❓ WA Premier addresses concerns about the state's share of Commonwealth grants, highlighting a significant financial disadvantage and announcing a joint inquiry with NSW and Victoria to review the distribution process.
AnsweredQoN 602Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
COMMONWEALTH GRANTS, WESTERN AUSTRALIA’S SHARE
Can the Premier indicate whether Western Australia is currently getting its fair share of commonwealth grants and other expenditure? Dr GALLOP
Can the Premier indicate whether Western Australia is currently getting its fair share of commonwealth grants and other expenditure? Dr GALLOP
AnswerView source ↗
The Treasurer is not with us during question time today because he has left to go to Melbourne to meet with the Treasurers from New South Wales and Victoria. The Treasurers will tomorrow announce a joint state-funded inquiry into commonwealth-state financial relations. Details of the inquiry and the identity of the eminent Australians who will conduct it will be announced tomorrow. A rethink of the way commonwealth grants are distributed to the States and Territories is long overdue. Western Australia is $360 million worse off today than it was eight years ago in terms of its share of commonwealth grants. Overall, around $2.7 billion is taken out of Western Australia by the Commonwealth each year. That is the difference between what our State generates in income for the Commonwealth and what it gets back in commonwealth grants and other spending including pensions, grants, defence and salaries for commonwealth employees. The State Government does not believe that Western Australia is getting a fair share of the cake. The real problem for Western Australia is the demand on the budget to provide infrastructure. Western Australia is a growing State. It needs roads, power stations, ports, rail and other infrastructure to help generate the wealth on which our country depends. These special needs and the amount of wealth Western Australia generates for the nation must be taken into account. For example, it is not fair that Western Australia must subsidise the Australian Capital Territory, where people have a high standard of living and enjoy the resources of the national capital. This review is a vital step in protecting Western Australia from the current Commonwealth Grants Commission process. This State has tremendous potential. In order to realise that potential, money must be spent on infrastructure. Much of that needs to be spent in your electorate, Mr Speaker, in which the remarkable oil and gas industry is located. Those demands on the State Government budget are not properly taken into account when the grants commission works out how to distribute money throughout Australia. The Government intends to continue to take up that fight. Western Australia will join New South Wales and Victoria in an independent review of the grants commission process to make sure that the needs and interests of Western Australia are properly taken into account in the criteria used for distribution.
Dr GALLOP replied: The Treasurer is not with us during question time today because he has left to go to Melbourne to meet with the Treasurers from New South Wales and Victoria. The Treasurers will tomorrow announce a joint state-funded inquiry into commonwealth-state financial relations. Details of the inquiry and the identity of the eminent Australians who will conduct it will be announced tomorrow. A rethink of the way commonwealth grants are distributed to the States and Territories is long overdue. Western Australia is $360 million worse off today than it was eight years ago in terms of its share of commonwealth grants. Overall, around $2.7 billion is taken out of Western Australia by the Commonwealth each year. That is the difference between what our State generates in income for the Commonwealth and what it gets back in commonwealth grants and other spending including pensions, grants, defence and salaries for commonwealth employees. The State Government does not believe that Western Australia is getting a fair share of the cake. The real problem for Western Australia is the demand on the budget to provide infrastructure. Western Australia is a growing State. It needs roads, power stations, ports, rail and other infrastructure to help generate the wealth on which our country depends. These special needs and the amount of wealth Western Australia generates for the nation must be taken into account. For example, it is not fair that Western Australia must subsidise the Australian Capital Territory, where people have a high standard of living and enjoy the resources of the national capital. This review is a vital step in protecting Western Australia from the current Commonwealth Grants Commission process. This State has tremendous potential. In order to realise that potential, money must be spent on infrastructure. Much of that needs to be spent in your electorate, Mr Speaker, in which the remarkable oil and gas industry is located. Those demands on the State Government budget are not properly taken into account when the grants commission works out how to distribute money throughout Australia. The Government intends to continue to take up that fight. Western Australia will join New South Wales and Victoria in an independent review of the grants commission process to make sure that the needs and interests of Western Australia are properly taken into account in the criteria used for distribution.
The Treasurer is not with us during question time today because he has left to go to Melbourne to meet with the Treasurers from New South Wales and Victoria. The Treasurers will tomorrow announce a joint state-funded inquiry into commonwealth-state financial relations. Details of the inquiry and the identity of the eminent Australians who will conduct it will be announced tomorrow. A rethink of the way commonwealth grants are distributed to the States and Territories is long overdue. Western Australia is $360 million worse off today than it was eight years ago in terms of its share of commonwealth grants. Overall, around $2.7 billion is taken out of Western Australia by the Commonwealth each year. That is the difference between what our State generates in income for the Commonwealth and what it gets back in commonwealth grants and other spending including pensions, grants, defence and salaries for commonwealth employees. The State Government does not believe that Western Australia is getting a fair share of the cake. The real problem for Western Australia is the demand on the budget to provide infrastructure. Western Australia is a growing State. It needs roads, power stations, ports, rail and other infrastructure to help generate the wealth on which our country depends. These special needs and the amount of wealth Western Australia generates for the nation must be taken into account. For example, it is not fair that Western Australia must subsidise the Australian Capital Territory, where people have a high standard of living and enjoy the resources of the national capital. This review is a vital step in protecting Western Australia from the current Commonwealth Grants Commission process. This State has tremendous potential. In order to realise that potential, money must be spent on infrastructure. Much of that needs to be spent in your electorate, Mr Speaker, in which the remarkable oil and gas industry is located. Those demands on the State Government budget are not properly taken into account when the grants commission works out how to distribute money throughout Australia. The Government intends to continue to take up that fight. Western Australia will join New South Wales and Victoria in an independent review of the grants commission process to make sure that the needs and interests of Western Australia are properly taken into account in the criteria used for distribution.
The real problem for Western Australia is the demand on the budget to provide infrastructure. Western Australia is a growing State. It needs roads, power stations, ports, rail and other infrastructure to help generate the wealth on which our country depends. These special needs and the amount of wealth Western Australia generates for the nation must be taken into account. For example, it is not fair that Western Australia must subsidise the Australian Capital Territory, where people have a high standard of living and enjoy the resources of the national capital. This review is a vital step in protecting Western Australia from the current Commonwealth Grants Commission process. This State has tremendous potential. In order to realise that potential, money must be spent on infrastructure. Much of that needs to be spent in your electorate, Mr Speaker, in which the remarkable oil and gas industry is located. Those demands on the State Government budget are not properly taken into account when the grants commission works out how to distribute money throughout Australia. The Government intends to continue to take up that fight. Western Australia will join New South Wales and Victoria in an independent review of the grants commission process to make sure that the needs and interests of Western Australia are properly taken into account in the criteria used for distribution.
This review is a vital step in protecting Western Australia from the current Commonwealth Grants Commission process. This State has tremendous potential. In order to realise that potential, money must be spent on infrastructure. Much of that needs to be spent in your electorate, Mr Speaker, in which the remarkable oil and gas industry is located. Those demands on the State Government budget are not properly taken into account when the grants commission works out how to distribute money throughout Australia. The Government intends to continue to take up that fight. Western Australia will join New South Wales and Victoria in an independent review of the grants commission process to make sure that the needs and interests of Western Australia are properly taken into account in the criteria used for distribution.
Dr GALLOP replied: The Treasurer is not with us during question time today because he has left to go to Melbourne to meet with the Treasurers from New South Wales and Victoria. The Treasurers will tomorrow announce a joint state-funded inquiry into commonwealth-state financial relations. Details of the inquiry and the identity of the eminent Australians who will conduct it will be announced tomorrow. A rethink of the way commonwealth grants are distributed to the States and Territories is long overdue. Western Australia is $360 million worse off today than it was eight years ago in terms of its share of commonwealth grants. Overall, around $2.7 billion is taken out of Western Australia by the Commonwealth each year. That is the difference between what our State generates in income for the Commonwealth and what it gets back in commonwealth grants and other spending including pensions, grants, defence and salaries for commonwealth employees. The State Government does not believe that Western Australia is getting a fair share of the cake. The real problem for Western Australia is the demand on the budget to provide infrastructure. Western Australia is a growing State. It needs roads, power stations, ports, rail and other infrastructure to help generate the wealth on which our country depends. These special needs and the amount of wealth Western Australia generates for the nation must be taken into account. For example, it is not fair that Western Australia must subsidise the Australian Capital Territory, where people have a high standard of living and enjoy the resources of the national capital. This review is a vital step in protecting Western Australia from the current Commonwealth Grants Commission process. This State has tremendous potential. In order to realise that potential, money must be spent on infrastructure. Much of that needs to be spent in your electorate, Mr Speaker, in which the remarkable oil and gas industry is located. Those demands on the State Government budget are not properly taken into account when the grants commission works out how to distribute money throughout Australia. The Government intends to continue to take up that fight. Western Australia will join New South Wales and Victoria in an independent review of the grants commission process to make sure that the needs and interests of Western Australia are properly taken into account in the criteria used for distribution.
The Treasurer is not with us during question time today because he has left to go to Melbourne to meet with the Treasurers from New South Wales and Victoria. The Treasurers will tomorrow announce a joint state-funded inquiry into commonwealth-state financial relations. Details of the inquiry and the identity of the eminent Australians who will conduct it will be announced tomorrow. A rethink of the way commonwealth grants are distributed to the States and Territories is long overdue. Western Australia is $360 million worse off today than it was eight years ago in terms of its share of commonwealth grants. Overall, around $2.7 billion is taken out of Western Australia by the Commonwealth each year. That is the difference between what our State generates in income for the Commonwealth and what it gets back in commonwealth grants and other spending including pensions, grants, defence and salaries for commonwealth employees. The State Government does not believe that Western Australia is getting a fair share of the cake. The real problem for Western Australia is the demand on the budget to provide infrastructure. Western Australia is a growing State. It needs roads, power stations, ports, rail and other infrastructure to help generate the wealth on which our country depends. These special needs and the amount of wealth Western Australia generates for the nation must be taken into account. For example, it is not fair that Western Australia must subsidise the Australian Capital Territory, where people have a high standard of living and enjoy the resources of the national capital. This review is a vital step in protecting Western Australia from the current Commonwealth Grants Commission process. This State has tremendous potential. In order to realise that potential, money must be spent on infrastructure. Much of that needs to be spent in your electorate, Mr Speaker, in which the remarkable oil and gas industry is located. Those demands on the State Government budget are not properly taken into account when the grants commission works out how to distribute money throughout Australia. The Government intends to continue to take up that fight. Western Australia will join New South Wales and Victoria in an independent review of the grants commission process to make sure that the needs and interests of Western Australia are properly taken into account in the criteria used for distribution.
The real problem for Western Australia is the demand on the budget to provide infrastructure. Western Australia is a growing State. It needs roads, power stations, ports, rail and other infrastructure to help generate the wealth on which our country depends. These special needs and the amount of wealth Western Australia generates for the nation must be taken into account. For example, it is not fair that Western Australia must subsidise the Australian Capital Territory, where people have a high standard of living and enjoy the resources of the national capital. This review is a vital step in protecting Western Australia from the current Commonwealth Grants Commission process. This State has tremendous potential. In order to realise that potential, money must be spent on infrastructure. Much of that needs to be spent in your electorate, Mr Speaker, in which the remarkable oil and gas industry is located. Those demands on the State Government budget are not properly taken into account when the grants commission works out how to distribute money throughout Australia. The Government intends to continue to take up that fight. Western Australia will join New South Wales and Victoria in an independent review of the grants commission process to make sure that the needs and interests of Western Australia are properly taken into account in the criteria used for distribution.
This review is a vital step in protecting Western Australia from the current Commonwealth Grants Commission process. This State has tremendous potential. In order to realise that potential, money must be spent on infrastructure. Much of that needs to be spent in your electorate, Mr Speaker, in which the remarkable oil and gas industry is located. Those demands on the State Government budget are not properly taken into account when the grants commission works out how to distribute money throughout Australia. The Government intends to continue to take up that fight. Western Australia will join New South Wales and Victoria in an independent review of the grants commission process to make sure that the needs and interests of Western Australia are properly taken into account in the criteria used for distribution.
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