❓ Question regarding the financial benefits of the GST deal secured by the McGowan Labor government and advice on managing future funding increases. The Treasurer's answer defends the government's handling of the GST revenue and criticises the previous Liberal-National government's financial management.
AnsweredQoN 513Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
GST DISTRIBUTION
513. Mr Y. MUBARAKAI to the Treasurer:
My question is to the outstanding
Treasurer.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr Y. MUBARAKAI : I will
repeat—the outstanding Treasurer. I refer to the GST deal that the
McGowan Labor government has delivered for the state. Can the Treasurer outline
to the house —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr Y. MUBARAKAI : Can the
Treasurer outline to the house the financial benefits of this deal, which could
have been delivered only through the strong leadership of this government, and
can the Treasurer advise the house on what advice he has received on what
should be done with any increase in future funding?
Mr A. Krsticevic interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Carine!
513. Mr Y. MUBARAKAI to the Treasurer:
My question is to the outstanding
Treasurer.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr Y. MUBARAKAI : I will
repeat—the outstanding Treasurer. I refer to the GST deal that the
McGowan Labor government has delivered for the state. Can the Treasurer outline
to the house —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr Y. MUBARAKAI : Can the
Treasurer outline to the house the financial benefits of this deal, which could
have been delivered only through the strong leadership of this government, and
can the Treasurer advise the house on what advice he has received on what
should be done with any increase in future funding?
Mr A. Krsticevic interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Carine!
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Jandakot for
that outstanding question. Not long ago the Productivity Commission delivered
its report. It was a report that came about only because the Premier wrote and
requested that it be done. Here it is in all its green glory, which, I suspect,
is exactly the same colour as the Liberal Party when the federal government
announced its response—green! The response from the Liberal Party has
been interesting and I suspect it reflects the last eight and a half years of
the former Liberal–National government under Mr Barnett. I will remind
everybody that after all that hard work by the Premier, the commitment is a floor.
Do not worry about the dollars yet; those things will be resolved. It is the
floor that is the issue from 2019–20 up to a relativity of 0.7 cents in
the dollar, rising to 0.75 cents in the dollar. This is a fundamental game
changer for Western Australia. I want to make a couple of points because I was
intrigued by the response of some of my colleagues on the other side of the
chamber.
The first quote, which I was
flummoxed to hear, was that of the former Premier, Mr Barnett himself. This is
what Mr Barnett had to offer on ABC radio: ''This won't bring an
immediate bonanza, and I hope that mentality wouldn't arise.''
Despite Mr Barnett's record as Premier, I thank him for that comment
because, unfortunately, that sage advice was immediately ignored by the
colleagues he has left behind. Nowhere was that more apparent than in the
member for Churchlands' comments. He thundered on Twitter —
� paying down debt, reducing fees
& charges, delivering essential services is what government must do.
Unfortunately, he did not do one of
those things while he was in government! He neither paid down debt, reduced
fees and charges, nor delivered essential services. I am very pleased that the
Liberal Party is offering a new narrative now that this apparently huge
windfall that the shadow Treasurer talks about has arrived. A lot of members
opposite are to blame for the mess that we are in. Christian Porter, in that
one budget speech he made, assumed revenue that never arrived and went off and
spent it. We all remember that. The one person who is probably most to blame
said we had to either pay down debt or cut payroll tax. Again, those are two
things that he never did whilst he was the Treasurer of Western Australia.
The highlight, for me, was a comment
from the Leader of the Opposition. As everybody tried to claim responsibility,
according to my notes, the member for Riverton said this on 5 July, ''I
have been in the conga line a long time, unfortunately I lost government 15
months ago and I've been pushed to the rear, but I tell you, when I was
leading it, it was a lonely, lonely process.'' Members might be
surprised that that was not a quote from this morning! That was a quote from 5
July, after the federal government made him green with envy when it responded
to this government's very successful advocacy for proper reform of the
GST. We now have a proper case to make in the national interest. We will not do
what the former government did; we will not assume that it has all arrived and
then spend it by a factor of 10. A range of shadow ministers from the other
side have already done exactly that. We will not make that mistake.
that outstanding question. Not long ago the Productivity Commission delivered
its report. It was a report that came about only because the Premier wrote and
requested that it be done. Here it is in all its green glory, which, I suspect,
is exactly the same colour as the Liberal Party when the federal government
announced its response—green! The response from the Liberal Party has
been interesting and I suspect it reflects the last eight and a half years of
the former Liberal–National government under Mr Barnett. I will remind
everybody that after all that hard work by the Premier, the commitment is a floor.
Do not worry about the dollars yet; those things will be resolved. It is the
floor that is the issue from 2019–20 up to a relativity of 0.7 cents in
the dollar, rising to 0.75 cents in the dollar. This is a fundamental game
changer for Western Australia. I want to make a couple of points because I was
intrigued by the response of some of my colleagues on the other side of the
chamber.
The first quote, which I was
flummoxed to hear, was that of the former Premier, Mr Barnett himself. This is
what Mr Barnett had to offer on ABC radio: ''This won't bring an
immediate bonanza, and I hope that mentality wouldn't arise.''
Despite Mr Barnett's record as Premier, I thank him for that comment
because, unfortunately, that sage advice was immediately ignored by the
colleagues he has left behind. Nowhere was that more apparent than in the
member for Churchlands' comments. He thundered on Twitter —
� paying down debt, reducing fees
& charges, delivering essential services is what government must do.
Unfortunately, he did not do one of
those things while he was in government! He neither paid down debt, reduced
fees and charges, nor delivered essential services. I am very pleased that the
Liberal Party is offering a new narrative now that this apparently huge
windfall that the shadow Treasurer talks about has arrived. A lot of members
opposite are to blame for the mess that we are in. Christian Porter, in that
one budget speech he made, assumed revenue that never arrived and went off and
spent it. We all remember that. The one person who is probably most to blame
said we had to either pay down debt or cut payroll tax. Again, those are two
things that he never did whilst he was the Treasurer of Western Australia.
The highlight, for me, was a comment
from the Leader of the Opposition. As everybody tried to claim responsibility,
according to my notes, the member for Riverton said this on 5 July, ''I
have been in the conga line a long time, unfortunately I lost government 15
months ago and I've been pushed to the rear, but I tell you, when I was
leading it, it was a lonely, lonely process.'' Members might be
surprised that that was not a quote from this morning! That was a quote from 5
July, after the federal government made him green with envy when it responded
to this government's very successful advocacy for proper reform of the
GST. We now have a proper case to make in the national interest. We will not do
what the former government did; we will not assume that it has all arrived and
then spend it by a factor of 10. A range of shadow ministers from the other
side have already done exactly that. We will not make that mistake.
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