❓ Question regarding privacy/security concerns and funding for historical sexual abuse victims related to the partial commercialisation of Landgate. The Treasurer defends the decision, linking it to fulfilling obligations to abuse victims and addressing state debt.
AnsweredQoN 759Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
LANDGATE — COMMERCIALISATION
759. Ms A. SANDERSON to the Treasurer:
On behalf of the member for
Kalamunda, I am pleased to welcome the members of Youth Action Kalamunda who
are visiting Parliament today.
I
refer to this government's commitment to prudent financial management
with the responsible partial commercialisation of Landgate.
(1) Can the
Treasurer advise the house whether Western Australia should have any privacy or
security concerns regarding the partial commercialisation?
(2) Can the
Treasurer outline to the house how this will help the government meet its
ongoing funding requirements for victims of historical sexual abuse?
759. Ms A. SANDERSON to the Treasurer:
On behalf of the member for
Kalamunda, I am pleased to welcome the members of Youth Action Kalamunda who
are visiting Parliament today.
I
refer to this government's commitment to prudent financial management
with the responsible partial commercialisation of Landgate.
(1) Can the
Treasurer advise the house whether Western Australia should have any privacy or
security concerns regarding the partial commercialisation?
(2) Can the
Treasurer outline to the house how this will help the government meet its
ongoing funding requirements for victims of historical sexual abuse?
AnswerView source ↗
Mr Speaker —
Mrs L.M. Harvey interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members, this
is a very good question; I want to hear the answer.
Mr B.S. WYATT : Thank you, Mr
Speaker.
(1)–(2) I
will not be intimidated into not talking about an outcome that I think all
people who were victims of sexual abuse as children should be very happy about.
When we announced a couple of years ago that we would sign up to the National
Redress Scheme that came out of the Royal Commission into Institutional
Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, and when we announced that, unlike the
previous government, we would lift the statute of limitations to allow victims
of sexual abuse to bring actions against those who perpetrated that abuse well
beyond, of course, the statute of limitations period, we were also facing a scenario
of $41 billion in debt and record deficits left to us by the former Liberal–National
government. We were therefore determined that the victims of sexual abuse
should be given the right to bring those actions and should also be able to
participate in the National Redress Scheme that we as a government agreed to
with the commonwealth government. However, of course, unlike the previous
government, we wanted to ensure that those liabilities that will go on well
past this Parliament would be met without simply doing the old reflex response
of the former government of just racking up more and more debt.
Mr D.C. Nalder interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Bateman!
Mr B.S. WYATT : After some
consideration, we announced the partial commercialisation of Landgate.
Mr D.C. Nalder interjected.
Mr B.S. WYATT : I am glad
that the member for Bateman thinks that us honouring our obligations to victims
of child sexual abuse is something that should be mocked.
Several members interjected.
Mr B.S. WYATT : I am
surprised by that.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Bateman, if you had not made a comment, there would not have been an answer.
Mr B.S. WYATT : However, I will
suppress my disappointment. We announced last week.
Mr D.C. Nalder interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Bateman, I call you to order for the first time.
Mr B.S. WYATT : We announced
last week that Land Services WA, a consortium of Macquarie Infrastructure and
Real Assets —
Dr M.D. Nahan interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Riverton! I had forgotten who you were!
Mr B.S. WYATT : —
Sunsuper and HESTA, was the winning consortium in that commercialisation. It is
a terrific outcome for the people of Western Australia
Dr M.D. Nahan interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Riverton, I call you to order for the first time!
Mr B.S. WYATT : For the
payment of $1.4 billion, Land Services WA will be required to provide, improve
and maintain Landgate's automated titling services for 40 years. We
have been able to do that without the transfer of ownership of any data,
without any redundancy program and, importantly, with ongoing investment by Land
Services WA into that database over the next four to six years. Importantly, we
have locked away escalation at Perth consumer price index, having learnt from
other states that did not do these sorts of things—notably New South
Wales.
I
think this is a very good outcome for the people of Western Australia—not
just for victims of child abuse, but also for taxpayers more broadly, who will
get value from this. I have noted some of the critique around the government's
transparency in respect of this process. Of course, the expression of interest
was a public document and the structure of the transaction was all there,
publicly. It never changed along the way and at not one point have I been asked a question in Parliament about this
issue by the member for Bateman. Indeed, to its credit, it has been the
Nationals WA that has bowled up most of the questions on this
issue, so I say to the Liberal Party: if you are going to complain about
transparency, ask me a question, and I will give you the answer. I think this
is a good outcome for the people of WA —
Mr D.C. Nalder interjected.
Mr B.S. WYATT : Member for
Bateman, in 2019 you have asked me three questions in Parliament—three.
I am not going to cop lack of transparency if I am not going to get questions
in Parliament.
Mr D.C. Nalder interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Bateman, I call you to order for the second time.
Mr B.S. WYATT : I will answer
questions, as I do, but what is clear is that this is a good outcome for the
people of WA. The train wreck interview the member for Bateman gave with Gareth
Parker was quite extraordinary; he referred to a parliamentary debate that he
had not yet initiated, so hopefully that might happen this week, or it might
even be today. Nonetheless, this is a transaction that I think all people in WA
should support because it goes towards ensuring we meet our liabilities to
victims of child sexual abuse well into the future.
Mrs L.M. Harvey interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members, this
is a very good question; I want to hear the answer.
Mr B.S. WYATT : Thank you, Mr
Speaker.
(1)–(2) I
will not be intimidated into not talking about an outcome that I think all
people who were victims of sexual abuse as children should be very happy about.
When we announced a couple of years ago that we would sign up to the National
Redress Scheme that came out of the Royal Commission into Institutional
Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, and when we announced that, unlike the
previous government, we would lift the statute of limitations to allow victims
of sexual abuse to bring actions against those who perpetrated that abuse well
beyond, of course, the statute of limitations period, we were also facing a scenario
of $41 billion in debt and record deficits left to us by the former Liberal–National
government. We were therefore determined that the victims of sexual abuse
should be given the right to bring those actions and should also be able to
participate in the National Redress Scheme that we as a government agreed to
with the commonwealth government. However, of course, unlike the previous
government, we wanted to ensure that those liabilities that will go on well
past this Parliament would be met without simply doing the old reflex response
of the former government of just racking up more and more debt.
Mr D.C. Nalder interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Bateman!
Mr B.S. WYATT : After some
consideration, we announced the partial commercialisation of Landgate.
Mr D.C. Nalder interjected.
Mr B.S. WYATT : I am glad
that the member for Bateman thinks that us honouring our obligations to victims
of child sexual abuse is something that should be mocked.
Several members interjected.
Mr B.S. WYATT : I am
surprised by that.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Bateman, if you had not made a comment, there would not have been an answer.
Mr B.S. WYATT : However, I will
suppress my disappointment. We announced last week.
Mr D.C. Nalder interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Bateman, I call you to order for the first time.
Mr B.S. WYATT : We announced
last week that Land Services WA, a consortium of Macquarie Infrastructure and
Real Assets —
Dr M.D. Nahan interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Riverton! I had forgotten who you were!
Mr B.S. WYATT : —
Sunsuper and HESTA, was the winning consortium in that commercialisation. It is
a terrific outcome for the people of Western Australia
Dr M.D. Nahan interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Riverton, I call you to order for the first time!
Mr B.S. WYATT : For the
payment of $1.4 billion, Land Services WA will be required to provide, improve
and maintain Landgate's automated titling services for 40 years. We
have been able to do that without the transfer of ownership of any data,
without any redundancy program and, importantly, with ongoing investment by Land
Services WA into that database over the next four to six years. Importantly, we
have locked away escalation at Perth consumer price index, having learnt from
other states that did not do these sorts of things—notably New South
Wales.
I
think this is a very good outcome for the people of Western Australia—not
just for victims of child abuse, but also for taxpayers more broadly, who will
get value from this. I have noted some of the critique around the government's
transparency in respect of this process. Of course, the expression of interest
was a public document and the structure of the transaction was all there,
publicly. It never changed along the way and at not one point have I been asked a question in Parliament about this
issue by the member for Bateman. Indeed, to its credit, it has been the
Nationals WA that has bowled up most of the questions on this
issue, so I say to the Liberal Party: if you are going to complain about
transparency, ask me a question, and I will give you the answer. I think this
is a good outcome for the people of WA —
Mr D.C. Nalder interjected.
Mr B.S. WYATT : Member for
Bateman, in 2019 you have asked me three questions in Parliament—three.
I am not going to cop lack of transparency if I am not going to get questions
in Parliament.
Mr D.C. Nalder interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Bateman, I call you to order for the second time.
Mr B.S. WYATT : I will answer
questions, as I do, but what is clear is that this is a good outcome for the
people of WA. The train wreck interview the member for Bateman gave with Gareth
Parker was quite extraordinary; he referred to a parliamentary debate that he
had not yet initiated, so hopefully that might happen this week, or it might
even be today. Nonetheless, this is a transaction that I think all people in WA
should support because it goes towards ensuring we meet our liabilities to
victims of child sexual abuse well into the future.
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