❓ Mr. Wyatt questions the necessity of water license management fees within the government's water reform agenda. The Minister defends the fees as a commitment to the National Water Initiative and criticizes the opposition's stance.
AnsweredQoN 714Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
WATER LICENCE MANAGEMENT FEES
714. Mr B.S. WYATT to the Minister for Water Resources:
Do water licence management fees remain an important and
necessary element of the government's water reform agenda?
714. Mr B.S. WYATT to the Minister for Water Resources:
Do water licence management fees remain an important and
necessary element of the government's water reform agenda?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question. This government committed to the National
Water Initiative and reform of water in this state and was supported by the
Liberal Party and a range of constituents. They said that the government should sign up. The Liberal Party did more than support the
government; it urged it to sign up. A
key element of that was cost recovery on water licences. We have put in place a water licence
management fee that now will be disallowed by the Liberals, Nationals and
Greens in the other place.
Again, we have a clear example of what happens when the
government accepts a major reform agenda and is seeking to deliver on it. The Liberal Party said, ''Yes, you
should sign up for the NWI.'' Having signed up for the NWI, we must accept the responsibilities
attached to it and one of the responsibilities is cost recovery. If we can say one thing about the Leader of the
Opposition it is that he is true to form. It is a pity that his is such an appalling form, but he is true to
it. He urged us to sign up for the NWI
knowing that licence management fees or the like had to be put in place. Now his party is seeking to disallow these
fees.
This opposition promises everything to everyone. However, when it comes to making the hard
decisions and walking the walk, under its current leadership it simply does not
have the guts to do things. The
opposition cannot stick to a course. We
have seen that with the motion about Hon Shelley Archer that we are halfway
through debating. In March the Liberal
Party moved and supported the exact same motion - it contained the same wording
as the government's motion - even though there was no case for moving such
a motion. Now it is providing excuses
about procedural fairness and the like as to why the government cannot go down
that road. The Liberal Party had no
problem supporting the same motion on 20 March because then it was just a
political stunt. Now that there is a
real issue of standards in Parliament to deal with, it wants to run away. It does not want to make a stand that will
earn for Parliament the respect of the people. It wants to run away and hide because of the lack of leadership from the
feeble Leader of the Opposition.
Water Initiative and reform of water in this state and was supported by the
Liberal Party and a range of constituents. They said that the government should sign up. The Liberal Party did more than support the
government; it urged it to sign up. A
key element of that was cost recovery on water licences. We have put in place a water licence
management fee that now will be disallowed by the Liberals, Nationals and
Greens in the other place.
Again, we have a clear example of what happens when the
government accepts a major reform agenda and is seeking to deliver on it. The Liberal Party said, ''Yes, you
should sign up for the NWI.'' Having signed up for the NWI, we must accept the responsibilities
attached to it and one of the responsibilities is cost recovery. If we can say one thing about the Leader of the
Opposition it is that he is true to form. It is a pity that his is such an appalling form, but he is true to
it. He urged us to sign up for the NWI
knowing that licence management fees or the like had to be put in place. Now his party is seeking to disallow these
fees.
This opposition promises everything to everyone. However, when it comes to making the hard
decisions and walking the walk, under its current leadership it simply does not
have the guts to do things. The
opposition cannot stick to a course. We
have seen that with the motion about Hon Shelley Archer that we are halfway
through debating. In March the Liberal
Party moved and supported the exact same motion - it contained the same wording
as the government's motion - even though there was no case for moving such
a motion. Now it is providing excuses
about procedural fairness and the like as to why the government cannot go down
that road. The Liberal Party had no
problem supporting the same motion on 20 March because then it was just a
political stunt. Now that there is a
real issue of standards in Parliament to deal with, it wants to run away. It does not want to make a stand that will
earn for Parliament the respect of the people. It wants to run away and hide because of the lack of leadership from the
feeble Leader of the Opposition.
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