❓ Mr. Ainsworth questions the Premier about the Coalition Government's stance on electoral representation in regional WA, given the 'one vote, one value' debate. The Premier deflects, criticising the Labor Party's internal voting system and perceived neglect of regional areas.
AnsweredQoN 386Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
electoral representation
Former Labor Prime Minister, Gough Whitlam and the member for Fremantle have both recently raised - The member for Bassendean interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! I have permitted some interjections to allow members to scrutinise questions in the interests of fairness. Members must be allowed to ask questions before receiving interjections. The member for Bassendean interjected before the question was completed. I want to hear the question and the answer. Mr AINSWORTH: Former Labor Prime Minister, Gough Whitlam and the member for Fremantle have both recently raised the issue of one vote, one value for Western Australia. Will a coalition Government allow a situation to arise where electors in regional Western Australia would have less electoral representation than is presently the case? Mr COURT
Former Labor Prime Minister, Gough Whitlam and the member for Fremantle have both recently raised - The member for Bassendean interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! I have permitted some interjections to allow members to scrutinise questions in the interests of fairness. Members must be allowed to ask questions before receiving interjections. The member for Bassendean interjected before the question was completed. I want to hear the question and the answer. Mr AINSWORTH: Former Labor Prime Minister, Gough Whitlam and the member for Fremantle have both recently raised the issue of one vote, one value for Western Australia. Will a coalition Government allow a situation to arise where electors in regional Western Australia would have less electoral representation than is presently the case? Mr COURT
AnswerView source ↗
The Labor Party is the last party that should be talking about a fair voting system. One has only to look at the party. Before it starts preaching about how others should handle their voting systems it should have a look at its own. It should ask the members who used to be in the party. It should ask Larry Graham, Mark Nevill, Tom Helm, David Smith, Ian Taylor, Graham Campbell and the like about the voting system inside the Labor Party. The Labor Party nationally is hardly in a position to tell people how to run a voting system. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr COURT: The Minister for Health summed it all up the other day when he put up a map of Western Australia that showed Labor's health priorities and the Government's health priorities. Why would anybody want to weaken regional Western Australia when it is already going through enough difficulties? That is the Labor Party's policy. Is the Leader of the Opposition saying it is not the policy? Dr Gallop: No - we are going to inject an extra $17m into Health. Mr COURT: I was talking about the voting system. Dr Gallop: The Labor Party believes in equal voting rights. Mr COURT: Why would anybody want to weaken regional Western Australia when it is going through its current difficulties?
The member for Bassendean interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! I have permitted some interjections to allow members to scrutinise questions in the interests of fairness. Members must be allowed to ask questions before receiving interjections. The member for Bassendean interjected before the question was completed. I want to hear the question and the answer. Mr AINSWORTH: Former Labor Prime Minister, Gough Whitlam and the member for Fremantle have both recently raised the issue of one vote, one value for Western Australia. Will a coalition Government allow a situation to arise where electors in regional Western Australia would have less electoral representation than is presently the case? Mr COURT replied: The Labor Party is the last party that should be talking about a fair voting system. One has only to look at the party. Before it starts preaching about how others should handle their voting systems it should have a look at its own. It should ask the members who used to be in the party. It should ask Larry Graham, Mark Nevill, Tom Helm, David Smith, Ian Taylor, Graham Campbell and the like about the voting system inside the Labor Party. The Labor Party nationally is hardly in a position to tell people how to run a voting system. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr COURT: The Minister for Health summed it all up the other day when he put up a map of Western Australia that showed Labor's health priorities and the Government's health priorities. Why would anybody want to weaken regional Western Australia when it is already going through enough difficulties? That is the Labor Party's policy. Is the Leader of the Opposition saying it is not the policy? Dr Gallop: No - we are going to inject an extra $17m into Health. Mr COURT: I was talking about the voting system. Dr Gallop: The Labor Party believes in equal voting rights. Mr COURT: Why would anybody want to weaken regional Western Australia when it is going through its current difficulties?
The SPEAKER: Order, members! I have permitted some interjections to allow members to scrutinise questions in the interests of fairness. Members must be allowed to ask questions before receiving interjections. The member for Bassendean interjected before the question was completed. I want to hear the question and the answer. Mr AINSWORTH: Former Labor Prime Minister, Gough Whitlam and the member for Fremantle have both recently raised the issue of one vote, one value for Western Australia. Will a coalition Government allow a situation to arise where electors in regional Western Australia would have less electoral representation than is presently the case? Mr COURT replied: The Labor Party is the last party that should be talking about a fair voting system. One has only to look at the party. Before it starts preaching about how others should handle their voting systems it should have a look at its own. It should ask the members who used to be in the party. It should ask Larry Graham, Mark Nevill, Tom Helm, David Smith, Ian Taylor, Graham Campbell and the like about the voting system inside the Labor Party. The Labor Party nationally is hardly in a position to tell people how to run a voting system. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr COURT: The Minister for Health summed it all up the other day when he put up a map of Western Australia that showed Labor's health priorities and the Government's health priorities. Why would anybody want to weaken regional Western Australia when it is already going through enough difficulties? That is the Labor Party's policy. Is the Leader of the Opposition saying it is not the policy? Dr Gallop: No - we are going to inject an extra $17m into Health. Mr COURT: I was talking about the voting system. Dr Gallop: The Labor Party believes in equal voting rights. Mr COURT: Why would anybody want to weaken regional Western Australia when it is going through its current difficulties?
Mr AINSWORTH: Former Labor Prime Minister, Gough Whitlam and the member for Fremantle have both recently raised the issue of one vote, one value for Western Australia. Will a coalition Government allow a situation to arise where electors in regional Western Australia would have less electoral representation than is presently the case? Mr COURT replied: The Labor Party is the last party that should be talking about a fair voting system. One has only to look at the party. Before it starts preaching about how others should handle their voting systems it should have a look at its own. It should ask the members who used to be in the party. It should ask Larry Graham, Mark Nevill, Tom Helm, David Smith, Ian Taylor, Graham Campbell and the like about the voting system inside the Labor Party. The Labor Party nationally is hardly in a position to tell people how to run a voting system. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr COURT: The Minister for Health summed it all up the other day when he put up a map of Western Australia that showed Labor's health priorities and the Government's health priorities. Why would anybody want to weaken regional Western Australia when it is already going through enough difficulties? That is the Labor Party's policy. Is the Leader of the Opposition saying it is not the policy? Dr Gallop: No - we are going to inject an extra $17m into Health. Mr COURT: I was talking about the voting system. Dr Gallop: The Labor Party believes in equal voting rights. Mr COURT: Why would anybody want to weaken regional Western Australia when it is going through its current difficulties?
Mr COURT replied: The Labor Party is the last party that should be talking about a fair voting system. One has only to look at the party. Before it starts preaching about how others should handle their voting systems it should have a look at its own. It should ask the members who used to be in the party. It should ask Larry Graham, Mark Nevill, Tom Helm, David Smith, Ian Taylor, Graham Campbell and the like about the voting system inside the Labor Party. The Labor Party nationally is hardly in a position to tell people how to run a voting system. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr COURT: The Minister for Health summed it all up the other day when he put up a map of Western Australia that showed Labor's health priorities and the Government's health priorities. Why would anybody want to weaken regional Western Australia when it is already going through enough difficulties? That is the Labor Party's policy. Is the Leader of the Opposition saying it is not the policy? Dr Gallop: No - we are going to inject an extra $17m into Health. Mr COURT: I was talking about the voting system. Dr Gallop: The Labor Party believes in equal voting rights. Mr COURT: Why would anybody want to weaken regional Western Australia when it is going through its current difficulties?
The Labor Party is the last party that should be talking about a fair voting system. One has only to look at the party. Before it starts preaching about how others should handle their voting systems it should have a look at its own. It should ask the members who used to be in the party. It should ask Larry Graham, Mark Nevill, Tom Helm, David Smith, Ian Taylor, Graham Campbell and the like about the voting system inside the Labor Party. The Labor Party nationally is hardly in a position to tell people how to run a voting system. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr COURT: The Minister for Health summed it all up the other day when he put up a map of Western Australia that showed Labor's health priorities and the Government's health priorities. Why would anybody want to weaken regional Western Australia when it is already going through enough difficulties? That is the Labor Party's policy. Is the Leader of the Opposition saying it is not the policy? Dr Gallop: No - we are going to inject an extra $17m into Health. Mr COURT: I was talking about the voting system. Dr Gallop: The Labor Party believes in equal voting rights. Mr COURT: Why would anybody want to weaken regional Western Australia when it is going through its current difficulties?
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr COURT: The Minister for Health summed it all up the other day when he put up a map of Western Australia that showed Labor's health priorities and the Government's health priorities. Why would anybody want to weaken regional Western Australia when it is already going through enough difficulties? That is the Labor Party's policy. Is the Leader of the Opposition saying it is not the policy? Dr Gallop: No - we are going to inject an extra $17m into Health. Mr COURT: I was talking about the voting system. Dr Gallop: The Labor Party believes in equal voting rights. Mr COURT: Why would anybody want to weaken regional Western Australia when it is going through its current difficulties?
The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr COURT: The Minister for Health summed it all up the other day when he put up a map of Western Australia that showed Labor's health priorities and the Government's health priorities. Why would anybody want to weaken regional Western Australia when it is already going through enough difficulties? That is the Labor Party's policy. Is the Leader of the Opposition saying it is not the policy? Dr Gallop: No - we are going to inject an extra $17m into Health. Mr COURT: I was talking about the voting system. Dr Gallop: The Labor Party believes in equal voting rights. Mr COURT: Why would anybody want to weaken regional Western Australia when it is going through its current difficulties?
Mr COURT: The Minister for Health summed it all up the other day when he put up a map of Western Australia that showed Labor's health priorities and the Government's health priorities. Why would anybody want to weaken regional Western Australia when it is already going through enough difficulties? That is the Labor Party's policy. Is the Leader of the Opposition saying it is not the policy? Dr Gallop: No - we are going to inject an extra $17m into Health. Mr COURT: I was talking about the voting system. Dr Gallop: The Labor Party believes in equal voting rights. Mr COURT: Why would anybody want to weaken regional Western Australia when it is going through its current difficulties?
Dr Gallop: No - we are going to inject an extra $17m into Health. Mr COURT: I was talking about the voting system. Dr Gallop: The Labor Party believes in equal voting rights. Mr COURT: Why would anybody want to weaken regional Western Australia when it is going through its current difficulties?
Mr COURT: I was talking about the voting system. Dr Gallop: The Labor Party believes in equal voting rights. Mr COURT: Why would anybody want to weaken regional Western Australia when it is going through its current difficulties?
Dr Gallop: The Labor Party believes in equal voting rights. Mr COURT: Why would anybody want to weaken regional Western Australia when it is going through its current difficulties?
Mr COURT: Why would anybody want to weaken regional Western Australia when it is going through its current difficulties?
The member for Bassendean interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! I have permitted some interjections to allow members to scrutinise questions in the interests of fairness. Members must be allowed to ask questions before receiving interjections. The member for Bassendean interjected before the question was completed. I want to hear the question and the answer. Mr AINSWORTH: Former Labor Prime Minister, Gough Whitlam and the member for Fremantle have both recently raised the issue of one vote, one value for Western Australia. Will a coalition Government allow a situation to arise where electors in regional Western Australia would have less electoral representation than is presently the case? Mr COURT replied: The Labor Party is the last party that should be talking about a fair voting system. One has only to look at the party. Before it starts preaching about how others should handle their voting systems it should have a look at its own. It should ask the members who used to be in the party. It should ask Larry Graham, Mark Nevill, Tom Helm, David Smith, Ian Taylor, Graham Campbell and the like about the voting system inside the Labor Party. The Labor Party nationally is hardly in a position to tell people how to run a voting system. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr COURT: The Minister for Health summed it all up the other day when he put up a map of Western Australia that showed Labor's health priorities and the Government's health priorities. Why would anybody want to weaken regional Western Australia when it is already going through enough difficulties? That is the Labor Party's policy. Is the Leader of the Opposition saying it is not the policy? Dr Gallop: No - we are going to inject an extra $17m into Health. Mr COURT: I was talking about the voting system. Dr Gallop: The Labor Party believes in equal voting rights. Mr COURT: Why would anybody want to weaken regional Western Australia when it is going through its current difficulties?
The SPEAKER: Order, members! I have permitted some interjections to allow members to scrutinise questions in the interests of fairness. Members must be allowed to ask questions before receiving interjections. The member for Bassendean interjected before the question was completed. I want to hear the question and the answer. Mr AINSWORTH: Former Labor Prime Minister, Gough Whitlam and the member for Fremantle have both recently raised the issue of one vote, one value for Western Australia. Will a coalition Government allow a situation to arise where electors in regional Western Australia would have less electoral representation than is presently the case? Mr COURT replied: The Labor Party is the last party that should be talking about a fair voting system. One has only to look at the party. Before it starts preaching about how others should handle their voting systems it should have a look at its own. It should ask the members who used to be in the party. It should ask Larry Graham, Mark Nevill, Tom Helm, David Smith, Ian Taylor, Graham Campbell and the like about the voting system inside the Labor Party. The Labor Party nationally is hardly in a position to tell people how to run a voting system. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr COURT: The Minister for Health summed it all up the other day when he put up a map of Western Australia that showed Labor's health priorities and the Government's health priorities. Why would anybody want to weaken regional Western Australia when it is already going through enough difficulties? That is the Labor Party's policy. Is the Leader of the Opposition saying it is not the policy? Dr Gallop: No - we are going to inject an extra $17m into Health. Mr COURT: I was talking about the voting system. Dr Gallop: The Labor Party believes in equal voting rights. Mr COURT: Why would anybody want to weaken regional Western Australia when it is going through its current difficulties?
Mr AINSWORTH: Former Labor Prime Minister, Gough Whitlam and the member for Fremantle have both recently raised the issue of one vote, one value for Western Australia. Will a coalition Government allow a situation to arise where electors in regional Western Australia would have less electoral representation than is presently the case? Mr COURT replied: The Labor Party is the last party that should be talking about a fair voting system. One has only to look at the party. Before it starts preaching about how others should handle their voting systems it should have a look at its own. It should ask the members who used to be in the party. It should ask Larry Graham, Mark Nevill, Tom Helm, David Smith, Ian Taylor, Graham Campbell and the like about the voting system inside the Labor Party. The Labor Party nationally is hardly in a position to tell people how to run a voting system. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr COURT: The Minister for Health summed it all up the other day when he put up a map of Western Australia that showed Labor's health priorities and the Government's health priorities. Why would anybody want to weaken regional Western Australia when it is already going through enough difficulties? That is the Labor Party's policy. Is the Leader of the Opposition saying it is not the policy? Dr Gallop: No - we are going to inject an extra $17m into Health. Mr COURT: I was talking about the voting system. Dr Gallop: The Labor Party believes in equal voting rights. Mr COURT: Why would anybody want to weaken regional Western Australia when it is going through its current difficulties?
Mr COURT replied: The Labor Party is the last party that should be talking about a fair voting system. One has only to look at the party. Before it starts preaching about how others should handle their voting systems it should have a look at its own. It should ask the members who used to be in the party. It should ask Larry Graham, Mark Nevill, Tom Helm, David Smith, Ian Taylor, Graham Campbell and the like about the voting system inside the Labor Party. The Labor Party nationally is hardly in a position to tell people how to run a voting system. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr COURT: The Minister for Health summed it all up the other day when he put up a map of Western Australia that showed Labor's health priorities and the Government's health priorities. Why would anybody want to weaken regional Western Australia when it is already going through enough difficulties? That is the Labor Party's policy. Is the Leader of the Opposition saying it is not the policy? Dr Gallop: No - we are going to inject an extra $17m into Health. Mr COURT: I was talking about the voting system. Dr Gallop: The Labor Party believes in equal voting rights. Mr COURT: Why would anybody want to weaken regional Western Australia when it is going through its current difficulties?
The Labor Party is the last party that should be talking about a fair voting system. One has only to look at the party. Before it starts preaching about how others should handle their voting systems it should have a look at its own. It should ask the members who used to be in the party. It should ask Larry Graham, Mark Nevill, Tom Helm, David Smith, Ian Taylor, Graham Campbell and the like about the voting system inside the Labor Party. The Labor Party nationally is hardly in a position to tell people how to run a voting system. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr COURT: The Minister for Health summed it all up the other day when he put up a map of Western Australia that showed Labor's health priorities and the Government's health priorities. Why would anybody want to weaken regional Western Australia when it is already going through enough difficulties? That is the Labor Party's policy. Is the Leader of the Opposition saying it is not the policy? Dr Gallop: No - we are going to inject an extra $17m into Health. Mr COURT: I was talking about the voting system. Dr Gallop: The Labor Party believes in equal voting rights. Mr COURT: Why would anybody want to weaken regional Western Australia when it is going through its current difficulties?
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr COURT: The Minister for Health summed it all up the other day when he put up a map of Western Australia that showed Labor's health priorities and the Government's health priorities. Why would anybody want to weaken regional Western Australia when it is already going through enough difficulties? That is the Labor Party's policy. Is the Leader of the Opposition saying it is not the policy? Dr Gallop: No - we are going to inject an extra $17m into Health. Mr COURT: I was talking about the voting system. Dr Gallop: The Labor Party believes in equal voting rights. Mr COURT: Why would anybody want to weaken regional Western Australia when it is going through its current difficulties?
The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr COURT: The Minister for Health summed it all up the other day when he put up a map of Western Australia that showed Labor's health priorities and the Government's health priorities. Why would anybody want to weaken regional Western Australia when it is already going through enough difficulties? That is the Labor Party's policy. Is the Leader of the Opposition saying it is not the policy? Dr Gallop: No - we are going to inject an extra $17m into Health. Mr COURT: I was talking about the voting system. Dr Gallop: The Labor Party believes in equal voting rights. Mr COURT: Why would anybody want to weaken regional Western Australia when it is going through its current difficulties?
Mr COURT: The Minister for Health summed it all up the other day when he put up a map of Western Australia that showed Labor's health priorities and the Government's health priorities. Why would anybody want to weaken regional Western Australia when it is already going through enough difficulties? That is the Labor Party's policy. Is the Leader of the Opposition saying it is not the policy? Dr Gallop: No - we are going to inject an extra $17m into Health. Mr COURT: I was talking about the voting system. Dr Gallop: The Labor Party believes in equal voting rights. Mr COURT: Why would anybody want to weaken regional Western Australia when it is going through its current difficulties?
Dr Gallop: No - we are going to inject an extra $17m into Health. Mr COURT: I was talking about the voting system. Dr Gallop: The Labor Party believes in equal voting rights. Mr COURT: Why would anybody want to weaken regional Western Australia when it is going through its current difficulties?
Mr COURT: I was talking about the voting system. Dr Gallop: The Labor Party believes in equal voting rights. Mr COURT: Why would anybody want to weaken regional Western Australia when it is going through its current difficulties?
Dr Gallop: The Labor Party believes in equal voting rights. Mr COURT: Why would anybody want to weaken regional Western Australia when it is going through its current difficulties?
Mr COURT: Why would anybody want to weaken regional Western Australia when it is going through its current difficulties?
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