❓ Mr Catania asks about the state government's plans to improve emergency services communication systems in regional WA. Minister Johnson responds by outlining the government's investment in a regional communications network and criticizes the previous Labor government's inaction on the issue.
AnsweredQoN 247Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
EMERGENCY SERVICES — COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS
I have been concerned for many years about the poor state of emergency services communication systems in my electorate, in particular, the police communication system. It is yet another need in regional WA that was ignored by members opposite. Would the minister please outline for regional WA what this government is doing to ensure the people in the regions — Mr T.G. Stephens interjected. The SPEAKER : It is my intention today to give a lot of people in this place an opportunity to ask a question. There is only one person at the moment who is asking a question, and he is the only person I want to hear from at this time. I do not want to hear from anyone else. Mr V.A. CATANIA : Thank you, Mr Speaker — Mr T.G. Stephens interjected. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Take a seat, member for North West. Member for Pilbara, you might have missed my directive. I formally call you for the first time. Mr V.A. CATANIA : Will the minister please outline what the government is doing to ensure that the people in regional WA can be assured that emergency personnel have up-to-date communications to serve the community? Mr R.F. JOHNSON
I have been concerned for many years about the poor state of emergency services communication systems in my electorate, in particular, the police communication system. It is yet another need in regional WA that was ignored by members opposite. Would the minister please outline for regional WA what this government is doing to ensure the people in the regions — Mr T.G. Stephens interjected. The SPEAKER : It is my intention today to give a lot of people in this place an opportunity to ask a question. There is only one person at the moment who is asking a question, and he is the only person I want to hear from at this time. I do not want to hear from anyone else. Mr V.A. CATANIA : Thank you, Mr Speaker — Mr T.G. Stephens interjected. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Take a seat, member for North West. Member for Pilbara, you might have missed my directive. I formally call you for the first time. Mr V.A. CATANIA : Will the minister please outline what the government is doing to ensure that the people in regional WA can be assured that emergency personnel have up-to-date communications to serve the community? Mr R.F. JOHNSON
AnswerView source ↗
I did not hear the whole question, but I have a pretty good idea what the member said. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It was certainly good enough. I thank the member for the question. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you members! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It was great to open the new police complex in Karratha in the member’s electorate two weeks ago. The local member was there, as were some other members of this chamber. I certainly acknowledge each and every one of them. It is a great new complex. The question that the member has asked is very important. This government has gone through very serious economic times in the past year or two. Through great economic management, we have delivered what Western Australian people deserve and need. We made a decision to invest in essential services, such as the regional communications network, which we have delivered in this year’s budget. We have committed $120.3 million over three years, and that money has come from royalties for regions. I would like to thank my National Party colleagues for showing great support for this government in areas that desperately need to be covered. Regional areas desperately need this radio network system. We also have allocated funding complements of $8.7 million in this year’s budget for the continued expansion of the Perth metropolitan radio network to extend the existing radio and mobile data communications north to Lancelin, east to Northam and south to Dunsborough. All these upgrades will improve police response times through the capability dispatch tasks to the officers best placed to respond rapidly. This government has delivered what Labor failed to do in eight years. When the police and emergency services were crying out for help with a regional radio network system, what did the Labor Party do? It did absolutely nothing. All it did was commit some funding for a new police station to try to boost the electoral chances of a new member. That is where it spent its money. The Labor Party had the economy to do these things in government, but it failed to do so. It did not commit one cent to the regional radio network system. It is an absolutely essential system. Apart from the $80 million that will assist the police and emergency services in regional areas, $40 million also has been allocated to improve mobile communications in those black areas in which people’s phone service drops out and they cannot communicate with other people in this state, which has been happening for so many years. We are doing what the Labor Party failed to do in eight years. Opposition members are still in a state of denial, and the member for Girrawheen is a classic case. She is a seriously serial press release releaser! In relation to the essential regional radio network, the member must have cut down two or three trees for this lot of press releases. They have been released over quite an expanse of time. The first one was released two months after we came to government. In this first press release she banged on about our government not providing a regional radio network to police and emergency services in Western Australia. Only two months after we came to government, she was carping and banging on about why we had not done this. The Labor Party just squandered money, and the member has squandered money on her press releases. She has done four or five press releases on the same subject over the past 18 months. Why did she not just come and talk to me instead of wasting all this paper? This government is committed to assisting our police and emergency services throughout the whole of Western Australia, not just in the metropolitan area, and we have funded it in this year’s budget.
Mr T.G. Stephens interjected. The SPEAKER : It is my intention today to give a lot of people in this place an opportunity to ask a question. There is only one person at the moment who is asking a question, and he is the only person I want to hear from at this time. I do not want to hear from anyone else. Mr V.A. CATANIA : Thank you, Mr Speaker — Mr T.G. Stephens interjected. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Take a seat, member for North West. Member for Pilbara, you might have missed my directive. I formally call you for the first time. Mr V.A. CATANIA : Will the minister please outline what the government is doing to ensure that the people in regional WA can be assured that emergency personnel have up-to-date communications to serve the community? Mr R.F. JOHNSON replied: I did not hear the whole question, but I have a pretty good idea what the member said. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It was certainly good enough. I thank the member for the question. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you members! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It was great to open the new police complex in Karratha in the member’s electorate two weeks ago. The local member was there, as were some other members of this chamber. I certainly acknowledge each and every one of them. It is a great new complex. The question that the member has asked is very important. This government has gone through very serious economic times in the past year or two. Through great economic management, we have delivered what Western Australian people deserve and need. We made a decision to invest in essential services, such as the regional communications network, which we have delivered in this year’s budget. We have committed $120.3 million over three years, and that money has come from royalties for regions. I would like to thank my National Party colleagues for showing great support for this government in areas that desperately need to be covered. Regional areas desperately need this radio network system. We also have allocated funding complements of $8.7 million in this year’s budget for the continued expansion of the Perth metropolitan radio network to extend the existing radio and mobile data communications north to Lancelin, east to Northam and south to Dunsborough. All these upgrades will improve police response times through the capability dispatch tasks to the officers best placed to respond rapidly. This government has delivered what Labor failed to do in eight years. When the police and emergency services were crying out for help with a regional radio network system, what did the Labor Party do? It did absolutely nothing. All it did was commit some funding for a new police station to try to boost the electoral chances of a new member. That is where it spent its money. The Labor Party had the economy to do these things in government, but it failed to do so. It did not commit one cent to the regional radio network system. It is an absolutely essential system. Apart from the $80 million that will assist the police and emergency services in regional areas, $40 million also has been allocated to improve mobile communications in those black areas in which people’s phone service drops out and they cannot communicate with other people in this state, which has been happening for so many years. We are doing what the Labor Party failed to do in eight years. Opposition members are still in a state of denial, and the member for Girrawheen is a classic case. She is a seriously serial press release releaser! In relation to the essential regional radio network, the member must have cut down two or three trees for this lot of press releases. They have been released over quite an expanse of time. The first one was released two months after we came to government. In this first press release she banged on about our government not providing a regional radio network to police and emergency services in Western Australia. Only two months after we came to government, she was carping and banging on about why we had not done this. The Labor Party just squandered money, and the member has squandered money on her press releases. She has done four or five press releases on the same subject over the past 18 months. Why did she not just come and talk to me instead of wasting all this paper? This government is committed to assisting our police and emergency services throughout the whole of Western Australia, not just in the metropolitan area, and we have funded it in this year’s budget.
The SPEAKER : It is my intention today to give a lot of people in this place an opportunity to ask a question. There is only one person at the moment who is asking a question, and he is the only person I want to hear from at this time. I do not want to hear from anyone else. Mr V.A. CATANIA : Thank you, Mr Speaker — Mr T.G. Stephens interjected. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Take a seat, member for North West. Member for Pilbara, you might have missed my directive. I formally call you for the first time. Mr V.A. CATANIA : Will the minister please outline what the government is doing to ensure that the people in regional WA can be assured that emergency personnel have up-to-date communications to serve the community? Mr R.F. JOHNSON replied: I did not hear the whole question, but I have a pretty good idea what the member said. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It was certainly good enough. I thank the member for the question. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you members! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It was great to open the new police complex in Karratha in the member’s electorate two weeks ago. The local member was there, as were some other members of this chamber. I certainly acknowledge each and every one of them. It is a great new complex. The question that the member has asked is very important. This government has gone through very serious economic times in the past year or two. Through great economic management, we have delivered what Western Australian people deserve and need. We made a decision to invest in essential services, such as the regional communications network, which we have delivered in this year’s budget. We have committed $120.3 million over three years, and that money has come from royalties for regions. I would like to thank my National Party colleagues for showing great support for this government in areas that desperately need to be covered. Regional areas desperately need this radio network system. We also have allocated funding complements of $8.7 million in this year’s budget for the continued expansion of the Perth metropolitan radio network to extend the existing radio and mobile data communications north to Lancelin, east to Northam and south to Dunsborough. All these upgrades will improve police response times through the capability dispatch tasks to the officers best placed to respond rapidly. This government has delivered what Labor failed to do in eight years. When the police and emergency services were crying out for help with a regional radio network system, what did the Labor Party do? It did absolutely nothing. All it did was commit some funding for a new police station to try to boost the electoral chances of a new member. That is where it spent its money. The Labor Party had the economy to do these things in government, but it failed to do so. It did not commit one cent to the regional radio network system. It is an absolutely essential system. Apart from the $80 million that will assist the police and emergency services in regional areas, $40 million also has been allocated to improve mobile communications in those black areas in which people’s phone service drops out and they cannot communicate with other people in this state, which has been happening for so many years. We are doing what the Labor Party failed to do in eight years. Opposition members are still in a state of denial, and the member for Girrawheen is a classic case. She is a seriously serial press release releaser! In relation to the essential regional radio network, the member must have cut down two or three trees for this lot of press releases. They have been released over quite an expanse of time. The first one was released two months after we came to government. In this first press release she banged on about our government not providing a regional radio network to police and emergency services in Western Australia. Only two months after we came to government, she was carping and banging on about why we had not done this. The Labor Party just squandered money, and the member has squandered money on her press releases. She has done four or five press releases on the same subject over the past 18 months. Why did she not just come and talk to me instead of wasting all this paper? This government is committed to assisting our police and emergency services throughout the whole of Western Australia, not just in the metropolitan area, and we have funded it in this year’s budget.
Mr V.A. CATANIA : Thank you, Mr Speaker — Mr T.G. Stephens interjected. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Take a seat, member for North West. Member for Pilbara, you might have missed my directive. I formally call you for the first time. Mr V.A. CATANIA : Will the minister please outline what the government is doing to ensure that the people in regional WA can be assured that emergency personnel have up-to-date communications to serve the community? Mr R.F. JOHNSON replied: I did not hear the whole question, but I have a pretty good idea what the member said. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It was certainly good enough. I thank the member for the question. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you members! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It was great to open the new police complex in Karratha in the member’s electorate two weeks ago. The local member was there, as were some other members of this chamber. I certainly acknowledge each and every one of them. It is a great new complex. The question that the member has asked is very important. This government has gone through very serious economic times in the past year or two. Through great economic management, we have delivered what Western Australian people deserve and need. We made a decision to invest in essential services, such as the regional communications network, which we have delivered in this year’s budget. We have committed $120.3 million over three years, and that money has come from royalties for regions. I would like to thank my National Party colleagues for showing great support for this government in areas that desperately need to be covered. Regional areas desperately need this radio network system. We also have allocated funding complements of $8.7 million in this year’s budget for the continued expansion of the Perth metropolitan radio network to extend the existing radio and mobile data communications north to Lancelin, east to Northam and south to Dunsborough. All these upgrades will improve police response times through the capability dispatch tasks to the officers best placed to respond rapidly. This government has delivered what Labor failed to do in eight years. When the police and emergency services were crying out for help with a regional radio network system, what did the Labor Party do? It did absolutely nothing. All it did was commit some funding for a new police station to try to boost the electoral chances of a new member. That is where it spent its money. The Labor Party had the economy to do these things in government, but it failed to do so. It did not commit one cent to the regional radio network system. It is an absolutely essential system. Apart from the $80 million that will assist the police and emergency services in regional areas, $40 million also has been allocated to improve mobile communications in those black areas in which people’s phone service drops out and they cannot communicate with other people in this state, which has been happening for so many years. We are doing what the Labor Party failed to do in eight years. Opposition members are still in a state of denial, and the member for Girrawheen is a classic case. She is a seriously serial press release releaser! In relation to the essential regional radio network, the member must have cut down two or three trees for this lot of press releases. They have been released over quite an expanse of time. The first one was released two months after we came to government. In this first press release she banged on about our government not providing a regional radio network to police and emergency services in Western Australia. Only two months after we came to government, she was carping and banging on about why we had not done this. The Labor Party just squandered money, and the member has squandered money on her press releases. She has done four or five press releases on the same subject over the past 18 months. Why did she not just come and talk to me instead of wasting all this paper? This government is committed to assisting our police and emergency services throughout the whole of Western Australia, not just in the metropolitan area, and we have funded it in this year’s budget.
Mr T.G. Stephens interjected. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Take a seat, member for North West. Member for Pilbara, you might have missed my directive. I formally call you for the first time. Mr V.A. CATANIA : Will the minister please outline what the government is doing to ensure that the people in regional WA can be assured that emergency personnel have up-to-date communications to serve the community? Mr R.F. JOHNSON replied: I did not hear the whole question, but I have a pretty good idea what the member said. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It was certainly good enough. I thank the member for the question. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you members! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It was great to open the new police complex in Karratha in the member’s electorate two weeks ago. The local member was there, as were some other members of this chamber. I certainly acknowledge each and every one of them. It is a great new complex. The question that the member has asked is very important. This government has gone through very serious economic times in the past year or two. Through great economic management, we have delivered what Western Australian people deserve and need. We made a decision to invest in essential services, such as the regional communications network, which we have delivered in this year’s budget. We have committed $120.3 million over three years, and that money has come from royalties for regions. I would like to thank my National Party colleagues for showing great support for this government in areas that desperately need to be covered. Regional areas desperately need this radio network system. We also have allocated funding complements of $8.7 million in this year’s budget for the continued expansion of the Perth metropolitan radio network to extend the existing radio and mobile data communications north to Lancelin, east to Northam and south to Dunsborough. All these upgrades will improve police response times through the capability dispatch tasks to the officers best placed to respond rapidly. This government has delivered what Labor failed to do in eight years. When the police and emergency services were crying out for help with a regional radio network system, what did the Labor Party do? It did absolutely nothing. All it did was commit some funding for a new police station to try to boost the electoral chances of a new member. That is where it spent its money. The Labor Party had the economy to do these things in government, but it failed to do so. It did not commit one cent to the regional radio network system. It is an absolutely essential system. Apart from the $80 million that will assist the police and emergency services in regional areas, $40 million also has been allocated to improve mobile communications in those black areas in which people’s phone service drops out and they cannot communicate with other people in this state, which has been happening for so many years. We are doing what the Labor Party failed to do in eight years. Opposition members are still in a state of denial, and the member for Girrawheen is a classic case. She is a seriously serial press release releaser! In relation to the essential regional radio network, the member must have cut down two or three trees for this lot of press releases. They have been released over quite an expanse of time. The first one was released two months after we came to government. In this first press release she banged on about our government not providing a regional radio network to police and emergency services in Western Australia. Only two months after we came to government, she was carping and banging on about why we had not done this. The Labor Party just squandered money, and the member has squandered money on her press releases. She has done four or five press releases on the same subject over the past 18 months. Why did she not just come and talk to me instead of wasting all this paper? This government is committed to assisting our police and emergency services throughout the whole of Western Australia, not just in the metropolitan area, and we have funded it in this year’s budget.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Take a seat, member for North West. Member for Pilbara, you might have missed my directive. I formally call you for the first time. Mr V.A. CATANIA : Will the minister please outline what the government is doing to ensure that the people in regional WA can be assured that emergency personnel have up-to-date communications to serve the community? Mr R.F. JOHNSON replied: I did not hear the whole question, but I have a pretty good idea what the member said. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It was certainly good enough. I thank the member for the question. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you members! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It was great to open the new police complex in Karratha in the member’s electorate two weeks ago. The local member was there, as were some other members of this chamber. I certainly acknowledge each and every one of them. It is a great new complex. The question that the member has asked is very important. This government has gone through very serious economic times in the past year or two. Through great economic management, we have delivered what Western Australian people deserve and need. We made a decision to invest in essential services, such as the regional communications network, which we have delivered in this year’s budget. We have committed $120.3 million over three years, and that money has come from royalties for regions. I would like to thank my National Party colleagues for showing great support for this government in areas that desperately need to be covered. Regional areas desperately need this radio network system. We also have allocated funding complements of $8.7 million in this year’s budget for the continued expansion of the Perth metropolitan radio network to extend the existing radio and mobile data communications north to Lancelin, east to Northam and south to Dunsborough. All these upgrades will improve police response times through the capability dispatch tasks to the officers best placed to respond rapidly. This government has delivered what Labor failed to do in eight years. When the police and emergency services were crying out for help with a regional radio network system, what did the Labor Party do? It did absolutely nothing. All it did was commit some funding for a new police station to try to boost the electoral chances of a new member. That is where it spent its money. The Labor Party had the economy to do these things in government, but it failed to do so. It did not commit one cent to the regional radio network system. It is an absolutely essential system. Apart from the $80 million that will assist the police and emergency services in regional areas, $40 million also has been allocated to improve mobile communications in those black areas in which people’s phone service drops out and they cannot communicate with other people in this state, which has been happening for so many years. We are doing what the Labor Party failed to do in eight years. Opposition members are still in a state of denial, and the member for Girrawheen is a classic case. She is a seriously serial press release releaser! In relation to the essential regional radio network, the member must have cut down two or three trees for this lot of press releases. They have been released over quite an expanse of time. The first one was released two months after we came to government. In this first press release she banged on about our government not providing a regional radio network to police and emergency services in Western Australia. Only two months after we came to government, she was carping and banging on about why we had not done this. The Labor Party just squandered money, and the member has squandered money on her press releases. She has done four or five press releases on the same subject over the past 18 months. Why did she not just come and talk to me instead of wasting all this paper? This government is committed to assisting our police and emergency services throughout the whole of Western Australia, not just in the metropolitan area, and we have funded it in this year’s budget.
The SPEAKER : Take a seat, member for North West. Member for Pilbara, you might have missed my directive. I formally call you for the first time. Mr V.A. CATANIA : Will the minister please outline what the government is doing to ensure that the people in regional WA can be assured that emergency personnel have up-to-date communications to serve the community? Mr R.F. JOHNSON replied: I did not hear the whole question, but I have a pretty good idea what the member said. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It was certainly good enough. I thank the member for the question. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you members! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It was great to open the new police complex in Karratha in the member’s electorate two weeks ago. The local member was there, as were some other members of this chamber. I certainly acknowledge each and every one of them. It is a great new complex. The question that the member has asked is very important. This government has gone through very serious economic times in the past year or two. Through great economic management, we have delivered what Western Australian people deserve and need. We made a decision to invest in essential services, such as the regional communications network, which we have delivered in this year’s budget. We have committed $120.3 million over three years, and that money has come from royalties for regions. I would like to thank my National Party colleagues for showing great support for this government in areas that desperately need to be covered. Regional areas desperately need this radio network system. We also have allocated funding complements of $8.7 million in this year’s budget for the continued expansion of the Perth metropolitan radio network to extend the existing radio and mobile data communications north to Lancelin, east to Northam and south to Dunsborough. All these upgrades will improve police response times through the capability dispatch tasks to the officers best placed to respond rapidly. This government has delivered what Labor failed to do in eight years. When the police and emergency services were crying out for help with a regional radio network system, what did the Labor Party do? It did absolutely nothing. All it did was commit some funding for a new police station to try to boost the electoral chances of a new member. That is where it spent its money. The Labor Party had the economy to do these things in government, but it failed to do so. It did not commit one cent to the regional radio network system. It is an absolutely essential system. Apart from the $80 million that will assist the police and emergency services in regional areas, $40 million also has been allocated to improve mobile communications in those black areas in which people’s phone service drops out and they cannot communicate with other people in this state, which has been happening for so many years. We are doing what the Labor Party failed to do in eight years. Opposition members are still in a state of denial, and the member for Girrawheen is a classic case. She is a seriously serial press release releaser! In relation to the essential regional radio network, the member must have cut down two or three trees for this lot of press releases. They have been released over quite an expanse of time. The first one was released two months after we came to government. In this first press release she banged on about our government not providing a regional radio network to police and emergency services in Western Australia. Only two months after we came to government, she was carping and banging on about why we had not done this. The Labor Party just squandered money, and the member has squandered money on her press releases. She has done four or five press releases on the same subject over the past 18 months. Why did she not just come and talk to me instead of wasting all this paper? This government is committed to assisting our police and emergency services throughout the whole of Western Australia, not just in the metropolitan area, and we have funded it in this year’s budget.
Mr V.A. CATANIA : Will the minister please outline what the government is doing to ensure that the people in regional WA can be assured that emergency personnel have up-to-date communications to serve the community? Mr R.F. JOHNSON replied: I did not hear the whole question, but I have a pretty good idea what the member said. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It was certainly good enough. I thank the member for the question. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you members! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It was great to open the new police complex in Karratha in the member’s electorate two weeks ago. The local member was there, as were some other members of this chamber. I certainly acknowledge each and every one of them. It is a great new complex. The question that the member has asked is very important. This government has gone through very serious economic times in the past year or two. Through great economic management, we have delivered what Western Australian people deserve and need. We made a decision to invest in essential services, such as the regional communications network, which we have delivered in this year’s budget. We have committed $120.3 million over three years, and that money has come from royalties for regions. I would like to thank my National Party colleagues for showing great support for this government in areas that desperately need to be covered. Regional areas desperately need this radio network system. We also have allocated funding complements of $8.7 million in this year’s budget for the continued expansion of the Perth metropolitan radio network to extend the existing radio and mobile data communications north to Lancelin, east to Northam and south to Dunsborough. All these upgrades will improve police response times through the capability dispatch tasks to the officers best placed to respond rapidly. This government has delivered what Labor failed to do in eight years. When the police and emergency services were crying out for help with a regional radio network system, what did the Labor Party do? It did absolutely nothing. All it did was commit some funding for a new police station to try to boost the electoral chances of a new member. That is where it spent its money. The Labor Party had the economy to do these things in government, but it failed to do so. It did not commit one cent to the regional radio network system. It is an absolutely essential system. Apart from the $80 million that will assist the police and emergency services in regional areas, $40 million also has been allocated to improve mobile communications in those black areas in which people’s phone service drops out and they cannot communicate with other people in this state, which has been happening for so many years. We are doing what the Labor Party failed to do in eight years. Opposition members are still in a state of denial, and the member for Girrawheen is a classic case. She is a seriously serial press release releaser! In relation to the essential regional radio network, the member must have cut down two or three trees for this lot of press releases. They have been released over quite an expanse of time. The first one was released two months after we came to government. In this first press release she banged on about our government not providing a regional radio network to police and emergency services in Western Australia. Only two months after we came to government, she was carping and banging on about why we had not done this. The Labor Party just squandered money, and the member has squandered money on her press releases. She has done four or five press releases on the same subject over the past 18 months. Why did she not just come and talk to me instead of wasting all this paper? This government is committed to assisting our police and emergency services throughout the whole of Western Australia, not just in the metropolitan area, and we have funded it in this year’s budget.
Mr R.F. JOHNSON replied: I did not hear the whole question, but I have a pretty good idea what the member said. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It was certainly good enough. I thank the member for the question. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you members! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It was great to open the new police complex in Karratha in the member’s electorate two weeks ago. The local member was there, as were some other members of this chamber. I certainly acknowledge each and every one of them. It is a great new complex. The question that the member has asked is very important. This government has gone through very serious economic times in the past year or two. Through great economic management, we have delivered what Western Australian people deserve and need. We made a decision to invest in essential services, such as the regional communications network, which we have delivered in this year’s budget. We have committed $120.3 million over three years, and that money has come from royalties for regions. I would like to thank my National Party colleagues for showing great support for this government in areas that desperately need to be covered. Regional areas desperately need this radio network system. We also have allocated funding complements of $8.7 million in this year’s budget for the continued expansion of the Perth metropolitan radio network to extend the existing radio and mobile data communications north to Lancelin, east to Northam and south to Dunsborough. All these upgrades will improve police response times through the capability dispatch tasks to the officers best placed to respond rapidly. This government has delivered what Labor failed to do in eight years. When the police and emergency services were crying out for help with a regional radio network system, what did the Labor Party do? It did absolutely nothing. All it did was commit some funding for a new police station to try to boost the electoral chances of a new member. That is where it spent its money. The Labor Party had the economy to do these things in government, but it failed to do so. It did not commit one cent to the regional radio network system. It is an absolutely essential system. Apart from the $80 million that will assist the police and emergency services in regional areas, $40 million also has been allocated to improve mobile communications in those black areas in which people’s phone service drops out and they cannot communicate with other people in this state, which has been happening for so many years. We are doing what the Labor Party failed to do in eight years. Opposition members are still in a state of denial, and the member for Girrawheen is a classic case. She is a seriously serial press release releaser! In relation to the essential regional radio network, the member must have cut down two or three trees for this lot of press releases. They have been released over quite an expanse of time. The first one was released two months after we came to government. In this first press release she banged on about our government not providing a regional radio network to police and emergency services in Western Australia. Only two months after we came to government, she was carping and banging on about why we had not done this. The Labor Party just squandered money, and the member has squandered money on her press releases. She has done four or five press releases on the same subject over the past 18 months. Why did she not just come and talk to me instead of wasting all this paper? This government is committed to assisting our police and emergency services throughout the whole of Western Australia, not just in the metropolitan area, and we have funded it in this year’s budget.
I did not hear the whole question, but I have a pretty good idea what the member said. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It was certainly good enough. I thank the member for the question. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you members! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It was great to open the new police complex in Karratha in the member’s electorate two weeks ago. The local member was there, as were some other members of this chamber. I certainly acknowledge each and every one of them. It is a great new complex. The question that the member has asked is very important. This government has gone through very serious economic times in the past year or two. Through great economic management, we have delivered what Western Australian people deserve and need. We made a decision to invest in essential services, such as the regional communications network, which we have delivered in this year’s budget. We have committed $120.3 million over three years, and that money has come from royalties for regions. I would like to thank my National Party colleagues for showing great support for this government in areas that desperately need to be covered. Regional areas desperately need this radio network system. We also have allocated funding complements of $8.7 million in this year’s budget for the continued expansion of the Perth metropolitan radio network to extend the existing radio and mobile data communications north to Lancelin, east to Northam and south to Dunsborough. All these upgrades will improve police response times through the capability dispatch tasks to the officers best placed to respond rapidly. This government has delivered what Labor failed to do in eight years. When the police and emergency services were crying out for help with a regional radio network system, what did the Labor Party do? It did absolutely nothing. All it did was commit some funding for a new police station to try to boost the electoral chances of a new member. That is where it spent its money. The Labor Party had the economy to do these things in government, but it failed to do so. It did not commit one cent to the regional radio network system. It is an absolutely essential system. Apart from the $80 million that will assist the police and emergency services in regional areas, $40 million also has been allocated to improve mobile communications in those black areas in which people’s phone service drops out and they cannot communicate with other people in this state, which has been happening for so many years. We are doing what the Labor Party failed to do in eight years. Opposition members are still in a state of denial, and the member for Girrawheen is a classic case. She is a seriously serial press release releaser! In relation to the essential regional radio network, the member must have cut down two or three trees for this lot of press releases. They have been released over quite an expanse of time. The first one was released two months after we came to government. In this first press release she banged on about our government not providing a regional radio network to police and emergency services in Western Australia. Only two months after we came to government, she was carping and banging on about why we had not done this. The Labor Party just squandered money, and the member has squandered money on her press releases. She has done four or five press releases on the same subject over the past 18 months. Why did she not just come and talk to me instead of wasting all this paper? This government is committed to assisting our police and emergency services throughout the whole of Western Australia, not just in the metropolitan area, and we have funded it in this year’s budget.
Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It was certainly good enough. I thank the member for the question. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you members! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It was great to open the new police complex in Karratha in the member’s electorate two weeks ago. The local member was there, as were some other members of this chamber. I certainly acknowledge each and every one of them. It is a great new complex. The question that the member has asked is very important. This government has gone through very serious economic times in the past year or two. Through great economic management, we have delivered what Western Australian people deserve and need. We made a decision to invest in essential services, such as the regional communications network, which we have delivered in this year’s budget. We have committed $120.3 million over three years, and that money has come from royalties for regions. I would like to thank my National Party colleagues for showing great support for this government in areas that desperately need to be covered. Regional areas desperately need this radio network system. We also have allocated funding complements of $8.7 million in this year’s budget for the continued expansion of the Perth metropolitan radio network to extend the existing radio and mobile data communications north to Lancelin, east to Northam and south to Dunsborough. All these upgrades will improve police response times through the capability dispatch tasks to the officers best placed to respond rapidly. This government has delivered what Labor failed to do in eight years. When the police and emergency services were crying out for help with a regional radio network system, what did the Labor Party do? It did absolutely nothing. All it did was commit some funding for a new police station to try to boost the electoral chances of a new member. That is where it spent its money. The Labor Party had the economy to do these things in government, but it failed to do so. It did not commit one cent to the regional radio network system. It is an absolutely essential system. Apart from the $80 million that will assist the police and emergency services in regional areas, $40 million also has been allocated to improve mobile communications in those black areas in which people’s phone service drops out and they cannot communicate with other people in this state, which has been happening for so many years. We are doing what the Labor Party failed to do in eight years. Opposition members are still in a state of denial, and the member for Girrawheen is a classic case. She is a seriously serial press release releaser! In relation to the essential regional radio network, the member must have cut down two or three trees for this lot of press releases. They have been released over quite an expanse of time. The first one was released two months after we came to government. In this first press release she banged on about our government not providing a regional radio network to police and emergency services in Western Australia. Only two months after we came to government, she was carping and banging on about why we had not done this. The Labor Party just squandered money, and the member has squandered money on her press releases. She has done four or five press releases on the same subject over the past 18 months. Why did she not just come and talk to me instead of wasting all this paper? This government is committed to assisting our police and emergency services throughout the whole of Western Australia, not just in the metropolitan area, and we have funded it in this year’s budget.
Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It was certainly good enough. I thank the member for the question. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you members! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It was great to open the new police complex in Karratha in the member’s electorate two weeks ago. The local member was there, as were some other members of this chamber. I certainly acknowledge each and every one of them. It is a great new complex. The question that the member has asked is very important. This government has gone through very serious economic times in the past year or two. Through great economic management, we have delivered what Western Australian people deserve and need. We made a decision to invest in essential services, such as the regional communications network, which we have delivered in this year’s budget. We have committed $120.3 million over three years, and that money has come from royalties for regions. I would like to thank my National Party colleagues for showing great support for this government in areas that desperately need to be covered. Regional areas desperately need this radio network system. We also have allocated funding complements of $8.7 million in this year’s budget for the continued expansion of the Perth metropolitan radio network to extend the existing radio and mobile data communications north to Lancelin, east to Northam and south to Dunsborough. All these upgrades will improve police response times through the capability dispatch tasks to the officers best placed to respond rapidly. This government has delivered what Labor failed to do in eight years. When the police and emergency services were crying out for help with a regional radio network system, what did the Labor Party do? It did absolutely nothing. All it did was commit some funding for a new police station to try to boost the electoral chances of a new member. That is where it spent its money. The Labor Party had the economy to do these things in government, but it failed to do so. It did not commit one cent to the regional radio network system. It is an absolutely essential system. Apart from the $80 million that will assist the police and emergency services in regional areas, $40 million also has been allocated to improve mobile communications in those black areas in which people’s phone service drops out and they cannot communicate with other people in this state, which has been happening for so many years. We are doing what the Labor Party failed to do in eight years. Opposition members are still in a state of denial, and the member for Girrawheen is a classic case. She is a seriously serial press release releaser! In relation to the essential regional radio network, the member must have cut down two or three trees for this lot of press releases. They have been released over quite an expanse of time. The first one was released two months after we came to government. In this first press release she banged on about our government not providing a regional radio network to police and emergency services in Western Australia. Only two months after we came to government, she was carping and banging on about why we had not done this. The Labor Party just squandered money, and the member has squandered money on her press releases. She has done four or five press releases on the same subject over the past 18 months. Why did she not just come and talk to me instead of wasting all this paper? This government is committed to assisting our police and emergency services throughout the whole of Western Australia, not just in the metropolitan area, and we have funded it in this year’s budget.
I thank the member for the question. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you members! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It was great to open the new police complex in Karratha in the member’s electorate two weeks ago. The local member was there, as were some other members of this chamber. I certainly acknowledge each and every one of them. It is a great new complex. The question that the member has asked is very important. This government has gone through very serious economic times in the past year or two. Through great economic management, we have delivered what Western Australian people deserve and need. We made a decision to invest in essential services, such as the regional communications network, which we have delivered in this year’s budget. We have committed $120.3 million over three years, and that money has come from royalties for regions. I would like to thank my National Party colleagues for showing great support for this government in areas that desperately need to be covered. Regional areas desperately need this radio network system. We also have allocated funding complements of $8.7 million in this year’s budget for the continued expansion of the Perth metropolitan radio network to extend the existing radio and mobile data communications north to Lancelin, east to Northam and south to Dunsborough. All these upgrades will improve police response times through the capability dispatch tasks to the officers best placed to respond rapidly. This government has delivered what Labor failed to do in eight years. When the police and emergency services were crying out for help with a regional radio network system, what did the Labor Party do? It did absolutely nothing. All it did was commit some funding for a new police station to try to boost the electoral chances of a new member. That is where it spent its money. The Labor Party had the economy to do these things in government, but it failed to do so. It did not commit one cent to the regional radio network system. It is an absolutely essential system. Apart from the $80 million that will assist the police and emergency services in regional areas, $40 million also has been allocated to improve mobile communications in those black areas in which people’s phone service drops out and they cannot communicate with other people in this state, which has been happening for so many years. We are doing what the Labor Party failed to do in eight years. Opposition members are still in a state of denial, and the member for Girrawheen is a classic case. She is a seriously serial press release releaser! In relation to the essential regional radio network, the member must have cut down two or three trees for this lot of press releases. They have been released over quite an expanse of time. The first one was released two months after we came to government. In this first press release she banged on about our government not providing a regional radio network to police and emergency services in Western Australia. Only two months after we came to government, she was carping and banging on about why we had not done this. The Labor Party just squandered money, and the member has squandered money on her press releases. She has done four or five press releases on the same subject over the past 18 months. Why did she not just come and talk to me instead of wasting all this paper? This government is committed to assisting our police and emergency services throughout the whole of Western Australia, not just in the metropolitan area, and we have funded it in this year’s budget.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you members! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It was great to open the new police complex in Karratha in the member’s electorate two weeks ago. The local member was there, as were some other members of this chamber. I certainly acknowledge each and every one of them. It is a great new complex. The question that the member has asked is very important. This government has gone through very serious economic times in the past year or two. Through great economic management, we have delivered what Western Australian people deserve and need. We made a decision to invest in essential services, such as the regional communications network, which we have delivered in this year’s budget. We have committed $120.3 million over three years, and that money has come from royalties for regions. I would like to thank my National Party colleagues for showing great support for this government in areas that desperately need to be covered. Regional areas desperately need this radio network system. We also have allocated funding complements of $8.7 million in this year’s budget for the continued expansion of the Perth metropolitan radio network to extend the existing radio and mobile data communications north to Lancelin, east to Northam and south to Dunsborough. All these upgrades will improve police response times through the capability dispatch tasks to the officers best placed to respond rapidly. This government has delivered what Labor failed to do in eight years. When the police and emergency services were crying out for help with a regional radio network system, what did the Labor Party do? It did absolutely nothing. All it did was commit some funding for a new police station to try to boost the electoral chances of a new member. That is where it spent its money. The Labor Party had the economy to do these things in government, but it failed to do so. It did not commit one cent to the regional radio network system. It is an absolutely essential system. Apart from the $80 million that will assist the police and emergency services in regional areas, $40 million also has been allocated to improve mobile communications in those black areas in which people’s phone service drops out and they cannot communicate with other people in this state, which has been happening for so many years. We are doing what the Labor Party failed to do in eight years. Opposition members are still in a state of denial, and the member for Girrawheen is a classic case. She is a seriously serial press release releaser! In relation to the essential regional radio network, the member must have cut down two or three trees for this lot of press releases. They have been released over quite an expanse of time. The first one was released two months after we came to government. In this first press release she banged on about our government not providing a regional radio network to police and emergency services in Western Australia. Only two months after we came to government, she was carping and banging on about why we had not done this. The Labor Party just squandered money, and the member has squandered money on her press releases. She has done four or five press releases on the same subject over the past 18 months. Why did she not just come and talk to me instead of wasting all this paper? This government is committed to assisting our police and emergency services throughout the whole of Western Australia, not just in the metropolitan area, and we have funded it in this year’s budget.
The SPEAKER : Thank you members! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It was great to open the new police complex in Karratha in the member’s electorate two weeks ago. The local member was there, as were some other members of this chamber. I certainly acknowledge each and every one of them. It is a great new complex. The question that the member has asked is very important. This government has gone through very serious economic times in the past year or two. Through great economic management, we have delivered what Western Australian people deserve and need. We made a decision to invest in essential services, such as the regional communications network, which we have delivered in this year’s budget. We have committed $120.3 million over three years, and that money has come from royalties for regions. I would like to thank my National Party colleagues for showing great support for this government in areas that desperately need to be covered. Regional areas desperately need this radio network system. We also have allocated funding complements of $8.7 million in this year’s budget for the continued expansion of the Perth metropolitan radio network to extend the existing radio and mobile data communications north to Lancelin, east to Northam and south to Dunsborough. All these upgrades will improve police response times through the capability dispatch tasks to the officers best placed to respond rapidly. This government has delivered what Labor failed to do in eight years. When the police and emergency services were crying out for help with a regional radio network system, what did the Labor Party do? It did absolutely nothing. All it did was commit some funding for a new police station to try to boost the electoral chances of a new member. That is where it spent its money. The Labor Party had the economy to do these things in government, but it failed to do so. It did not commit one cent to the regional radio network system. It is an absolutely essential system. Apart from the $80 million that will assist the police and emergency services in regional areas, $40 million also has been allocated to improve mobile communications in those black areas in which people’s phone service drops out and they cannot communicate with other people in this state, which has been happening for so many years. We are doing what the Labor Party failed to do in eight years. Opposition members are still in a state of denial, and the member for Girrawheen is a classic case. She is a seriously serial press release releaser! In relation to the essential regional radio network, the member must have cut down two or three trees for this lot of press releases. They have been released over quite an expanse of time. The first one was released two months after we came to government. In this first press release she banged on about our government not providing a regional radio network to police and emergency services in Western Australia. Only two months after we came to government, she was carping and banging on about why we had not done this. The Labor Party just squandered money, and the member has squandered money on her press releases. She has done four or five press releases on the same subject over the past 18 months. Why did she not just come and talk to me instead of wasting all this paper? This government is committed to assisting our police and emergency services throughout the whole of Western Australia, not just in the metropolitan area, and we have funded it in this year’s budget.
Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It was great to open the new police complex in Karratha in the member’s electorate two weeks ago. The local member was there, as were some other members of this chamber. I certainly acknowledge each and every one of them. It is a great new complex. The question that the member has asked is very important. This government has gone through very serious economic times in the past year or two. Through great economic management, we have delivered what Western Australian people deserve and need. We made a decision to invest in essential services, such as the regional communications network, which we have delivered in this year’s budget. We have committed $120.3 million over three years, and that money has come from royalties for regions. I would like to thank my National Party colleagues for showing great support for this government in areas that desperately need to be covered. Regional areas desperately need this radio network system. We also have allocated funding complements of $8.7 million in this year’s budget for the continued expansion of the Perth metropolitan radio network to extend the existing radio and mobile data communications north to Lancelin, east to Northam and south to Dunsborough. All these upgrades will improve police response times through the capability dispatch tasks to the officers best placed to respond rapidly. This government has delivered what Labor failed to do in eight years. When the police and emergency services were crying out for help with a regional radio network system, what did the Labor Party do? It did absolutely nothing. All it did was commit some funding for a new police station to try to boost the electoral chances of a new member. That is where it spent its money. The Labor Party had the economy to do these things in government, but it failed to do so. It did not commit one cent to the regional radio network system. It is an absolutely essential system. Apart from the $80 million that will assist the police and emergency services in regional areas, $40 million also has been allocated to improve mobile communications in those black areas in which people’s phone service drops out and they cannot communicate with other people in this state, which has been happening for so many years. We are doing what the Labor Party failed to do in eight years. Opposition members are still in a state of denial, and the member for Girrawheen is a classic case. She is a seriously serial press release releaser! In relation to the essential regional radio network, the member must have cut down two or three trees for this lot of press releases. They have been released over quite an expanse of time. The first one was released two months after we came to government. In this first press release she banged on about our government not providing a regional radio network to police and emergency services in Western Australia. Only two months after we came to government, she was carping and banging on about why we had not done this. The Labor Party just squandered money, and the member has squandered money on her press releases. She has done four or five press releases on the same subject over the past 18 months. Why did she not just come and talk to me instead of wasting all this paper? This government is committed to assisting our police and emergency services throughout the whole of Western Australia, not just in the metropolitan area, and we have funded it in this year’s budget.
The question that the member has asked is very important. This government has gone through very serious economic times in the past year or two. Through great economic management, we have delivered what Western Australian people deserve and need. We made a decision to invest in essential services, such as the regional communications network, which we have delivered in this year’s budget. We have committed $120.3 million over three years, and that money has come from royalties for regions. I would like to thank my National Party colleagues for showing great support for this government in areas that desperately need to be covered. Regional areas desperately need this radio network system. We also have allocated funding complements of $8.7 million in this year’s budget for the continued expansion of the Perth metropolitan radio network to extend the existing radio and mobile data communications north to Lancelin, east to Northam and south to Dunsborough. All these upgrades will improve police response times through the capability dispatch tasks to the officers best placed to respond rapidly. This government has delivered what Labor failed to do in eight years. When the police and emergency services were crying out for help with a regional radio network system, what did the Labor Party do? It did absolutely nothing. All it did was commit some funding for a new police station to try to boost the electoral chances of a new member. That is where it spent its money. The Labor Party had the economy to do these things in government, but it failed to do so. It did not commit one cent to the regional radio network system. It is an absolutely essential system. Apart from the $80 million that will assist the police and emergency services in regional areas, $40 million also has been allocated to improve mobile communications in those black areas in which people’s phone service drops out and they cannot communicate with other people in this state, which has been happening for so many years. We are doing what the Labor Party failed to do in eight years. Opposition members are still in a state of denial, and the member for Girrawheen is a classic case. She is a seriously serial press release releaser! In relation to the essential regional radio network, the member must have cut down two or three trees for this lot of press releases. They have been released over quite an expanse of time. The first one was released two months after we came to government. In this first press release she banged on about our government not providing a regional radio network to police and emergency services in Western Australia. Only two months after we came to government, she was carping and banging on about why we had not done this. The Labor Party just squandered money, and the member has squandered money on her press releases. She has done four or five press releases on the same subject over the past 18 months. Why did she not just come and talk to me instead of wasting all this paper? This government is committed to assisting our police and emergency services throughout the whole of Western Australia, not just in the metropolitan area, and we have funded it in this year’s budget.
This government has delivered what Labor failed to do in eight years. When the police and emergency services were crying out for help with a regional radio network system, what did the Labor Party do? It did absolutely nothing. All it did was commit some funding for a new police station to try to boost the electoral chances of a new member. That is where it spent its money. The Labor Party had the economy to do these things in government, but it failed to do so. It did not commit one cent to the regional radio network system. It is an absolutely essential system. Apart from the $80 million that will assist the police and emergency services in regional areas, $40 million also has been allocated to improve mobile communications in those black areas in which people’s phone service drops out and they cannot communicate with other people in this state, which has been happening for so many years. We are doing what the Labor Party failed to do in eight years. Opposition members are still in a state of denial, and the member for Girrawheen is a classic case. She is a seriously serial press release releaser! In relation to the essential regional radio network, the member must have cut down two or three trees for this lot of press releases. They have been released over quite an expanse of time. The first one was released two months after we came to government. In this first press release she banged on about our government not providing a regional radio network to police and emergency services in Western Australia. Only two months after we came to government, she was carping and banging on about why we had not done this. The Labor Party just squandered money, and the member has squandered money on her press releases. She has done four or five press releases on the same subject over the past 18 months. Why did she not just come and talk to me instead of wasting all this paper? This government is committed to assisting our police and emergency services throughout the whole of Western Australia, not just in the metropolitan area, and we have funded it in this year’s budget.
Opposition members are still in a state of denial, and the member for Girrawheen is a classic case. She is a seriously serial press release releaser! In relation to the essential regional radio network, the member must have cut down two or three trees for this lot of press releases. They have been released over quite an expanse of time. The first one was released two months after we came to government. In this first press release she banged on about our government not providing a regional radio network to police and emergency services in Western Australia. Only two months after we came to government, she was carping and banging on about why we had not done this. The Labor Party just squandered money, and the member has squandered money on her press releases. She has done four or five press releases on the same subject over the past 18 months. Why did she not just come and talk to me instead of wasting all this paper? This government is committed to assisting our police and emergency services throughout the whole of Western Australia, not just in the metropolitan area, and we have funded it in this year’s budget.
Mr T.G. Stephens interjected. The SPEAKER : It is my intention today to give a lot of people in this place an opportunity to ask a question. There is only one person at the moment who is asking a question, and he is the only person I want to hear from at this time. I do not want to hear from anyone else. Mr V.A. CATANIA : Thank you, Mr Speaker — Mr T.G. Stephens interjected. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Take a seat, member for North West. Member for Pilbara, you might have missed my directive. I formally call you for the first time. Mr V.A. CATANIA : Will the minister please outline what the government is doing to ensure that the people in regional WA can be assured that emergency personnel have up-to-date communications to serve the community? Mr R.F. JOHNSON replied: I did not hear the whole question, but I have a pretty good idea what the member said. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It was certainly good enough. I thank the member for the question. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you members! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It was great to open the new police complex in Karratha in the member’s electorate two weeks ago. The local member was there, as were some other members of this chamber. I certainly acknowledge each and every one of them. It is a great new complex. The question that the member has asked is very important. This government has gone through very serious economic times in the past year or two. Through great economic management, we have delivered what Western Australian people deserve and need. We made a decision to invest in essential services, such as the regional communications network, which we have delivered in this year’s budget. We have committed $120.3 million over three years, and that money has come from royalties for regions. I would like to thank my National Party colleagues for showing great support for this government in areas that desperately need to be covered. Regional areas desperately need this radio network system. We also have allocated funding complements of $8.7 million in this year’s budget for the continued expansion of the Perth metropolitan radio network to extend the existing radio and mobile data communications north to Lancelin, east to Northam and south to Dunsborough. All these upgrades will improve police response times through the capability dispatch tasks to the officers best placed to respond rapidly. This government has delivered what Labor failed to do in eight years. When the police and emergency services were crying out for help with a regional radio network system, what did the Labor Party do? It did absolutely nothing. All it did was commit some funding for a new police station to try to boost the electoral chances of a new member. That is where it spent its money. The Labor Party had the economy to do these things in government, but it failed to do so. It did not commit one cent to the regional radio network system. It is an absolutely essential system. Apart from the $80 million that will assist the police and emergency services in regional areas, $40 million also has been allocated to improve mobile communications in those black areas in which people’s phone service drops out and they cannot communicate with other people in this state, which has been happening for so many years. We are doing what the Labor Party failed to do in eight years. Opposition members are still in a state of denial, and the member for Girrawheen is a classic case. She is a seriously serial press release releaser! In relation to the essential regional radio network, the member must have cut down two or three trees for this lot of press releases. They have been released over quite an expanse of time. The first one was released two months after we came to government. In this first press release she banged on about our government not providing a regional radio network to police and emergency services in Western Australia. Only two months after we came to government, she was carping and banging on about why we had not done this. The Labor Party just squandered money, and the member has squandered money on her press releases. She has done four or five press releases on the same subject over the past 18 months. Why did she not just come and talk to me instead of wasting all this paper? This government is committed to assisting our police and emergency services throughout the whole of Western Australia, not just in the metropolitan area, and we have funded it in this year’s budget.
The SPEAKER : It is my intention today to give a lot of people in this place an opportunity to ask a question. There is only one person at the moment who is asking a question, and he is the only person I want to hear from at this time. I do not want to hear from anyone else. Mr V.A. CATANIA : Thank you, Mr Speaker — Mr T.G. Stephens interjected. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Take a seat, member for North West. Member for Pilbara, you might have missed my directive. I formally call you for the first time. Mr V.A. CATANIA : Will the minister please outline what the government is doing to ensure that the people in regional WA can be assured that emergency personnel have up-to-date communications to serve the community? Mr R.F. JOHNSON replied: I did not hear the whole question, but I have a pretty good idea what the member said. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It was certainly good enough. I thank the member for the question. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you members! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It was great to open the new police complex in Karratha in the member’s electorate two weeks ago. The local member was there, as were some other members of this chamber. I certainly acknowledge each and every one of them. It is a great new complex. The question that the member has asked is very important. This government has gone through very serious economic times in the past year or two. Through great economic management, we have delivered what Western Australian people deserve and need. We made a decision to invest in essential services, such as the regional communications network, which we have delivered in this year’s budget. We have committed $120.3 million over three years, and that money has come from royalties for regions. I would like to thank my National Party colleagues for showing great support for this government in areas that desperately need to be covered. Regional areas desperately need this radio network system. We also have allocated funding complements of $8.7 million in this year’s budget for the continued expansion of the Perth metropolitan radio network to extend the existing radio and mobile data communications north to Lancelin, east to Northam and south to Dunsborough. All these upgrades will improve police response times through the capability dispatch tasks to the officers best placed to respond rapidly. This government has delivered what Labor failed to do in eight years. When the police and emergency services were crying out for help with a regional radio network system, what did the Labor Party do? It did absolutely nothing. All it did was commit some funding for a new police station to try to boost the electoral chances of a new member. That is where it spent its money. The Labor Party had the economy to do these things in government, but it failed to do so. It did not commit one cent to the regional radio network system. It is an absolutely essential system. Apart from the $80 million that will assist the police and emergency services in regional areas, $40 million also has been allocated to improve mobile communications in those black areas in which people’s phone service drops out and they cannot communicate with other people in this state, which has been happening for so many years. We are doing what the Labor Party failed to do in eight years. Opposition members are still in a state of denial, and the member for Girrawheen is a classic case. She is a seriously serial press release releaser! In relation to the essential regional radio network, the member must have cut down two or three trees for this lot of press releases. They have been released over quite an expanse of time. The first one was released two months after we came to government. In this first press release she banged on about our government not providing a regional radio network to police and emergency services in Western Australia. Only two months after we came to government, she was carping and banging on about why we had not done this. The Labor Party just squandered money, and the member has squandered money on her press releases. She has done four or five press releases on the same subject over the past 18 months. Why did she not just come and talk to me instead of wasting all this paper? This government is committed to assisting our police and emergency services throughout the whole of Western Australia, not just in the metropolitan area, and we have funded it in this year’s budget.
Mr V.A. CATANIA : Thank you, Mr Speaker — Mr T.G. Stephens interjected. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Take a seat, member for North West. Member for Pilbara, you might have missed my directive. I formally call you for the first time. Mr V.A. CATANIA : Will the minister please outline what the government is doing to ensure that the people in regional WA can be assured that emergency personnel have up-to-date communications to serve the community? Mr R.F. JOHNSON replied: I did not hear the whole question, but I have a pretty good idea what the member said. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It was certainly good enough. I thank the member for the question. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you members! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It was great to open the new police complex in Karratha in the member’s electorate two weeks ago. The local member was there, as were some other members of this chamber. I certainly acknowledge each and every one of them. It is a great new complex. The question that the member has asked is very important. This government has gone through very serious economic times in the past year or two. Through great economic management, we have delivered what Western Australian people deserve and need. We made a decision to invest in essential services, such as the regional communications network, which we have delivered in this year’s budget. We have committed $120.3 million over three years, and that money has come from royalties for regions. I would like to thank my National Party colleagues for showing great support for this government in areas that desperately need to be covered. Regional areas desperately need this radio network system. We also have allocated funding complements of $8.7 million in this year’s budget for the continued expansion of the Perth metropolitan radio network to extend the existing radio and mobile data communications north to Lancelin, east to Northam and south to Dunsborough. All these upgrades will improve police response times through the capability dispatch tasks to the officers best placed to respond rapidly. This government has delivered what Labor failed to do in eight years. When the police and emergency services were crying out for help with a regional radio network system, what did the Labor Party do? It did absolutely nothing. All it did was commit some funding for a new police station to try to boost the electoral chances of a new member. That is where it spent its money. The Labor Party had the economy to do these things in government, but it failed to do so. It did not commit one cent to the regional radio network system. It is an absolutely essential system. Apart from the $80 million that will assist the police and emergency services in regional areas, $40 million also has been allocated to improve mobile communications in those black areas in which people’s phone service drops out and they cannot communicate with other people in this state, which has been happening for so many years. We are doing what the Labor Party failed to do in eight years. Opposition members are still in a state of denial, and the member for Girrawheen is a classic case. She is a seriously serial press release releaser! In relation to the essential regional radio network, the member must have cut down two or three trees for this lot of press releases. They have been released over quite an expanse of time. The first one was released two months after we came to government. In this first press release she banged on about our government not providing a regional radio network to police and emergency services in Western Australia. Only two months after we came to government, she was carping and banging on about why we had not done this. The Labor Party just squandered money, and the member has squandered money on her press releases. She has done four or five press releases on the same subject over the past 18 months. Why did she not just come and talk to me instead of wasting all this paper? This government is committed to assisting our police and emergency services throughout the whole of Western Australia, not just in the metropolitan area, and we have funded it in this year’s budget.
Mr T.G. Stephens interjected. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Take a seat, member for North West. Member for Pilbara, you might have missed my directive. I formally call you for the first time. Mr V.A. CATANIA : Will the minister please outline what the government is doing to ensure that the people in regional WA can be assured that emergency personnel have up-to-date communications to serve the community? Mr R.F. JOHNSON replied: I did not hear the whole question, but I have a pretty good idea what the member said. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It was certainly good enough. I thank the member for the question. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you members! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It was great to open the new police complex in Karratha in the member’s electorate two weeks ago. The local member was there, as were some other members of this chamber. I certainly acknowledge each and every one of them. It is a great new complex. The question that the member has asked is very important. This government has gone through very serious economic times in the past year or two. Through great economic management, we have delivered what Western Australian people deserve and need. We made a decision to invest in essential services, such as the regional communications network, which we have delivered in this year’s budget. We have committed $120.3 million over three years, and that money has come from royalties for regions. I would like to thank my National Party colleagues for showing great support for this government in areas that desperately need to be covered. Regional areas desperately need this radio network system. We also have allocated funding complements of $8.7 million in this year’s budget for the continued expansion of the Perth metropolitan radio network to extend the existing radio and mobile data communications north to Lancelin, east to Northam and south to Dunsborough. All these upgrades will improve police response times through the capability dispatch tasks to the officers best placed to respond rapidly. This government has delivered what Labor failed to do in eight years. When the police and emergency services were crying out for help with a regional radio network system, what did the Labor Party do? It did absolutely nothing. All it did was commit some funding for a new police station to try to boost the electoral chances of a new member. That is where it spent its money. The Labor Party had the economy to do these things in government, but it failed to do so. It did not commit one cent to the regional radio network system. It is an absolutely essential system. Apart from the $80 million that will assist the police and emergency services in regional areas, $40 million also has been allocated to improve mobile communications in those black areas in which people’s phone service drops out and they cannot communicate with other people in this state, which has been happening for so many years. We are doing what the Labor Party failed to do in eight years. Opposition members are still in a state of denial, and the member for Girrawheen is a classic case. She is a seriously serial press release releaser! In relation to the essential regional radio network, the member must have cut down two or three trees for this lot of press releases. They have been released over quite an expanse of time. The first one was released two months after we came to government. In this first press release she banged on about our government not providing a regional radio network to police and emergency services in Western Australia. Only two months after we came to government, she was carping and banging on about why we had not done this. The Labor Party just squandered money, and the member has squandered money on her press releases. She has done four or five press releases on the same subject over the past 18 months. Why did she not just come and talk to me instead of wasting all this paper? This government is committed to assisting our police and emergency services throughout the whole of Western Australia, not just in the metropolitan area, and we have funded it in this year’s budget.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Take a seat, member for North West. Member for Pilbara, you might have missed my directive. I formally call you for the first time. Mr V.A. CATANIA : Will the minister please outline what the government is doing to ensure that the people in regional WA can be assured that emergency personnel have up-to-date communications to serve the community? Mr R.F. JOHNSON replied: I did not hear the whole question, but I have a pretty good idea what the member said. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It was certainly good enough. I thank the member for the question. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you members! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It was great to open the new police complex in Karratha in the member’s electorate two weeks ago. The local member was there, as were some other members of this chamber. I certainly acknowledge each and every one of them. It is a great new complex. The question that the member has asked is very important. This government has gone through very serious economic times in the past year or two. Through great economic management, we have delivered what Western Australian people deserve and need. We made a decision to invest in essential services, such as the regional communications network, which we have delivered in this year’s budget. We have committed $120.3 million over three years, and that money has come from royalties for regions. I would like to thank my National Party colleagues for showing great support for this government in areas that desperately need to be covered. Regional areas desperately need this radio network system. We also have allocated funding complements of $8.7 million in this year’s budget for the continued expansion of the Perth metropolitan radio network to extend the existing radio and mobile data communications north to Lancelin, east to Northam and south to Dunsborough. All these upgrades will improve police response times through the capability dispatch tasks to the officers best placed to respond rapidly. This government has delivered what Labor failed to do in eight years. When the police and emergency services were crying out for help with a regional radio network system, what did the Labor Party do? It did absolutely nothing. All it did was commit some funding for a new police station to try to boost the electoral chances of a new member. That is where it spent its money. The Labor Party had the economy to do these things in government, but it failed to do so. It did not commit one cent to the regional radio network system. It is an absolutely essential system. Apart from the $80 million that will assist the police and emergency services in regional areas, $40 million also has been allocated to improve mobile communications in those black areas in which people’s phone service drops out and they cannot communicate with other people in this state, which has been happening for so many years. We are doing what the Labor Party failed to do in eight years. Opposition members are still in a state of denial, and the member for Girrawheen is a classic case. She is a seriously serial press release releaser! In relation to the essential regional radio network, the member must have cut down two or three trees for this lot of press releases. They have been released over quite an expanse of time. The first one was released two months after we came to government. In this first press release she banged on about our government not providing a regional radio network to police and emergency services in Western Australia. Only two months after we came to government, she was carping and banging on about why we had not done this. The Labor Party just squandered money, and the member has squandered money on her press releases. She has done four or five press releases on the same subject over the past 18 months. Why did she not just come and talk to me instead of wasting all this paper? This government is committed to assisting our police and emergency services throughout the whole of Western Australia, not just in the metropolitan area, and we have funded it in this year’s budget.
The SPEAKER : Take a seat, member for North West. Member for Pilbara, you might have missed my directive. I formally call you for the first time. Mr V.A. CATANIA : Will the minister please outline what the government is doing to ensure that the people in regional WA can be assured that emergency personnel have up-to-date communications to serve the community? Mr R.F. JOHNSON replied: I did not hear the whole question, but I have a pretty good idea what the member said. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It was certainly good enough. I thank the member for the question. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you members! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It was great to open the new police complex in Karratha in the member’s electorate two weeks ago. The local member was there, as were some other members of this chamber. I certainly acknowledge each and every one of them. It is a great new complex. The question that the member has asked is very important. This government has gone through very serious economic times in the past year or two. Through great economic management, we have delivered what Western Australian people deserve and need. We made a decision to invest in essential services, such as the regional communications network, which we have delivered in this year’s budget. We have committed $120.3 million over three years, and that money has come from royalties for regions. I would like to thank my National Party colleagues for showing great support for this government in areas that desperately need to be covered. Regional areas desperately need this radio network system. We also have allocated funding complements of $8.7 million in this year’s budget for the continued expansion of the Perth metropolitan radio network to extend the existing radio and mobile data communications north to Lancelin, east to Northam and south to Dunsborough. All these upgrades will improve police response times through the capability dispatch tasks to the officers best placed to respond rapidly. This government has delivered what Labor failed to do in eight years. When the police and emergency services were crying out for help with a regional radio network system, what did the Labor Party do? It did absolutely nothing. All it did was commit some funding for a new police station to try to boost the electoral chances of a new member. That is where it spent its money. The Labor Party had the economy to do these things in government, but it failed to do so. It did not commit one cent to the regional radio network system. It is an absolutely essential system. Apart from the $80 million that will assist the police and emergency services in regional areas, $40 million also has been allocated to improve mobile communications in those black areas in which people’s phone service drops out and they cannot communicate with other people in this state, which has been happening for so many years. We are doing what the Labor Party failed to do in eight years. Opposition members are still in a state of denial, and the member for Girrawheen is a classic case. She is a seriously serial press release releaser! In relation to the essential regional radio network, the member must have cut down two or three trees for this lot of press releases. They have been released over quite an expanse of time. The first one was released two months after we came to government. In this first press release she banged on about our government not providing a regional radio network to police and emergency services in Western Australia. Only two months after we came to government, she was carping and banging on about why we had not done this. The Labor Party just squandered money, and the member has squandered money on her press releases. She has done four or five press releases on the same subject over the past 18 months. Why did she not just come and talk to me instead of wasting all this paper? This government is committed to assisting our police and emergency services throughout the whole of Western Australia, not just in the metropolitan area, and we have funded it in this year’s budget.
Mr V.A. CATANIA : Will the minister please outline what the government is doing to ensure that the people in regional WA can be assured that emergency personnel have up-to-date communications to serve the community? Mr R.F. JOHNSON replied: I did not hear the whole question, but I have a pretty good idea what the member said. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It was certainly good enough. I thank the member for the question. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you members! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It was great to open the new police complex in Karratha in the member’s electorate two weeks ago. The local member was there, as were some other members of this chamber. I certainly acknowledge each and every one of them. It is a great new complex. The question that the member has asked is very important. This government has gone through very serious economic times in the past year or two. Through great economic management, we have delivered what Western Australian people deserve and need. We made a decision to invest in essential services, such as the regional communications network, which we have delivered in this year’s budget. We have committed $120.3 million over three years, and that money has come from royalties for regions. I would like to thank my National Party colleagues for showing great support for this government in areas that desperately need to be covered. Regional areas desperately need this radio network system. We also have allocated funding complements of $8.7 million in this year’s budget for the continued expansion of the Perth metropolitan radio network to extend the existing radio and mobile data communications north to Lancelin, east to Northam and south to Dunsborough. All these upgrades will improve police response times through the capability dispatch tasks to the officers best placed to respond rapidly. This government has delivered what Labor failed to do in eight years. When the police and emergency services were crying out for help with a regional radio network system, what did the Labor Party do? It did absolutely nothing. All it did was commit some funding for a new police station to try to boost the electoral chances of a new member. That is where it spent its money. The Labor Party had the economy to do these things in government, but it failed to do so. It did not commit one cent to the regional radio network system. It is an absolutely essential system. Apart from the $80 million that will assist the police and emergency services in regional areas, $40 million also has been allocated to improve mobile communications in those black areas in which people’s phone service drops out and they cannot communicate with other people in this state, which has been happening for so many years. We are doing what the Labor Party failed to do in eight years. Opposition members are still in a state of denial, and the member for Girrawheen is a classic case. She is a seriously serial press release releaser! In relation to the essential regional radio network, the member must have cut down two or three trees for this lot of press releases. They have been released over quite an expanse of time. The first one was released two months after we came to government. In this first press release she banged on about our government not providing a regional radio network to police and emergency services in Western Australia. Only two months after we came to government, she was carping and banging on about why we had not done this. The Labor Party just squandered money, and the member has squandered money on her press releases. She has done four or five press releases on the same subject over the past 18 months. Why did she not just come and talk to me instead of wasting all this paper? This government is committed to assisting our police and emergency services throughout the whole of Western Australia, not just in the metropolitan area, and we have funded it in this year’s budget.
Mr R.F. JOHNSON replied: I did not hear the whole question, but I have a pretty good idea what the member said. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It was certainly good enough. I thank the member for the question. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you members! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It was great to open the new police complex in Karratha in the member’s electorate two weeks ago. The local member was there, as were some other members of this chamber. I certainly acknowledge each and every one of them. It is a great new complex. The question that the member has asked is very important. This government has gone through very serious economic times in the past year or two. Through great economic management, we have delivered what Western Australian people deserve and need. We made a decision to invest in essential services, such as the regional communications network, which we have delivered in this year’s budget. We have committed $120.3 million over three years, and that money has come from royalties for regions. I would like to thank my National Party colleagues for showing great support for this government in areas that desperately need to be covered. Regional areas desperately need this radio network system. We also have allocated funding complements of $8.7 million in this year’s budget for the continued expansion of the Perth metropolitan radio network to extend the existing radio and mobile data communications north to Lancelin, east to Northam and south to Dunsborough. All these upgrades will improve police response times through the capability dispatch tasks to the officers best placed to respond rapidly. This government has delivered what Labor failed to do in eight years. When the police and emergency services were crying out for help with a regional radio network system, what did the Labor Party do? It did absolutely nothing. All it did was commit some funding for a new police station to try to boost the electoral chances of a new member. That is where it spent its money. The Labor Party had the economy to do these things in government, but it failed to do so. It did not commit one cent to the regional radio network system. It is an absolutely essential system. Apart from the $80 million that will assist the police and emergency services in regional areas, $40 million also has been allocated to improve mobile communications in those black areas in which people’s phone service drops out and they cannot communicate with other people in this state, which has been happening for so many years. We are doing what the Labor Party failed to do in eight years. Opposition members are still in a state of denial, and the member for Girrawheen is a classic case. She is a seriously serial press release releaser! In relation to the essential regional radio network, the member must have cut down two or three trees for this lot of press releases. They have been released over quite an expanse of time. The first one was released two months after we came to government. In this first press release she banged on about our government not providing a regional radio network to police and emergency services in Western Australia. Only two months after we came to government, she was carping and banging on about why we had not done this. The Labor Party just squandered money, and the member has squandered money on her press releases. She has done four or five press releases on the same subject over the past 18 months. Why did she not just come and talk to me instead of wasting all this paper? This government is committed to assisting our police and emergency services throughout the whole of Western Australia, not just in the metropolitan area, and we have funded it in this year’s budget.
I did not hear the whole question, but I have a pretty good idea what the member said. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It was certainly good enough. I thank the member for the question. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you members! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It was great to open the new police complex in Karratha in the member’s electorate two weeks ago. The local member was there, as were some other members of this chamber. I certainly acknowledge each and every one of them. It is a great new complex. The question that the member has asked is very important. This government has gone through very serious economic times in the past year or two. Through great economic management, we have delivered what Western Australian people deserve and need. We made a decision to invest in essential services, such as the regional communications network, which we have delivered in this year’s budget. We have committed $120.3 million over three years, and that money has come from royalties for regions. I would like to thank my National Party colleagues for showing great support for this government in areas that desperately need to be covered. Regional areas desperately need this radio network system. We also have allocated funding complements of $8.7 million in this year’s budget for the continued expansion of the Perth metropolitan radio network to extend the existing radio and mobile data communications north to Lancelin, east to Northam and south to Dunsborough. All these upgrades will improve police response times through the capability dispatch tasks to the officers best placed to respond rapidly. This government has delivered what Labor failed to do in eight years. When the police and emergency services were crying out for help with a regional radio network system, what did the Labor Party do? It did absolutely nothing. All it did was commit some funding for a new police station to try to boost the electoral chances of a new member. That is where it spent its money. The Labor Party had the economy to do these things in government, but it failed to do so. It did not commit one cent to the regional radio network system. It is an absolutely essential system. Apart from the $80 million that will assist the police and emergency services in regional areas, $40 million also has been allocated to improve mobile communications in those black areas in which people’s phone service drops out and they cannot communicate with other people in this state, which has been happening for so many years. We are doing what the Labor Party failed to do in eight years. Opposition members are still in a state of denial, and the member for Girrawheen is a classic case. She is a seriously serial press release releaser! In relation to the essential regional radio network, the member must have cut down two or three trees for this lot of press releases. They have been released over quite an expanse of time. The first one was released two months after we came to government. In this first press release she banged on about our government not providing a regional radio network to police and emergency services in Western Australia. Only two months after we came to government, she was carping and banging on about why we had not done this. The Labor Party just squandered money, and the member has squandered money on her press releases. She has done four or five press releases on the same subject over the past 18 months. Why did she not just come and talk to me instead of wasting all this paper? This government is committed to assisting our police and emergency services throughout the whole of Western Australia, not just in the metropolitan area, and we have funded it in this year’s budget.
Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It was certainly good enough. I thank the member for the question. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you members! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It was great to open the new police complex in Karratha in the member’s electorate two weeks ago. The local member was there, as were some other members of this chamber. I certainly acknowledge each and every one of them. It is a great new complex. The question that the member has asked is very important. This government has gone through very serious economic times in the past year or two. Through great economic management, we have delivered what Western Australian people deserve and need. We made a decision to invest in essential services, such as the regional communications network, which we have delivered in this year’s budget. We have committed $120.3 million over three years, and that money has come from royalties for regions. I would like to thank my National Party colleagues for showing great support for this government in areas that desperately need to be covered. Regional areas desperately need this radio network system. We also have allocated funding complements of $8.7 million in this year’s budget for the continued expansion of the Perth metropolitan radio network to extend the existing radio and mobile data communications north to Lancelin, east to Northam and south to Dunsborough. All these upgrades will improve police response times through the capability dispatch tasks to the officers best placed to respond rapidly. This government has delivered what Labor failed to do in eight years. When the police and emergency services were crying out for help with a regional radio network system, what did the Labor Party do? It did absolutely nothing. All it did was commit some funding for a new police station to try to boost the electoral chances of a new member. That is where it spent its money. The Labor Party had the economy to do these things in government, but it failed to do so. It did not commit one cent to the regional radio network system. It is an absolutely essential system. Apart from the $80 million that will assist the police and emergency services in regional areas, $40 million also has been allocated to improve mobile communications in those black areas in which people’s phone service drops out and they cannot communicate with other people in this state, which has been happening for so many years. We are doing what the Labor Party failed to do in eight years. Opposition members are still in a state of denial, and the member for Girrawheen is a classic case. She is a seriously serial press release releaser! In relation to the essential regional radio network, the member must have cut down two or three trees for this lot of press releases. They have been released over quite an expanse of time. The first one was released two months after we came to government. In this first press release she banged on about our government not providing a regional radio network to police and emergency services in Western Australia. Only two months after we came to government, she was carping and banging on about why we had not done this. The Labor Party just squandered money, and the member has squandered money on her press releases. She has done four or five press releases on the same subject over the past 18 months. Why did she not just come and talk to me instead of wasting all this paper? This government is committed to assisting our police and emergency services throughout the whole of Western Australia, not just in the metropolitan area, and we have funded it in this year’s budget.
Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It was certainly good enough. I thank the member for the question. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you members! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It was great to open the new police complex in Karratha in the member’s electorate two weeks ago. The local member was there, as were some other members of this chamber. I certainly acknowledge each and every one of them. It is a great new complex. The question that the member has asked is very important. This government has gone through very serious economic times in the past year or two. Through great economic management, we have delivered what Western Australian people deserve and need. We made a decision to invest in essential services, such as the regional communications network, which we have delivered in this year’s budget. We have committed $120.3 million over three years, and that money has come from royalties for regions. I would like to thank my National Party colleagues for showing great support for this government in areas that desperately need to be covered. Regional areas desperately need this radio network system. We also have allocated funding complements of $8.7 million in this year’s budget for the continued expansion of the Perth metropolitan radio network to extend the existing radio and mobile data communications north to Lancelin, east to Northam and south to Dunsborough. All these upgrades will improve police response times through the capability dispatch tasks to the officers best placed to respond rapidly. This government has delivered what Labor failed to do in eight years. When the police and emergency services were crying out for help with a regional radio network system, what did the Labor Party do? It did absolutely nothing. All it did was commit some funding for a new police station to try to boost the electoral chances of a new member. That is where it spent its money. The Labor Party had the economy to do these things in government, but it failed to do so. It did not commit one cent to the regional radio network system. It is an absolutely essential system. Apart from the $80 million that will assist the police and emergency services in regional areas, $40 million also has been allocated to improve mobile communications in those black areas in which people’s phone service drops out and they cannot communicate with other people in this state, which has been happening for so many years. We are doing what the Labor Party failed to do in eight years. Opposition members are still in a state of denial, and the member for Girrawheen is a classic case. She is a seriously serial press release releaser! In relation to the essential regional radio network, the member must have cut down two or three trees for this lot of press releases. They have been released over quite an expanse of time. The first one was released two months after we came to government. In this first press release she banged on about our government not providing a regional radio network to police and emergency services in Western Australia. Only two months after we came to government, she was carping and banging on about why we had not done this. The Labor Party just squandered money, and the member has squandered money on her press releases. She has done four or five press releases on the same subject over the past 18 months. Why did she not just come and talk to me instead of wasting all this paper? This government is committed to assisting our police and emergency services throughout the whole of Western Australia, not just in the metropolitan area, and we have funded it in this year’s budget.
I thank the member for the question. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you members! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It was great to open the new police complex in Karratha in the member’s electorate two weeks ago. The local member was there, as were some other members of this chamber. I certainly acknowledge each and every one of them. It is a great new complex. The question that the member has asked is very important. This government has gone through very serious economic times in the past year or two. Through great economic management, we have delivered what Western Australian people deserve and need. We made a decision to invest in essential services, such as the regional communications network, which we have delivered in this year’s budget. We have committed $120.3 million over three years, and that money has come from royalties for regions. I would like to thank my National Party colleagues for showing great support for this government in areas that desperately need to be covered. Regional areas desperately need this radio network system. We also have allocated funding complements of $8.7 million in this year’s budget for the continued expansion of the Perth metropolitan radio network to extend the existing radio and mobile data communications north to Lancelin, east to Northam and south to Dunsborough. All these upgrades will improve police response times through the capability dispatch tasks to the officers best placed to respond rapidly. This government has delivered what Labor failed to do in eight years. When the police and emergency services were crying out for help with a regional radio network system, what did the Labor Party do? It did absolutely nothing. All it did was commit some funding for a new police station to try to boost the electoral chances of a new member. That is where it spent its money. The Labor Party had the economy to do these things in government, but it failed to do so. It did not commit one cent to the regional radio network system. It is an absolutely essential system. Apart from the $80 million that will assist the police and emergency services in regional areas, $40 million also has been allocated to improve mobile communications in those black areas in which people’s phone service drops out and they cannot communicate with other people in this state, which has been happening for so many years. We are doing what the Labor Party failed to do in eight years. Opposition members are still in a state of denial, and the member for Girrawheen is a classic case. She is a seriously serial press release releaser! In relation to the essential regional radio network, the member must have cut down two or three trees for this lot of press releases. They have been released over quite an expanse of time. The first one was released two months after we came to government. In this first press release she banged on about our government not providing a regional radio network to police and emergency services in Western Australia. Only two months after we came to government, she was carping and banging on about why we had not done this. The Labor Party just squandered money, and the member has squandered money on her press releases. She has done four or five press releases on the same subject over the past 18 months. Why did she not just come and talk to me instead of wasting all this paper? This government is committed to assisting our police and emergency services throughout the whole of Western Australia, not just in the metropolitan area, and we have funded it in this year’s budget.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you members! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It was great to open the new police complex in Karratha in the member’s electorate two weeks ago. The local member was there, as were some other members of this chamber. I certainly acknowledge each and every one of them. It is a great new complex. The question that the member has asked is very important. This government has gone through very serious economic times in the past year or two. Through great economic management, we have delivered what Western Australian people deserve and need. We made a decision to invest in essential services, such as the regional communications network, which we have delivered in this year’s budget. We have committed $120.3 million over three years, and that money has come from royalties for regions. I would like to thank my National Party colleagues for showing great support for this government in areas that desperately need to be covered. Regional areas desperately need this radio network system. We also have allocated funding complements of $8.7 million in this year’s budget for the continued expansion of the Perth metropolitan radio network to extend the existing radio and mobile data communications north to Lancelin, east to Northam and south to Dunsborough. All these upgrades will improve police response times through the capability dispatch tasks to the officers best placed to respond rapidly. This government has delivered what Labor failed to do in eight years. When the police and emergency services were crying out for help with a regional radio network system, what did the Labor Party do? It did absolutely nothing. All it did was commit some funding for a new police station to try to boost the electoral chances of a new member. That is where it spent its money. The Labor Party had the economy to do these things in government, but it failed to do so. It did not commit one cent to the regional radio network system. It is an absolutely essential system. Apart from the $80 million that will assist the police and emergency services in regional areas, $40 million also has been allocated to improve mobile communications in those black areas in which people’s phone service drops out and they cannot communicate with other people in this state, which has been happening for so many years. We are doing what the Labor Party failed to do in eight years. Opposition members are still in a state of denial, and the member for Girrawheen is a classic case. She is a seriously serial press release releaser! In relation to the essential regional radio network, the member must have cut down two or three trees for this lot of press releases. They have been released over quite an expanse of time. The first one was released two months after we came to government. In this first press release she banged on about our government not providing a regional radio network to police and emergency services in Western Australia. Only two months after we came to government, she was carping and banging on about why we had not done this. The Labor Party just squandered money, and the member has squandered money on her press releases. She has done four or five press releases on the same subject over the past 18 months. Why did she not just come and talk to me instead of wasting all this paper? This government is committed to assisting our police and emergency services throughout the whole of Western Australia, not just in the metropolitan area, and we have funded it in this year’s budget.
The SPEAKER : Thank you members! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It was great to open the new police complex in Karratha in the member’s electorate two weeks ago. The local member was there, as were some other members of this chamber. I certainly acknowledge each and every one of them. It is a great new complex. The question that the member has asked is very important. This government has gone through very serious economic times in the past year or two. Through great economic management, we have delivered what Western Australian people deserve and need. We made a decision to invest in essential services, such as the regional communications network, which we have delivered in this year’s budget. We have committed $120.3 million over three years, and that money has come from royalties for regions. I would like to thank my National Party colleagues for showing great support for this government in areas that desperately need to be covered. Regional areas desperately need this radio network system. We also have allocated funding complements of $8.7 million in this year’s budget for the continued expansion of the Perth metropolitan radio network to extend the existing radio and mobile data communications north to Lancelin, east to Northam and south to Dunsborough. All these upgrades will improve police response times through the capability dispatch tasks to the officers best placed to respond rapidly. This government has delivered what Labor failed to do in eight years. When the police and emergency services were crying out for help with a regional radio network system, what did the Labor Party do? It did absolutely nothing. All it did was commit some funding for a new police station to try to boost the electoral chances of a new member. That is where it spent its money. The Labor Party had the economy to do these things in government, but it failed to do so. It did not commit one cent to the regional radio network system. It is an absolutely essential system. Apart from the $80 million that will assist the police and emergency services in regional areas, $40 million also has been allocated to improve mobile communications in those black areas in which people’s phone service drops out and they cannot communicate with other people in this state, which has been happening for so many years. We are doing what the Labor Party failed to do in eight years. Opposition members are still in a state of denial, and the member for Girrawheen is a classic case. She is a seriously serial press release releaser! In relation to the essential regional radio network, the member must have cut down two or three trees for this lot of press releases. They have been released over quite an expanse of time. The first one was released two months after we came to government. In this first press release she banged on about our government not providing a regional radio network to police and emergency services in Western Australia. Only two months after we came to government, she was carping and banging on about why we had not done this. The Labor Party just squandered money, and the member has squandered money on her press releases. She has done four or five press releases on the same subject over the past 18 months. Why did she not just come and talk to me instead of wasting all this paper? This government is committed to assisting our police and emergency services throughout the whole of Western Australia, not just in the metropolitan area, and we have funded it in this year’s budget.
Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It was great to open the new police complex in Karratha in the member’s electorate two weeks ago. The local member was there, as were some other members of this chamber. I certainly acknowledge each and every one of them. It is a great new complex. The question that the member has asked is very important. This government has gone through very serious economic times in the past year or two. Through great economic management, we have delivered what Western Australian people deserve and need. We made a decision to invest in essential services, such as the regional communications network, which we have delivered in this year’s budget. We have committed $120.3 million over three years, and that money has come from royalties for regions. I would like to thank my National Party colleagues for showing great support for this government in areas that desperately need to be covered. Regional areas desperately need this radio network system. We also have allocated funding complements of $8.7 million in this year’s budget for the continued expansion of the Perth metropolitan radio network to extend the existing radio and mobile data communications north to Lancelin, east to Northam and south to Dunsborough. All these upgrades will improve police response times through the capability dispatch tasks to the officers best placed to respond rapidly. This government has delivered what Labor failed to do in eight years. When the police and emergency services were crying out for help with a regional radio network system, what did the Labor Party do? It did absolutely nothing. All it did was commit some funding for a new police station to try to boost the electoral chances of a new member. That is where it spent its money. The Labor Party had the economy to do these things in government, but it failed to do so. It did not commit one cent to the regional radio network system. It is an absolutely essential system. Apart from the $80 million that will assist the police and emergency services in regional areas, $40 million also has been allocated to improve mobile communications in those black areas in which people’s phone service drops out and they cannot communicate with other people in this state, which has been happening for so many years. We are doing what the Labor Party failed to do in eight years. Opposition members are still in a state of denial, and the member for Girrawheen is a classic case. She is a seriously serial press release releaser! In relation to the essential regional radio network, the member must have cut down two or three trees for this lot of press releases. They have been released over quite an expanse of time. The first one was released two months after we came to government. In this first press release she banged on about our government not providing a regional radio network to police and emergency services in Western Australia. Only two months after we came to government, she was carping and banging on about why we had not done this. The Labor Party just squandered money, and the member has squandered money on her press releases. She has done four or five press releases on the same subject over the past 18 months. Why did she not just come and talk to me instead of wasting all this paper? This government is committed to assisting our police and emergency services throughout the whole of Western Australia, not just in the metropolitan area, and we have funded it in this year’s budget.
The question that the member has asked is very important. This government has gone through very serious economic times in the past year or two. Through great economic management, we have delivered what Western Australian people deserve and need. We made a decision to invest in essential services, such as the regional communications network, which we have delivered in this year’s budget. We have committed $120.3 million over three years, and that money has come from royalties for regions. I would like to thank my National Party colleagues for showing great support for this government in areas that desperately need to be covered. Regional areas desperately need this radio network system. We also have allocated funding complements of $8.7 million in this year’s budget for the continued expansion of the Perth metropolitan radio network to extend the existing radio and mobile data communications north to Lancelin, east to Northam and south to Dunsborough. All these upgrades will improve police response times through the capability dispatch tasks to the officers best placed to respond rapidly. This government has delivered what Labor failed to do in eight years. When the police and emergency services were crying out for help with a regional radio network system, what did the Labor Party do? It did absolutely nothing. All it did was commit some funding for a new police station to try to boost the electoral chances of a new member. That is where it spent its money. The Labor Party had the economy to do these things in government, but it failed to do so. It did not commit one cent to the regional radio network system. It is an absolutely essential system. Apart from the $80 million that will assist the police and emergency services in regional areas, $40 million also has been allocated to improve mobile communications in those black areas in which people’s phone service drops out and they cannot communicate with other people in this state, which has been happening for so many years. We are doing what the Labor Party failed to do in eight years. Opposition members are still in a state of denial, and the member for Girrawheen is a classic case. She is a seriously serial press release releaser! In relation to the essential regional radio network, the member must have cut down two or three trees for this lot of press releases. They have been released over quite an expanse of time. The first one was released two months after we came to government. In this first press release she banged on about our government not providing a regional radio network to police and emergency services in Western Australia. Only two months after we came to government, she was carping and banging on about why we had not done this. The Labor Party just squandered money, and the member has squandered money on her press releases. She has done four or five press releases on the same subject over the past 18 months. Why did she not just come and talk to me instead of wasting all this paper? This government is committed to assisting our police and emergency services throughout the whole of Western Australia, not just in the metropolitan area, and we have funded it in this year’s budget.
This government has delivered what Labor failed to do in eight years. When the police and emergency services were crying out for help with a regional radio network system, what did the Labor Party do? It did absolutely nothing. All it did was commit some funding for a new police station to try to boost the electoral chances of a new member. That is where it spent its money. The Labor Party had the economy to do these things in government, but it failed to do so. It did not commit one cent to the regional radio network system. It is an absolutely essential system. Apart from the $80 million that will assist the police and emergency services in regional areas, $40 million also has been allocated to improve mobile communications in those black areas in which people’s phone service drops out and they cannot communicate with other people in this state, which has been happening for so many years. We are doing what the Labor Party failed to do in eight years. Opposition members are still in a state of denial, and the member for Girrawheen is a classic case. She is a seriously serial press release releaser! In relation to the essential regional radio network, the member must have cut down two or three trees for this lot of press releases. They have been released over quite an expanse of time. The first one was released two months after we came to government. In this first press release she banged on about our government not providing a regional radio network to police and emergency services in Western Australia. Only two months after we came to government, she was carping and banging on about why we had not done this. The Labor Party just squandered money, and the member has squandered money on her press releases. She has done four or five press releases on the same subject over the past 18 months. Why did she not just come and talk to me instead of wasting all this paper? This government is committed to assisting our police and emergency services throughout the whole of Western Australia, not just in the metropolitan area, and we have funded it in this year’s budget.
Opposition members are still in a state of denial, and the member for Girrawheen is a classic case. She is a seriously serial press release releaser! In relation to the essential regional radio network, the member must have cut down two or three trees for this lot of press releases. They have been released over quite an expanse of time. The first one was released two months after we came to government. In this first press release she banged on about our government not providing a regional radio network to police and emergency services in Western Australia. Only two months after we came to government, she was carping and banging on about why we had not done this. The Labor Party just squandered money, and the member has squandered money on her press releases. She has done four or five press releases on the same subject over the past 18 months. Why did she not just come and talk to me instead of wasting all this paper? This government is committed to assisting our police and emergency services throughout the whole of Western Australia, not just in the metropolitan area, and we have funded it in this year’s budget.
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