❓ Treasurer responds to a question about the government's financial management by attacking the opposition's understanding of the budget and accusing them of lying about health spending. Speaker intervenes regarding unparliamentary language.
AnsweredQoN 844Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
STATE FINANCES
844. Ms C.M. ROWE to the Treasurer:
I refer to the Cook Labor government's
strong record of responsible financial management.
(1) Can the
Treasurer outline to the house how this government's sensible approach
to managing the state's finances is allowing the government to do what
is right for WA?
(2) Can the
Treasurer advise the house whether she is aware of any threats to WA's
strong financial position?
844. Ms C.M. ROWE to the Treasurer:
I refer to the Cook Labor government's
strong record of responsible financial management.
(1) Can the
Treasurer outline to the house how this government's sensible approach
to managing the state's finances is allowing the government to do what
is right for WA?
(2) Can the
Treasurer advise the house whether she is aware of any threats to WA's
strong financial position?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I
thank the member for that question because my answer is about the opposition's
lack of understanding of the state budget. The last question basically demonstrated
that again. Members, you cannot manage the budget if you cannot read a budget.
Time and again, the opposition has shown that it has failed to learn to read a budget,
no more so than in some of its recent attacks on social media.
I
was not in question time yesterday, but I understand that the Minister for
Health was asked about spending . She claimed that we spent more than $12
billion last year in health, and we did. The claim that we spent $339 million on health last year is a blatant lie.
It is a lie. Not only did the Liberal Party lie when it put it on social
media, the member came in here and backed it up with a question today. They
stood up and said, ''How could you have spent $339 million in health
last year?'' If we could have delivered all those services across the
state for $339 million, I would take my hat off to you, Minister for Health!
We have record spending on health
throughout the state. I know because the Minister for Health every day fights
for spending, and we are spending a record amount in health across the state.
Whether it is for regional hospitals or metropolitan hospitals, we are spending
a record amount on health. The idea that members opposite come in here and, as
I said, not only not tell the truth—look at the Leader of the Liberal
Party. Honestly, if we could all go around telling lies like this and coming in
here —
Withdrawal of Remark
Dr D.J. HONEY : It is
inappropriate for the Treasurer to directly say that the Leader of the Liberal
Party is lying and she should withdraw the statement.
A government member interjected.
Dr D.J. HONEY : Yes she did.
She said exactly that.
Mr D.A. TEMPLEMAN : Further to
the point of order.
The SPEAKER : I do not think I
need anything further added to the point of order. I am not upholding the point
of order. You can refer to a political party as lying and you can refer to
particular advertisements as lying but you cannot directly say that a member
has lied. Short of examining it again and seeing something that I did not hear,
my understanding is that the Treasurer has asked some rhetorical questions, as
in: how can the member come in here and say this and how can she come in here
and say that? Providing the Treasurer continues to stick with that distinction,
she may continue.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Ms R. SAFFIOTI : As I said,
what happened today is that the member went out there and did not tell the
truth—the Liberal Party lied about health spending—and has come
in and talked about it again. I want people to notice and take the point that in seven and a half years, the Leader of the
Liberal Party has a responsibility to learn how to read the budget. We
have all been there—or many—when members get elected. People
have come up to me asking me how to read a budget and we have people seeking information.
Two political parties have had seven and a half years in opposition. Go and
learn to read the budget. The member has come in here and said it was
infrastructure. That is not what the member said originally. She should
apologise. That is why people do not take her seriously. Even her own party
does not. The Liberal Party upper house members sit there telling us that they
do not take her leadership seriously because she cannot get on with people and
she cannot tell the truth. That is why.
Let us go through the economic and
fiscal mismanagement of the now opposition. The question was about our record
versus theirs. Again, it can be demonstrated why the former government stuffed
up the budget. It is because it did not take it seriously. It did not care. If
its members cannot read a budget in opposition, they cannot manage a budget.
The former government ran deficits and did not tell the truth about the
deficits. Debt climbed to an unsustainable level. The former government
increased debt by tens of billions of dollars. It also ran the economy into
recession with key domestic indicators dropping, like business investment and
government investment.
Mr P. Papalia : They lost the
AAA credit rating.
Ms R. SAFFIOTI : It lost the
AAA credit rating. Thank you, Minister for Police. What have we done? We have
an operating surplus, a strong economy and a AAA credit rating. We were
promised a new alliance in 2021. Do members remember that? The Liberals and
Nationals WA said that they would work together yet they cannot even talk to
each other. We now have two sets of policy commitments totalling over $8 billion
already. The Nationals' and Liberal Party's election
commitments are over $8 billion. They will say anything. When we are asked
whether we will match it, I do not know. Whose policy commitment should we
believe? We do not know whose policy commitment has priority over the other. We
have no idea how they will fund $8 billion of commitments. Maybe it will be by
cutting services across the state. Then to come in here and lie about how much
we are spending on health, as I said, is a blatant lie. The Liberal Party lies
about health in this state and this is another blatant lie. Learn to read the
budget. Do some work. Do not just chase a headline —
Ms L. Mettam : Get your
priorities right.
Ms R. SAFFIOTI : As the Leader
of the Liberal Party, the member's priority is to provide an
alternative plan. She should get her priorities right. Talk to the other
leader. The member's priority is to work as an opposition, not to just
chase the cameras like she does every day.
Point of Order
Mr R.S. LOVE : I question the
relevance of this answer to the question that was asked and ask that the
minister be brought back to the question.
The SPEAKER : The minister has
provided a very extensive answer already. I am not sure whether she needs to be
brought back to continue to answer it. I was kind of hoping you may have
finished.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Ms R. SAFFIOTI : As I said,
the Leader of the Liberal Party has been caught out again with the financial
facts.
Ms L. Mettam interjected.
Ms
R. SAFFIOTI : It is no wonder
members opposite stuffed up the finances the last time they were in government. They cannot read a budget. How can they manage a budget?
Ms L. Mettam interjected.
The SPEAKER : I have to say,
Leader of the Liberal Party, if you continue to interject like that, you
provoke a response so the answer gets longer the more you interject.
thank the member for that question because my answer is about the opposition's
lack of understanding of the state budget. The last question basically demonstrated
that again. Members, you cannot manage the budget if you cannot read a budget.
Time and again, the opposition has shown that it has failed to learn to read a budget,
no more so than in some of its recent attacks on social media.
I
was not in question time yesterday, but I understand that the Minister for
Health was asked about spending . She claimed that we spent more than $12
billion last year in health, and we did. The claim that we spent $339 million on health last year is a blatant lie.
It is a lie. Not only did the Liberal Party lie when it put it on social
media, the member came in here and backed it up with a question today. They
stood up and said, ''How could you have spent $339 million in health
last year?'' If we could have delivered all those services across the
state for $339 million, I would take my hat off to you, Minister for Health!
We have record spending on health
throughout the state. I know because the Minister for Health every day fights
for spending, and we are spending a record amount in health across the state.
Whether it is for regional hospitals or metropolitan hospitals, we are spending
a record amount on health. The idea that members opposite come in here and, as
I said, not only not tell the truth—look at the Leader of the Liberal
Party. Honestly, if we could all go around telling lies like this and coming in
here —
Withdrawal of Remark
Dr D.J. HONEY : It is
inappropriate for the Treasurer to directly say that the Leader of the Liberal
Party is lying and she should withdraw the statement.
A government member interjected.
Dr D.J. HONEY : Yes she did.
She said exactly that.
Mr D.A. TEMPLEMAN : Further to
the point of order.
The SPEAKER : I do not think I
need anything further added to the point of order. I am not upholding the point
of order. You can refer to a political party as lying and you can refer to
particular advertisements as lying but you cannot directly say that a member
has lied. Short of examining it again and seeing something that I did not hear,
my understanding is that the Treasurer has asked some rhetorical questions, as
in: how can the member come in here and say this and how can she come in here
and say that? Providing the Treasurer continues to stick with that distinction,
she may continue.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Ms R. SAFFIOTI : As I said,
what happened today is that the member went out there and did not tell the
truth—the Liberal Party lied about health spending—and has come
in and talked about it again. I want people to notice and take the point that in seven and a half years, the Leader of the
Liberal Party has a responsibility to learn how to read the budget. We
have all been there—or many—when members get elected. People
have come up to me asking me how to read a budget and we have people seeking information.
Two political parties have had seven and a half years in opposition. Go and
learn to read the budget. The member has come in here and said it was
infrastructure. That is not what the member said originally. She should
apologise. That is why people do not take her seriously. Even her own party
does not. The Liberal Party upper house members sit there telling us that they
do not take her leadership seriously because she cannot get on with people and
she cannot tell the truth. That is why.
Let us go through the economic and
fiscal mismanagement of the now opposition. The question was about our record
versus theirs. Again, it can be demonstrated why the former government stuffed
up the budget. It is because it did not take it seriously. It did not care. If
its members cannot read a budget in opposition, they cannot manage a budget.
The former government ran deficits and did not tell the truth about the
deficits. Debt climbed to an unsustainable level. The former government
increased debt by tens of billions of dollars. It also ran the economy into
recession with key domestic indicators dropping, like business investment and
government investment.
Mr P. Papalia : They lost the
AAA credit rating.
Ms R. SAFFIOTI : It lost the
AAA credit rating. Thank you, Minister for Police. What have we done? We have
an operating surplus, a strong economy and a AAA credit rating. We were
promised a new alliance in 2021. Do members remember that? The Liberals and
Nationals WA said that they would work together yet they cannot even talk to
each other. We now have two sets of policy commitments totalling over $8 billion
already. The Nationals' and Liberal Party's election
commitments are over $8 billion. They will say anything. When we are asked
whether we will match it, I do not know. Whose policy commitment should we
believe? We do not know whose policy commitment has priority over the other. We
have no idea how they will fund $8 billion of commitments. Maybe it will be by
cutting services across the state. Then to come in here and lie about how much
we are spending on health, as I said, is a blatant lie. The Liberal Party lies
about health in this state and this is another blatant lie. Learn to read the
budget. Do some work. Do not just chase a headline —
Ms L. Mettam : Get your
priorities right.
Ms R. SAFFIOTI : As the Leader
of the Liberal Party, the member's priority is to provide an
alternative plan. She should get her priorities right. Talk to the other
leader. The member's priority is to work as an opposition, not to just
chase the cameras like she does every day.
Point of Order
Mr R.S. LOVE : I question the
relevance of this answer to the question that was asked and ask that the
minister be brought back to the question.
The SPEAKER : The minister has
provided a very extensive answer already. I am not sure whether she needs to be
brought back to continue to answer it. I was kind of hoping you may have
finished.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Ms R. SAFFIOTI : As I said,
the Leader of the Liberal Party has been caught out again with the financial
facts.
Ms L. Mettam interjected.
Ms
R. SAFFIOTI : It is no wonder
members opposite stuffed up the finances the last time they were in government. They cannot read a budget. How can they manage a budget?
Ms L. Mettam interjected.
The SPEAKER : I have to say,
Leader of the Liberal Party, if you continue to interject like that, you
provoke a response so the answer gets longer the more you interject.
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