❓ Question regarding cost blow-outs in major government projects and their impact on the state's finances. The Treasurer deflects, attacking the Leader of the Opposition's popularity and defending the government's financial management.
AnsweredQoN 139Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
GOVERNMENT PROJECTS — COST BLOW-OUTS
I refer to the Treasurer’s comments in the house yesterday when he referred to major capital works funded in the upcoming state budget and to the blow-outs in the cost of government projects, including a 50 per cent blow-out in the cost of the Mandurah railway, a 60 per cent blow-out in the cost of Fiona Stanley Hospital and a massive 400 per cent blow-out in the cost of the shared services project. (1) What is the average blow-out in the cost of major government projects in Western Australia? (2) If this level is applied to the government’s $25 billion capital works agenda, what effect will it have on the net-debt-to-revenue ratio and the state’s AAA credit rating? (3) With the Treasurer’s expenditure up 10 per cent, major capital works blowing out by 50 per cent and the Treasurer’s admitted likely need to ask for more from the Treasurer’s advance account when he blows the state’s overdraft again, how can the Treasurer suggest that the people of Western Australia need to tighten their belts when the government’s belt cannot even be done up? Mr E.S. RIPPER
I refer to the Treasurer’s comments in the house yesterday when he referred to major capital works funded in the upcoming state budget and to the blow-outs in the cost of government projects, including a 50 per cent blow-out in the cost of the Mandurah railway, a 60 per cent blow-out in the cost of Fiona Stanley Hospital and a massive 400 per cent blow-out in the cost of the shared services project. (1) What is the average blow-out in the cost of major government projects in Western Australia? (2) If this level is applied to the government’s $25 billion capital works agenda, what effect will it have on the net-debt-to-revenue ratio and the state’s AAA credit rating? (3) With the Treasurer’s expenditure up 10 per cent, major capital works blowing out by 50 per cent and the Treasurer’s admitted likely need to ask for more from the Treasurer’s advance account when he blows the state’s overdraft again, how can the Treasurer suggest that the people of Western Australia need to tighten their belts when the government’s belt cannot even be done up? Mr E.S. RIPPER
AnswerView source ↗
(1)-(3) One thing there has not been a blow-out in is the popularity of the Leader of the Opposition—Mr 12 per cent. I wonder whether the Leader of the Opposition has asked the member for Kalgoorlie or the member for Warren-Blackwood for their comments on his performance, because his polling is worse than the lowest points of each of the leaders whom he has betrayed in his short parliamentary career. Therefore, there is no blow-out in the Leader of the Opposition’s popularity—Mr 12 per cent. We will have, as we have had in previous budgets, a major capital works program funded in this forthcoming budget—funded within the constraints of maintaining the state’s AAA credit rating. When the ratings agencies confirm that AAA credit rating, they talk about the state’s financial management in highly complimentary terms, and that is the guarantee that although we borrow for capital works, we do so in a prudent, responsible and sustainable manner. I was quite surprised by one of the comments contained in the shadow Treasurer’s question. The idea that there has been a 50 per cent blow-out in the cost of the New MetroRail project is completely foreign to me. I think the management of that project has been exemplary. If it is compared with private sector projects occurring in the same time frame, the public sector has done very well indeed, and the project has been funded absolutely debt free. One of the largest public works projects ever delivered in the state has been delivered absolutely debt free. If the shadow Treasurer is interested in the pressures on project costs, I can provide him with information on the growth in the building cost index, which is something that applies to both private sector and public sector proponents. We have a booming economy. It is no wonder that we have some increases in costs of projects with the pressure on our construction industry at the moment. When the shadow Treasurer’s mob was in power, it did not have a booming economy, so it would never have faced this problem. The economy was getting smaller in 2000 and 2001. In the year that we were elected, the economy was getting smaller. There will be a massive capital works program in the forthcoming budget. It will be funded responsibly out of the surplus. Every single dollar of the surplus will be devoted to that program. There will be some borrowing, but it will be within the constraints of the state’s AAA credit rating, as it always has been, and it will be off a base whereby we now have the lowest state debt on record.
(1) What is the average blow-out in the cost of major government projects in Western Australia? (2) If this level is applied to the government’s $25 billion capital works agenda, what effect will it have on the net-debt-to-revenue ratio and the state’s AAA credit rating? (3) With the Treasurer’s expenditure up 10 per cent, major capital works blowing out by 50 per cent and the Treasurer’s admitted likely need to ask for more from the Treasurer’s advance account when he blows the state’s overdraft again, how can the Treasurer suggest that the people of Western Australia need to tighten their belts when the government’s belt cannot even be done up? Mr E.S. RIPPER replied: (1)-(3) One thing there has not been a blow-out in is the popularity of the Leader of the Opposition—Mr 12 per cent. I wonder whether the Leader of the Opposition has asked the member for Kalgoorlie or the member for Warren-Blackwood for their comments on his performance, because his polling is worse than the lowest points of each of the leaders whom he has betrayed in his short parliamentary career. Therefore, there is no blow-out in the Leader of the Opposition’s popularity—Mr 12 per cent. We will have, as we have had in previous budgets, a major capital works program funded in this forthcoming budget—funded within the constraints of maintaining the state’s AAA credit rating. When the ratings agencies confirm that AAA credit rating, they talk about the state’s financial management in highly complimentary terms, and that is the guarantee that although we borrow for capital works, we do so in a prudent, responsible and sustainable manner. I was quite surprised by one of the comments contained in the shadow Treasurer’s question. The idea that there has been a 50 per cent blow-out in the cost of the New MetroRail project is completely foreign to me. I think the management of that project has been exemplary. If it is compared with private sector projects occurring in the same time frame, the public sector has done very well indeed, and the project has been funded absolutely debt free. One of the largest public works projects ever delivered in the state has been delivered absolutely debt free. If the shadow Treasurer is interested in the pressures on project costs, I can provide him with information on the growth in the building cost index, which is something that applies to both private sector and public sector proponents. We have a booming economy. It is no wonder that we have some increases in costs of projects with the pressure on our construction industry at the moment. When the shadow Treasurer’s mob was in power, it did not have a booming economy, so it would never have faced this problem. The economy was getting smaller in 2000 and 2001. In the year that we were elected, the economy was getting smaller. There will be a massive capital works program in the forthcoming budget. It will be funded responsibly out of the surplus. Every single dollar of the surplus will be devoted to that program. There will be some borrowing, but it will be within the constraints of the state’s AAA credit rating, as it always has been, and it will be off a base whereby we now have the lowest state debt on record.
(2) If this level is applied to the government’s $25 billion capital works agenda, what effect will it have on the net-debt-to-revenue ratio and the state’s AAA credit rating? (3) With the Treasurer’s expenditure up 10 per cent, major capital works blowing out by 50 per cent and the Treasurer’s admitted likely need to ask for more from the Treasurer’s advance account when he blows the state’s overdraft again, how can the Treasurer suggest that the people of Western Australia need to tighten their belts when the government’s belt cannot even be done up? Mr E.S. RIPPER replied: (1)-(3) One thing there has not been a blow-out in is the popularity of the Leader of the Opposition—Mr 12 per cent. I wonder whether the Leader of the Opposition has asked the member for Kalgoorlie or the member for Warren-Blackwood for their comments on his performance, because his polling is worse than the lowest points of each of the leaders whom he has betrayed in his short parliamentary career. Therefore, there is no blow-out in the Leader of the Opposition’s popularity—Mr 12 per cent. We will have, as we have had in previous budgets, a major capital works program funded in this forthcoming budget—funded within the constraints of maintaining the state’s AAA credit rating. When the ratings agencies confirm that AAA credit rating, they talk about the state’s financial management in highly complimentary terms, and that is the guarantee that although we borrow for capital works, we do so in a prudent, responsible and sustainable manner. I was quite surprised by one of the comments contained in the shadow Treasurer’s question. The idea that there has been a 50 per cent blow-out in the cost of the New MetroRail project is completely foreign to me. I think the management of that project has been exemplary. If it is compared with private sector projects occurring in the same time frame, the public sector has done very well indeed, and the project has been funded absolutely debt free. One of the largest public works projects ever delivered in the state has been delivered absolutely debt free. If the shadow Treasurer is interested in the pressures on project costs, I can provide him with information on the growth in the building cost index, which is something that applies to both private sector and public sector proponents. We have a booming economy. It is no wonder that we have some increases in costs of projects with the pressure on our construction industry at the moment. When the shadow Treasurer’s mob was in power, it did not have a booming economy, so it would never have faced this problem. The economy was getting smaller in 2000 and 2001. In the year that we were elected, the economy was getting smaller. There will be a massive capital works program in the forthcoming budget. It will be funded responsibly out of the surplus. Every single dollar of the surplus will be devoted to that program. There will be some borrowing, but it will be within the constraints of the state’s AAA credit rating, as it always has been, and it will be off a base whereby we now have the lowest state debt on record.
(3) With the Treasurer’s expenditure up 10 per cent, major capital works blowing out by 50 per cent and the Treasurer’s admitted likely need to ask for more from the Treasurer’s advance account when he blows the state’s overdraft again, how can the Treasurer suggest that the people of Western Australia need to tighten their belts when the government’s belt cannot even be done up? Mr E.S. RIPPER replied: (1)-(3) One thing there has not been a blow-out in is the popularity of the Leader of the Opposition—Mr 12 per cent. I wonder whether the Leader of the Opposition has asked the member for Kalgoorlie or the member for Warren-Blackwood for their comments on his performance, because his polling is worse than the lowest points of each of the leaders whom he has betrayed in his short parliamentary career. Therefore, there is no blow-out in the Leader of the Opposition’s popularity—Mr 12 per cent. We will have, as we have had in previous budgets, a major capital works program funded in this forthcoming budget—funded within the constraints of maintaining the state’s AAA credit rating. When the ratings agencies confirm that AAA credit rating, they talk about the state’s financial management in highly complimentary terms, and that is the guarantee that although we borrow for capital works, we do so in a prudent, responsible and sustainable manner. I was quite surprised by one of the comments contained in the shadow Treasurer’s question. The idea that there has been a 50 per cent blow-out in the cost of the New MetroRail project is completely foreign to me. I think the management of that project has been exemplary. If it is compared with private sector projects occurring in the same time frame, the public sector has done very well indeed, and the project has been funded absolutely debt free. One of the largest public works projects ever delivered in the state has been delivered absolutely debt free. If the shadow Treasurer is interested in the pressures on project costs, I can provide him with information on the growth in the building cost index, which is something that applies to both private sector and public sector proponents. We have a booming economy. It is no wonder that we have some increases in costs of projects with the pressure on our construction industry at the moment. When the shadow Treasurer’s mob was in power, it did not have a booming economy, so it would never have faced this problem. The economy was getting smaller in 2000 and 2001. In the year that we were elected, the economy was getting smaller. There will be a massive capital works program in the forthcoming budget. It will be funded responsibly out of the surplus. Every single dollar of the surplus will be devoted to that program. There will be some borrowing, but it will be within the constraints of the state’s AAA credit rating, as it always has been, and it will be off a base whereby we now have the lowest state debt on record.
Mr E.S. RIPPER replied: (1)-(3) One thing there has not been a blow-out in is the popularity of the Leader of the Opposition—Mr 12 per cent. I wonder whether the Leader of the Opposition has asked the member for Kalgoorlie or the member for Warren-Blackwood for their comments on his performance, because his polling is worse than the lowest points of each of the leaders whom he has betrayed in his short parliamentary career. Therefore, there is no blow-out in the Leader of the Opposition’s popularity—Mr 12 per cent. We will have, as we have had in previous budgets, a major capital works program funded in this forthcoming budget—funded within the constraints of maintaining the state’s AAA credit rating. When the ratings agencies confirm that AAA credit rating, they talk about the state’s financial management in highly complimentary terms, and that is the guarantee that although we borrow for capital works, we do so in a prudent, responsible and sustainable manner. I was quite surprised by one of the comments contained in the shadow Treasurer’s question. The idea that there has been a 50 per cent blow-out in the cost of the New MetroRail project is completely foreign to me. I think the management of that project has been exemplary. If it is compared with private sector projects occurring in the same time frame, the public sector has done very well indeed, and the project has been funded absolutely debt free. One of the largest public works projects ever delivered in the state has been delivered absolutely debt free. If the shadow Treasurer is interested in the pressures on project costs, I can provide him with information on the growth in the building cost index, which is something that applies to both private sector and public sector proponents. We have a booming economy. It is no wonder that we have some increases in costs of projects with the pressure on our construction industry at the moment. When the shadow Treasurer’s mob was in power, it did not have a booming economy, so it would never have faced this problem. The economy was getting smaller in 2000 and 2001. In the year that we were elected, the economy was getting smaller. There will be a massive capital works program in the forthcoming budget. It will be funded responsibly out of the surplus. Every single dollar of the surplus will be devoted to that program. There will be some borrowing, but it will be within the constraints of the state’s AAA credit rating, as it always has been, and it will be off a base whereby we now have the lowest state debt on record.
(1)-(3) One thing there has not been a blow-out in is the popularity of the Leader of the Opposition—Mr 12 per cent. I wonder whether the Leader of the Opposition has asked the member for Kalgoorlie or the member for Warren-Blackwood for their comments on his performance, because his polling is worse than the lowest points of each of the leaders whom he has betrayed in his short parliamentary career. Therefore, there is no blow-out in the Leader of the Opposition’s popularity—Mr 12 per cent. We will have, as we have had in previous budgets, a major capital works program funded in this forthcoming budget—funded within the constraints of maintaining the state’s AAA credit rating. When the ratings agencies confirm that AAA credit rating, they talk about the state’s financial management in highly complimentary terms, and that is the guarantee that although we borrow for capital works, we do so in a prudent, responsible and sustainable manner. I was quite surprised by one of the comments contained in the shadow Treasurer’s question. The idea that there has been a 50 per cent blow-out in the cost of the New MetroRail project is completely foreign to me. I think the management of that project has been exemplary. If it is compared with private sector projects occurring in the same time frame, the public sector has done very well indeed, and the project has been funded absolutely debt free. One of the largest public works projects ever delivered in the state has been delivered absolutely debt free. If the shadow Treasurer is interested in the pressures on project costs, I can provide him with information on the growth in the building cost index, which is something that applies to both private sector and public sector proponents. We have a booming economy. It is no wonder that we have some increases in costs of projects with the pressure on our construction industry at the moment. When the shadow Treasurer’s mob was in power, it did not have a booming economy, so it would never have faced this problem. The economy was getting smaller in 2000 and 2001. In the year that we were elected, the economy was getting smaller. There will be a massive capital works program in the forthcoming budget. It will be funded responsibly out of the surplus. Every single dollar of the surplus will be devoted to that program. There will be some borrowing, but it will be within the constraints of the state’s AAA credit rating, as it always has been, and it will be off a base whereby we now have the lowest state debt on record.
I was quite surprised by one of the comments contained in the shadow Treasurer’s question. The idea that there has been a 50 per cent blow-out in the cost of the New MetroRail project is completely foreign to me. I think the management of that project has been exemplary. If it is compared with private sector projects occurring in the same time frame, the public sector has done very well indeed, and the project has been funded absolutely debt free. One of the largest public works projects ever delivered in the state has been delivered absolutely debt free. If the shadow Treasurer is interested in the pressures on project costs, I can provide him with information on the growth in the building cost index, which is something that applies to both private sector and public sector proponents. We have a booming economy. It is no wonder that we have some increases in costs of projects with the pressure on our construction industry at the moment. When the shadow Treasurer’s mob was in power, it did not have a booming economy, so it would never have faced this problem. The economy was getting smaller in 2000 and 2001. In the year that we were elected, the economy was getting smaller. There will be a massive capital works program in the forthcoming budget. It will be funded responsibly out of the surplus. Every single dollar of the surplus will be devoted to that program. There will be some borrowing, but it will be within the constraints of the state’s AAA credit rating, as it always has been, and it will be off a base whereby we now have the lowest state debt on record.
If the shadow Treasurer is interested in the pressures on project costs, I can provide him with information on the growth in the building cost index, which is something that applies to both private sector and public sector proponents. We have a booming economy. It is no wonder that we have some increases in costs of projects with the pressure on our construction industry at the moment. When the shadow Treasurer’s mob was in power, it did not have a booming economy, so it would never have faced this problem. The economy was getting smaller in 2000 and 2001. In the year that we were elected, the economy was getting smaller. There will be a massive capital works program in the forthcoming budget. It will be funded responsibly out of the surplus. Every single dollar of the surplus will be devoted to that program. There will be some borrowing, but it will be within the constraints of the state’s AAA credit rating, as it always has been, and it will be off a base whereby we now have the lowest state debt on record.
There will be a massive capital works program in the forthcoming budget. It will be funded responsibly out of the surplus. Every single dollar of the surplus will be devoted to that program. There will be some borrowing, but it will be within the constraints of the state’s AAA credit rating, as it always has been, and it will be off a base whereby we now have the lowest state debt on record.
(1) What is the average blow-out in the cost of major government projects in Western Australia? (2) If this level is applied to the government’s $25 billion capital works agenda, what effect will it have on the net-debt-to-revenue ratio and the state’s AAA credit rating? (3) With the Treasurer’s expenditure up 10 per cent, major capital works blowing out by 50 per cent and the Treasurer’s admitted likely need to ask for more from the Treasurer’s advance account when he blows the state’s overdraft again, how can the Treasurer suggest that the people of Western Australia need to tighten their belts when the government’s belt cannot even be done up? Mr E.S. RIPPER replied: (1)-(3) One thing there has not been a blow-out in is the popularity of the Leader of the Opposition—Mr 12 per cent. I wonder whether the Leader of the Opposition has asked the member for Kalgoorlie or the member for Warren-Blackwood for their comments on his performance, because his polling is worse than the lowest points of each of the leaders whom he has betrayed in his short parliamentary career. Therefore, there is no blow-out in the Leader of the Opposition’s popularity—Mr 12 per cent. We will have, as we have had in previous budgets, a major capital works program funded in this forthcoming budget—funded within the constraints of maintaining the state’s AAA credit rating. When the ratings agencies confirm that AAA credit rating, they talk about the state’s financial management in highly complimentary terms, and that is the guarantee that although we borrow for capital works, we do so in a prudent, responsible and sustainable manner. I was quite surprised by one of the comments contained in the shadow Treasurer’s question. The idea that there has been a 50 per cent blow-out in the cost of the New MetroRail project is completely foreign to me. I think the management of that project has been exemplary. If it is compared with private sector projects occurring in the same time frame, the public sector has done very well indeed, and the project has been funded absolutely debt free. One of the largest public works projects ever delivered in the state has been delivered absolutely debt free. If the shadow Treasurer is interested in the pressures on project costs, I can provide him with information on the growth in the building cost index, which is something that applies to both private sector and public sector proponents. We have a booming economy. It is no wonder that we have some increases in costs of projects with the pressure on our construction industry at the moment. When the shadow Treasurer’s mob was in power, it did not have a booming economy, so it would never have faced this problem. The economy was getting smaller in 2000 and 2001. In the year that we were elected, the economy was getting smaller. There will be a massive capital works program in the forthcoming budget. It will be funded responsibly out of the surplus. Every single dollar of the surplus will be devoted to that program. There will be some borrowing, but it will be within the constraints of the state’s AAA credit rating, as it always has been, and it will be off a base whereby we now have the lowest state debt on record.
(2) If this level is applied to the government’s $25 billion capital works agenda, what effect will it have on the net-debt-to-revenue ratio and the state’s AAA credit rating? (3) With the Treasurer’s expenditure up 10 per cent, major capital works blowing out by 50 per cent and the Treasurer’s admitted likely need to ask for more from the Treasurer’s advance account when he blows the state’s overdraft again, how can the Treasurer suggest that the people of Western Australia need to tighten their belts when the government’s belt cannot even be done up? Mr E.S. RIPPER replied: (1)-(3) One thing there has not been a blow-out in is the popularity of the Leader of the Opposition—Mr 12 per cent. I wonder whether the Leader of the Opposition has asked the member for Kalgoorlie or the member for Warren-Blackwood for their comments on his performance, because his polling is worse than the lowest points of each of the leaders whom he has betrayed in his short parliamentary career. Therefore, there is no blow-out in the Leader of the Opposition’s popularity—Mr 12 per cent. We will have, as we have had in previous budgets, a major capital works program funded in this forthcoming budget—funded within the constraints of maintaining the state’s AAA credit rating. When the ratings agencies confirm that AAA credit rating, they talk about the state’s financial management in highly complimentary terms, and that is the guarantee that although we borrow for capital works, we do so in a prudent, responsible and sustainable manner. I was quite surprised by one of the comments contained in the shadow Treasurer’s question. The idea that there has been a 50 per cent blow-out in the cost of the New MetroRail project is completely foreign to me. I think the management of that project has been exemplary. If it is compared with private sector projects occurring in the same time frame, the public sector has done very well indeed, and the project has been funded absolutely debt free. One of the largest public works projects ever delivered in the state has been delivered absolutely debt free. If the shadow Treasurer is interested in the pressures on project costs, I can provide him with information on the growth in the building cost index, which is something that applies to both private sector and public sector proponents. We have a booming economy. It is no wonder that we have some increases in costs of projects with the pressure on our construction industry at the moment. When the shadow Treasurer’s mob was in power, it did not have a booming economy, so it would never have faced this problem. The economy was getting smaller in 2000 and 2001. In the year that we were elected, the economy was getting smaller. There will be a massive capital works program in the forthcoming budget. It will be funded responsibly out of the surplus. Every single dollar of the surplus will be devoted to that program. There will be some borrowing, but it will be within the constraints of the state’s AAA credit rating, as it always has been, and it will be off a base whereby we now have the lowest state debt on record.
(3) With the Treasurer’s expenditure up 10 per cent, major capital works blowing out by 50 per cent and the Treasurer’s admitted likely need to ask for more from the Treasurer’s advance account when he blows the state’s overdraft again, how can the Treasurer suggest that the people of Western Australia need to tighten their belts when the government’s belt cannot even be done up? Mr E.S. RIPPER replied: (1)-(3) One thing there has not been a blow-out in is the popularity of the Leader of the Opposition—Mr 12 per cent. I wonder whether the Leader of the Opposition has asked the member for Kalgoorlie or the member for Warren-Blackwood for their comments on his performance, because his polling is worse than the lowest points of each of the leaders whom he has betrayed in his short parliamentary career. Therefore, there is no blow-out in the Leader of the Opposition’s popularity—Mr 12 per cent. We will have, as we have had in previous budgets, a major capital works program funded in this forthcoming budget—funded within the constraints of maintaining the state’s AAA credit rating. When the ratings agencies confirm that AAA credit rating, they talk about the state’s financial management in highly complimentary terms, and that is the guarantee that although we borrow for capital works, we do so in a prudent, responsible and sustainable manner. I was quite surprised by one of the comments contained in the shadow Treasurer’s question. The idea that there has been a 50 per cent blow-out in the cost of the New MetroRail project is completely foreign to me. I think the management of that project has been exemplary. If it is compared with private sector projects occurring in the same time frame, the public sector has done very well indeed, and the project has been funded absolutely debt free. One of the largest public works projects ever delivered in the state has been delivered absolutely debt free. If the shadow Treasurer is interested in the pressures on project costs, I can provide him with information on the growth in the building cost index, which is something that applies to both private sector and public sector proponents. We have a booming economy. It is no wonder that we have some increases in costs of projects with the pressure on our construction industry at the moment. When the shadow Treasurer’s mob was in power, it did not have a booming economy, so it would never have faced this problem. The economy was getting smaller in 2000 and 2001. In the year that we were elected, the economy was getting smaller. There will be a massive capital works program in the forthcoming budget. It will be funded responsibly out of the surplus. Every single dollar of the surplus will be devoted to that program. There will be some borrowing, but it will be within the constraints of the state’s AAA credit rating, as it always has been, and it will be off a base whereby we now have the lowest state debt on record.
Mr E.S. RIPPER replied: (1)-(3) One thing there has not been a blow-out in is the popularity of the Leader of the Opposition—Mr 12 per cent. I wonder whether the Leader of the Opposition has asked the member for Kalgoorlie or the member for Warren-Blackwood for their comments on his performance, because his polling is worse than the lowest points of each of the leaders whom he has betrayed in his short parliamentary career. Therefore, there is no blow-out in the Leader of the Opposition’s popularity—Mr 12 per cent. We will have, as we have had in previous budgets, a major capital works program funded in this forthcoming budget—funded within the constraints of maintaining the state’s AAA credit rating. When the ratings agencies confirm that AAA credit rating, they talk about the state’s financial management in highly complimentary terms, and that is the guarantee that although we borrow for capital works, we do so in a prudent, responsible and sustainable manner. I was quite surprised by one of the comments contained in the shadow Treasurer’s question. The idea that there has been a 50 per cent blow-out in the cost of the New MetroRail project is completely foreign to me. I think the management of that project has been exemplary. If it is compared with private sector projects occurring in the same time frame, the public sector has done very well indeed, and the project has been funded absolutely debt free. One of the largest public works projects ever delivered in the state has been delivered absolutely debt free. If the shadow Treasurer is interested in the pressures on project costs, I can provide him with information on the growth in the building cost index, which is something that applies to both private sector and public sector proponents. We have a booming economy. It is no wonder that we have some increases in costs of projects with the pressure on our construction industry at the moment. When the shadow Treasurer’s mob was in power, it did not have a booming economy, so it would never have faced this problem. The economy was getting smaller in 2000 and 2001. In the year that we were elected, the economy was getting smaller. There will be a massive capital works program in the forthcoming budget. It will be funded responsibly out of the surplus. Every single dollar of the surplus will be devoted to that program. There will be some borrowing, but it will be within the constraints of the state’s AAA credit rating, as it always has been, and it will be off a base whereby we now have the lowest state debt on record.
(1)-(3) One thing there has not been a blow-out in is the popularity of the Leader of the Opposition—Mr 12 per cent. I wonder whether the Leader of the Opposition has asked the member for Kalgoorlie or the member for Warren-Blackwood for their comments on his performance, because his polling is worse than the lowest points of each of the leaders whom he has betrayed in his short parliamentary career. Therefore, there is no blow-out in the Leader of the Opposition’s popularity—Mr 12 per cent. We will have, as we have had in previous budgets, a major capital works program funded in this forthcoming budget—funded within the constraints of maintaining the state’s AAA credit rating. When the ratings agencies confirm that AAA credit rating, they talk about the state’s financial management in highly complimentary terms, and that is the guarantee that although we borrow for capital works, we do so in a prudent, responsible and sustainable manner. I was quite surprised by one of the comments contained in the shadow Treasurer’s question. The idea that there has been a 50 per cent blow-out in the cost of the New MetroRail project is completely foreign to me. I think the management of that project has been exemplary. If it is compared with private sector projects occurring in the same time frame, the public sector has done very well indeed, and the project has been funded absolutely debt free. One of the largest public works projects ever delivered in the state has been delivered absolutely debt free. If the shadow Treasurer is interested in the pressures on project costs, I can provide him with information on the growth in the building cost index, which is something that applies to both private sector and public sector proponents. We have a booming economy. It is no wonder that we have some increases in costs of projects with the pressure on our construction industry at the moment. When the shadow Treasurer’s mob was in power, it did not have a booming economy, so it would never have faced this problem. The economy was getting smaller in 2000 and 2001. In the year that we were elected, the economy was getting smaller. There will be a massive capital works program in the forthcoming budget. It will be funded responsibly out of the surplus. Every single dollar of the surplus will be devoted to that program. There will be some borrowing, but it will be within the constraints of the state’s AAA credit rating, as it always has been, and it will be off a base whereby we now have the lowest state debt on record.
I was quite surprised by one of the comments contained in the shadow Treasurer’s question. The idea that there has been a 50 per cent blow-out in the cost of the New MetroRail project is completely foreign to me. I think the management of that project has been exemplary. If it is compared with private sector projects occurring in the same time frame, the public sector has done very well indeed, and the project has been funded absolutely debt free. One of the largest public works projects ever delivered in the state has been delivered absolutely debt free. If the shadow Treasurer is interested in the pressures on project costs, I can provide him with information on the growth in the building cost index, which is something that applies to both private sector and public sector proponents. We have a booming economy. It is no wonder that we have some increases in costs of projects with the pressure on our construction industry at the moment. When the shadow Treasurer’s mob was in power, it did not have a booming economy, so it would never have faced this problem. The economy was getting smaller in 2000 and 2001. In the year that we were elected, the economy was getting smaller. There will be a massive capital works program in the forthcoming budget. It will be funded responsibly out of the surplus. Every single dollar of the surplus will be devoted to that program. There will be some borrowing, but it will be within the constraints of the state’s AAA credit rating, as it always has been, and it will be off a base whereby we now have the lowest state debt on record.
If the shadow Treasurer is interested in the pressures on project costs, I can provide him with information on the growth in the building cost index, which is something that applies to both private sector and public sector proponents. We have a booming economy. It is no wonder that we have some increases in costs of projects with the pressure on our construction industry at the moment. When the shadow Treasurer’s mob was in power, it did not have a booming economy, so it would never have faced this problem. The economy was getting smaller in 2000 and 2001. In the year that we were elected, the economy was getting smaller. There will be a massive capital works program in the forthcoming budget. It will be funded responsibly out of the surplus. Every single dollar of the surplus will be devoted to that program. There will be some borrowing, but it will be within the constraints of the state’s AAA credit rating, as it always has been, and it will be off a base whereby we now have the lowest state debt on record.
There will be a massive capital works program in the forthcoming budget. It will be funded responsibly out of the surplus. Every single dollar of the surplus will be devoted to that program. There will be some borrowing, but it will be within the constraints of the state’s AAA credit rating, as it always has been, and it will be off a base whereby we now have the lowest state debt on record.
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