❓ Mr Trenorden questions Premier Gallop about budget cuts to the Department of Agriculture and their impact on regional WA. Premier Gallop defends the cuts, citing a focus on health, education, and law and order, and highlights regional investment initiatives.
AnsweredQoN 1019Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to the latest cuts to the Department of Agriculture. Since the Labor Party came into government, there has been a total cut to the agriculture budget of 16 per cent and a net loss of 151 staff. (1) Given that the Premier chairs the cabinet standing committee on regional development, did he seek to have this committee evaluate the significant impact that the slashing of the agriculture budget would have on regional Western Australia? (2) If he did, did the Premier’s committee endorse these cuts, and how many staff in country and regional offices will be lost? The Premier would know that if he has evaluated the impact of these cuts. (3) If the Premier’s committee did not seek to carry out the review, why did he not show any interest in something so fundamentally significant to rural WA? Dr GALLOP
AnswerView source ↗
(1)-(3) I do not know how many times during the election campaign I was asked about staffing levels within government and how they would be affected by a change of government, but it was quite a few. Every time I was asked the question, I gave the same answer. I said that the answer was quite simple. I said that under a Labor Government there would be more nurses, more teachers and more police. This Government will bring about change in the public sector because the Government’s priorities are health, education, and law and order. It was so clear and transparent and said so often in the election campaign that I believe it made an impact on the people of Western Australia and was one of the reasons they voted us in. They want to see discipline within government so that within the limited capacity we have, the revenue will go into those priority areas. That is where it is going. It is going into the health system, the education system and the police. We have also made it clear that to do that there must be restraint in some other areas of government. Indeed, I will give an interesting statistic, and the Treasurer will correct me if I am wrong. However, I think I am right in saying that the operating revenue growth for our Government this year will be 1.8 per cent. The revenue growth in the years of the Liberal Government was 6.6 per cent. Following that restraint in revenue, there has been restraint in expenditure. Government departments, including the Department of Agriculture, have to accept the reductions in their budgets. We have made those reductions so we can fund the areas that we said during the election campaign we would fund. The second part of the member’s question dealt with the impact of the budget restraint on regional Western Australia. I remind the Leader of the National Party that issues affecting regional Western Australians occur across the budget and include the capital works program, which is backed up by a regional investment fund that is already impacting throughout Western Australia. The improvements we are making to health, education and police services will also impact on regional Western Australia because those resources will be available for the regions. This Government is committed to equality of opportunity for all citizens. It is committed to providing a better balance between metropolitan and non-metropolitan Western Australians, which means looking after the interests of people who live outside Perth. If the Leader of the National Party thinks that by focusing on the budget of just one government department he is telling the story about regional Western Australia, he needs some re-education. Much is happening in regional Western Australia that he obviously does not know about. I could refer the member to the Government’s commitments in the Kimberley, the Burrup Peninsula, the Gascoyne-Murchison area, the mid west, the goldfields, the south west or the great southern. The Government’s capital works commitments in those areas will significantly impact on jobs and opportunities for people in those regions. I cannot give the member a precise figure of the staffing allocation for the Department of Agriculture. However, if he puts that part of his question on notice, I will follow up the matter.
(1) Given that the Premier chairs the cabinet standing committee on regional development, did he seek to have this committee evaluate the significant impact that the slashing of the agriculture budget would have on regional Western Australia? (2) If he did, did the Premier’s committee endorse these cuts, and how many staff in country and regional offices will be lost? The Premier would know that if he has evaluated the impact of these cuts. (3) If the Premier’s committee did not seek to carry out the review, why did he not show any interest in something so fundamentally significant to rural WA? Dr GALLOP replied: (1)-(3) I do not know how many times during the election campaign I was asked about staffing levels within government and how they would be affected by a change of government, but it was quite a few. Every time I was asked the question, I gave the same answer. I said that the answer was quite simple. I said that under a Labor Government there would be more nurses, more teachers and more police. This Government will bring about change in the public sector because the Government’s priorities are health, education, and law and order. It was so clear and transparent and said so often in the election campaign that I believe it made an impact on the people of Western Australia and was one of the reasons they voted us in. They want to see discipline within government so that within the limited capacity we have, the revenue will go into those priority areas. That is where it is going. It is going into the health system, the education system and the police. We have also made it clear that to do that there must be restraint in some other areas of government. Indeed, I will give an interesting statistic, and the Treasurer will correct me if I am wrong. However, I think I am right in saying that the operating revenue growth for our Government this year will be 1.8 per cent. The revenue growth in the years of the Liberal Government was 6.6 per cent. Following that restraint in revenue, there has been restraint in expenditure. Government departments, including the Department of Agriculture, have to accept the reductions in their budgets. We have made those reductions so we can fund the areas that we said during the election campaign we would fund. The second part of the member’s question dealt with the impact of the budget restraint on regional Western Australia. I remind the Leader of the National Party that issues affecting regional Western Australians occur across the budget and include the capital works program, which is backed up by a regional investment fund that is already impacting throughout Western Australia. The improvements we are making to health, education and police services will also impact on regional Western Australia because those resources will be available for the regions. This Government is committed to equality of opportunity for all citizens. It is committed to providing a better balance between metropolitan and non-metropolitan Western Australians, which means looking after the interests of people who live outside Perth. If the Leader of the National Party thinks that by focusing on the budget of just one government department he is telling the story about regional Western Australia, he needs some re-education. Much is happening in regional Western Australia that he obviously does not know about. I could refer the member to the Government’s commitments in the Kimberley, the Burrup Peninsula, the Gascoyne-Murchison area, the mid west, the goldfields, the south west or the great southern. The Government’s capital works commitments in those areas will significantly impact on jobs and opportunities for people in those regions. I cannot give the member a precise figure of the staffing allocation for the Department of Agriculture. However, if he puts that part of his question on notice, I will follow up the matter.
(2) If he did, did the Premier’s committee endorse these cuts, and how many staff in country and regional offices will be lost? The Premier would know that if he has evaluated the impact of these cuts. (3) If the Premier’s committee did not seek to carry out the review, why did he not show any interest in something so fundamentally significant to rural WA? Dr GALLOP replied: (1)-(3) I do not know how many times during the election campaign I was asked about staffing levels within government and how they would be affected by a change of government, but it was quite a few. Every time I was asked the question, I gave the same answer. I said that the answer was quite simple. I said that under a Labor Government there would be more nurses, more teachers and more police. This Government will bring about change in the public sector because the Government’s priorities are health, education, and law and order. It was so clear and transparent and said so often in the election campaign that I believe it made an impact on the people of Western Australia and was one of the reasons they voted us in. They want to see discipline within government so that within the limited capacity we have, the revenue will go into those priority areas. That is where it is going. It is going into the health system, the education system and the police. We have also made it clear that to do that there must be restraint in some other areas of government. Indeed, I will give an interesting statistic, and the Treasurer will correct me if I am wrong. However, I think I am right in saying that the operating revenue growth for our Government this year will be 1.8 per cent. The revenue growth in the years of the Liberal Government was 6.6 per cent. Following that restraint in revenue, there has been restraint in expenditure. Government departments, including the Department of Agriculture, have to accept the reductions in their budgets. We have made those reductions so we can fund the areas that we said during the election campaign we would fund. The second part of the member’s question dealt with the impact of the budget restraint on regional Western Australia. I remind the Leader of the National Party that issues affecting regional Western Australians occur across the budget and include the capital works program, which is backed up by a regional investment fund that is already impacting throughout Western Australia. The improvements we are making to health, education and police services will also impact on regional Western Australia because those resources will be available for the regions. This Government is committed to equality of opportunity for all citizens. It is committed to providing a better balance between metropolitan and non-metropolitan Western Australians, which means looking after the interests of people who live outside Perth. If the Leader of the National Party thinks that by focusing on the budget of just one government department he is telling the story about regional Western Australia, he needs some re-education. Much is happening in regional Western Australia that he obviously does not know about. I could refer the member to the Government’s commitments in the Kimberley, the Burrup Peninsula, the Gascoyne-Murchison area, the mid west, the goldfields, the south west or the great southern. The Government’s capital works commitments in those areas will significantly impact on jobs and opportunities for people in those regions. I cannot give the member a precise figure of the staffing allocation for the Department of Agriculture. However, if he puts that part of his question on notice, I will follow up the matter.
(3) If the Premier’s committee did not seek to carry out the review, why did he not show any interest in something so fundamentally significant to rural WA? Dr GALLOP replied: (1)-(3) I do not know how many times during the election campaign I was asked about staffing levels within government and how they would be affected by a change of government, but it was quite a few. Every time I was asked the question, I gave the same answer. I said that the answer was quite simple. I said that under a Labor Government there would be more nurses, more teachers and more police. This Government will bring about change in the public sector because the Government’s priorities are health, education, and law and order. It was so clear and transparent and said so often in the election campaign that I believe it made an impact on the people of Western Australia and was one of the reasons they voted us in. They want to see discipline within government so that within the limited capacity we have, the revenue will go into those priority areas. That is where it is going. It is going into the health system, the education system and the police. We have also made it clear that to do that there must be restraint in some other areas of government. Indeed, I will give an interesting statistic, and the Treasurer will correct me if I am wrong. However, I think I am right in saying that the operating revenue growth for our Government this year will be 1.8 per cent. The revenue growth in the years of the Liberal Government was 6.6 per cent. Following that restraint in revenue, there has been restraint in expenditure. Government departments, including the Department of Agriculture, have to accept the reductions in their budgets. We have made those reductions so we can fund the areas that we said during the election campaign we would fund. The second part of the member’s question dealt with the impact of the budget restraint on regional Western Australia. I remind the Leader of the National Party that issues affecting regional Western Australians occur across the budget and include the capital works program, which is backed up by a regional investment fund that is already impacting throughout Western Australia. The improvements we are making to health, education and police services will also impact on regional Western Australia because those resources will be available for the regions. This Government is committed to equality of opportunity for all citizens. It is committed to providing a better balance between metropolitan and non-metropolitan Western Australians, which means looking after the interests of people who live outside Perth. If the Leader of the National Party thinks that by focusing on the budget of just one government department he is telling the story about regional Western Australia, he needs some re-education. Much is happening in regional Western Australia that he obviously does not know about. I could refer the member to the Government’s commitments in the Kimberley, the Burrup Peninsula, the Gascoyne-Murchison area, the mid west, the goldfields, the south west or the great southern. The Government’s capital works commitments in those areas will significantly impact on jobs and opportunities for people in those regions. I cannot give the member a precise figure of the staffing allocation for the Department of Agriculture. However, if he puts that part of his question on notice, I will follow up the matter.
Dr GALLOP replied: (1)-(3) I do not know how many times during the election campaign I was asked about staffing levels within government and how they would be affected by a change of government, but it was quite a few. Every time I was asked the question, I gave the same answer. I said that the answer was quite simple. I said that under a Labor Government there would be more nurses, more teachers and more police. This Government will bring about change in the public sector because the Government’s priorities are health, education, and law and order. It was so clear and transparent and said so often in the election campaign that I believe it made an impact on the people of Western Australia and was one of the reasons they voted us in. They want to see discipline within government so that within the limited capacity we have, the revenue will go into those priority areas. That is where it is going. It is going into the health system, the education system and the police. We have also made it clear that to do that there must be restraint in some other areas of government. Indeed, I will give an interesting statistic, and the Treasurer will correct me if I am wrong. However, I think I am right in saying that the operating revenue growth for our Government this year will be 1.8 per cent. The revenue growth in the years of the Liberal Government was 6.6 per cent. Following that restraint in revenue, there has been restraint in expenditure. Government departments, including the Department of Agriculture, have to accept the reductions in their budgets. We have made those reductions so we can fund the areas that we said during the election campaign we would fund. The second part of the member’s question dealt with the impact of the budget restraint on regional Western Australia. I remind the Leader of the National Party that issues affecting regional Western Australians occur across the budget and include the capital works program, which is backed up by a regional investment fund that is already impacting throughout Western Australia. The improvements we are making to health, education and police services will also impact on regional Western Australia because those resources will be available for the regions. This Government is committed to equality of opportunity for all citizens. It is committed to providing a better balance between metropolitan and non-metropolitan Western Australians, which means looking after the interests of people who live outside Perth. If the Leader of the National Party thinks that by focusing on the budget of just one government department he is telling the story about regional Western Australia, he needs some re-education. Much is happening in regional Western Australia that he obviously does not know about. I could refer the member to the Government’s commitments in the Kimberley, the Burrup Peninsula, the Gascoyne-Murchison area, the mid west, the goldfields, the south west or the great southern. The Government’s capital works commitments in those areas will significantly impact on jobs and opportunities for people in those regions. I cannot give the member a precise figure of the staffing allocation for the Department of Agriculture. However, if he puts that part of his question on notice, I will follow up the matter.
(1)-(3) I do not know how many times during the election campaign I was asked about staffing levels within government and how they would be affected by a change of government, but it was quite a few. Every time I was asked the question, I gave the same answer. I said that the answer was quite simple. I said that under a Labor Government there would be more nurses, more teachers and more police. This Government will bring about change in the public sector because the Government’s priorities are health, education, and law and order. It was so clear and transparent and said so often in the election campaign that I believe it made an impact on the people of Western Australia and was one of the reasons they voted us in. They want to see discipline within government so that within the limited capacity we have, the revenue will go into those priority areas. That is where it is going. It is going into the health system, the education system and the police. We have also made it clear that to do that there must be restraint in some other areas of government. Indeed, I will give an interesting statistic, and the Treasurer will correct me if I am wrong. However, I think I am right in saying that the operating revenue growth for our Government this year will be 1.8 per cent. The revenue growth in the years of the Liberal Government was 6.6 per cent. Following that restraint in revenue, there has been restraint in expenditure. Government departments, including the Department of Agriculture, have to accept the reductions in their budgets. We have made those reductions so we can fund the areas that we said during the election campaign we would fund. The second part of the member’s question dealt with the impact of the budget restraint on regional Western Australia. I remind the Leader of the National Party that issues affecting regional Western Australians occur across the budget and include the capital works program, which is backed up by a regional investment fund that is already impacting throughout Western Australia. The improvements we are making to health, education and police services will also impact on regional Western Australia because those resources will be available for the regions. This Government is committed to equality of opportunity for all citizens. It is committed to providing a better balance between metropolitan and non-metropolitan Western Australians, which means looking after the interests of people who live outside Perth. If the Leader of the National Party thinks that by focusing on the budget of just one government department he is telling the story about regional Western Australia, he needs some re-education. Much is happening in regional Western Australia that he obviously does not know about. I could refer the member to the Government’s commitments in the Kimberley, the Burrup Peninsula, the Gascoyne-Murchison area, the mid west, the goldfields, the south west or the great southern. The Government’s capital works commitments in those areas will significantly impact on jobs and opportunities for people in those regions. I cannot give the member a precise figure of the staffing allocation for the Department of Agriculture. However, if he puts that part of his question on notice, I will follow up the matter.
The second part of the member’s question dealt with the impact of the budget restraint on regional Western Australia. I remind the Leader of the National Party that issues affecting regional Western Australians occur across the budget and include the capital works program, which is backed up by a regional investment fund that is already impacting throughout Western Australia. The improvements we are making to health, education and police services will also impact on regional Western Australia because those resources will be available for the regions. This Government is committed to equality of opportunity for all citizens. It is committed to providing a better balance between metropolitan and non-metropolitan Western Australians, which means looking after the interests of people who live outside Perth. If the Leader of the National Party thinks that by focusing on the budget of just one government department he is telling the story about regional Western Australia, he needs some re-education. Much is happening in regional Western Australia that he obviously does not know about. I could refer the member to the Government’s commitments in the Kimberley, the Burrup Peninsula, the Gascoyne-Murchison area, the mid west, the goldfields, the south west or the great southern. The Government’s capital works commitments in those areas will significantly impact on jobs and opportunities for people in those regions. I cannot give the member a precise figure of the staffing allocation for the Department of Agriculture. However, if he puts that part of his question on notice, I will follow up the matter.
This Government is committed to equality of opportunity for all citizens. It is committed to providing a better balance between metropolitan and non-metropolitan Western Australians, which means looking after the interests of people who live outside Perth. If the Leader of the National Party thinks that by focusing on the budget of just one government department he is telling the story about regional Western Australia, he needs some re-education. Much is happening in regional Western Australia that he obviously does not know about. I could refer the member to the Government’s commitments in the Kimberley, the Burrup Peninsula, the Gascoyne-Murchison area, the mid west, the goldfields, the south west or the great southern. The Government’s capital works commitments in those areas will significantly impact on jobs and opportunities for people in those regions. I cannot give the member a precise figure of the staffing allocation for the Department of Agriculture. However, if he puts that part of his question on notice, I will follow up the matter.
I cannot give the member a precise figure of the staffing allocation for the Department of Agriculture. However, if he puts that part of his question on notice, I will follow up the matter.
(1) Given that the Premier chairs the cabinet standing committee on regional development, did he seek to have this committee evaluate the significant impact that the slashing of the agriculture budget would have on regional Western Australia? (2) If he did, did the Premier’s committee endorse these cuts, and how many staff in country and regional offices will be lost? The Premier would know that if he has evaluated the impact of these cuts. (3) If the Premier’s committee did not seek to carry out the review, why did he not show any interest in something so fundamentally significant to rural WA? Dr GALLOP replied: (1)-(3) I do not know how many times during the election campaign I was asked about staffing levels within government and how they would be affected by a change of government, but it was quite a few. Every time I was asked the question, I gave the same answer. I said that the answer was quite simple. I said that under a Labor Government there would be more nurses, more teachers and more police. This Government will bring about change in the public sector because the Government’s priorities are health, education, and law and order. It was so clear and transparent and said so often in the election campaign that I believe it made an impact on the people of Western Australia and was one of the reasons they voted us in. They want to see discipline within government so that within the limited capacity we have, the revenue will go into those priority areas. That is where it is going. It is going into the health system, the education system and the police. We have also made it clear that to do that there must be restraint in some other areas of government. Indeed, I will give an interesting statistic, and the Treasurer will correct me if I am wrong. However, I think I am right in saying that the operating revenue growth for our Government this year will be 1.8 per cent. The revenue growth in the years of the Liberal Government was 6.6 per cent. Following that restraint in revenue, there has been restraint in expenditure. Government departments, including the Department of Agriculture, have to accept the reductions in their budgets. We have made those reductions so we can fund the areas that we said during the election campaign we would fund. The second part of the member’s question dealt with the impact of the budget restraint on regional Western Australia. I remind the Leader of the National Party that issues affecting regional Western Australians occur across the budget and include the capital works program, which is backed up by a regional investment fund that is already impacting throughout Western Australia. The improvements we are making to health, education and police services will also impact on regional Western Australia because those resources will be available for the regions. This Government is committed to equality of opportunity for all citizens. It is committed to providing a better balance between metropolitan and non-metropolitan Western Australians, which means looking after the interests of people who live outside Perth. If the Leader of the National Party thinks that by focusing on the budget of just one government department he is telling the story about regional Western Australia, he needs some re-education. Much is happening in regional Western Australia that he obviously does not know about. I could refer the member to the Government’s commitments in the Kimberley, the Burrup Peninsula, the Gascoyne-Murchison area, the mid west, the goldfields, the south west or the great southern. The Government’s capital works commitments in those areas will significantly impact on jobs and opportunities for people in those regions. I cannot give the member a precise figure of the staffing allocation for the Department of Agriculture. However, if he puts that part of his question on notice, I will follow up the matter.
(2) If he did, did the Premier’s committee endorse these cuts, and how many staff in country and regional offices will be lost? The Premier would know that if he has evaluated the impact of these cuts. (3) If the Premier’s committee did not seek to carry out the review, why did he not show any interest in something so fundamentally significant to rural WA? Dr GALLOP replied: (1)-(3) I do not know how many times during the election campaign I was asked about staffing levels within government and how they would be affected by a change of government, but it was quite a few. Every time I was asked the question, I gave the same answer. I said that the answer was quite simple. I said that under a Labor Government there would be more nurses, more teachers and more police. This Government will bring about change in the public sector because the Government’s priorities are health, education, and law and order. It was so clear and transparent and said so often in the election campaign that I believe it made an impact on the people of Western Australia and was one of the reasons they voted us in. They want to see discipline within government so that within the limited capacity we have, the revenue will go into those priority areas. That is where it is going. It is going into the health system, the education system and the police. We have also made it clear that to do that there must be restraint in some other areas of government. Indeed, I will give an interesting statistic, and the Treasurer will correct me if I am wrong. However, I think I am right in saying that the operating revenue growth for our Government this year will be 1.8 per cent. The revenue growth in the years of the Liberal Government was 6.6 per cent. Following that restraint in revenue, there has been restraint in expenditure. Government departments, including the Department of Agriculture, have to accept the reductions in their budgets. We have made those reductions so we can fund the areas that we said during the election campaign we would fund. The second part of the member’s question dealt with the impact of the budget restraint on regional Western Australia. I remind the Leader of the National Party that issues affecting regional Western Australians occur across the budget and include the capital works program, which is backed up by a regional investment fund that is already impacting throughout Western Australia. The improvements we are making to health, education and police services will also impact on regional Western Australia because those resources will be available for the regions. This Government is committed to equality of opportunity for all citizens. It is committed to providing a better balance between metropolitan and non-metropolitan Western Australians, which means looking after the interests of people who live outside Perth. If the Leader of the National Party thinks that by focusing on the budget of just one government department he is telling the story about regional Western Australia, he needs some re-education. Much is happening in regional Western Australia that he obviously does not know about. I could refer the member to the Government’s commitments in the Kimberley, the Burrup Peninsula, the Gascoyne-Murchison area, the mid west, the goldfields, the south west or the great southern. The Government’s capital works commitments in those areas will significantly impact on jobs and opportunities for people in those regions. I cannot give the member a precise figure of the staffing allocation for the Department of Agriculture. However, if he puts that part of his question on notice, I will follow up the matter.
(3) If the Premier’s committee did not seek to carry out the review, why did he not show any interest in something so fundamentally significant to rural WA? Dr GALLOP replied: (1)-(3) I do not know how many times during the election campaign I was asked about staffing levels within government and how they would be affected by a change of government, but it was quite a few. Every time I was asked the question, I gave the same answer. I said that the answer was quite simple. I said that under a Labor Government there would be more nurses, more teachers and more police. This Government will bring about change in the public sector because the Government’s priorities are health, education, and law and order. It was so clear and transparent and said so often in the election campaign that I believe it made an impact on the people of Western Australia and was one of the reasons they voted us in. They want to see discipline within government so that within the limited capacity we have, the revenue will go into those priority areas. That is where it is going. It is going into the health system, the education system and the police. We have also made it clear that to do that there must be restraint in some other areas of government. Indeed, I will give an interesting statistic, and the Treasurer will correct me if I am wrong. However, I think I am right in saying that the operating revenue growth for our Government this year will be 1.8 per cent. The revenue growth in the years of the Liberal Government was 6.6 per cent. Following that restraint in revenue, there has been restraint in expenditure. Government departments, including the Department of Agriculture, have to accept the reductions in their budgets. We have made those reductions so we can fund the areas that we said during the election campaign we would fund. The second part of the member’s question dealt with the impact of the budget restraint on regional Western Australia. I remind the Leader of the National Party that issues affecting regional Western Australians occur across the budget and include the capital works program, which is backed up by a regional investment fund that is already impacting throughout Western Australia. The improvements we are making to health, education and police services will also impact on regional Western Australia because those resources will be available for the regions. This Government is committed to equality of opportunity for all citizens. It is committed to providing a better balance between metropolitan and non-metropolitan Western Australians, which means looking after the interests of people who live outside Perth. If the Leader of the National Party thinks that by focusing on the budget of just one government department he is telling the story about regional Western Australia, he needs some re-education. Much is happening in regional Western Australia that he obviously does not know about. I could refer the member to the Government’s commitments in the Kimberley, the Burrup Peninsula, the Gascoyne-Murchison area, the mid west, the goldfields, the south west or the great southern. The Government’s capital works commitments in those areas will significantly impact on jobs and opportunities for people in those regions. I cannot give the member a precise figure of the staffing allocation for the Department of Agriculture. However, if he puts that part of his question on notice, I will follow up the matter.
Dr GALLOP replied: (1)-(3) I do not know how many times during the election campaign I was asked about staffing levels within government and how they would be affected by a change of government, but it was quite a few. Every time I was asked the question, I gave the same answer. I said that the answer was quite simple. I said that under a Labor Government there would be more nurses, more teachers and more police. This Government will bring about change in the public sector because the Government’s priorities are health, education, and law and order. It was so clear and transparent and said so often in the election campaign that I believe it made an impact on the people of Western Australia and was one of the reasons they voted us in. They want to see discipline within government so that within the limited capacity we have, the revenue will go into those priority areas. That is where it is going. It is going into the health system, the education system and the police. We have also made it clear that to do that there must be restraint in some other areas of government. Indeed, I will give an interesting statistic, and the Treasurer will correct me if I am wrong. However, I think I am right in saying that the operating revenue growth for our Government this year will be 1.8 per cent. The revenue growth in the years of the Liberal Government was 6.6 per cent. Following that restraint in revenue, there has been restraint in expenditure. Government departments, including the Department of Agriculture, have to accept the reductions in their budgets. We have made those reductions so we can fund the areas that we said during the election campaign we would fund. The second part of the member’s question dealt with the impact of the budget restraint on regional Western Australia. I remind the Leader of the National Party that issues affecting regional Western Australians occur across the budget and include the capital works program, which is backed up by a regional investment fund that is already impacting throughout Western Australia. The improvements we are making to health, education and police services will also impact on regional Western Australia because those resources will be available for the regions. This Government is committed to equality of opportunity for all citizens. It is committed to providing a better balance between metropolitan and non-metropolitan Western Australians, which means looking after the interests of people who live outside Perth. If the Leader of the National Party thinks that by focusing on the budget of just one government department he is telling the story about regional Western Australia, he needs some re-education. Much is happening in regional Western Australia that he obviously does not know about. I could refer the member to the Government’s commitments in the Kimberley, the Burrup Peninsula, the Gascoyne-Murchison area, the mid west, the goldfields, the south west or the great southern. The Government’s capital works commitments in those areas will significantly impact on jobs and opportunities for people in those regions. I cannot give the member a precise figure of the staffing allocation for the Department of Agriculture. However, if he puts that part of his question on notice, I will follow up the matter.
(1)-(3) I do not know how many times during the election campaign I was asked about staffing levels within government and how they would be affected by a change of government, but it was quite a few. Every time I was asked the question, I gave the same answer. I said that the answer was quite simple. I said that under a Labor Government there would be more nurses, more teachers and more police. This Government will bring about change in the public sector because the Government’s priorities are health, education, and law and order. It was so clear and transparent and said so often in the election campaign that I believe it made an impact on the people of Western Australia and was one of the reasons they voted us in. They want to see discipline within government so that within the limited capacity we have, the revenue will go into those priority areas. That is where it is going. It is going into the health system, the education system and the police. We have also made it clear that to do that there must be restraint in some other areas of government. Indeed, I will give an interesting statistic, and the Treasurer will correct me if I am wrong. However, I think I am right in saying that the operating revenue growth for our Government this year will be 1.8 per cent. The revenue growth in the years of the Liberal Government was 6.6 per cent. Following that restraint in revenue, there has been restraint in expenditure. Government departments, including the Department of Agriculture, have to accept the reductions in their budgets. We have made those reductions so we can fund the areas that we said during the election campaign we would fund. The second part of the member’s question dealt with the impact of the budget restraint on regional Western Australia. I remind the Leader of the National Party that issues affecting regional Western Australians occur across the budget and include the capital works program, which is backed up by a regional investment fund that is already impacting throughout Western Australia. The improvements we are making to health, education and police services will also impact on regional Western Australia because those resources will be available for the regions. This Government is committed to equality of opportunity for all citizens. It is committed to providing a better balance between metropolitan and non-metropolitan Western Australians, which means looking after the interests of people who live outside Perth. If the Leader of the National Party thinks that by focusing on the budget of just one government department he is telling the story about regional Western Australia, he needs some re-education. Much is happening in regional Western Australia that he obviously does not know about. I could refer the member to the Government’s commitments in the Kimberley, the Burrup Peninsula, the Gascoyne-Murchison area, the mid west, the goldfields, the south west or the great southern. The Government’s capital works commitments in those areas will significantly impact on jobs and opportunities for people in those regions. I cannot give the member a precise figure of the staffing allocation for the Department of Agriculture. However, if he puts that part of his question on notice, I will follow up the matter.
The second part of the member’s question dealt with the impact of the budget restraint on regional Western Australia. I remind the Leader of the National Party that issues affecting regional Western Australians occur across the budget and include the capital works program, which is backed up by a regional investment fund that is already impacting throughout Western Australia. The improvements we are making to health, education and police services will also impact on regional Western Australia because those resources will be available for the regions. This Government is committed to equality of opportunity for all citizens. It is committed to providing a better balance between metropolitan and non-metropolitan Western Australians, which means looking after the interests of people who live outside Perth. If the Leader of the National Party thinks that by focusing on the budget of just one government department he is telling the story about regional Western Australia, he needs some re-education. Much is happening in regional Western Australia that he obviously does not know about. I could refer the member to the Government’s commitments in the Kimberley, the Burrup Peninsula, the Gascoyne-Murchison area, the mid west, the goldfields, the south west or the great southern. The Government’s capital works commitments in those areas will significantly impact on jobs and opportunities for people in those regions. I cannot give the member a precise figure of the staffing allocation for the Department of Agriculture. However, if he puts that part of his question on notice, I will follow up the matter.
This Government is committed to equality of opportunity for all citizens. It is committed to providing a better balance between metropolitan and non-metropolitan Western Australians, which means looking after the interests of people who live outside Perth. If the Leader of the National Party thinks that by focusing on the budget of just one government department he is telling the story about regional Western Australia, he needs some re-education. Much is happening in regional Western Australia that he obviously does not know about. I could refer the member to the Government’s commitments in the Kimberley, the Burrup Peninsula, the Gascoyne-Murchison area, the mid west, the goldfields, the south west or the great southern. The Government’s capital works commitments in those areas will significantly impact on jobs and opportunities for people in those regions. I cannot give the member a precise figure of the staffing allocation for the Department of Agriculture. However, if he puts that part of his question on notice, I will follow up the matter.
I cannot give the member a precise figure of the staffing allocation for the Department of Agriculture. However, if he puts that part of his question on notice, I will follow up the matter.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.