❓ Mrs. Harvey questions the Premier on utility charge relief for JobKeeper recipients ineligible for commonwealth concession cards. The Premier responds by outlining the state's financial constraints and broader relief measures, prioritising essential services and economic recovery.
AnsweredQoN 2Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
CORONAVIRUS —
UTILITY CHARGES — ALL GOVERNMENT SUPPORT
2. Mrs L.M. HARVEY to the Premier:
I have a supplementary question. Can the Premier clarify if
JobKeeper payment recipients will receive no relief from the government, given
that they are not eligible for a commonwealth concession card and, therefore,
not eligible for the energy assistance payment?
UTILITY CHARGES — ALL GOVERNMENT SUPPORT
2. Mrs L.M. HARVEY to the Premier:
I have a supplementary question. Can the Premier clarify if
JobKeeper payment recipients will receive no relief from the government, given
that they are not eligible for a commonwealth concession card and, therefore,
not eligible for the energy assistance payment?
AnswerView source ↗
A few weeks ago we announced a freezing of all fees and
charges—the household basket—for all households across Western
Australia. That was a $400 million package. Over the last few weeks, the
stimulus and relief measures we have put in place are somewhere in the vicinity
of $2.5 billion. Although the commonwealth announcements are gargantuan by
comparison, the state does not have the same financial capacity as the
commonwealth. We have tried to target our relief to ensure the capacity to
continue to fund our health, education and law and order services across the
state—we are going to need them—and to ensure the capacity to
get the economy out of where it is when this crisis lifts. It is important that
we conserve some resources to deal with getting the economy out of the problem
that we are currently confronting. I might add that today we announced an
addition $500 million for health services. The costs on health now are massive.
Dealing with people coming home from overseas and interstate, the additional
personal protective equipment and the winding down of elective surgery to free
up more hospital beds are big costs. Ensuring that we can afford all that is of
benefit to everyone across the community, householders and businesses alike.
charges—the household basket—for all households across Western
Australia. That was a $400 million package. Over the last few weeks, the
stimulus and relief measures we have put in place are somewhere in the vicinity
of $2.5 billion. Although the commonwealth announcements are gargantuan by
comparison, the state does not have the same financial capacity as the
commonwealth. We have tried to target our relief to ensure the capacity to
continue to fund our health, education and law and order services across the
state—we are going to need them—and to ensure the capacity to
get the economy out of where it is when this crisis lifts. It is important that
we conserve some resources to deal with getting the economy out of the problem
that we are currently confronting. I might add that today we announced an
addition $500 million for health services. The costs on health now are massive.
Dealing with people coming home from overseas and interstate, the additional
personal protective equipment and the winding down of elective surgery to free
up more hospital beds are big costs. Ensuring that we can afford all that is of
benefit to everyone across the community, householders and businesses alike.
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