❓ Treasurer Ripper defends the Labor government's handling of the WA economy against criticism from the Leader of the Opposition, citing positive economic indicators and highlighting perceived inconsistencies in the Opposition's messaging.
AnsweredQoN 229Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
I refer the Treasurer to the comment made by the Leader of the Opposition at the Liberal Party state conference on 20 July at the Rendezvous Observation City Hotel that Labor had not dealt well with the economy of Western Australia. Will the Treasurer please inform members whether this statement is borne out by the facts? Mr E.S. RIPPER
AnswerView source ↗
For some reason, my invitation to the Liberal Party conference went astray in the mail, but I did receive a report of the Leader of the Opposition’s speech. It is important that opinions do not get in the way of the facts. When I want to know what is happening with the State’s economy and how the Government is handling it, I go to facts such as this: retail turnover for August is up by 1.8 per cent - the highest of any State. Business expectations for the December quarter are up by 6.2 per cent, and expected capital spending is up by 4.4 per cent. The number of people in jobs in September is up by one per cent, or 9 600, compared with a 0.5 per cent increase nationally. The number of job advertisements is up by 6.1 per cent in September, and is at its highest level since July 2000, and the highest of all the States. The September quarter business outlook includes an economic growth forecast of 4.3 per cent for Western Australia for 2002-03 - the highest of all the States. The sources for these facts are authoritative - the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the ANZ Bank job ads survey, and Access Economics. However, there is another very special source of economics news. I have a copy of it in front of me. It is called Points of Order , and it is published by the Leader of the Opposition. Its issue of 27 September states - Western Australia's economy grew by 6.6 per cent in 2001/2002 - ahead of the forecast 4.5 per cent growth. The edition of 4 October tells us about the booming housing market and rising business confidence in Western Australia. There is a contradiction in the approach of the Leader of the Opposition. He applauds Western Australia’s strong economic position, but then he turns around and tells the Liberal Party state conference that the Government has not dealt well with the economy of Western Australia. That is simply not true, based on the information the Leader of the Opposition himself has published in Points of Order . If he wants to be more comprehensive and accurate in what he publishes in Points of Order , why does he not publish some comparative economic data? Why does he not publish the pre-election forecasts of the budget deficits of $68.8 million and $41.4 million made by the coalition, compared with surpluses of $119.1 million and $137.2 under the Labor Government. I have a little chart here, which I bring along to question time. Maybe the Leader of the Opposition could put this chart in Points of Order . I keep it here so that it will be handy for question time. The Leader of the Opposition could publish the figures for economic growth of 6.6 per cent under Labor in 2001-02, compared with a contraction in the economy of 1.2 per cent under the Liberal Government in 2000-01. He could compare growth in expenses under the coalition, averaging 5.6 per cent per annum over the eight years the coalition Government was in power, with the growth under the present Government of 3.7 per cent. We know that there are influences on the economy which are beyond the control of the Government, but we will provide the right setting for economic growth, and work to build sustainable state finances through strong surpluses, and a robust economy that will withstand shocks from the matters outside of the control of the Government. If the Leader of the Opposition intends to keep up his publishing game, he should tell the whole truth, not just half the truth, and he should tell it all the time.
Mr E.S. RIPPER replied: For some reason, my invitation to the Liberal Party conference went astray in the mail, but I did receive a report of the Leader of the Opposition’s speech. It is important that opinions do not get in the way of the facts. When I want to know what is happening with the State’s economy and how the Government is handling it, I go to facts such as this: retail turnover for August is up by 1.8 per cent - the highest of any State. Business expectations for the December quarter are up by 6.2 per cent, and expected capital spending is up by 4.4 per cent. The number of people in jobs in September is up by one per cent, or 9 600, compared with a 0.5 per cent increase nationally. The number of job advertisements is up by 6.1 per cent in September, and is at its highest level since July 2000, and the highest of all the States. The September quarter business outlook includes an economic growth forecast of 4.3 per cent for Western Australia for 2002-03 - the highest of all the States. The sources for these facts are authoritative - the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the ANZ Bank job ads survey, and Access Economics. However, there is another very special source of economics news. I have a copy of it in front of me. It is called Points of Order , and it is published by the Leader of the Opposition. Its issue of 27 September states - Western Australia's economy grew by 6.6 per cent in 2001/2002 - ahead of the forecast 4.5 per cent growth. The edition of 4 October tells us about the booming housing market and rising business confidence in Western Australia. There is a contradiction in the approach of the Leader of the Opposition. He applauds Western Australia’s strong economic position, but then he turns around and tells the Liberal Party state conference that the Government has not dealt well with the economy of Western Australia. That is simply not true, based on the information the Leader of the Opposition himself has published in Points of Order . If he wants to be more comprehensive and accurate in what he publishes in Points of Order , why does he not publish some comparative economic data? Why does he not publish the pre-election forecasts of the budget deficits of $68.8 million and $41.4 million made by the coalition, compared with surpluses of $119.1 million and $137.2 under the Labor Government. I have a little chart here, which I bring along to question time. Maybe the Leader of the Opposition could put this chart in Points of Order . I keep it here so that it will be handy for question time. The Leader of the Opposition could publish the figures for economic growth of 6.6 per cent under Labor in 2001-02, compared with a contraction in the economy of 1.2 per cent under the Liberal Government in 2000-01. He could compare growth in expenses under the coalition, averaging 5.6 per cent per annum over the eight years the coalition Government was in power, with the growth under the present Government of 3.7 per cent. We know that there are influences on the economy which are beyond the control of the Government, but we will provide the right setting for economic growth, and work to build sustainable state finances through strong surpluses, and a robust economy that will withstand shocks from the matters outside of the control of the Government. If the Leader of the Opposition intends to keep up his publishing game, he should tell the whole truth, not just half the truth, and he should tell it all the time.
For some reason, my invitation to the Liberal Party conference went astray in the mail, but I did receive a report of the Leader of the Opposition’s speech. It is important that opinions do not get in the way of the facts. When I want to know what is happening with the State’s economy and how the Government is handling it, I go to facts such as this: retail turnover for August is up by 1.8 per cent - the highest of any State. Business expectations for the December quarter are up by 6.2 per cent, and expected capital spending is up by 4.4 per cent. The number of people in jobs in September is up by one per cent, or 9 600, compared with a 0.5 per cent increase nationally. The number of job advertisements is up by 6.1 per cent in September, and is at its highest level since July 2000, and the highest of all the States. The September quarter business outlook includes an economic growth forecast of 4.3 per cent for Western Australia for 2002-03 - the highest of all the States. The sources for these facts are authoritative - the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the ANZ Bank job ads survey, and Access Economics. However, there is another very special source of economics news. I have a copy of it in front of me. It is called Points of Order , and it is published by the Leader of the Opposition. Its issue of 27 September states - Western Australia's economy grew by 6.6 per cent in 2001/2002 - ahead of the forecast 4.5 per cent growth. The edition of 4 October tells us about the booming housing market and rising business confidence in Western Australia. There is a contradiction in the approach of the Leader of the Opposition. He applauds Western Australia’s strong economic position, but then he turns around and tells the Liberal Party state conference that the Government has not dealt well with the economy of Western Australia. That is simply not true, based on the information the Leader of the Opposition himself has published in Points of Order . If he wants to be more comprehensive and accurate in what he publishes in Points of Order , why does he not publish some comparative economic data? Why does he not publish the pre-election forecasts of the budget deficits of $68.8 million and $41.4 million made by the coalition, compared with surpluses of $119.1 million and $137.2 under the Labor Government. I have a little chart here, which I bring along to question time. Maybe the Leader of the Opposition could put this chart in Points of Order . I keep it here so that it will be handy for question time. The Leader of the Opposition could publish the figures for economic growth of 6.6 per cent under Labor in 2001-02, compared with a contraction in the economy of 1.2 per cent under the Liberal Government in 2000-01. He could compare growth in expenses under the coalition, averaging 5.6 per cent per annum over the eight years the coalition Government was in power, with the growth under the present Government of 3.7 per cent. We know that there are influences on the economy which are beyond the control of the Government, but we will provide the right setting for economic growth, and work to build sustainable state finances through strong surpluses, and a robust economy that will withstand shocks from the matters outside of the control of the Government. If the Leader of the Opposition intends to keep up his publishing game, he should tell the whole truth, not just half the truth, and he should tell it all the time.
The sources for these facts are authoritative - the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the ANZ Bank job ads survey, and Access Economics. However, there is another very special source of economics news. I have a copy of it in front of me. It is called Points of Order , and it is published by the Leader of the Opposition. Its issue of 27 September states - Western Australia's economy grew by 6.6 per cent in 2001/2002 - ahead of the forecast 4.5 per cent growth. The edition of 4 October tells us about the booming housing market and rising business confidence in Western Australia. There is a contradiction in the approach of the Leader of the Opposition. He applauds Western Australia’s strong economic position, but then he turns around and tells the Liberal Party state conference that the Government has not dealt well with the economy of Western Australia. That is simply not true, based on the information the Leader of the Opposition himself has published in Points of Order . If he wants to be more comprehensive and accurate in what he publishes in Points of Order , why does he not publish some comparative economic data? Why does he not publish the pre-election forecasts of the budget deficits of $68.8 million and $41.4 million made by the coalition, compared with surpluses of $119.1 million and $137.2 under the Labor Government. I have a little chart here, which I bring along to question time. Maybe the Leader of the Opposition could put this chart in Points of Order . I keep it here so that it will be handy for question time. The Leader of the Opposition could publish the figures for economic growth of 6.6 per cent under Labor in 2001-02, compared with a contraction in the economy of 1.2 per cent under the Liberal Government in 2000-01. He could compare growth in expenses under the coalition, averaging 5.6 per cent per annum over the eight years the coalition Government was in power, with the growth under the present Government of 3.7 per cent. We know that there are influences on the economy which are beyond the control of the Government, but we will provide the right setting for economic growth, and work to build sustainable state finances through strong surpluses, and a robust economy that will withstand shocks from the matters outside of the control of the Government. If the Leader of the Opposition intends to keep up his publishing game, he should tell the whole truth, not just half the truth, and he should tell it all the time.
Mr E.S. RIPPER replied: For some reason, my invitation to the Liberal Party conference went astray in the mail, but I did receive a report of the Leader of the Opposition’s speech. It is important that opinions do not get in the way of the facts. When I want to know what is happening with the State’s economy and how the Government is handling it, I go to facts such as this: retail turnover for August is up by 1.8 per cent - the highest of any State. Business expectations for the December quarter are up by 6.2 per cent, and expected capital spending is up by 4.4 per cent. The number of people in jobs in September is up by one per cent, or 9 600, compared with a 0.5 per cent increase nationally. The number of job advertisements is up by 6.1 per cent in September, and is at its highest level since July 2000, and the highest of all the States. The September quarter business outlook includes an economic growth forecast of 4.3 per cent for Western Australia for 2002-03 - the highest of all the States. The sources for these facts are authoritative - the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the ANZ Bank job ads survey, and Access Economics. However, there is another very special source of economics news. I have a copy of it in front of me. It is called Points of Order , and it is published by the Leader of the Opposition. Its issue of 27 September states - Western Australia's economy grew by 6.6 per cent in 2001/2002 - ahead of the forecast 4.5 per cent growth. The edition of 4 October tells us about the booming housing market and rising business confidence in Western Australia. There is a contradiction in the approach of the Leader of the Opposition. He applauds Western Australia’s strong economic position, but then he turns around and tells the Liberal Party state conference that the Government has not dealt well with the economy of Western Australia. That is simply not true, based on the information the Leader of the Opposition himself has published in Points of Order . If he wants to be more comprehensive and accurate in what he publishes in Points of Order , why does he not publish some comparative economic data? Why does he not publish the pre-election forecasts of the budget deficits of $68.8 million and $41.4 million made by the coalition, compared with surpluses of $119.1 million and $137.2 under the Labor Government. I have a little chart here, which I bring along to question time. Maybe the Leader of the Opposition could put this chart in Points of Order . I keep it here so that it will be handy for question time. The Leader of the Opposition could publish the figures for economic growth of 6.6 per cent under Labor in 2001-02, compared with a contraction in the economy of 1.2 per cent under the Liberal Government in 2000-01. He could compare growth in expenses under the coalition, averaging 5.6 per cent per annum over the eight years the coalition Government was in power, with the growth under the present Government of 3.7 per cent. We know that there are influences on the economy which are beyond the control of the Government, but we will provide the right setting for economic growth, and work to build sustainable state finances through strong surpluses, and a robust economy that will withstand shocks from the matters outside of the control of the Government. If the Leader of the Opposition intends to keep up his publishing game, he should tell the whole truth, not just half the truth, and he should tell it all the time.
For some reason, my invitation to the Liberal Party conference went astray in the mail, but I did receive a report of the Leader of the Opposition’s speech. It is important that opinions do not get in the way of the facts. When I want to know what is happening with the State’s economy and how the Government is handling it, I go to facts such as this: retail turnover for August is up by 1.8 per cent - the highest of any State. Business expectations for the December quarter are up by 6.2 per cent, and expected capital spending is up by 4.4 per cent. The number of people in jobs in September is up by one per cent, or 9 600, compared with a 0.5 per cent increase nationally. The number of job advertisements is up by 6.1 per cent in September, and is at its highest level since July 2000, and the highest of all the States. The September quarter business outlook includes an economic growth forecast of 4.3 per cent for Western Australia for 2002-03 - the highest of all the States. The sources for these facts are authoritative - the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the ANZ Bank job ads survey, and Access Economics. However, there is another very special source of economics news. I have a copy of it in front of me. It is called Points of Order , and it is published by the Leader of the Opposition. Its issue of 27 September states - Western Australia's economy grew by 6.6 per cent in 2001/2002 - ahead of the forecast 4.5 per cent growth. The edition of 4 October tells us about the booming housing market and rising business confidence in Western Australia. There is a contradiction in the approach of the Leader of the Opposition. He applauds Western Australia’s strong economic position, but then he turns around and tells the Liberal Party state conference that the Government has not dealt well with the economy of Western Australia. That is simply not true, based on the information the Leader of the Opposition himself has published in Points of Order . If he wants to be more comprehensive and accurate in what he publishes in Points of Order , why does he not publish some comparative economic data? Why does he not publish the pre-election forecasts of the budget deficits of $68.8 million and $41.4 million made by the coalition, compared with surpluses of $119.1 million and $137.2 under the Labor Government. I have a little chart here, which I bring along to question time. Maybe the Leader of the Opposition could put this chart in Points of Order . I keep it here so that it will be handy for question time. The Leader of the Opposition could publish the figures for economic growth of 6.6 per cent under Labor in 2001-02, compared with a contraction in the economy of 1.2 per cent under the Liberal Government in 2000-01. He could compare growth in expenses under the coalition, averaging 5.6 per cent per annum over the eight years the coalition Government was in power, with the growth under the present Government of 3.7 per cent. We know that there are influences on the economy which are beyond the control of the Government, but we will provide the right setting for economic growth, and work to build sustainable state finances through strong surpluses, and a robust economy that will withstand shocks from the matters outside of the control of the Government. If the Leader of the Opposition intends to keep up his publishing game, he should tell the whole truth, not just half the truth, and he should tell it all the time.
The sources for these facts are authoritative - the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the ANZ Bank job ads survey, and Access Economics. However, there is another very special source of economics news. I have a copy of it in front of me. It is called Points of Order , and it is published by the Leader of the Opposition. Its issue of 27 September states - Western Australia's economy grew by 6.6 per cent in 2001/2002 - ahead of the forecast 4.5 per cent growth. The edition of 4 October tells us about the booming housing market and rising business confidence in Western Australia. There is a contradiction in the approach of the Leader of the Opposition. He applauds Western Australia’s strong economic position, but then he turns around and tells the Liberal Party state conference that the Government has not dealt well with the economy of Western Australia. That is simply not true, based on the information the Leader of the Opposition himself has published in Points of Order . If he wants to be more comprehensive and accurate in what he publishes in Points of Order , why does he not publish some comparative economic data? Why does he not publish the pre-election forecasts of the budget deficits of $68.8 million and $41.4 million made by the coalition, compared with surpluses of $119.1 million and $137.2 under the Labor Government. I have a little chart here, which I bring along to question time. Maybe the Leader of the Opposition could put this chart in Points of Order . I keep it here so that it will be handy for question time. The Leader of the Opposition could publish the figures for economic growth of 6.6 per cent under Labor in 2001-02, compared with a contraction in the economy of 1.2 per cent under the Liberal Government in 2000-01. He could compare growth in expenses under the coalition, averaging 5.6 per cent per annum over the eight years the coalition Government was in power, with the growth under the present Government of 3.7 per cent. We know that there are influences on the economy which are beyond the control of the Government, but we will provide the right setting for economic growth, and work to build sustainable state finances through strong surpluses, and a robust economy that will withstand shocks from the matters outside of the control of the Government. If the Leader of the Opposition intends to keep up his publishing game, he should tell the whole truth, not just half the truth, and he should tell it all the time.
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