❓ Opposition questions the Premier's absence from Woodside's 70th anniversary, implying a lack of support for the gas sector. The Premier defends his absence, citing community duties and criticises the opposition's focus.
AnsweredQoN 505Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
WOODSIDE ENERGY — SEVENTIETH ANNIVERSARY DINNER
505. Mr R.S. LOVE to the Premier:
I refer to Woodside's event
last Saturday celebrating 70 years as one of the state's biggest
exporters and employers, which was snubbed by the Premier and his Albanese
Labor government colleagues.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order!
Mr R.S. LOVE : I ask the
following.
(1) Why was this significant
milestone not deemed important enough for the Premier to attend?
(2) Does this
blatant disregard for such a critical industry event suggest that Labor has
given up supporting the gas sector in Western Australia?
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please!
It appears that there are a dozen other people who would like to answer the
question.
Mr D.T. Punch interjected.
The SPEAKER : Minister! It is
highly disorderly to interject, but it is beyond highly disorderly to interject
while I am speaking. Please do not interject
on questions. Please allow the minister to whom the question has been addressed to answer the question. In this case, it is the Premier in response.
505. Mr R.S. LOVE to the Premier:
I refer to Woodside's event
last Saturday celebrating 70 years as one of the state's biggest
exporters and employers, which was snubbed by the Premier and his Albanese
Labor government colleagues.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order!
Mr R.S. LOVE : I ask the
following.
(1) Why was this significant
milestone not deemed important enough for the Premier to attend?
(2) Does this
blatant disregard for such a critical industry event suggest that Labor has
given up supporting the gas sector in Western Australia?
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please!
It appears that there are a dozen other people who would like to answer the
question.
Mr D.T. Punch interjected.
The SPEAKER : Minister! It is
highly disorderly to interject, but it is beyond highly disorderly to interject
while I am speaking. Please do not interject
on questions. Please allow the minister to whom the question has been addressed to answer the question. In this case, it is the Premier in response.
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) The
issue of the day—the key issue, the first issue—that the
opposition raises with the government is: who went to whose birthday party? Do
members opposite think that the Western Australian people give one jot about those issues? Do they think the Western
Australian people care for a moment about who goes to whose birthday
party for a knees-up, to celebrate Woodside's seventy-fifth
anniversary? I can confirm the government received one invitation, which was
sent to me. I could not be there because I had duties in the community, so I was
represented by the Minister for Environment; Energy, Hon Reece Whitby. As
members know, he provides great representation for the WA government on behalf
of the people of Western Australia. To think that this is the issue that is
occupying the opposition's mind today is just extraordinary. The
extrapolations or extension of the fact that people were or were not at this
event are just mind-boggling and really just demonstrate how out of touch those
opposite are.
If I am to account for my own
activities, I was up in the Pilbara, meeting with people in the community. Can
I say, they love their local member!
Government members : Hear,
hear!
Mr R.H. COOK : The king of
the Pilbara reigns supreme! I talked to people in Newman, Karratha and Port
Hedland , and they love their local member, Kevin Michel. It was a delight
to be there to speak to people about the issues that matter to them and are
important to people in the community.
I
must say that I spent some time with members of Woodside to celebrate two important
milestones on the Burrup Peninsula on Sunday morning. That included the
extension of an important energy corridor between Maitland Strategic Industrial
Area and Woodside's North West Shelf operations at the Karratha gas
plant and, of course, Pluto. The other thing we celebrated with members of
Woodside's leadership was the handing back of West Intercourse Island
to the traditional owners in the Burrup area. Although the Leader of the
Opposition was pleased with himself, and perhaps surprised, at having scored an
invitation to share some drinks at an important function to acknowledge an
important milestone, and that is good, I thought it was more appropriate to do
what I did, which was to engage with the community and to engage with Woodside
on the ground.
Another anniversary took
place just 15 years ago, being the sixtieth anniversary of Woodside. At that
time, Tony Abbott was the Prime
Minister. Did he go to that event? No, he did not. It is a bit rich for a former
Prime Minister to ignore the invitation when Woodside was celebrating
its sixtieth birthday, and then, today, as a talking head on Sky News, to call
out the current Prime Minister for not being at that event. That extraordinary
hypocrisy just goes to show how out of touch the Liberal Party is if it
considers these issues to be of most concern to the people of Western Australia.
issue of the day—the key issue, the first issue—that the
opposition raises with the government is: who went to whose birthday party? Do
members opposite think that the Western Australian people give one jot about those issues? Do they think the Western
Australian people care for a moment about who goes to whose birthday
party for a knees-up, to celebrate Woodside's seventy-fifth
anniversary? I can confirm the government received one invitation, which was
sent to me. I could not be there because I had duties in the community, so I was
represented by the Minister for Environment; Energy, Hon Reece Whitby. As
members know, he provides great representation for the WA government on behalf
of the people of Western Australia. To think that this is the issue that is
occupying the opposition's mind today is just extraordinary. The
extrapolations or extension of the fact that people were or were not at this
event are just mind-boggling and really just demonstrate how out of touch those
opposite are.
If I am to account for my own
activities, I was up in the Pilbara, meeting with people in the community. Can
I say, they love their local member!
Government members : Hear,
hear!
Mr R.H. COOK : The king of
the Pilbara reigns supreme! I talked to people in Newman, Karratha and Port
Hedland , and they love their local member, Kevin Michel. It was a delight
to be there to speak to people about the issues that matter to them and are
important to people in the community.
I
must say that I spent some time with members of Woodside to celebrate two important
milestones on the Burrup Peninsula on Sunday morning. That included the
extension of an important energy corridor between Maitland Strategic Industrial
Area and Woodside's North West Shelf operations at the Karratha gas
plant and, of course, Pluto. The other thing we celebrated with members of
Woodside's leadership was the handing back of West Intercourse Island
to the traditional owners in the Burrup area. Although the Leader of the
Opposition was pleased with himself, and perhaps surprised, at having scored an
invitation to share some drinks at an important function to acknowledge an
important milestone, and that is good, I thought it was more appropriate to do
what I did, which was to engage with the community and to engage with Woodside
on the ground.
Another anniversary took
place just 15 years ago, being the sixtieth anniversary of Woodside. At that
time, Tony Abbott was the Prime
Minister. Did he go to that event? No, he did not. It is a bit rich for a former
Prime Minister to ignore the invitation when Woodside was celebrating
its sixtieth birthday, and then, today, as a talking head on Sky News, to call
out the current Prime Minister for not being at that event. That extraordinary
hypocrisy just goes to show how out of touch the Liberal Party is if it
considers these issues to be of most concern to the people of Western Australia.
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