❓ Ms Winton questions the Treasurer on the government's financial management and its impact on job creation and the economy. The Treasurer responds by highlighting investments in school and hospital maintenance, contrasting them with the previous government's record on debt and spending.
AnsweredQoN 815Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
STATE FINANCES —
FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
815. Ms S.E. WINTON to the Treasurer:
I
refer to the McGowan Labor government's commitment to repairing the
state budget through responsible financial management. Can the Treasurer
advise the house how this government's commitment to fixing the
financial mess it inherited is now paying off, leading to even more investment
in creating jobs and boosting the economy?
FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
815. Ms S.E. WINTON to the Treasurer:
I
refer to the McGowan Labor government's commitment to repairing the
state budget through responsible financial management. Can the Treasurer
advise the house how this government's commitment to fixing the
financial mess it inherited is now paying off, leading to even more investment
in creating jobs and boosting the economy?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Wanneroo for
that very good question. It is striking to think that, over the term of the
former government, when net debt went from about $3.5 billion to $40 billion,
at no point was there an injection into school maintenance like we have seen
today, as announced by the Premier on the weekend.
Mr D.C. Nalder interjected.
Mr B.S. WYATT : At no point
did that happen, and it is amazing to think that, at a time that we are able to
provide a $200 million increase—not fake news, member for Bateman—into
school maintenance, and an $80 million increase in hospital maintenance, record
low increases in fees and charges, at the same time net debt is expected to
decrease. As a point of comparison, under the former government, at no point
was there a significant increase in maintenance of either hospitals or schools.
At no point did the former government keep increases in fees and charges to the
level that we have managed to keep. At no point did the former government have
net debt declining. It is a striking comparison, what we have been able to
achieve. I note the interjection from the shadow Treasurer, the member for
Bateman. Fake news, I think, was the point he was making. Apparently, we have
just been refilling what had been removed. I just want to put this on the
record. Since about 2014–15, there has only really been one significant
reduction in school maintenance, and that was between 2015–16 and 2016–17,
when the former government cut the school maintenance budget by about 25 per
cent. I remind my colleagues what was happening at that time. The largest
operating deficits on record were being forecast. The largest surge in net debt
was being forecast, and yet the former government slashed school maintenance.
On average, school maintenance has been between about $110 million and $130 million
over the last six or seven years. We started to increase it again. It is
amazing that, even when we are going through the hard tasks of fiscal repair,
we still prioritise school maintenance, so we brought that back up to about
$130 million, and now, with this injection of $200 million in new money—not
fake news, the real deal—the Minister for Education has outlined
clearly the priority maintenance issues of our schools. Every public school in Western
Australia will receive an investment.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Bateman, I call you to order for the first time. Member for Wanneroo, I call
you to order for the first time.
Mr
B.S. WYATT : The opposition must be
in a pretty grim position if maintenance spending in our hospitals and public
schools is treated with contempt and anger by the Liberal Party of Western Australia.
It is quite extraordinary. I spent a lot more time in opposition than members
opposite have, to this date, but there are times—this is a piece of
advice—where we just have to come out and say, ''Good decision
by the government.'' Occasionally, an opposition must do that. Every
single school in the electorates of members opposite will get a benefit, and I know
they will be very happy with this, because this is something that did not
happen once when net debt was increasing from $3.5 billion to $40 billion. Not
once did we see this sort of injection into school maintenance. Importantly,
because of the reforms we made to procurement, principals will have the
capacity to get out there and get that money spent very quickly with their
local tradies, the local sparky, or the local chippy, whoever they need to get that
work happening quickly, because that is what we want to see—schools in
charge of the budget, a reform that this government did to ensure that
principals could do that. This is a good announcement by the government. Why
can we do it, at the same time as having net debt declining? Because we
actually take managing the finances seriously, not as something that is ignored
and put off for future generations to deal with. We take it seriously, and we
do that so that Western Australians across this great state can benefit.
that very good question. It is striking to think that, over the term of the
former government, when net debt went from about $3.5 billion to $40 billion,
at no point was there an injection into school maintenance like we have seen
today, as announced by the Premier on the weekend.
Mr D.C. Nalder interjected.
Mr B.S. WYATT : At no point
did that happen, and it is amazing to think that, at a time that we are able to
provide a $200 million increase—not fake news, member for Bateman—into
school maintenance, and an $80 million increase in hospital maintenance, record
low increases in fees and charges, at the same time net debt is expected to
decrease. As a point of comparison, under the former government, at no point
was there a significant increase in maintenance of either hospitals or schools.
At no point did the former government keep increases in fees and charges to the
level that we have managed to keep. At no point did the former government have
net debt declining. It is a striking comparison, what we have been able to
achieve. I note the interjection from the shadow Treasurer, the member for
Bateman. Fake news, I think, was the point he was making. Apparently, we have
just been refilling what had been removed. I just want to put this on the
record. Since about 2014–15, there has only really been one significant
reduction in school maintenance, and that was between 2015–16 and 2016–17,
when the former government cut the school maintenance budget by about 25 per
cent. I remind my colleagues what was happening at that time. The largest
operating deficits on record were being forecast. The largest surge in net debt
was being forecast, and yet the former government slashed school maintenance.
On average, school maintenance has been between about $110 million and $130 million
over the last six or seven years. We started to increase it again. It is
amazing that, even when we are going through the hard tasks of fiscal repair,
we still prioritise school maintenance, so we brought that back up to about
$130 million, and now, with this injection of $200 million in new money—not
fake news, the real deal—the Minister for Education has outlined
clearly the priority maintenance issues of our schools. Every public school in Western
Australia will receive an investment.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Bateman, I call you to order for the first time. Member for Wanneroo, I call
you to order for the first time.
Mr
B.S. WYATT : The opposition must be
in a pretty grim position if maintenance spending in our hospitals and public
schools is treated with contempt and anger by the Liberal Party of Western Australia.
It is quite extraordinary. I spent a lot more time in opposition than members
opposite have, to this date, but there are times—this is a piece of
advice—where we just have to come out and say, ''Good decision
by the government.'' Occasionally, an opposition must do that. Every
single school in the electorates of members opposite will get a benefit, and I know
they will be very happy with this, because this is something that did not
happen once when net debt was increasing from $3.5 billion to $40 billion. Not
once did we see this sort of injection into school maintenance. Importantly,
because of the reforms we made to procurement, principals will have the
capacity to get out there and get that money spent very quickly with their
local tradies, the local sparky, or the local chippy, whoever they need to get that
work happening quickly, because that is what we want to see—schools in
charge of the budget, a reform that this government did to ensure that
principals could do that. This is a good announcement by the government. Why
can we do it, at the same time as having net debt declining? Because we
actually take managing the finances seriously, not as something that is ignored
and put off for future generations to deal with. We take it seriously, and we
do that so that Western Australians across this great state can benefit.
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