❓ Opposition Leader Mark McGowan questions the Premier regarding a potential backflip on a promise not to sell the TAB. The Premier acknowledges a change in stance due to evolving industry dynamics and the need to consider asset sales for capital projects, but assures no immediate decision.
AnsweredQoN 298Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
TAB —
PRIVATISATION
298. Mr M. McGOWAN to the
Premier:
I refer to the Premier's comments on 25 September
2013 that —
we won't be selling utilities as has been speculated, so there
won't be a sale of the Water Corporation or Western Power or Verve or
the TAB,
Will the Premier guarantee that he will not do a backflip on
his promise not to sell the TAB?
PRIVATISATION
298. Mr M. McGOWAN to the
Premier:
I refer to the Premier's comments on 25 September
2013 that —
we won't be selling utilities as has been speculated, so there
won't be a sale of the Water Corporation or Western Power or Verve or
the TAB,
Will the Premier guarantee that he will not do a backflip on
his promise not to sell the TAB?
AnswerView source ↗
I have got to say that I find it difficult to answer a
question after the debate we have just had. However, I guess Parliament returns
to its normal practice.
As part of the budget announcement tomorrow, the Treasurer
will outline some aspects regarding asset sales. Yes, I had said previously
that we were not going to sell the TAB. At the time there was speculation that
it was about to be put on the market, but the TAB is one of those assets that
we will look at. I do not think any decision will be made on the TAB one way or
the other for several years. The issue is the long-term viability of it, given
that the whole betting and gambling industry is changing rapidly and radically.
The issue is obviously the preservation of funding for the various codes of the
racing industry. There are a whole lot of assets that the government will
consider. There will not be a fire sale. We will quietly work through that. But
when we are building $7 billion or $8 billion of new capital assets a year, it
is not unreasonable to dispose of some, particularly once they are well
established and operating. I will say that in the normal course of things, from
a philosophical point of view, one would not think that a government would own
a betting agency.
question after the debate we have just had. However, I guess Parliament returns
to its normal practice.
As part of the budget announcement tomorrow, the Treasurer
will outline some aspects regarding asset sales. Yes, I had said previously
that we were not going to sell the TAB. At the time there was speculation that
it was about to be put on the market, but the TAB is one of those assets that
we will look at. I do not think any decision will be made on the TAB one way or
the other for several years. The issue is the long-term viability of it, given
that the whole betting and gambling industry is changing rapidly and radically.
The issue is obviously the preservation of funding for the various codes of the
racing industry. There are a whole lot of assets that the government will
consider. There will not be a fire sale. We will quietly work through that. But
when we are building $7 billion or $8 billion of new capital assets a year, it
is not unreasonable to dispose of some, particularly once they are well
established and operating. I will say that in the normal course of things, from
a philosophical point of view, one would not think that a government would own
a betting agency.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.