❓ Debate over the WA government's decision to remove the Pilbara interconnected electricity grid project from Infrastructure Australia's consideration, with accusations of subsidising mining companies and shifting priorities to other projects like the Ord River expansion and Oakajee port.
AnsweredQoN 240Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
INFRASTRUCTURE AUSTRALIA — PILBARA INTERCONNECTED ELECTRICITY GRID
(1) Why did the Premier remove the Pilbara interconnected electricity grid from the state government’s list of projects for consideration by Infrastructure Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members to my right! Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : My question continues — (2) What advice did the Premier rely on to make the decision to delete this high-value project from Western Australia’s submission? (3) Has the commonwealth asked the government to comment on the private sector’s substitute submission for the project; and, if so, what was the government’s response? Mr C.J. BARNETT
(1) Why did the Premier remove the Pilbara interconnected electricity grid from the state government’s list of projects for consideration by Infrastructure Australia? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members to my right! Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : My question continues — (2) What advice did the Premier rely on to make the decision to delete this high-value project from Western Australia’s submission? (3) Has the commonwealth asked the government to comment on the private sector’s substitute submission for the project; and, if so, what was the government’s response? Mr C.J. BARNETT
AnswerView source ↗
(1)-(3) There was a change of government on 6 September, and a new government came in with its new priorities and policies. We simply did not continue with what the previous government had put forward. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : We know that; we’re asking you why. Mr C.J. BARNETT : And I am answering the question. The previous government put in a proposal for a Pilbara electricity grid and it has some merit; I do not deny that. However, why would we, as a state government, use state tax money and maybe federal tax money to basically subsidise the major iron ore producers in the Pilbara? Why would we do that, particularly when there are some lay-offs of workers? It is not quite the environment to do that. Therefore, we looked at that project and asked why we would support the development of a grid that would really become viable only if we went to rail electrification in the Pilbara. That is not about to happen because the companies are not interested in doing that—certainly not in an environment of falling iron ore prices and some job losses. We work well with BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto but we are not about to use taxpayers’ money to subsidise their operations. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, you do not think the government should build a transmission line in the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I do not believe that taxpayers should basically fund and support the infrastructure of the mining industry in the Pilbara. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, transmission lines can be built in the south west but not in the north west. Mr C.J. BARNETT : We are talking about the world’s two largest mining companies. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : It is not about subsidising them; you have completely wrongly characterised it. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Mostly people were completely wrong. We did not do that. What did we, as a new government, put forward to Infrastructure Australia as our three priorities? The first — Mr V.A. Catania : It is obviously not a priority for the people of Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, Mr Speaker — Mr E.S. Ripper : There is nothing for the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition, the member for Armadale has asked the question. I observe that the member for Armadale has some particular interest in what is being said. Your constant interruptions are not helping this process and I call the Leader of the Opposition formally for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Therefore, much as I admire the achievements of BHP and Rio Tinto, this government will not use taxpayers’ funds to subsidise their operations. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale and the Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : We looked at what were some of the projects in Western Australia that really mattered and what would be some of the projects that might not otherwise take place. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Our first priority was the long-overdue expansion of the Ord River irrigation scheme. The Minister for Regional Development has responsibility for that project and it is underway. Even before the commonwealth has finally confirmed its joint funding, machinery is on site; the project is underway, and recognised and praised around Australia. Our number two priority is to develop the Oakajee port. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Which the private sector was prepared to do! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members to my right! Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : My question continues — (2) What advice did the Premier rely on to make the decision to delete this high-value project from Western Australia’s submission? (3) Has the commonwealth asked the government to comment on the private sector’s substitute submission for the project; and, if so, what was the government’s response? Mr C.J. BARNETT replied: (1)-(3) There was a change of government on 6 September, and a new government came in with its new priorities and policies. We simply did not continue with what the previous government had put forward. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : We know that; we’re asking you why. Mr C.J. BARNETT : And I am answering the question. The previous government put in a proposal for a Pilbara electricity grid and it has some merit; I do not deny that. However, why would we, as a state government, use state tax money and maybe federal tax money to basically subsidise the major iron ore producers in the Pilbara? Why would we do that, particularly when there are some lay-offs of workers? It is not quite the environment to do that. Therefore, we looked at that project and asked why we would support the development of a grid that would really become viable only if we went to rail electrification in the Pilbara. That is not about to happen because the companies are not interested in doing that—certainly not in an environment of falling iron ore prices and some job losses. We work well with BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto but we are not about to use taxpayers’ money to subsidise their operations. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, you do not think the government should build a transmission line in the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I do not believe that taxpayers should basically fund and support the infrastructure of the mining industry in the Pilbara. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, transmission lines can be built in the south west but not in the north west. Mr C.J. BARNETT : We are talking about the world’s two largest mining companies. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : It is not about subsidising them; you have completely wrongly characterised it. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Mostly people were completely wrong. We did not do that. What did we, as a new government, put forward to Infrastructure Australia as our three priorities? The first — Mr V.A. Catania : It is obviously not a priority for the people of Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, Mr Speaker — Mr E.S. Ripper : There is nothing for the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition, the member for Armadale has asked the question. I observe that the member for Armadale has some particular interest in what is being said. Your constant interruptions are not helping this process and I call the Leader of the Opposition formally for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Therefore, much as I admire the achievements of BHP and Rio Tinto, this government will not use taxpayers’ funds to subsidise their operations. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale and the Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : We looked at what were some of the projects in Western Australia that really mattered and what would be some of the projects that might not otherwise take place. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Our first priority was the long-overdue expansion of the Ord River irrigation scheme. The Minister for Regional Development has responsibility for that project and it is underway. Even before the commonwealth has finally confirmed its joint funding, machinery is on site; the project is underway, and recognised and praised around Australia. Our number two priority is to develop the Oakajee port. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Which the private sector was prepared to do! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
The SPEAKER : Order, members to my right! Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : My question continues — (2) What advice did the Premier rely on to make the decision to delete this high-value project from Western Australia’s submission? (3) Has the commonwealth asked the government to comment on the private sector’s substitute submission for the project; and, if so, what was the government’s response? Mr C.J. BARNETT replied: (1)-(3) There was a change of government on 6 September, and a new government came in with its new priorities and policies. We simply did not continue with what the previous government had put forward. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : We know that; we’re asking you why. Mr C.J. BARNETT : And I am answering the question. The previous government put in a proposal for a Pilbara electricity grid and it has some merit; I do not deny that. However, why would we, as a state government, use state tax money and maybe federal tax money to basically subsidise the major iron ore producers in the Pilbara? Why would we do that, particularly when there are some lay-offs of workers? It is not quite the environment to do that. Therefore, we looked at that project and asked why we would support the development of a grid that would really become viable only if we went to rail electrification in the Pilbara. That is not about to happen because the companies are not interested in doing that—certainly not in an environment of falling iron ore prices and some job losses. We work well with BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto but we are not about to use taxpayers’ money to subsidise their operations. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, you do not think the government should build a transmission line in the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I do not believe that taxpayers should basically fund and support the infrastructure of the mining industry in the Pilbara. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, transmission lines can be built in the south west but not in the north west. Mr C.J. BARNETT : We are talking about the world’s two largest mining companies. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : It is not about subsidising them; you have completely wrongly characterised it. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Mostly people were completely wrong. We did not do that. What did we, as a new government, put forward to Infrastructure Australia as our three priorities? The first — Mr V.A. Catania : It is obviously not a priority for the people of Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, Mr Speaker — Mr E.S. Ripper : There is nothing for the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition, the member for Armadale has asked the question. I observe that the member for Armadale has some particular interest in what is being said. Your constant interruptions are not helping this process and I call the Leader of the Opposition formally for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Therefore, much as I admire the achievements of BHP and Rio Tinto, this government will not use taxpayers’ funds to subsidise their operations. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale and the Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : We looked at what were some of the projects in Western Australia that really mattered and what would be some of the projects that might not otherwise take place. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Our first priority was the long-overdue expansion of the Ord River irrigation scheme. The Minister for Regional Development has responsibility for that project and it is underway. Even before the commonwealth has finally confirmed its joint funding, machinery is on site; the project is underway, and recognised and praised around Australia. Our number two priority is to develop the Oakajee port. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Which the private sector was prepared to do! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : My question continues — (2) What advice did the Premier rely on to make the decision to delete this high-value project from Western Australia’s submission? (3) Has the commonwealth asked the government to comment on the private sector’s substitute submission for the project; and, if so, what was the government’s response? Mr C.J. BARNETT replied: (1)-(3) There was a change of government on 6 September, and a new government came in with its new priorities and policies. We simply did not continue with what the previous government had put forward. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : We know that; we’re asking you why. Mr C.J. BARNETT : And I am answering the question. The previous government put in a proposal for a Pilbara electricity grid and it has some merit; I do not deny that. However, why would we, as a state government, use state tax money and maybe federal tax money to basically subsidise the major iron ore producers in the Pilbara? Why would we do that, particularly when there are some lay-offs of workers? It is not quite the environment to do that. Therefore, we looked at that project and asked why we would support the development of a grid that would really become viable only if we went to rail electrification in the Pilbara. That is not about to happen because the companies are not interested in doing that—certainly not in an environment of falling iron ore prices and some job losses. We work well with BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto but we are not about to use taxpayers’ money to subsidise their operations. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, you do not think the government should build a transmission line in the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I do not believe that taxpayers should basically fund and support the infrastructure of the mining industry in the Pilbara. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, transmission lines can be built in the south west but not in the north west. Mr C.J. BARNETT : We are talking about the world’s two largest mining companies. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : It is not about subsidising them; you have completely wrongly characterised it. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Mostly people were completely wrong. We did not do that. What did we, as a new government, put forward to Infrastructure Australia as our three priorities? The first — Mr V.A. Catania : It is obviously not a priority for the people of Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, Mr Speaker — Mr E.S. Ripper : There is nothing for the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition, the member for Armadale has asked the question. I observe that the member for Armadale has some particular interest in what is being said. Your constant interruptions are not helping this process and I call the Leader of the Opposition formally for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Therefore, much as I admire the achievements of BHP and Rio Tinto, this government will not use taxpayers’ funds to subsidise their operations. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale and the Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : We looked at what were some of the projects in Western Australia that really mattered and what would be some of the projects that might not otherwise take place. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Our first priority was the long-overdue expansion of the Ord River irrigation scheme. The Minister for Regional Development has responsibility for that project and it is underway. Even before the commonwealth has finally confirmed its joint funding, machinery is on site; the project is underway, and recognised and praised around Australia. Our number two priority is to develop the Oakajee port. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Which the private sector was prepared to do! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
(2) What advice did the Premier rely on to make the decision to delete this high-value project from Western Australia’s submission? (3) Has the commonwealth asked the government to comment on the private sector’s substitute submission for the project; and, if so, what was the government’s response? Mr C.J. BARNETT replied: (1)-(3) There was a change of government on 6 September, and a new government came in with its new priorities and policies. We simply did not continue with what the previous government had put forward. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : We know that; we’re asking you why. Mr C.J. BARNETT : And I am answering the question. The previous government put in a proposal for a Pilbara electricity grid and it has some merit; I do not deny that. However, why would we, as a state government, use state tax money and maybe federal tax money to basically subsidise the major iron ore producers in the Pilbara? Why would we do that, particularly when there are some lay-offs of workers? It is not quite the environment to do that. Therefore, we looked at that project and asked why we would support the development of a grid that would really become viable only if we went to rail electrification in the Pilbara. That is not about to happen because the companies are not interested in doing that—certainly not in an environment of falling iron ore prices and some job losses. We work well with BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto but we are not about to use taxpayers’ money to subsidise their operations. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, you do not think the government should build a transmission line in the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I do not believe that taxpayers should basically fund and support the infrastructure of the mining industry in the Pilbara. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, transmission lines can be built in the south west but not in the north west. Mr C.J. BARNETT : We are talking about the world’s two largest mining companies. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : It is not about subsidising them; you have completely wrongly characterised it. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Mostly people were completely wrong. We did not do that. What did we, as a new government, put forward to Infrastructure Australia as our three priorities? The first — Mr V.A. Catania : It is obviously not a priority for the people of Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, Mr Speaker — Mr E.S. Ripper : There is nothing for the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition, the member for Armadale has asked the question. I observe that the member for Armadale has some particular interest in what is being said. Your constant interruptions are not helping this process and I call the Leader of the Opposition formally for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Therefore, much as I admire the achievements of BHP and Rio Tinto, this government will not use taxpayers’ funds to subsidise their operations. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale and the Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : We looked at what were some of the projects in Western Australia that really mattered and what would be some of the projects that might not otherwise take place. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Our first priority was the long-overdue expansion of the Ord River irrigation scheme. The Minister for Regional Development has responsibility for that project and it is underway. Even before the commonwealth has finally confirmed its joint funding, machinery is on site; the project is underway, and recognised and praised around Australia. Our number two priority is to develop the Oakajee port. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Which the private sector was prepared to do! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
(3) Has the commonwealth asked the government to comment on the private sector’s substitute submission for the project; and, if so, what was the government’s response? Mr C.J. BARNETT replied: (1)-(3) There was a change of government on 6 September, and a new government came in with its new priorities and policies. We simply did not continue with what the previous government had put forward. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : We know that; we’re asking you why. Mr C.J. BARNETT : And I am answering the question. The previous government put in a proposal for a Pilbara electricity grid and it has some merit; I do not deny that. However, why would we, as a state government, use state tax money and maybe federal tax money to basically subsidise the major iron ore producers in the Pilbara? Why would we do that, particularly when there are some lay-offs of workers? It is not quite the environment to do that. Therefore, we looked at that project and asked why we would support the development of a grid that would really become viable only if we went to rail electrification in the Pilbara. That is not about to happen because the companies are not interested in doing that—certainly not in an environment of falling iron ore prices and some job losses. We work well with BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto but we are not about to use taxpayers’ money to subsidise their operations. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, you do not think the government should build a transmission line in the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I do not believe that taxpayers should basically fund and support the infrastructure of the mining industry in the Pilbara. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, transmission lines can be built in the south west but not in the north west. Mr C.J. BARNETT : We are talking about the world’s two largest mining companies. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : It is not about subsidising them; you have completely wrongly characterised it. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Mostly people were completely wrong. We did not do that. What did we, as a new government, put forward to Infrastructure Australia as our three priorities? The first — Mr V.A. Catania : It is obviously not a priority for the people of Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, Mr Speaker — Mr E.S. Ripper : There is nothing for the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition, the member for Armadale has asked the question. I observe that the member for Armadale has some particular interest in what is being said. Your constant interruptions are not helping this process and I call the Leader of the Opposition formally for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Therefore, much as I admire the achievements of BHP and Rio Tinto, this government will not use taxpayers’ funds to subsidise their operations. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale and the Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : We looked at what were some of the projects in Western Australia that really mattered and what would be some of the projects that might not otherwise take place. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Our first priority was the long-overdue expansion of the Ord River irrigation scheme. The Minister for Regional Development has responsibility for that project and it is underway. Even before the commonwealth has finally confirmed its joint funding, machinery is on site; the project is underway, and recognised and praised around Australia. Our number two priority is to develop the Oakajee port. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Which the private sector was prepared to do! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
Mr C.J. BARNETT replied: (1)-(3) There was a change of government on 6 September, and a new government came in with its new priorities and policies. We simply did not continue with what the previous government had put forward. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : We know that; we’re asking you why. Mr C.J. BARNETT : And I am answering the question. The previous government put in a proposal for a Pilbara electricity grid and it has some merit; I do not deny that. However, why would we, as a state government, use state tax money and maybe federal tax money to basically subsidise the major iron ore producers in the Pilbara? Why would we do that, particularly when there are some lay-offs of workers? It is not quite the environment to do that. Therefore, we looked at that project and asked why we would support the development of a grid that would really become viable only if we went to rail electrification in the Pilbara. That is not about to happen because the companies are not interested in doing that—certainly not in an environment of falling iron ore prices and some job losses. We work well with BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto but we are not about to use taxpayers’ money to subsidise their operations. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, you do not think the government should build a transmission line in the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I do not believe that taxpayers should basically fund and support the infrastructure of the mining industry in the Pilbara. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, transmission lines can be built in the south west but not in the north west. Mr C.J. BARNETT : We are talking about the world’s two largest mining companies. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : It is not about subsidising them; you have completely wrongly characterised it. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Mostly people were completely wrong. We did not do that. What did we, as a new government, put forward to Infrastructure Australia as our three priorities? The first — Mr V.A. Catania : It is obviously not a priority for the people of Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, Mr Speaker — Mr E.S. Ripper : There is nothing for the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition, the member for Armadale has asked the question. I observe that the member for Armadale has some particular interest in what is being said. Your constant interruptions are not helping this process and I call the Leader of the Opposition formally for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Therefore, much as I admire the achievements of BHP and Rio Tinto, this government will not use taxpayers’ funds to subsidise their operations. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale and the Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : We looked at what were some of the projects in Western Australia that really mattered and what would be some of the projects that might not otherwise take place. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Our first priority was the long-overdue expansion of the Ord River irrigation scheme. The Minister for Regional Development has responsibility for that project and it is underway. Even before the commonwealth has finally confirmed its joint funding, machinery is on site; the project is underway, and recognised and praised around Australia. Our number two priority is to develop the Oakajee port. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Which the private sector was prepared to do! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
(1)-(3) There was a change of government on 6 September, and a new government came in with its new priorities and policies. We simply did not continue with what the previous government had put forward. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : We know that; we’re asking you why. Mr C.J. BARNETT : And I am answering the question. The previous government put in a proposal for a Pilbara electricity grid and it has some merit; I do not deny that. However, why would we, as a state government, use state tax money and maybe federal tax money to basically subsidise the major iron ore producers in the Pilbara? Why would we do that, particularly when there are some lay-offs of workers? It is not quite the environment to do that. Therefore, we looked at that project and asked why we would support the development of a grid that would really become viable only if we went to rail electrification in the Pilbara. That is not about to happen because the companies are not interested in doing that—certainly not in an environment of falling iron ore prices and some job losses. We work well with BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto but we are not about to use taxpayers’ money to subsidise their operations. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, you do not think the government should build a transmission line in the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I do not believe that taxpayers should basically fund and support the infrastructure of the mining industry in the Pilbara. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, transmission lines can be built in the south west but not in the north west. Mr C.J. BARNETT : We are talking about the world’s two largest mining companies. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : It is not about subsidising them; you have completely wrongly characterised it. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Mostly people were completely wrong. We did not do that. What did we, as a new government, put forward to Infrastructure Australia as our three priorities? The first — Mr V.A. Catania : It is obviously not a priority for the people of Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, Mr Speaker — Mr E.S. Ripper : There is nothing for the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition, the member for Armadale has asked the question. I observe that the member for Armadale has some particular interest in what is being said. Your constant interruptions are not helping this process and I call the Leader of the Opposition formally for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Therefore, much as I admire the achievements of BHP and Rio Tinto, this government will not use taxpayers’ funds to subsidise their operations. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale and the Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : We looked at what were some of the projects in Western Australia that really mattered and what would be some of the projects that might not otherwise take place. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Our first priority was the long-overdue expansion of the Ord River irrigation scheme. The Minister for Regional Development has responsibility for that project and it is underway. Even before the commonwealth has finally confirmed its joint funding, machinery is on site; the project is underway, and recognised and praised around Australia. Our number two priority is to develop the Oakajee port. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Which the private sector was prepared to do! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : We know that; we’re asking you why. Mr C.J. BARNETT : And I am answering the question. The previous government put in a proposal for a Pilbara electricity grid and it has some merit; I do not deny that. However, why would we, as a state government, use state tax money and maybe federal tax money to basically subsidise the major iron ore producers in the Pilbara? Why would we do that, particularly when there are some lay-offs of workers? It is not quite the environment to do that. Therefore, we looked at that project and asked why we would support the development of a grid that would really become viable only if we went to rail electrification in the Pilbara. That is not about to happen because the companies are not interested in doing that—certainly not in an environment of falling iron ore prices and some job losses. We work well with BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto but we are not about to use taxpayers’ money to subsidise their operations. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, you do not think the government should build a transmission line in the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I do not believe that taxpayers should basically fund and support the infrastructure of the mining industry in the Pilbara. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, transmission lines can be built in the south west but not in the north west. Mr C.J. BARNETT : We are talking about the world’s two largest mining companies. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : It is not about subsidising them; you have completely wrongly characterised it. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Mostly people were completely wrong. We did not do that. What did we, as a new government, put forward to Infrastructure Australia as our three priorities? The first — Mr V.A. Catania : It is obviously not a priority for the people of Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, Mr Speaker — Mr E.S. Ripper : There is nothing for the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition, the member for Armadale has asked the question. I observe that the member for Armadale has some particular interest in what is being said. Your constant interruptions are not helping this process and I call the Leader of the Opposition formally for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Therefore, much as I admire the achievements of BHP and Rio Tinto, this government will not use taxpayers’ funds to subsidise their operations. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale and the Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : We looked at what were some of the projects in Western Australia that really mattered and what would be some of the projects that might not otherwise take place. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Our first priority was the long-overdue expansion of the Ord River irrigation scheme. The Minister for Regional Development has responsibility for that project and it is underway. Even before the commonwealth has finally confirmed its joint funding, machinery is on site; the project is underway, and recognised and praised around Australia. Our number two priority is to develop the Oakajee port. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Which the private sector was prepared to do! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : And I am answering the question. The previous government put in a proposal for a Pilbara electricity grid and it has some merit; I do not deny that. However, why would we, as a state government, use state tax money and maybe federal tax money to basically subsidise the major iron ore producers in the Pilbara? Why would we do that, particularly when there are some lay-offs of workers? It is not quite the environment to do that. Therefore, we looked at that project and asked why we would support the development of a grid that would really become viable only if we went to rail electrification in the Pilbara. That is not about to happen because the companies are not interested in doing that—certainly not in an environment of falling iron ore prices and some job losses. We work well with BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto but we are not about to use taxpayers’ money to subsidise their operations. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, you do not think the government should build a transmission line in the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I do not believe that taxpayers should basically fund and support the infrastructure of the mining industry in the Pilbara. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, transmission lines can be built in the south west but not in the north west. Mr C.J. BARNETT : We are talking about the world’s two largest mining companies. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : It is not about subsidising them; you have completely wrongly characterised it. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Mostly people were completely wrong. We did not do that. What did we, as a new government, put forward to Infrastructure Australia as our three priorities? The first — Mr V.A. Catania : It is obviously not a priority for the people of Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, Mr Speaker — Mr E.S. Ripper : There is nothing for the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition, the member for Armadale has asked the question. I observe that the member for Armadale has some particular interest in what is being said. Your constant interruptions are not helping this process and I call the Leader of the Opposition formally for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Therefore, much as I admire the achievements of BHP and Rio Tinto, this government will not use taxpayers’ funds to subsidise their operations. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale and the Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : We looked at what were some of the projects in Western Australia that really mattered and what would be some of the projects that might not otherwise take place. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Our first priority was the long-overdue expansion of the Ord River irrigation scheme. The Minister for Regional Development has responsibility for that project and it is underway. Even before the commonwealth has finally confirmed its joint funding, machinery is on site; the project is underway, and recognised and praised around Australia. Our number two priority is to develop the Oakajee port. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Which the private sector was prepared to do! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
The previous government put in a proposal for a Pilbara electricity grid and it has some merit; I do not deny that. However, why would we, as a state government, use state tax money and maybe federal tax money to basically subsidise the major iron ore producers in the Pilbara? Why would we do that, particularly when there are some lay-offs of workers? It is not quite the environment to do that. Therefore, we looked at that project and asked why we would support the development of a grid that would really become viable only if we went to rail electrification in the Pilbara. That is not about to happen because the companies are not interested in doing that—certainly not in an environment of falling iron ore prices and some job losses. We work well with BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto but we are not about to use taxpayers’ money to subsidise their operations. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, you do not think the government should build a transmission line in the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I do not believe that taxpayers should basically fund and support the infrastructure of the mining industry in the Pilbara. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, transmission lines can be built in the south west but not in the north west. Mr C.J. BARNETT : We are talking about the world’s two largest mining companies. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : It is not about subsidising them; you have completely wrongly characterised it. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Mostly people were completely wrong. We did not do that. What did we, as a new government, put forward to Infrastructure Australia as our three priorities? The first — Mr V.A. Catania : It is obviously not a priority for the people of Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, Mr Speaker — Mr E.S. Ripper : There is nothing for the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition, the member for Armadale has asked the question. I observe that the member for Armadale has some particular interest in what is being said. Your constant interruptions are not helping this process and I call the Leader of the Opposition formally for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Therefore, much as I admire the achievements of BHP and Rio Tinto, this government will not use taxpayers’ funds to subsidise their operations. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale and the Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : We looked at what were some of the projects in Western Australia that really mattered and what would be some of the projects that might not otherwise take place. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Our first priority was the long-overdue expansion of the Ord River irrigation scheme. The Minister for Regional Development has responsibility for that project and it is underway. Even before the commonwealth has finally confirmed its joint funding, machinery is on site; the project is underway, and recognised and praised around Australia. Our number two priority is to develop the Oakajee port. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Which the private sector was prepared to do! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
Mr E.S. Ripper : So, you do not think the government should build a transmission line in the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I do not believe that taxpayers should basically fund and support the infrastructure of the mining industry in the Pilbara. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, transmission lines can be built in the south west but not in the north west. Mr C.J. BARNETT : We are talking about the world’s two largest mining companies. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : It is not about subsidising them; you have completely wrongly characterised it. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Mostly people were completely wrong. We did not do that. What did we, as a new government, put forward to Infrastructure Australia as our three priorities? The first — Mr V.A. Catania : It is obviously not a priority for the people of Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, Mr Speaker — Mr E.S. Ripper : There is nothing for the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition, the member for Armadale has asked the question. I observe that the member for Armadale has some particular interest in what is being said. Your constant interruptions are not helping this process and I call the Leader of the Opposition formally for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Therefore, much as I admire the achievements of BHP and Rio Tinto, this government will not use taxpayers’ funds to subsidise their operations. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale and the Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : We looked at what were some of the projects in Western Australia that really mattered and what would be some of the projects that might not otherwise take place. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Our first priority was the long-overdue expansion of the Ord River irrigation scheme. The Minister for Regional Development has responsibility for that project and it is underway. Even before the commonwealth has finally confirmed its joint funding, machinery is on site; the project is underway, and recognised and praised around Australia. Our number two priority is to develop the Oakajee port. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Which the private sector was prepared to do! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I do not believe that taxpayers should basically fund and support the infrastructure of the mining industry in the Pilbara. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, transmission lines can be built in the south west but not in the north west. Mr C.J. BARNETT : We are talking about the world’s two largest mining companies. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : It is not about subsidising them; you have completely wrongly characterised it. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Mostly people were completely wrong. We did not do that. What did we, as a new government, put forward to Infrastructure Australia as our three priorities? The first — Mr V.A. Catania : It is obviously not a priority for the people of Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, Mr Speaker — Mr E.S. Ripper : There is nothing for the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition, the member for Armadale has asked the question. I observe that the member for Armadale has some particular interest in what is being said. Your constant interruptions are not helping this process and I call the Leader of the Opposition formally for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Therefore, much as I admire the achievements of BHP and Rio Tinto, this government will not use taxpayers’ funds to subsidise their operations. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale and the Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : We looked at what were some of the projects in Western Australia that really mattered and what would be some of the projects that might not otherwise take place. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Our first priority was the long-overdue expansion of the Ord River irrigation scheme. The Minister for Regional Development has responsibility for that project and it is underway. Even before the commonwealth has finally confirmed its joint funding, machinery is on site; the project is underway, and recognised and praised around Australia. Our number two priority is to develop the Oakajee port. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Which the private sector was prepared to do! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : I do not believe that taxpayers should basically fund and support the infrastructure of the mining industry in the Pilbara. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, transmission lines can be built in the south west but not in the north west. Mr C.J. BARNETT : We are talking about the world’s two largest mining companies. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : It is not about subsidising them; you have completely wrongly characterised it. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Mostly people were completely wrong. We did not do that. What did we, as a new government, put forward to Infrastructure Australia as our three priorities? The first — Mr V.A. Catania : It is obviously not a priority for the people of Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, Mr Speaker — Mr E.S. Ripper : There is nothing for the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition, the member for Armadale has asked the question. I observe that the member for Armadale has some particular interest in what is being said. Your constant interruptions are not helping this process and I call the Leader of the Opposition formally for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Therefore, much as I admire the achievements of BHP and Rio Tinto, this government will not use taxpayers’ funds to subsidise their operations. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale and the Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : We looked at what were some of the projects in Western Australia that really mattered and what would be some of the projects that might not otherwise take place. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Our first priority was the long-overdue expansion of the Ord River irrigation scheme. The Minister for Regional Development has responsibility for that project and it is underway. Even before the commonwealth has finally confirmed its joint funding, machinery is on site; the project is underway, and recognised and praised around Australia. Our number two priority is to develop the Oakajee port. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Which the private sector was prepared to do! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
Mr E.S. Ripper : So, transmission lines can be built in the south west but not in the north west. Mr C.J. BARNETT : We are talking about the world’s two largest mining companies. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : It is not about subsidising them; you have completely wrongly characterised it. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Mostly people were completely wrong. We did not do that. What did we, as a new government, put forward to Infrastructure Australia as our three priorities? The first — Mr V.A. Catania : It is obviously not a priority for the people of Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, Mr Speaker — Mr E.S. Ripper : There is nothing for the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition, the member for Armadale has asked the question. I observe that the member for Armadale has some particular interest in what is being said. Your constant interruptions are not helping this process and I call the Leader of the Opposition formally for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Therefore, much as I admire the achievements of BHP and Rio Tinto, this government will not use taxpayers’ funds to subsidise their operations. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale and the Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : We looked at what were some of the projects in Western Australia that really mattered and what would be some of the projects that might not otherwise take place. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Our first priority was the long-overdue expansion of the Ord River irrigation scheme. The Minister for Regional Development has responsibility for that project and it is underway. Even before the commonwealth has finally confirmed its joint funding, machinery is on site; the project is underway, and recognised and praised around Australia. Our number two priority is to develop the Oakajee port. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Which the private sector was prepared to do! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : We are talking about the world’s two largest mining companies. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : It is not about subsidising them; you have completely wrongly characterised it. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Mostly people were completely wrong. We did not do that. What did we, as a new government, put forward to Infrastructure Australia as our three priorities? The first — Mr V.A. Catania : It is obviously not a priority for the people of Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, Mr Speaker — Mr E.S. Ripper : There is nothing for the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition, the member for Armadale has asked the question. I observe that the member for Armadale has some particular interest in what is being said. Your constant interruptions are not helping this process and I call the Leader of the Opposition formally for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Therefore, much as I admire the achievements of BHP and Rio Tinto, this government will not use taxpayers’ funds to subsidise their operations. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale and the Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : We looked at what were some of the projects in Western Australia that really mattered and what would be some of the projects that might not otherwise take place. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Our first priority was the long-overdue expansion of the Ord River irrigation scheme. The Minister for Regional Development has responsibility for that project and it is underway. Even before the commonwealth has finally confirmed its joint funding, machinery is on site; the project is underway, and recognised and praised around Australia. Our number two priority is to develop the Oakajee port. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Which the private sector was prepared to do! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : It is not about subsidising them; you have completely wrongly characterised it. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Mostly people were completely wrong. We did not do that. What did we, as a new government, put forward to Infrastructure Australia as our three priorities? The first — Mr V.A. Catania : It is obviously not a priority for the people of Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, Mr Speaker — Mr E.S. Ripper : There is nothing for the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition, the member for Armadale has asked the question. I observe that the member for Armadale has some particular interest in what is being said. Your constant interruptions are not helping this process and I call the Leader of the Opposition formally for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Therefore, much as I admire the achievements of BHP and Rio Tinto, this government will not use taxpayers’ funds to subsidise their operations. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale and the Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : We looked at what were some of the projects in Western Australia that really mattered and what would be some of the projects that might not otherwise take place. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Our first priority was the long-overdue expansion of the Ord River irrigation scheme. The Minister for Regional Development has responsibility for that project and it is underway. Even before the commonwealth has finally confirmed its joint funding, machinery is on site; the project is underway, and recognised and praised around Australia. Our number two priority is to develop the Oakajee port. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Which the private sector was prepared to do! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : Mostly people were completely wrong. We did not do that. What did we, as a new government, put forward to Infrastructure Australia as our three priorities? The first — Mr V.A. Catania : It is obviously not a priority for the people of Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, Mr Speaker — Mr E.S. Ripper : There is nothing for the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition, the member for Armadale has asked the question. I observe that the member for Armadale has some particular interest in what is being said. Your constant interruptions are not helping this process and I call the Leader of the Opposition formally for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Therefore, much as I admire the achievements of BHP and Rio Tinto, this government will not use taxpayers’ funds to subsidise their operations. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale and the Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : We looked at what were some of the projects in Western Australia that really mattered and what would be some of the projects that might not otherwise take place. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Our first priority was the long-overdue expansion of the Ord River irrigation scheme. The Minister for Regional Development has responsibility for that project and it is underway. Even before the commonwealth has finally confirmed its joint funding, machinery is on site; the project is underway, and recognised and praised around Australia. Our number two priority is to develop the Oakajee port. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Which the private sector was prepared to do! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
We did not do that. What did we, as a new government, put forward to Infrastructure Australia as our three priorities? The first — Mr V.A. Catania : It is obviously not a priority for the people of Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, Mr Speaker — Mr E.S. Ripper : There is nothing for the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition, the member for Armadale has asked the question. I observe that the member for Armadale has some particular interest in what is being said. Your constant interruptions are not helping this process and I call the Leader of the Opposition formally for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Therefore, much as I admire the achievements of BHP and Rio Tinto, this government will not use taxpayers’ funds to subsidise their operations. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale and the Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : We looked at what were some of the projects in Western Australia that really mattered and what would be some of the projects that might not otherwise take place. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Our first priority was the long-overdue expansion of the Ord River irrigation scheme. The Minister for Regional Development has responsibility for that project and it is underway. Even before the commonwealth has finally confirmed its joint funding, machinery is on site; the project is underway, and recognised and praised around Australia. Our number two priority is to develop the Oakajee port. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Which the private sector was prepared to do! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
Mr V.A. Catania : It is obviously not a priority for the people of Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, Mr Speaker — Mr E.S. Ripper : There is nothing for the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition, the member for Armadale has asked the question. I observe that the member for Armadale has some particular interest in what is being said. Your constant interruptions are not helping this process and I call the Leader of the Opposition formally for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Therefore, much as I admire the achievements of BHP and Rio Tinto, this government will not use taxpayers’ funds to subsidise their operations. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale and the Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : We looked at what were some of the projects in Western Australia that really mattered and what would be some of the projects that might not otherwise take place. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Our first priority was the long-overdue expansion of the Ord River irrigation scheme. The Minister for Regional Development has responsibility for that project and it is underway. Even before the commonwealth has finally confirmed its joint funding, machinery is on site; the project is underway, and recognised and praised around Australia. Our number two priority is to develop the Oakajee port. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Which the private sector was prepared to do! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, Mr Speaker — Mr E.S. Ripper : There is nothing for the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition, the member for Armadale has asked the question. I observe that the member for Armadale has some particular interest in what is being said. Your constant interruptions are not helping this process and I call the Leader of the Opposition formally for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Therefore, much as I admire the achievements of BHP and Rio Tinto, this government will not use taxpayers’ funds to subsidise their operations. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale and the Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : We looked at what were some of the projects in Western Australia that really mattered and what would be some of the projects that might not otherwise take place. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Our first priority was the long-overdue expansion of the Ord River irrigation scheme. The Minister for Regional Development has responsibility for that project and it is underway. Even before the commonwealth has finally confirmed its joint funding, machinery is on site; the project is underway, and recognised and praised around Australia. Our number two priority is to develop the Oakajee port. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Which the private sector was prepared to do! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, Mr Speaker — Mr E.S. Ripper : There is nothing for the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition, the member for Armadale has asked the question. I observe that the member for Armadale has some particular interest in what is being said. Your constant interruptions are not helping this process and I call the Leader of the Opposition formally for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Therefore, much as I admire the achievements of BHP and Rio Tinto, this government will not use taxpayers’ funds to subsidise their operations. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale and the Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : We looked at what were some of the projects in Western Australia that really mattered and what would be some of the projects that might not otherwise take place. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Our first priority was the long-overdue expansion of the Ord River irrigation scheme. The Minister for Regional Development has responsibility for that project and it is underway. Even before the commonwealth has finally confirmed its joint funding, machinery is on site; the project is underway, and recognised and praised around Australia. Our number two priority is to develop the Oakajee port. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Which the private sector was prepared to do! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
Mr E.S. Ripper : There is nothing for the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition, the member for Armadale has asked the question. I observe that the member for Armadale has some particular interest in what is being said. Your constant interruptions are not helping this process and I call the Leader of the Opposition formally for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Therefore, much as I admire the achievements of BHP and Rio Tinto, this government will not use taxpayers’ funds to subsidise their operations. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale and the Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : We looked at what were some of the projects in Western Australia that really mattered and what would be some of the projects that might not otherwise take place. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Our first priority was the long-overdue expansion of the Ord River irrigation scheme. The Minister for Regional Development has responsibility for that project and it is underway. Even before the commonwealth has finally confirmed its joint funding, machinery is on site; the project is underway, and recognised and praised around Australia. Our number two priority is to develop the Oakajee port. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Which the private sector was prepared to do! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition, the member for Armadale has asked the question. I observe that the member for Armadale has some particular interest in what is being said. Your constant interruptions are not helping this process and I call the Leader of the Opposition formally for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Therefore, much as I admire the achievements of BHP and Rio Tinto, this government will not use taxpayers’ funds to subsidise their operations. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale and the Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : We looked at what were some of the projects in Western Australia that really mattered and what would be some of the projects that might not otherwise take place. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Our first priority was the long-overdue expansion of the Ord River irrigation scheme. The Minister for Regional Development has responsibility for that project and it is underway. Even before the commonwealth has finally confirmed its joint funding, machinery is on site; the project is underway, and recognised and praised around Australia. Our number two priority is to develop the Oakajee port. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Which the private sector was prepared to do! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : Therefore, much as I admire the achievements of BHP and Rio Tinto, this government will not use taxpayers’ funds to subsidise their operations. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale and the Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : We looked at what were some of the projects in Western Australia that really mattered and what would be some of the projects that might not otherwise take place. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Our first priority was the long-overdue expansion of the Ord River irrigation scheme. The Minister for Regional Development has responsibility for that project and it is underway. Even before the commonwealth has finally confirmed its joint funding, machinery is on site; the project is underway, and recognised and praised around Australia. Our number two priority is to develop the Oakajee port. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Which the private sector was prepared to do! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale and the Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : We looked at what were some of the projects in Western Australia that really mattered and what would be some of the projects that might not otherwise take place. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Our first priority was the long-overdue expansion of the Ord River irrigation scheme. The Minister for Regional Development has responsibility for that project and it is underway. Even before the commonwealth has finally confirmed its joint funding, machinery is on site; the project is underway, and recognised and praised around Australia. Our number two priority is to develop the Oakajee port. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Which the private sector was prepared to do! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale and the Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : We looked at what were some of the projects in Western Australia that really mattered and what would be some of the projects that might not otherwise take place. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Our first priority was the long-overdue expansion of the Ord River irrigation scheme. The Minister for Regional Development has responsibility for that project and it is underway. Even before the commonwealth has finally confirmed its joint funding, machinery is on site; the project is underway, and recognised and praised around Australia. Our number two priority is to develop the Oakajee port. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Which the private sector was prepared to do! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : We looked at what were some of the projects in Western Australia that really mattered and what would be some of the projects that might not otherwise take place. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Our first priority was the long-overdue expansion of the Ord River irrigation scheme. The Minister for Regional Development has responsibility for that project and it is underway. Even before the commonwealth has finally confirmed its joint funding, machinery is on site; the project is underway, and recognised and praised around Australia. Our number two priority is to develop the Oakajee port. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Which the private sector was prepared to do! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Our first priority was the long-overdue expansion of the Ord River irrigation scheme. The Minister for Regional Development has responsibility for that project and it is underway. Even before the commonwealth has finally confirmed its joint funding, machinery is on site; the project is underway, and recognised and praised around Australia. Our number two priority is to develop the Oakajee port. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Which the private sector was prepared to do! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Our first priority was the long-overdue expansion of the Ord River irrigation scheme. The Minister for Regional Development has responsibility for that project and it is underway. Even before the commonwealth has finally confirmed its joint funding, machinery is on site; the project is underway, and recognised and praised around Australia. Our number two priority is to develop the Oakajee port. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Which the private sector was prepared to do! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : Our first priority was the long-overdue expansion of the Ord River irrigation scheme. The Minister for Regional Development has responsibility for that project and it is underway. Even before the commonwealth has finally confirmed its joint funding, machinery is on site; the project is underway, and recognised and praised around Australia. Our number two priority is to develop the Oakajee port. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Which the private sector was prepared to do! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Which the private sector was prepared to do! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members to my right! Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : My question continues — (2) What advice did the Premier rely on to make the decision to delete this high-value project from Western Australia’s submission? (3) Has the commonwealth asked the government to comment on the private sector’s substitute submission for the project; and, if so, what was the government’s response? Mr C.J. BARNETT replied: (1)-(3) There was a change of government on 6 September, and a new government came in with its new priorities and policies. We simply did not continue with what the previous government had put forward. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : We know that; we’re asking you why. Mr C.J. BARNETT : And I am answering the question. The previous government put in a proposal for a Pilbara electricity grid and it has some merit; I do not deny that. However, why would we, as a state government, use state tax money and maybe federal tax money to basically subsidise the major iron ore producers in the Pilbara? Why would we do that, particularly when there are some lay-offs of workers? It is not quite the environment to do that. Therefore, we looked at that project and asked why we would support the development of a grid that would really become viable only if we went to rail electrification in the Pilbara. That is not about to happen because the companies are not interested in doing that—certainly not in an environment of falling iron ore prices and some job losses. We work well with BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto but we are not about to use taxpayers’ money to subsidise their operations. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, you do not think the government should build a transmission line in the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I do not believe that taxpayers should basically fund and support the infrastructure of the mining industry in the Pilbara. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, transmission lines can be built in the south west but not in the north west. Mr C.J. BARNETT : We are talking about the world’s two largest mining companies. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : It is not about subsidising them; you have completely wrongly characterised it. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Mostly people were completely wrong. We did not do that. What did we, as a new government, put forward to Infrastructure Australia as our three priorities? The first — Mr V.A. Catania : It is obviously not a priority for the people of Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, Mr Speaker — Mr E.S. Ripper : There is nothing for the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition, the member for Armadale has asked the question. I observe that the member for Armadale has some particular interest in what is being said. Your constant interruptions are not helping this process and I call the Leader of the Opposition formally for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Therefore, much as I admire the achievements of BHP and Rio Tinto, this government will not use taxpayers’ funds to subsidise their operations. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale and the Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : We looked at what were some of the projects in Western Australia that really mattered and what would be some of the projects that might not otherwise take place. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Our first priority was the long-overdue expansion of the Ord River irrigation scheme. The Minister for Regional Development has responsibility for that project and it is underway. Even before the commonwealth has finally confirmed its joint funding, machinery is on site; the project is underway, and recognised and praised around Australia. Our number two priority is to develop the Oakajee port. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Which the private sector was prepared to do! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
The SPEAKER : Order, members to my right! Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : My question continues — (2) What advice did the Premier rely on to make the decision to delete this high-value project from Western Australia’s submission? (3) Has the commonwealth asked the government to comment on the private sector’s substitute submission for the project; and, if so, what was the government’s response? Mr C.J. BARNETT replied: (1)-(3) There was a change of government on 6 September, and a new government came in with its new priorities and policies. We simply did not continue with what the previous government had put forward. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : We know that; we’re asking you why. Mr C.J. BARNETT : And I am answering the question. The previous government put in a proposal for a Pilbara electricity grid and it has some merit; I do not deny that. However, why would we, as a state government, use state tax money and maybe federal tax money to basically subsidise the major iron ore producers in the Pilbara? Why would we do that, particularly when there are some lay-offs of workers? It is not quite the environment to do that. Therefore, we looked at that project and asked why we would support the development of a grid that would really become viable only if we went to rail electrification in the Pilbara. That is not about to happen because the companies are not interested in doing that—certainly not in an environment of falling iron ore prices and some job losses. We work well with BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto but we are not about to use taxpayers’ money to subsidise their operations. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, you do not think the government should build a transmission line in the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I do not believe that taxpayers should basically fund and support the infrastructure of the mining industry in the Pilbara. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, transmission lines can be built in the south west but not in the north west. Mr C.J. BARNETT : We are talking about the world’s two largest mining companies. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : It is not about subsidising them; you have completely wrongly characterised it. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Mostly people were completely wrong. We did not do that. What did we, as a new government, put forward to Infrastructure Australia as our three priorities? The first — Mr V.A. Catania : It is obviously not a priority for the people of Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, Mr Speaker — Mr E.S. Ripper : There is nothing for the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition, the member for Armadale has asked the question. I observe that the member for Armadale has some particular interest in what is being said. Your constant interruptions are not helping this process and I call the Leader of the Opposition formally for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Therefore, much as I admire the achievements of BHP and Rio Tinto, this government will not use taxpayers’ funds to subsidise their operations. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale and the Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : We looked at what were some of the projects in Western Australia that really mattered and what would be some of the projects that might not otherwise take place. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Our first priority was the long-overdue expansion of the Ord River irrigation scheme. The Minister for Regional Development has responsibility for that project and it is underway. Even before the commonwealth has finally confirmed its joint funding, machinery is on site; the project is underway, and recognised and praised around Australia. Our number two priority is to develop the Oakajee port. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Which the private sector was prepared to do! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : My question continues — (2) What advice did the Premier rely on to make the decision to delete this high-value project from Western Australia’s submission? (3) Has the commonwealth asked the government to comment on the private sector’s substitute submission for the project; and, if so, what was the government’s response? Mr C.J. BARNETT replied: (1)-(3) There was a change of government on 6 September, and a new government came in with its new priorities and policies. We simply did not continue with what the previous government had put forward. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : We know that; we’re asking you why. Mr C.J. BARNETT : And I am answering the question. The previous government put in a proposal for a Pilbara electricity grid and it has some merit; I do not deny that. However, why would we, as a state government, use state tax money and maybe federal tax money to basically subsidise the major iron ore producers in the Pilbara? Why would we do that, particularly when there are some lay-offs of workers? It is not quite the environment to do that. Therefore, we looked at that project and asked why we would support the development of a grid that would really become viable only if we went to rail electrification in the Pilbara. That is not about to happen because the companies are not interested in doing that—certainly not in an environment of falling iron ore prices and some job losses. We work well with BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto but we are not about to use taxpayers’ money to subsidise their operations. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, you do not think the government should build a transmission line in the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I do not believe that taxpayers should basically fund and support the infrastructure of the mining industry in the Pilbara. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, transmission lines can be built in the south west but not in the north west. Mr C.J. BARNETT : We are talking about the world’s two largest mining companies. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : It is not about subsidising them; you have completely wrongly characterised it. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Mostly people were completely wrong. We did not do that. What did we, as a new government, put forward to Infrastructure Australia as our three priorities? The first — Mr V.A. Catania : It is obviously not a priority for the people of Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, Mr Speaker — Mr E.S. Ripper : There is nothing for the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition, the member for Armadale has asked the question. I observe that the member for Armadale has some particular interest in what is being said. Your constant interruptions are not helping this process and I call the Leader of the Opposition formally for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Therefore, much as I admire the achievements of BHP and Rio Tinto, this government will not use taxpayers’ funds to subsidise their operations. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale and the Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : We looked at what were some of the projects in Western Australia that really mattered and what would be some of the projects that might not otherwise take place. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Our first priority was the long-overdue expansion of the Ord River irrigation scheme. The Minister for Regional Development has responsibility for that project and it is underway. Even before the commonwealth has finally confirmed its joint funding, machinery is on site; the project is underway, and recognised and praised around Australia. Our number two priority is to develop the Oakajee port. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Which the private sector was prepared to do! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
(2) What advice did the Premier rely on to make the decision to delete this high-value project from Western Australia’s submission? (3) Has the commonwealth asked the government to comment on the private sector’s substitute submission for the project; and, if so, what was the government’s response? Mr C.J. BARNETT replied: (1)-(3) There was a change of government on 6 September, and a new government came in with its new priorities and policies. We simply did not continue with what the previous government had put forward. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : We know that; we’re asking you why. Mr C.J. BARNETT : And I am answering the question. The previous government put in a proposal for a Pilbara electricity grid and it has some merit; I do not deny that. However, why would we, as a state government, use state tax money and maybe federal tax money to basically subsidise the major iron ore producers in the Pilbara? Why would we do that, particularly when there are some lay-offs of workers? It is not quite the environment to do that. Therefore, we looked at that project and asked why we would support the development of a grid that would really become viable only if we went to rail electrification in the Pilbara. That is not about to happen because the companies are not interested in doing that—certainly not in an environment of falling iron ore prices and some job losses. We work well with BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto but we are not about to use taxpayers’ money to subsidise their operations. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, you do not think the government should build a transmission line in the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I do not believe that taxpayers should basically fund and support the infrastructure of the mining industry in the Pilbara. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, transmission lines can be built in the south west but not in the north west. Mr C.J. BARNETT : We are talking about the world’s two largest mining companies. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : It is not about subsidising them; you have completely wrongly characterised it. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Mostly people were completely wrong. We did not do that. What did we, as a new government, put forward to Infrastructure Australia as our three priorities? The first — Mr V.A. Catania : It is obviously not a priority for the people of Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, Mr Speaker — Mr E.S. Ripper : There is nothing for the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition, the member for Armadale has asked the question. I observe that the member for Armadale has some particular interest in what is being said. Your constant interruptions are not helping this process and I call the Leader of the Opposition formally for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Therefore, much as I admire the achievements of BHP and Rio Tinto, this government will not use taxpayers’ funds to subsidise their operations. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale and the Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : We looked at what were some of the projects in Western Australia that really mattered and what would be some of the projects that might not otherwise take place. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Our first priority was the long-overdue expansion of the Ord River irrigation scheme. The Minister for Regional Development has responsibility for that project and it is underway. Even before the commonwealth has finally confirmed its joint funding, machinery is on site; the project is underway, and recognised and praised around Australia. Our number two priority is to develop the Oakajee port. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Which the private sector was prepared to do! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
(3) Has the commonwealth asked the government to comment on the private sector’s substitute submission for the project; and, if so, what was the government’s response? Mr C.J. BARNETT replied: (1)-(3) There was a change of government on 6 September, and a new government came in with its new priorities and policies. We simply did not continue with what the previous government had put forward. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : We know that; we’re asking you why. Mr C.J. BARNETT : And I am answering the question. The previous government put in a proposal for a Pilbara electricity grid and it has some merit; I do not deny that. However, why would we, as a state government, use state tax money and maybe federal tax money to basically subsidise the major iron ore producers in the Pilbara? Why would we do that, particularly when there are some lay-offs of workers? It is not quite the environment to do that. Therefore, we looked at that project and asked why we would support the development of a grid that would really become viable only if we went to rail electrification in the Pilbara. That is not about to happen because the companies are not interested in doing that—certainly not in an environment of falling iron ore prices and some job losses. We work well with BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto but we are not about to use taxpayers’ money to subsidise their operations. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, you do not think the government should build a transmission line in the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I do not believe that taxpayers should basically fund and support the infrastructure of the mining industry in the Pilbara. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, transmission lines can be built in the south west but not in the north west. Mr C.J. BARNETT : We are talking about the world’s two largest mining companies. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : It is not about subsidising them; you have completely wrongly characterised it. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Mostly people were completely wrong. We did not do that. What did we, as a new government, put forward to Infrastructure Australia as our three priorities? The first — Mr V.A. Catania : It is obviously not a priority for the people of Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, Mr Speaker — Mr E.S. Ripper : There is nothing for the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition, the member for Armadale has asked the question. I observe that the member for Armadale has some particular interest in what is being said. Your constant interruptions are not helping this process and I call the Leader of the Opposition formally for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Therefore, much as I admire the achievements of BHP and Rio Tinto, this government will not use taxpayers’ funds to subsidise their operations. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale and the Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : We looked at what were some of the projects in Western Australia that really mattered and what would be some of the projects that might not otherwise take place. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Our first priority was the long-overdue expansion of the Ord River irrigation scheme. The Minister for Regional Development has responsibility for that project and it is underway. Even before the commonwealth has finally confirmed its joint funding, machinery is on site; the project is underway, and recognised and praised around Australia. Our number two priority is to develop the Oakajee port. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Which the private sector was prepared to do! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
Mr C.J. BARNETT replied: (1)-(3) There was a change of government on 6 September, and a new government came in with its new priorities and policies. We simply did not continue with what the previous government had put forward. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : We know that; we’re asking you why. Mr C.J. BARNETT : And I am answering the question. The previous government put in a proposal for a Pilbara electricity grid and it has some merit; I do not deny that. However, why would we, as a state government, use state tax money and maybe federal tax money to basically subsidise the major iron ore producers in the Pilbara? Why would we do that, particularly when there are some lay-offs of workers? It is not quite the environment to do that. Therefore, we looked at that project and asked why we would support the development of a grid that would really become viable only if we went to rail electrification in the Pilbara. That is not about to happen because the companies are not interested in doing that—certainly not in an environment of falling iron ore prices and some job losses. We work well with BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto but we are not about to use taxpayers’ money to subsidise their operations. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, you do not think the government should build a transmission line in the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I do not believe that taxpayers should basically fund and support the infrastructure of the mining industry in the Pilbara. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, transmission lines can be built in the south west but not in the north west. Mr C.J. BARNETT : We are talking about the world’s two largest mining companies. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : It is not about subsidising them; you have completely wrongly characterised it. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Mostly people were completely wrong. We did not do that. What did we, as a new government, put forward to Infrastructure Australia as our three priorities? The first — Mr V.A. Catania : It is obviously not a priority for the people of Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, Mr Speaker — Mr E.S. Ripper : There is nothing for the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition, the member for Armadale has asked the question. I observe that the member for Armadale has some particular interest in what is being said. Your constant interruptions are not helping this process and I call the Leader of the Opposition formally for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Therefore, much as I admire the achievements of BHP and Rio Tinto, this government will not use taxpayers’ funds to subsidise their operations. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale and the Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : We looked at what were some of the projects in Western Australia that really mattered and what would be some of the projects that might not otherwise take place. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Our first priority was the long-overdue expansion of the Ord River irrigation scheme. The Minister for Regional Development has responsibility for that project and it is underway. Even before the commonwealth has finally confirmed its joint funding, machinery is on site; the project is underway, and recognised and praised around Australia. Our number two priority is to develop the Oakajee port. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Which the private sector was prepared to do! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
(1)-(3) There was a change of government on 6 September, and a new government came in with its new priorities and policies. We simply did not continue with what the previous government had put forward. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : We know that; we’re asking you why. Mr C.J. BARNETT : And I am answering the question. The previous government put in a proposal for a Pilbara electricity grid and it has some merit; I do not deny that. However, why would we, as a state government, use state tax money and maybe federal tax money to basically subsidise the major iron ore producers in the Pilbara? Why would we do that, particularly when there are some lay-offs of workers? It is not quite the environment to do that. Therefore, we looked at that project and asked why we would support the development of a grid that would really become viable only if we went to rail electrification in the Pilbara. That is not about to happen because the companies are not interested in doing that—certainly not in an environment of falling iron ore prices and some job losses. We work well with BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto but we are not about to use taxpayers’ money to subsidise their operations. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, you do not think the government should build a transmission line in the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I do not believe that taxpayers should basically fund and support the infrastructure of the mining industry in the Pilbara. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, transmission lines can be built in the south west but not in the north west. Mr C.J. BARNETT : We are talking about the world’s two largest mining companies. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : It is not about subsidising them; you have completely wrongly characterised it. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Mostly people were completely wrong. We did not do that. What did we, as a new government, put forward to Infrastructure Australia as our three priorities? The first — Mr V.A. Catania : It is obviously not a priority for the people of Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, Mr Speaker — Mr E.S. Ripper : There is nothing for the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition, the member for Armadale has asked the question. I observe that the member for Armadale has some particular interest in what is being said. Your constant interruptions are not helping this process and I call the Leader of the Opposition formally for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Therefore, much as I admire the achievements of BHP and Rio Tinto, this government will not use taxpayers’ funds to subsidise their operations. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale and the Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : We looked at what were some of the projects in Western Australia that really mattered and what would be some of the projects that might not otherwise take place. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Our first priority was the long-overdue expansion of the Ord River irrigation scheme. The Minister for Regional Development has responsibility for that project and it is underway. Even before the commonwealth has finally confirmed its joint funding, machinery is on site; the project is underway, and recognised and praised around Australia. Our number two priority is to develop the Oakajee port. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Which the private sector was prepared to do! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : We know that; we’re asking you why. Mr C.J. BARNETT : And I am answering the question. The previous government put in a proposal for a Pilbara electricity grid and it has some merit; I do not deny that. However, why would we, as a state government, use state tax money and maybe federal tax money to basically subsidise the major iron ore producers in the Pilbara? Why would we do that, particularly when there are some lay-offs of workers? It is not quite the environment to do that. Therefore, we looked at that project and asked why we would support the development of a grid that would really become viable only if we went to rail electrification in the Pilbara. That is not about to happen because the companies are not interested in doing that—certainly not in an environment of falling iron ore prices and some job losses. We work well with BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto but we are not about to use taxpayers’ money to subsidise their operations. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, you do not think the government should build a transmission line in the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I do not believe that taxpayers should basically fund and support the infrastructure of the mining industry in the Pilbara. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, transmission lines can be built in the south west but not in the north west. Mr C.J. BARNETT : We are talking about the world’s two largest mining companies. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : It is not about subsidising them; you have completely wrongly characterised it. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Mostly people were completely wrong. We did not do that. What did we, as a new government, put forward to Infrastructure Australia as our three priorities? The first — Mr V.A. Catania : It is obviously not a priority for the people of Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, Mr Speaker — Mr E.S. Ripper : There is nothing for the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition, the member for Armadale has asked the question. I observe that the member for Armadale has some particular interest in what is being said. Your constant interruptions are not helping this process and I call the Leader of the Opposition formally for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Therefore, much as I admire the achievements of BHP and Rio Tinto, this government will not use taxpayers’ funds to subsidise their operations. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale and the Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : We looked at what were some of the projects in Western Australia that really mattered and what would be some of the projects that might not otherwise take place. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Our first priority was the long-overdue expansion of the Ord River irrigation scheme. The Minister for Regional Development has responsibility for that project and it is underway. Even before the commonwealth has finally confirmed its joint funding, machinery is on site; the project is underway, and recognised and praised around Australia. Our number two priority is to develop the Oakajee port. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Which the private sector was prepared to do! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : And I am answering the question. The previous government put in a proposal for a Pilbara electricity grid and it has some merit; I do not deny that. However, why would we, as a state government, use state tax money and maybe federal tax money to basically subsidise the major iron ore producers in the Pilbara? Why would we do that, particularly when there are some lay-offs of workers? It is not quite the environment to do that. Therefore, we looked at that project and asked why we would support the development of a grid that would really become viable only if we went to rail electrification in the Pilbara. That is not about to happen because the companies are not interested in doing that—certainly not in an environment of falling iron ore prices and some job losses. We work well with BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto but we are not about to use taxpayers’ money to subsidise their operations. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, you do not think the government should build a transmission line in the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I do not believe that taxpayers should basically fund and support the infrastructure of the mining industry in the Pilbara. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, transmission lines can be built in the south west but not in the north west. Mr C.J. BARNETT : We are talking about the world’s two largest mining companies. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : It is not about subsidising them; you have completely wrongly characterised it. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Mostly people were completely wrong. We did not do that. What did we, as a new government, put forward to Infrastructure Australia as our three priorities? The first — Mr V.A. Catania : It is obviously not a priority for the people of Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, Mr Speaker — Mr E.S. Ripper : There is nothing for the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition, the member for Armadale has asked the question. I observe that the member for Armadale has some particular interest in what is being said. Your constant interruptions are not helping this process and I call the Leader of the Opposition formally for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Therefore, much as I admire the achievements of BHP and Rio Tinto, this government will not use taxpayers’ funds to subsidise their operations. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale and the Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : We looked at what were some of the projects in Western Australia that really mattered and what would be some of the projects that might not otherwise take place. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Our first priority was the long-overdue expansion of the Ord River irrigation scheme. The Minister for Regional Development has responsibility for that project and it is underway. Even before the commonwealth has finally confirmed its joint funding, machinery is on site; the project is underway, and recognised and praised around Australia. Our number two priority is to develop the Oakajee port. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Which the private sector was prepared to do! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
The previous government put in a proposal for a Pilbara electricity grid and it has some merit; I do not deny that. However, why would we, as a state government, use state tax money and maybe federal tax money to basically subsidise the major iron ore producers in the Pilbara? Why would we do that, particularly when there are some lay-offs of workers? It is not quite the environment to do that. Therefore, we looked at that project and asked why we would support the development of a grid that would really become viable only if we went to rail electrification in the Pilbara. That is not about to happen because the companies are not interested in doing that—certainly not in an environment of falling iron ore prices and some job losses. We work well with BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto but we are not about to use taxpayers’ money to subsidise their operations. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, you do not think the government should build a transmission line in the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I do not believe that taxpayers should basically fund and support the infrastructure of the mining industry in the Pilbara. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, transmission lines can be built in the south west but not in the north west. Mr C.J. BARNETT : We are talking about the world’s two largest mining companies. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : It is not about subsidising them; you have completely wrongly characterised it. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Mostly people were completely wrong. We did not do that. What did we, as a new government, put forward to Infrastructure Australia as our three priorities? The first — Mr V.A. Catania : It is obviously not a priority for the people of Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, Mr Speaker — Mr E.S. Ripper : There is nothing for the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition, the member for Armadale has asked the question. I observe that the member for Armadale has some particular interest in what is being said. Your constant interruptions are not helping this process and I call the Leader of the Opposition formally for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Therefore, much as I admire the achievements of BHP and Rio Tinto, this government will not use taxpayers’ funds to subsidise their operations. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale and the Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : We looked at what were some of the projects in Western Australia that really mattered and what would be some of the projects that might not otherwise take place. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Our first priority was the long-overdue expansion of the Ord River irrigation scheme. The Minister for Regional Development has responsibility for that project and it is underway. Even before the commonwealth has finally confirmed its joint funding, machinery is on site; the project is underway, and recognised and praised around Australia. Our number two priority is to develop the Oakajee port. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Which the private sector was prepared to do! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
Mr E.S. Ripper : So, you do not think the government should build a transmission line in the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I do not believe that taxpayers should basically fund and support the infrastructure of the mining industry in the Pilbara. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, transmission lines can be built in the south west but not in the north west. Mr C.J. BARNETT : We are talking about the world’s two largest mining companies. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : It is not about subsidising them; you have completely wrongly characterised it. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Mostly people were completely wrong. We did not do that. What did we, as a new government, put forward to Infrastructure Australia as our three priorities? The first — Mr V.A. Catania : It is obviously not a priority for the people of Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, Mr Speaker — Mr E.S. Ripper : There is nothing for the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition, the member for Armadale has asked the question. I observe that the member for Armadale has some particular interest in what is being said. Your constant interruptions are not helping this process and I call the Leader of the Opposition formally for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Therefore, much as I admire the achievements of BHP and Rio Tinto, this government will not use taxpayers’ funds to subsidise their operations. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale and the Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : We looked at what were some of the projects in Western Australia that really mattered and what would be some of the projects that might not otherwise take place. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Our first priority was the long-overdue expansion of the Ord River irrigation scheme. The Minister for Regional Development has responsibility for that project and it is underway. Even before the commonwealth has finally confirmed its joint funding, machinery is on site; the project is underway, and recognised and praised around Australia. Our number two priority is to develop the Oakajee port. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Which the private sector was prepared to do! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I do not believe that taxpayers should basically fund and support the infrastructure of the mining industry in the Pilbara. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, transmission lines can be built in the south west but not in the north west. Mr C.J. BARNETT : We are talking about the world’s two largest mining companies. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : It is not about subsidising them; you have completely wrongly characterised it. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Mostly people were completely wrong. We did not do that. What did we, as a new government, put forward to Infrastructure Australia as our three priorities? The first — Mr V.A. Catania : It is obviously not a priority for the people of Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, Mr Speaker — Mr E.S. Ripper : There is nothing for the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition, the member for Armadale has asked the question. I observe that the member for Armadale has some particular interest in what is being said. Your constant interruptions are not helping this process and I call the Leader of the Opposition formally for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Therefore, much as I admire the achievements of BHP and Rio Tinto, this government will not use taxpayers’ funds to subsidise their operations. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale and the Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : We looked at what were some of the projects in Western Australia that really mattered and what would be some of the projects that might not otherwise take place. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Our first priority was the long-overdue expansion of the Ord River irrigation scheme. The Minister for Regional Development has responsibility for that project and it is underway. Even before the commonwealth has finally confirmed its joint funding, machinery is on site; the project is underway, and recognised and praised around Australia. Our number two priority is to develop the Oakajee port. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Which the private sector was prepared to do! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : I do not believe that taxpayers should basically fund and support the infrastructure of the mining industry in the Pilbara. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, transmission lines can be built in the south west but not in the north west. Mr C.J. BARNETT : We are talking about the world’s two largest mining companies. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : It is not about subsidising them; you have completely wrongly characterised it. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Mostly people were completely wrong. We did not do that. What did we, as a new government, put forward to Infrastructure Australia as our three priorities? The first — Mr V.A. Catania : It is obviously not a priority for the people of Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, Mr Speaker — Mr E.S. Ripper : There is nothing for the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition, the member for Armadale has asked the question. I observe that the member for Armadale has some particular interest in what is being said. Your constant interruptions are not helping this process and I call the Leader of the Opposition formally for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Therefore, much as I admire the achievements of BHP and Rio Tinto, this government will not use taxpayers’ funds to subsidise their operations. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale and the Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : We looked at what were some of the projects in Western Australia that really mattered and what would be some of the projects that might not otherwise take place. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Our first priority was the long-overdue expansion of the Ord River irrigation scheme. The Minister for Regional Development has responsibility for that project and it is underway. Even before the commonwealth has finally confirmed its joint funding, machinery is on site; the project is underway, and recognised and praised around Australia. Our number two priority is to develop the Oakajee port. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Which the private sector was prepared to do! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
Mr E.S. Ripper : So, transmission lines can be built in the south west but not in the north west. Mr C.J. BARNETT : We are talking about the world’s two largest mining companies. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : It is not about subsidising them; you have completely wrongly characterised it. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Mostly people were completely wrong. We did not do that. What did we, as a new government, put forward to Infrastructure Australia as our three priorities? The first — Mr V.A. Catania : It is obviously not a priority for the people of Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, Mr Speaker — Mr E.S. Ripper : There is nothing for the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition, the member for Armadale has asked the question. I observe that the member for Armadale has some particular interest in what is being said. Your constant interruptions are not helping this process and I call the Leader of the Opposition formally for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Therefore, much as I admire the achievements of BHP and Rio Tinto, this government will not use taxpayers’ funds to subsidise their operations. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale and the Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : We looked at what were some of the projects in Western Australia that really mattered and what would be some of the projects that might not otherwise take place. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Our first priority was the long-overdue expansion of the Ord River irrigation scheme. The Minister for Regional Development has responsibility for that project and it is underway. Even before the commonwealth has finally confirmed its joint funding, machinery is on site; the project is underway, and recognised and praised around Australia. Our number two priority is to develop the Oakajee port. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Which the private sector was prepared to do! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : We are talking about the world’s two largest mining companies. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : It is not about subsidising them; you have completely wrongly characterised it. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Mostly people were completely wrong. We did not do that. What did we, as a new government, put forward to Infrastructure Australia as our three priorities? The first — Mr V.A. Catania : It is obviously not a priority for the people of Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, Mr Speaker — Mr E.S. Ripper : There is nothing for the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition, the member for Armadale has asked the question. I observe that the member for Armadale has some particular interest in what is being said. Your constant interruptions are not helping this process and I call the Leader of the Opposition formally for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Therefore, much as I admire the achievements of BHP and Rio Tinto, this government will not use taxpayers’ funds to subsidise their operations. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale and the Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : We looked at what were some of the projects in Western Australia that really mattered and what would be some of the projects that might not otherwise take place. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Our first priority was the long-overdue expansion of the Ord River irrigation scheme. The Minister for Regional Development has responsibility for that project and it is underway. Even before the commonwealth has finally confirmed its joint funding, machinery is on site; the project is underway, and recognised and praised around Australia. Our number two priority is to develop the Oakajee port. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Which the private sector was prepared to do! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : It is not about subsidising them; you have completely wrongly characterised it. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Mostly people were completely wrong. We did not do that. What did we, as a new government, put forward to Infrastructure Australia as our three priorities? The first — Mr V.A. Catania : It is obviously not a priority for the people of Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, Mr Speaker — Mr E.S. Ripper : There is nothing for the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition, the member for Armadale has asked the question. I observe that the member for Armadale has some particular interest in what is being said. Your constant interruptions are not helping this process and I call the Leader of the Opposition formally for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Therefore, much as I admire the achievements of BHP and Rio Tinto, this government will not use taxpayers’ funds to subsidise their operations. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale and the Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : We looked at what were some of the projects in Western Australia that really mattered and what would be some of the projects that might not otherwise take place. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Our first priority was the long-overdue expansion of the Ord River irrigation scheme. The Minister for Regional Development has responsibility for that project and it is underway. Even before the commonwealth has finally confirmed its joint funding, machinery is on site; the project is underway, and recognised and praised around Australia. Our number two priority is to develop the Oakajee port. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Which the private sector was prepared to do! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : Mostly people were completely wrong. We did not do that. What did we, as a new government, put forward to Infrastructure Australia as our three priorities? The first — Mr V.A. Catania : It is obviously not a priority for the people of Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, Mr Speaker — Mr E.S. Ripper : There is nothing for the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition, the member for Armadale has asked the question. I observe that the member for Armadale has some particular interest in what is being said. Your constant interruptions are not helping this process and I call the Leader of the Opposition formally for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Therefore, much as I admire the achievements of BHP and Rio Tinto, this government will not use taxpayers’ funds to subsidise their operations. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale and the Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : We looked at what were some of the projects in Western Australia that really mattered and what would be some of the projects that might not otherwise take place. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Our first priority was the long-overdue expansion of the Ord River irrigation scheme. The Minister for Regional Development has responsibility for that project and it is underway. Even before the commonwealth has finally confirmed its joint funding, machinery is on site; the project is underway, and recognised and praised around Australia. Our number two priority is to develop the Oakajee port. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Which the private sector was prepared to do! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
We did not do that. What did we, as a new government, put forward to Infrastructure Australia as our three priorities? The first — Mr V.A. Catania : It is obviously not a priority for the people of Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, Mr Speaker — Mr E.S. Ripper : There is nothing for the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition, the member for Armadale has asked the question. I observe that the member for Armadale has some particular interest in what is being said. Your constant interruptions are not helping this process and I call the Leader of the Opposition formally for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Therefore, much as I admire the achievements of BHP and Rio Tinto, this government will not use taxpayers’ funds to subsidise their operations. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale and the Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : We looked at what were some of the projects in Western Australia that really mattered and what would be some of the projects that might not otherwise take place. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Our first priority was the long-overdue expansion of the Ord River irrigation scheme. The Minister for Regional Development has responsibility for that project and it is underway. Even before the commonwealth has finally confirmed its joint funding, machinery is on site; the project is underway, and recognised and praised around Australia. Our number two priority is to develop the Oakajee port. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Which the private sector was prepared to do! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
Mr V.A. Catania : It is obviously not a priority for the people of Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, Mr Speaker — Mr E.S. Ripper : There is nothing for the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition, the member for Armadale has asked the question. I observe that the member for Armadale has some particular interest in what is being said. Your constant interruptions are not helping this process and I call the Leader of the Opposition formally for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Therefore, much as I admire the achievements of BHP and Rio Tinto, this government will not use taxpayers’ funds to subsidise their operations. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale and the Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : We looked at what were some of the projects in Western Australia that really mattered and what would be some of the projects that might not otherwise take place. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Our first priority was the long-overdue expansion of the Ord River irrigation scheme. The Minister for Regional Development has responsibility for that project and it is underway. Even before the commonwealth has finally confirmed its joint funding, machinery is on site; the project is underway, and recognised and praised around Australia. Our number two priority is to develop the Oakajee port. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Which the private sector was prepared to do! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, Mr Speaker — Mr E.S. Ripper : There is nothing for the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition, the member for Armadale has asked the question. I observe that the member for Armadale has some particular interest in what is being said. Your constant interruptions are not helping this process and I call the Leader of the Opposition formally for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Therefore, much as I admire the achievements of BHP and Rio Tinto, this government will not use taxpayers’ funds to subsidise their operations. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale and the Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : We looked at what were some of the projects in Western Australia that really mattered and what would be some of the projects that might not otherwise take place. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Our first priority was the long-overdue expansion of the Ord River irrigation scheme. The Minister for Regional Development has responsibility for that project and it is underway. Even before the commonwealth has finally confirmed its joint funding, machinery is on site; the project is underway, and recognised and praised around Australia. Our number two priority is to develop the Oakajee port. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Which the private sector was prepared to do! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, Mr Speaker — Mr E.S. Ripper : There is nothing for the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition, the member for Armadale has asked the question. I observe that the member for Armadale has some particular interest in what is being said. Your constant interruptions are not helping this process and I call the Leader of the Opposition formally for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Therefore, much as I admire the achievements of BHP and Rio Tinto, this government will not use taxpayers’ funds to subsidise their operations. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale and the Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : We looked at what were some of the projects in Western Australia that really mattered and what would be some of the projects that might not otherwise take place. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Our first priority was the long-overdue expansion of the Ord River irrigation scheme. The Minister for Regional Development has responsibility for that project and it is underway. Even before the commonwealth has finally confirmed its joint funding, machinery is on site; the project is underway, and recognised and praised around Australia. Our number two priority is to develop the Oakajee port. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Which the private sector was prepared to do! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
Mr E.S. Ripper : There is nothing for the Pilbara. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition, the member for Armadale has asked the question. I observe that the member for Armadale has some particular interest in what is being said. Your constant interruptions are not helping this process and I call the Leader of the Opposition formally for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Therefore, much as I admire the achievements of BHP and Rio Tinto, this government will not use taxpayers’ funds to subsidise their operations. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale and the Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : We looked at what were some of the projects in Western Australia that really mattered and what would be some of the projects that might not otherwise take place. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Our first priority was the long-overdue expansion of the Ord River irrigation scheme. The Minister for Regional Development has responsibility for that project and it is underway. Even before the commonwealth has finally confirmed its joint funding, machinery is on site; the project is underway, and recognised and praised around Australia. Our number two priority is to develop the Oakajee port. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Which the private sector was prepared to do! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition, the member for Armadale has asked the question. I observe that the member for Armadale has some particular interest in what is being said. Your constant interruptions are not helping this process and I call the Leader of the Opposition formally for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Therefore, much as I admire the achievements of BHP and Rio Tinto, this government will not use taxpayers’ funds to subsidise their operations. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale and the Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : We looked at what were some of the projects in Western Australia that really mattered and what would be some of the projects that might not otherwise take place. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Our first priority was the long-overdue expansion of the Ord River irrigation scheme. The Minister for Regional Development has responsibility for that project and it is underway. Even before the commonwealth has finally confirmed its joint funding, machinery is on site; the project is underway, and recognised and praised around Australia. Our number two priority is to develop the Oakajee port. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Which the private sector was prepared to do! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : Therefore, much as I admire the achievements of BHP and Rio Tinto, this government will not use taxpayers’ funds to subsidise their operations. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale and the Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : We looked at what were some of the projects in Western Australia that really mattered and what would be some of the projects that might not otherwise take place. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Our first priority was the long-overdue expansion of the Ord River irrigation scheme. The Minister for Regional Development has responsibility for that project and it is underway. Even before the commonwealth has finally confirmed its joint funding, machinery is on site; the project is underway, and recognised and praised around Australia. Our number two priority is to develop the Oakajee port. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Which the private sector was prepared to do! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale and the Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : We looked at what were some of the projects in Western Australia that really mattered and what would be some of the projects that might not otherwise take place. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Our first priority was the long-overdue expansion of the Ord River irrigation scheme. The Minister for Regional Development has responsibility for that project and it is underway. Even before the commonwealth has finally confirmed its joint funding, machinery is on site; the project is underway, and recognised and praised around Australia. Our number two priority is to develop the Oakajee port. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Which the private sector was prepared to do! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale and the Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : We looked at what were some of the projects in Western Australia that really mattered and what would be some of the projects that might not otherwise take place. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Our first priority was the long-overdue expansion of the Ord River irrigation scheme. The Minister for Regional Development has responsibility for that project and it is underway. Even before the commonwealth has finally confirmed its joint funding, machinery is on site; the project is underway, and recognised and praised around Australia. Our number two priority is to develop the Oakajee port. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Which the private sector was prepared to do! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : We looked at what were some of the projects in Western Australia that really mattered and what would be some of the projects that might not otherwise take place. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Our first priority was the long-overdue expansion of the Ord River irrigation scheme. The Minister for Regional Development has responsibility for that project and it is underway. Even before the commonwealth has finally confirmed its joint funding, machinery is on site; the project is underway, and recognised and praised around Australia. Our number two priority is to develop the Oakajee port. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Which the private sector was prepared to do! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Our first priority was the long-overdue expansion of the Ord River irrigation scheme. The Minister for Regional Development has responsibility for that project and it is underway. Even before the commonwealth has finally confirmed its joint funding, machinery is on site; the project is underway, and recognised and praised around Australia. Our number two priority is to develop the Oakajee port. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Which the private sector was prepared to do! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Our first priority was the long-overdue expansion of the Ord River irrigation scheme. The Minister for Regional Development has responsibility for that project and it is underway. Even before the commonwealth has finally confirmed its joint funding, machinery is on site; the project is underway, and recognised and praised around Australia. Our number two priority is to develop the Oakajee port. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Which the private sector was prepared to do! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : Our first priority was the long-overdue expansion of the Ord River irrigation scheme. The Minister for Regional Development has responsibility for that project and it is underway. Even before the commonwealth has finally confirmed its joint funding, machinery is on site; the project is underway, and recognised and praised around Australia. Our number two priority is to develop the Oakajee port. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Which the private sector was prepared to do! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Which the private sector was prepared to do! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : For eight years the previous government did not get anywhere on the Oakajee project! Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : What absolute rubbish! Oakajee failed because of you, because you targeted Kingstream. Kingstream fell over; you’ve forgotten that part! The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! The member will have an adequate opportunity to ask a supplementary question, but she might not necessarily agree with the answers the Premier is giving. I am sure other members in this place are interested and they might also disagree with what the Premier is saying. However, if the member gives the Premier an opportunity to answer, I will give her an opportunity to ask a supplementary question. Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : So, the second — Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
Mr E.S. Ripper : The Kingstream cowboy—that is what he is! Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : That’s just childish; goodness me! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! I would like to hear the remainder of the Premier’s comments on this question asked by the member for Armadale. I am sure that the member for Armadale wants to ask another question and she will have an opportunity to do that. Constant interruptions of this process do not help anybody in this place and I call you formally for the second time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : Oakajee was the government’s second priority. Oakajee has a long history and it is a complex project, and I will have an opportunity at some stage in the near future to say more about that. However, I simply make this point about Oakajee: it is not just an iron ore port; it is about developing a purpose-built world-class industrial estate so that we finally might see processing and value-adding of a natural resource. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : Much as we depend on our relationship with Japan and China, I say again Oakajee is probably the most important project in the state and it is one of the most important in Australia. It will be a deep sea port on the west coast that is capable of taking capesize vessels and it will be an Australian port. It will not be a foreign-owned port; it will not be a Chinese, Japanese, American or British port. It will be an Australian port owned and managed by the state government. The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
The Prime Minister specifically asked me about urban decongestion projects at one of our first meetings. I told him to look out the window—Perth actually works pretty well as a city; it does not have the congestion problems of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he expressed a desire that I concur with to see, obviously, a metropolitan project. Therefore, again applying the same logic, we considered it and thought of the projects that are always talked about but have never happened. Sinking the rail line through the centre of Perth has been talked about for 100 years. I said, “Why not do the project which everyone has wanted and which has not happened and why not create a large central park or square for the city for the next 100 years?” Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
Those are our top priorities. I conclude on this point: we kept one of the former government’s proposals; we kept the funding to improve the road network around Perth Airport. We agreed with that one and we kept it.
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