Liberal) questions the Premier about a written guarantee from the PM regarding WA's GST share. The Premier (Labor) dismisses concerns as a Liberal fabrication, highlighting the Albanese government's commitment and WA Labor's success in securing a fair GST deal.
AnsweredQoN 21Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
GST
DISTRIBUTION
21. Ms L. METTAM to the Premier:
I refer to growing concerns that the
federal Labor government will move to change the current GST arrangement with
WA.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please!
Ms L. METTAM : In a comment
yesterday, the Premier stated —
� earlier this month, the Prime
Minister wrote to me —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Sorry. The
member for Burns Beach and a couple of ministers, if we could just hear the
question, I am sure the Premier would be able to more than adequately respond.
Ms L. METTAM : I refer to
growing concerns that the federal Labor government will move to change the
current GST arrangement with WA. In a comment yesterday, the Premier stated —
� earlier this month, the Prime
Minister wrote to me confirming the decision of National Cabinet and
reiterating his support for the current arrangement.
Will the Premier table the written
guarantee he has received from the Prime Minister; and, if not, why not?
DISTRIBUTION
21. Ms L. METTAM to the Premier:
I refer to growing concerns that the
federal Labor government will move to change the current GST arrangement with
WA.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please!
Ms L. METTAM : In a comment
yesterday, the Premier stated —
� earlier this month, the Prime
Minister wrote to me —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Sorry. The
member for Burns Beach and a couple of ministers, if we could just hear the
question, I am sure the Premier would be able to more than adequately respond.
Ms L. METTAM : I refer to
growing concerns that the federal Labor government will move to change the
current GST arrangement with WA. In a comment yesterday, the Premier stated —
� earlier this month, the Prime
Minister wrote to me confirming the decision of National Cabinet and
reiterating his support for the current arrangement.
Will the Premier table the written
guarantee he has received from the Prime Minister; and, if not, why not?
AnswerView source ↗
Once again, the Liberals did not
come into this chamber with questions about our government's
performance. Clearly they believe that there is nothing to question us about.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please!
Mr R.H. COOK : They have
railed against the federal government, and, in this particular instance, have
invented some sort of apocryphal concern around the Prime Minister's
commitment to our fair share of the GST—a deal that we secured. If it
were left to the Liberals on that side—they constructed the GST deal—we
would be getting less than 10 per cent of our population share; only $900 million
from an estimated $86 billion estimated GST pool. We have the Liberals to thank
for the parlous situation that the state's finances were left in. We
have a WA Labor government to thank for resetting the state's finances
and getting a deal for WA's fair share of the GST.
Instead of the deal done by the
previous Liberal government, we will receive $6.5 billion this year. This is
still only 70� for each dollar that we contributed to the national pool, or 70 per
cent. No other state gets that little from the GST contributions. The next
lowest is the Victorian government, with 92 per cent, so we are doing the heavy
lifting on behalf of the nation. We are driving the nation's economy
and, thanks to a WA Labor government, we are getting our fair share of the GST.
I
go to the substance of the member's question, which was to invent some
sort of concern or theory that the Albanese government, which just last
year recommitted to the GST arrangements for another three years, might somehow
walk away from them. Of course, it is ridiculous. It is another Liberal Party
lie, which it is seeking to spread throughout the community.
I draw the member's
attention to what the national cabinet agreed. I think it was in about November
or December last year—just before the Christmas holidays—that
the national cabinet recommitted to the GST agreements. The national cabinet is every state leader and the Prime
Minister, in conjunction with the federal Treasurer, sitting around in
conference, and it agreed to the current arrangements for that.
As the member is aware, with
absolute crystal clarity, he said —
We
� agreed to extend the GST no-worse-off guarantee in its current form for three
years, from 2027–28.
Last year, the federal Treasurer Jim
Chalmers said —
''What's not under
consideration, what's not up for review, is the GST floor here in Western
Australia � We've said that on countless occasions.
�
''I've communicated
that privately and publicly to all of my colleagues from right around
Australia.''
There is no concern other than the
concerns of the member for Vasse. She needs to cook up some sort of story
because she and her Liberal Party colleagues are just too damned lazy to bring
any issues of substance into this place.
There is no concern about the Albanese government's commitment to Western
Australia. Labor Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is the only Prime
Minister who has got more for Western Australia since John Curtin in the 1940s.
He stands by Western Australia. He stands by the deal, and that is why Western Australians
are confidently supporting the Albanese government.
come into this chamber with questions about our government's
performance. Clearly they believe that there is nothing to question us about.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please!
Mr R.H. COOK : They have
railed against the federal government, and, in this particular instance, have
invented some sort of apocryphal concern around the Prime Minister's
commitment to our fair share of the GST—a deal that we secured. If it
were left to the Liberals on that side—they constructed the GST deal—we
would be getting less than 10 per cent of our population share; only $900 million
from an estimated $86 billion estimated GST pool. We have the Liberals to thank
for the parlous situation that the state's finances were left in. We
have a WA Labor government to thank for resetting the state's finances
and getting a deal for WA's fair share of the GST.
Instead of the deal done by the
previous Liberal government, we will receive $6.5 billion this year. This is
still only 70� for each dollar that we contributed to the national pool, or 70 per
cent. No other state gets that little from the GST contributions. The next
lowest is the Victorian government, with 92 per cent, so we are doing the heavy
lifting on behalf of the nation. We are driving the nation's economy
and, thanks to a WA Labor government, we are getting our fair share of the GST.
I
go to the substance of the member's question, which was to invent some
sort of concern or theory that the Albanese government, which just last
year recommitted to the GST arrangements for another three years, might somehow
walk away from them. Of course, it is ridiculous. It is another Liberal Party
lie, which it is seeking to spread throughout the community.
I draw the member's
attention to what the national cabinet agreed. I think it was in about November
or December last year—just before the Christmas holidays—that
the national cabinet recommitted to the GST agreements. The national cabinet is every state leader and the Prime
Minister, in conjunction with the federal Treasurer, sitting around in
conference, and it agreed to the current arrangements for that.
As the member is aware, with
absolute crystal clarity, he said —
We
� agreed to extend the GST no-worse-off guarantee in its current form for three
years, from 2027–28.
Last year, the federal Treasurer Jim
Chalmers said —
''What's not under
consideration, what's not up for review, is the GST floor here in Western
Australia � We've said that on countless occasions.
�
''I've communicated
that privately and publicly to all of my colleagues from right around
Australia.''
There is no concern other than the
concerns of the member for Vasse. She needs to cook up some sort of story
because she and her Liberal Party colleagues are just too damned lazy to bring
any issues of substance into this place.
There is no concern about the Albanese government's commitment to Western
Australia. Labor Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is the only Prime
Minister who has got more for Western Australia since John Curtin in the 1940s.
He stands by Western Australia. He stands by the deal, and that is why Western Australians
are confidently supporting the Albanese government.
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