❓ A parliamentary question regarding the risks to Western Australia's borrowing capacity for job creation, given its AAA credit rating. The Treasurer's response defends the government's borrowing strategy for infrastructure investment, comparing it favorably to Queensland's debt levels.
AnsweredQoN 436Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
JOB CREATION — BORROWING RISKS
I congratulate the Treasurer on his economically responsible and strategic state budget, which focuses on jobs and the state’s future. The retention of the Standard and Poor’s AAA credit rating was a significant achievement in the current economic climate. Can the Treasurer explain to the house the greatest risk that the state faces in its ability to borrow for job creation? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Members, I do not know that I distinctly heard all of the question that the member for Carine asked, because members on both sides of this place continued to interject and perhaps thought they had a better question to ask, again. I presume the Treasurer did hear all of that question. Mr T.R. BUSWELL
I congratulate the Treasurer on his economically responsible and strategic state budget, which focuses on jobs and the state’s future. The retention of the Standard and Poor’s AAA credit rating was a significant achievement in the current economic climate. Can the Treasurer explain to the house the greatest risk that the state faces in its ability to borrow for job creation? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Members, I do not know that I distinctly heard all of the question that the member for Carine asked, because members on both sides of this place continued to interject and perhaps thought they had a better question to ask, again. I presume the Treasurer did hear all of that question. Mr T.R. BUSWELL
AnswerView source ↗
Mr Speaker, as much as that question comes to me as a surprise, I do seem to have the answer here! Firstly, I thank the member for Carine for his question. Of course the state’s AAA credit rating is fundamentally important. It is fundamentally important for a range of reasons. It means that ultimately we can borrow money at a lower rate of interest. Treasury has indicated to me that the savings from that should be measured in the tens of millions of dollars. Last Thursday was clearly a vote of confidence from Standard and Poor’s in the financial management strategy that the state has put in place. I think, more broadly, that it was also a vote of confidence in Western Australia. It is interesting that, last week, both sides of this house faced a challenge. Our challenge was to hand down a financially responsible budget. We succeeded in doing that. The opposition’s challenge was to hold the seat of Fremantle, and the results are well known to all. I was interested to hear somebody’s comments that the Liberal Party did not stand a candidate against the Labor Party, and it did not. However, in a recent by-election in this state’s history the Labor Party did not stand a candidate against the Liberal Party, and that was in February last year in the seat of Murdoch. I have looked at some of the results. In the seat of Murdoch — Point of Order Mr B.S. WYATT : The question from the member for Carine was specifically about debt and I, for one, am interested in the answer. I ask that the Treasurer perhaps provide an answer that is relevant to the question the member asked. The SPEAKER : I take the member for Victoria Park’s point of order. Questions Without Notice Resumed Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Suffice to say, as I move on to the answer, in the Murdoch by-election in February last year, for which the Labor Party did not stand a candidate, there was a significant swing to the Liberal Party of 14 per cent, which is unlike what happened on the weekend. I suspect when people look at the political history of Western Australia, they would find that February last year was the start of the train wreck, September last year was the delivery of the train wreck and last weekend showed that the Labor Party is nowhere near getting that train back on the rails—the caboose. Several members interjected. Mr D.A. Templeman : You messed up the delivery. The SPEAKER : I advise the member for Mandurah that I like him a lot and he has great style, but I advise him not to do that again. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : This government was able to hand down a budget that included a massive investment in infrastructure in Western Australia. That investment will go a long way to putting in place the infrastructure building blocks that this state will grow into the twenty-first century and it will support Western Australian jobs. We did it in a way that protected, as the member rightly pointed out, the state’s AAA credit rating. I have heard comments from members opposite about the level of debt of $19.1 billion in four years. I make no apology for the fact that this government has been prepared to borrow money to support infrastructure investment that supports Western Australian jobs. It is important to put that in context. I was interested to read in today’s paper comments about Queensland, which is a state that has about twice the general government sector turnover of Western Australia. It is estimated that the debt in Queensland in four years will be $74 billion. That state has twice Western Australia’s general government sector turnover, but four times the debt. That reflects on the job that this government did in the budget that was handed down last week. More to the point, this is the question I look forward to the Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Treasurer answering: which Labor Party will come into bat on state debt when the Labor Party gets up to speed? Will it be the case that the Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Treasurer will argue that state debt in Western Australia at $19.1 billion is completely unsustainable? If that is their argument, what will they cut out of the budget document to reduce the level of debt? I will compare that with the comments by members opposite since last week’s budget was brought down. I want to understand who wears the mantle of fiscal responsibility. We have added up all the things that the opposition members want to unwind out of the budget that was handed down last week. The house might be interested to know the answer because we asked Treasury to cost it. The result is $3.864 billion of extra debt that the Labor side of politics in Western Australia would have this state lumbered with. Do members know what $3.864 billion of extra debt means? It means that the opposition is advocating debt in four years of $23.4 billion and it is advocating the Standard and Poor’s AAA credit rating at 100 per cent. When the Leader of the Opposition stands, we will be interested to see which Labor Party turns up. Will it be the big-spending Labor Party of all his colleagues or the other guy? Point of Order Mr B.S. WYATT : I ask the Treasurer to table the document to which he is referring. Mr T.R. Buswell : These are notes. Mr B.S. WYATT : The Treasurer referred to a Treasury document, which is an official document and I ask that he table it. The SPEAKER : I advise the Treasurer that if it is an official document, he does need to table it. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I intended to table it, but I did not think it would be appropriate. I am happy to table the document, which I just finished reading from. It clearly shows the economic cost of the Labor Party’s irresponsible approach to financial management in Western Australia. I am very pleased to table that evidence. Mr M. McGOWAN : The document was clearly two pages. The Treasurer indicated that he would table that official document, and he has not, which is contrary to the Speaker’s instruction. I request that he table it. The SPEAKER : My instruction to the Treasurer is that if it is in fact an official document and there are two pages to it, they both need to be on that table. If the Treasurer says that the official document is sitting there, I will accept that it is the official document. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Hang on. I will get some advice from my office. This is the document that I and my ministerial staff put together, and it is the document that Treasury used to aggregate the figures. I am very happy to have it tabled. Mr E.S. RIPPER : This all depends on the truth of the Treasurer’s assertion that Treasury had done an analysis and that he was reading from the Treasury analysis. If that is the case, he should table the document. If he now argues that he should not, he misled the house when he claimed it was a Treasury analysis. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I will find out whether this document — Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : In that case I will not table it. Mr M. McGowan : Another coward. [See paper 913.] Withdrawal of Remark Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Once again, the member for Rockingham has called the Treasurer a coward. That is totally unparliamentary, and I ask that he withdraw. Mr M. McGOWAN : Anyone who has been in this house for any time would know that that term is not unparliamentary.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Members, I do not know that I distinctly heard all of the question that the member for Carine asked, because members on both sides of this place continued to interject and perhaps thought they had a better question to ask, again. I presume the Treasurer did hear all of that question. Mr T.R. BUSWELL replied: Mr Speaker, as much as that question comes to me as a surprise, I do seem to have the answer here! Firstly, I thank the member for Carine for his question. Of course the state’s AAA credit rating is fundamentally important. It is fundamentally important for a range of reasons. It means that ultimately we can borrow money at a lower rate of interest. Treasury has indicated to me that the savings from that should be measured in the tens of millions of dollars. Last Thursday was clearly a vote of confidence from Standard and Poor’s in the financial management strategy that the state has put in place. I think, more broadly, that it was also a vote of confidence in Western Australia. It is interesting that, last week, both sides of this house faced a challenge. Our challenge was to hand down a financially responsible budget. We succeeded in doing that. The opposition’s challenge was to hold the seat of Fremantle, and the results are well known to all. I was interested to hear somebody’s comments that the Liberal Party did not stand a candidate against the Labor Party, and it did not. However, in a recent by-election in this state’s history the Labor Party did not stand a candidate against the Liberal Party, and that was in February last year in the seat of Murdoch. I have looked at some of the results. In the seat of Murdoch — Point of Order Mr B.S. WYATT : The question from the member for Carine was specifically about debt and I, for one, am interested in the answer. I ask that the Treasurer perhaps provide an answer that is relevant to the question the member asked. The SPEAKER : I take the member for Victoria Park’s point of order. Questions Without Notice Resumed Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Suffice to say, as I move on to the answer, in the Murdoch by-election in February last year, for which the Labor Party did not stand a candidate, there was a significant swing to the Liberal Party of 14 per cent, which is unlike what happened on the weekend. I suspect when people look at the political history of Western Australia, they would find that February last year was the start of the train wreck, September last year was the delivery of the train wreck and last weekend showed that the Labor Party is nowhere near getting that train back on the rails—the caboose. Several members interjected. Mr D.A. Templeman : You messed up the delivery. The SPEAKER : I advise the member for Mandurah that I like him a lot and he has great style, but I advise him not to do that again. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : This government was able to hand down a budget that included a massive investment in infrastructure in Western Australia. That investment will go a long way to putting in place the infrastructure building blocks that this state will grow into the twenty-first century and it will support Western Australian jobs. We did it in a way that protected, as the member rightly pointed out, the state’s AAA credit rating. I have heard comments from members opposite about the level of debt of $19.1 billion in four years. I make no apology for the fact that this government has been prepared to borrow money to support infrastructure investment that supports Western Australian jobs. It is important to put that in context. I was interested to read in today’s paper comments about Queensland, which is a state that has about twice the general government sector turnover of Western Australia. It is estimated that the debt in Queensland in four years will be $74 billion. That state has twice Western Australia’s general government sector turnover, but four times the debt. That reflects on the job that this government did in the budget that was handed down last week. More to the point, this is the question I look forward to the Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Treasurer answering: which Labor Party will come into bat on state debt when the Labor Party gets up to speed? Will it be the case that the Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Treasurer will argue that state debt in Western Australia at $19.1 billion is completely unsustainable? If that is their argument, what will they cut out of the budget document to reduce the level of debt? I will compare that with the comments by members opposite since last week’s budget was brought down. I want to understand who wears the mantle of fiscal responsibility. We have added up all the things that the opposition members want to unwind out of the budget that was handed down last week. The house might be interested to know the answer because we asked Treasury to cost it. The result is $3.864 billion of extra debt that the Labor side of politics in Western Australia would have this state lumbered with. Do members know what $3.864 billion of extra debt means? It means that the opposition is advocating debt in four years of $23.4 billion and it is advocating the Standard and Poor’s AAA credit rating at 100 per cent. When the Leader of the Opposition stands, we will be interested to see which Labor Party turns up. Will it be the big-spending Labor Party of all his colleagues or the other guy? Point of Order Mr B.S. WYATT : I ask the Treasurer to table the document to which he is referring. Mr T.R. Buswell : These are notes. Mr B.S. WYATT : The Treasurer referred to a Treasury document, which is an official document and I ask that he table it. The SPEAKER : I advise the Treasurer that if it is an official document, he does need to table it. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I intended to table it, but I did not think it would be appropriate. I am happy to table the document, which I just finished reading from. It clearly shows the economic cost of the Labor Party’s irresponsible approach to financial management in Western Australia. I am very pleased to table that evidence. Mr M. McGOWAN : The document was clearly two pages. The Treasurer indicated that he would table that official document, and he has not, which is contrary to the Speaker’s instruction. I request that he table it. The SPEAKER : My instruction to the Treasurer is that if it is in fact an official document and there are two pages to it, they both need to be on that table. If the Treasurer says that the official document is sitting there, I will accept that it is the official document. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Hang on. I will get some advice from my office. This is the document that I and my ministerial staff put together, and it is the document that Treasury used to aggregate the figures. I am very happy to have it tabled. Mr E.S. RIPPER : This all depends on the truth of the Treasurer’s assertion that Treasury had done an analysis and that he was reading from the Treasury analysis. If that is the case, he should table the document. If he now argues that he should not, he misled the house when he claimed it was a Treasury analysis. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I will find out whether this document — Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : In that case I will not table it. Mr M. McGowan : Another coward. [See paper 913.] Withdrawal of Remark Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Once again, the member for Rockingham has called the Treasurer a coward. That is totally unparliamentary, and I ask that he withdraw. Mr M. McGOWAN : Anyone who has been in this house for any time would know that that term is not unparliamentary.
The SPEAKER : Order! Members, I do not know that I distinctly heard all of the question that the member for Carine asked, because members on both sides of this place continued to interject and perhaps thought they had a better question to ask, again. I presume the Treasurer did hear all of that question. Mr T.R. BUSWELL replied: Mr Speaker, as much as that question comes to me as a surprise, I do seem to have the answer here! Firstly, I thank the member for Carine for his question. Of course the state’s AAA credit rating is fundamentally important. It is fundamentally important for a range of reasons. It means that ultimately we can borrow money at a lower rate of interest. Treasury has indicated to me that the savings from that should be measured in the tens of millions of dollars. Last Thursday was clearly a vote of confidence from Standard and Poor’s in the financial management strategy that the state has put in place. I think, more broadly, that it was also a vote of confidence in Western Australia. It is interesting that, last week, both sides of this house faced a challenge. Our challenge was to hand down a financially responsible budget. We succeeded in doing that. The opposition’s challenge was to hold the seat of Fremantle, and the results are well known to all. I was interested to hear somebody’s comments that the Liberal Party did not stand a candidate against the Labor Party, and it did not. However, in a recent by-election in this state’s history the Labor Party did not stand a candidate against the Liberal Party, and that was in February last year in the seat of Murdoch. I have looked at some of the results. In the seat of Murdoch — Point of Order Mr B.S. WYATT : The question from the member for Carine was specifically about debt and I, for one, am interested in the answer. I ask that the Treasurer perhaps provide an answer that is relevant to the question the member asked. The SPEAKER : I take the member for Victoria Park’s point of order. Questions Without Notice Resumed Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Suffice to say, as I move on to the answer, in the Murdoch by-election in February last year, for which the Labor Party did not stand a candidate, there was a significant swing to the Liberal Party of 14 per cent, which is unlike what happened on the weekend. I suspect when people look at the political history of Western Australia, they would find that February last year was the start of the train wreck, September last year was the delivery of the train wreck and last weekend showed that the Labor Party is nowhere near getting that train back on the rails—the caboose. Several members interjected. Mr D.A. Templeman : You messed up the delivery. The SPEAKER : I advise the member for Mandurah that I like him a lot and he has great style, but I advise him not to do that again. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : This government was able to hand down a budget that included a massive investment in infrastructure in Western Australia. That investment will go a long way to putting in place the infrastructure building blocks that this state will grow into the twenty-first century and it will support Western Australian jobs. We did it in a way that protected, as the member rightly pointed out, the state’s AAA credit rating. I have heard comments from members opposite about the level of debt of $19.1 billion in four years. I make no apology for the fact that this government has been prepared to borrow money to support infrastructure investment that supports Western Australian jobs. It is important to put that in context. I was interested to read in today’s paper comments about Queensland, which is a state that has about twice the general government sector turnover of Western Australia. It is estimated that the debt in Queensland in four years will be $74 billion. That state has twice Western Australia’s general government sector turnover, but four times the debt. That reflects on the job that this government did in the budget that was handed down last week. More to the point, this is the question I look forward to the Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Treasurer answering: which Labor Party will come into bat on state debt when the Labor Party gets up to speed? Will it be the case that the Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Treasurer will argue that state debt in Western Australia at $19.1 billion is completely unsustainable? If that is their argument, what will they cut out of the budget document to reduce the level of debt? I will compare that with the comments by members opposite since last week’s budget was brought down. I want to understand who wears the mantle of fiscal responsibility. We have added up all the things that the opposition members want to unwind out of the budget that was handed down last week. The house might be interested to know the answer because we asked Treasury to cost it. The result is $3.864 billion of extra debt that the Labor side of politics in Western Australia would have this state lumbered with. Do members know what $3.864 billion of extra debt means? It means that the opposition is advocating debt in four years of $23.4 billion and it is advocating the Standard and Poor’s AAA credit rating at 100 per cent. When the Leader of the Opposition stands, we will be interested to see which Labor Party turns up. Will it be the big-spending Labor Party of all his colleagues or the other guy? Point of Order Mr B.S. WYATT : I ask the Treasurer to table the document to which he is referring. Mr T.R. Buswell : These are notes. Mr B.S. WYATT : The Treasurer referred to a Treasury document, which is an official document and I ask that he table it. The SPEAKER : I advise the Treasurer that if it is an official document, he does need to table it. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I intended to table it, but I did not think it would be appropriate. I am happy to table the document, which I just finished reading from. It clearly shows the economic cost of the Labor Party’s irresponsible approach to financial management in Western Australia. I am very pleased to table that evidence. Mr M. McGOWAN : The document was clearly two pages. The Treasurer indicated that he would table that official document, and he has not, which is contrary to the Speaker’s instruction. I request that he table it. The SPEAKER : My instruction to the Treasurer is that if it is in fact an official document and there are two pages to it, they both need to be on that table. If the Treasurer says that the official document is sitting there, I will accept that it is the official document. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Hang on. I will get some advice from my office. This is the document that I and my ministerial staff put together, and it is the document that Treasury used to aggregate the figures. I am very happy to have it tabled. Mr E.S. RIPPER : This all depends on the truth of the Treasurer’s assertion that Treasury had done an analysis and that he was reading from the Treasury analysis. If that is the case, he should table the document. If he now argues that he should not, he misled the house when he claimed it was a Treasury analysis. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I will find out whether this document — Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : In that case I will not table it. Mr M. McGowan : Another coward. [See paper 913.] Withdrawal of Remark Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Once again, the member for Rockingham has called the Treasurer a coward. That is totally unparliamentary, and I ask that he withdraw. Mr M. McGOWAN : Anyone who has been in this house for any time would know that that term is not unparliamentary.
Mr T.R. BUSWELL replied: Mr Speaker, as much as that question comes to me as a surprise, I do seem to have the answer here! Firstly, I thank the member for Carine for his question. Of course the state’s AAA credit rating is fundamentally important. It is fundamentally important for a range of reasons. It means that ultimately we can borrow money at a lower rate of interest. Treasury has indicated to me that the savings from that should be measured in the tens of millions of dollars. Last Thursday was clearly a vote of confidence from Standard and Poor’s in the financial management strategy that the state has put in place. I think, more broadly, that it was also a vote of confidence in Western Australia. It is interesting that, last week, both sides of this house faced a challenge. Our challenge was to hand down a financially responsible budget. We succeeded in doing that. The opposition’s challenge was to hold the seat of Fremantle, and the results are well known to all. I was interested to hear somebody’s comments that the Liberal Party did not stand a candidate against the Labor Party, and it did not. However, in a recent by-election in this state’s history the Labor Party did not stand a candidate against the Liberal Party, and that was in February last year in the seat of Murdoch. I have looked at some of the results. In the seat of Murdoch — Point of Order Mr B.S. WYATT : The question from the member for Carine was specifically about debt and I, for one, am interested in the answer. I ask that the Treasurer perhaps provide an answer that is relevant to the question the member asked. The SPEAKER : I take the member for Victoria Park’s point of order. Questions Without Notice Resumed Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Suffice to say, as I move on to the answer, in the Murdoch by-election in February last year, for which the Labor Party did not stand a candidate, there was a significant swing to the Liberal Party of 14 per cent, which is unlike what happened on the weekend. I suspect when people look at the political history of Western Australia, they would find that February last year was the start of the train wreck, September last year was the delivery of the train wreck and last weekend showed that the Labor Party is nowhere near getting that train back on the rails—the caboose. Several members interjected. Mr D.A. Templeman : You messed up the delivery. The SPEAKER : I advise the member for Mandurah that I like him a lot and he has great style, but I advise him not to do that again. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : This government was able to hand down a budget that included a massive investment in infrastructure in Western Australia. That investment will go a long way to putting in place the infrastructure building blocks that this state will grow into the twenty-first century and it will support Western Australian jobs. We did it in a way that protected, as the member rightly pointed out, the state’s AAA credit rating. I have heard comments from members opposite about the level of debt of $19.1 billion in four years. I make no apology for the fact that this government has been prepared to borrow money to support infrastructure investment that supports Western Australian jobs. It is important to put that in context. I was interested to read in today’s paper comments about Queensland, which is a state that has about twice the general government sector turnover of Western Australia. It is estimated that the debt in Queensland in four years will be $74 billion. That state has twice Western Australia’s general government sector turnover, but four times the debt. That reflects on the job that this government did in the budget that was handed down last week. More to the point, this is the question I look forward to the Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Treasurer answering: which Labor Party will come into bat on state debt when the Labor Party gets up to speed? Will it be the case that the Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Treasurer will argue that state debt in Western Australia at $19.1 billion is completely unsustainable? If that is their argument, what will they cut out of the budget document to reduce the level of debt? I will compare that with the comments by members opposite since last week’s budget was brought down. I want to understand who wears the mantle of fiscal responsibility. We have added up all the things that the opposition members want to unwind out of the budget that was handed down last week. The house might be interested to know the answer because we asked Treasury to cost it. The result is $3.864 billion of extra debt that the Labor side of politics in Western Australia would have this state lumbered with. Do members know what $3.864 billion of extra debt means? It means that the opposition is advocating debt in four years of $23.4 billion and it is advocating the Standard and Poor’s AAA credit rating at 100 per cent. When the Leader of the Opposition stands, we will be interested to see which Labor Party turns up. Will it be the big-spending Labor Party of all his colleagues or the other guy? Point of Order Mr B.S. WYATT : I ask the Treasurer to table the document to which he is referring. Mr T.R. Buswell : These are notes. Mr B.S. WYATT : The Treasurer referred to a Treasury document, which is an official document and I ask that he table it. The SPEAKER : I advise the Treasurer that if it is an official document, he does need to table it. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I intended to table it, but I did not think it would be appropriate. I am happy to table the document, which I just finished reading from. It clearly shows the economic cost of the Labor Party’s irresponsible approach to financial management in Western Australia. I am very pleased to table that evidence. Mr M. McGOWAN : The document was clearly two pages. The Treasurer indicated that he would table that official document, and he has not, which is contrary to the Speaker’s instruction. I request that he table it. The SPEAKER : My instruction to the Treasurer is that if it is in fact an official document and there are two pages to it, they both need to be on that table. If the Treasurer says that the official document is sitting there, I will accept that it is the official document. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Hang on. I will get some advice from my office. This is the document that I and my ministerial staff put together, and it is the document that Treasury used to aggregate the figures. I am very happy to have it tabled. Mr E.S. RIPPER : This all depends on the truth of the Treasurer’s assertion that Treasury had done an analysis and that he was reading from the Treasury analysis. If that is the case, he should table the document. If he now argues that he should not, he misled the house when he claimed it was a Treasury analysis. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I will find out whether this document — Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : In that case I will not table it. Mr M. McGowan : Another coward. [See paper 913.] Withdrawal of Remark Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Once again, the member for Rockingham has called the Treasurer a coward. That is totally unparliamentary, and I ask that he withdraw. Mr M. McGOWAN : Anyone who has been in this house for any time would know that that term is not unparliamentary.
Mr Speaker, as much as that question comes to me as a surprise, I do seem to have the answer here! Firstly, I thank the member for Carine for his question. Of course the state’s AAA credit rating is fundamentally important. It is fundamentally important for a range of reasons. It means that ultimately we can borrow money at a lower rate of interest. Treasury has indicated to me that the savings from that should be measured in the tens of millions of dollars. Last Thursday was clearly a vote of confidence from Standard and Poor’s in the financial management strategy that the state has put in place. I think, more broadly, that it was also a vote of confidence in Western Australia. It is interesting that, last week, both sides of this house faced a challenge. Our challenge was to hand down a financially responsible budget. We succeeded in doing that. The opposition’s challenge was to hold the seat of Fremantle, and the results are well known to all. I was interested to hear somebody’s comments that the Liberal Party did not stand a candidate against the Labor Party, and it did not. However, in a recent by-election in this state’s history the Labor Party did not stand a candidate against the Liberal Party, and that was in February last year in the seat of Murdoch. I have looked at some of the results. In the seat of Murdoch — Point of Order Mr B.S. WYATT : The question from the member for Carine was specifically about debt and I, for one, am interested in the answer. I ask that the Treasurer perhaps provide an answer that is relevant to the question the member asked. The SPEAKER : I take the member for Victoria Park’s point of order. Questions Without Notice Resumed Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Suffice to say, as I move on to the answer, in the Murdoch by-election in February last year, for which the Labor Party did not stand a candidate, there was a significant swing to the Liberal Party of 14 per cent, which is unlike what happened on the weekend. I suspect when people look at the political history of Western Australia, they would find that February last year was the start of the train wreck, September last year was the delivery of the train wreck and last weekend showed that the Labor Party is nowhere near getting that train back on the rails—the caboose. Several members interjected. Mr D.A. Templeman : You messed up the delivery. The SPEAKER : I advise the member for Mandurah that I like him a lot and he has great style, but I advise him not to do that again. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : This government was able to hand down a budget that included a massive investment in infrastructure in Western Australia. That investment will go a long way to putting in place the infrastructure building blocks that this state will grow into the twenty-first century and it will support Western Australian jobs. We did it in a way that protected, as the member rightly pointed out, the state’s AAA credit rating. I have heard comments from members opposite about the level of debt of $19.1 billion in four years. I make no apology for the fact that this government has been prepared to borrow money to support infrastructure investment that supports Western Australian jobs. It is important to put that in context. I was interested to read in today’s paper comments about Queensland, which is a state that has about twice the general government sector turnover of Western Australia. It is estimated that the debt in Queensland in four years will be $74 billion. That state has twice Western Australia’s general government sector turnover, but four times the debt. That reflects on the job that this government did in the budget that was handed down last week. More to the point, this is the question I look forward to the Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Treasurer answering: which Labor Party will come into bat on state debt when the Labor Party gets up to speed? Will it be the case that the Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Treasurer will argue that state debt in Western Australia at $19.1 billion is completely unsustainable? If that is their argument, what will they cut out of the budget document to reduce the level of debt? I will compare that with the comments by members opposite since last week’s budget was brought down. I want to understand who wears the mantle of fiscal responsibility. We have added up all the things that the opposition members want to unwind out of the budget that was handed down last week. The house might be interested to know the answer because we asked Treasury to cost it. The result is $3.864 billion of extra debt that the Labor side of politics in Western Australia would have this state lumbered with. Do members know what $3.864 billion of extra debt means? It means that the opposition is advocating debt in four years of $23.4 billion and it is advocating the Standard and Poor’s AAA credit rating at 100 per cent. When the Leader of the Opposition stands, we will be interested to see which Labor Party turns up. Will it be the big-spending Labor Party of all his colleagues or the other guy? Point of Order Mr B.S. WYATT : I ask the Treasurer to table the document to which he is referring. Mr T.R. Buswell : These are notes. Mr B.S. WYATT : The Treasurer referred to a Treasury document, which is an official document and I ask that he table it. The SPEAKER : I advise the Treasurer that if it is an official document, he does need to table it. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I intended to table it, but I did not think it would be appropriate. I am happy to table the document, which I just finished reading from. It clearly shows the economic cost of the Labor Party’s irresponsible approach to financial management in Western Australia. I am very pleased to table that evidence. Mr M. McGOWAN : The document was clearly two pages. The Treasurer indicated that he would table that official document, and he has not, which is contrary to the Speaker’s instruction. I request that he table it. The SPEAKER : My instruction to the Treasurer is that if it is in fact an official document and there are two pages to it, they both need to be on that table. If the Treasurer says that the official document is sitting there, I will accept that it is the official document. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Hang on. I will get some advice from my office. This is the document that I and my ministerial staff put together, and it is the document that Treasury used to aggregate the figures. I am very happy to have it tabled. Mr E.S. RIPPER : This all depends on the truth of the Treasurer’s assertion that Treasury had done an analysis and that he was reading from the Treasury analysis. If that is the case, he should table the document. If he now argues that he should not, he misled the house when he claimed it was a Treasury analysis. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I will find out whether this document — Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : In that case I will not table it. Mr M. McGowan : Another coward. [See paper 913.] Withdrawal of Remark Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Once again, the member for Rockingham has called the Treasurer a coward. That is totally unparliamentary, and I ask that he withdraw. Mr M. McGOWAN : Anyone who has been in this house for any time would know that that term is not unparliamentary.
The SPEAKER : I take the member for Victoria Park’s point of order. Questions Without Notice Resumed Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Suffice to say, as I move on to the answer, in the Murdoch by-election in February last year, for which the Labor Party did not stand a candidate, there was a significant swing to the Liberal Party of 14 per cent, which is unlike what happened on the weekend. I suspect when people look at the political history of Western Australia, they would find that February last year was the start of the train wreck, September last year was the delivery of the train wreck and last weekend showed that the Labor Party is nowhere near getting that train back on the rails—the caboose. Several members interjected. Mr D.A. Templeman : You messed up the delivery. The SPEAKER : I advise the member for Mandurah that I like him a lot and he has great style, but I advise him not to do that again. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : This government was able to hand down a budget that included a massive investment in infrastructure in Western Australia. That investment will go a long way to putting in place the infrastructure building blocks that this state will grow into the twenty-first century and it will support Western Australian jobs. We did it in a way that protected, as the member rightly pointed out, the state’s AAA credit rating. I have heard comments from members opposite about the level of debt of $19.1 billion in four years. I make no apology for the fact that this government has been prepared to borrow money to support infrastructure investment that supports Western Australian jobs. It is important to put that in context. I was interested to read in today’s paper comments about Queensland, which is a state that has about twice the general government sector turnover of Western Australia. It is estimated that the debt in Queensland in four years will be $74 billion. That state has twice Western Australia’s general government sector turnover, but four times the debt. That reflects on the job that this government did in the budget that was handed down last week. More to the point, this is the question I look forward to the Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Treasurer answering: which Labor Party will come into bat on state debt when the Labor Party gets up to speed? Will it be the case that the Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Treasurer will argue that state debt in Western Australia at $19.1 billion is completely unsustainable? If that is their argument, what will they cut out of the budget document to reduce the level of debt? I will compare that with the comments by members opposite since last week’s budget was brought down. I want to understand who wears the mantle of fiscal responsibility. We have added up all the things that the opposition members want to unwind out of the budget that was handed down last week. The house might be interested to know the answer because we asked Treasury to cost it. The result is $3.864 billion of extra debt that the Labor side of politics in Western Australia would have this state lumbered with. Do members know what $3.864 billion of extra debt means? It means that the opposition is advocating debt in four years of $23.4 billion and it is advocating the Standard and Poor’s AAA credit rating at 100 per cent. When the Leader of the Opposition stands, we will be interested to see which Labor Party turns up. Will it be the big-spending Labor Party of all his colleagues or the other guy? Point of Order Mr B.S. WYATT : I ask the Treasurer to table the document to which he is referring. Mr T.R. Buswell : These are notes. Mr B.S. WYATT : The Treasurer referred to a Treasury document, which is an official document and I ask that he table it. The SPEAKER : I advise the Treasurer that if it is an official document, he does need to table it. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I intended to table it, but I did not think it would be appropriate. I am happy to table the document, which I just finished reading from. It clearly shows the economic cost of the Labor Party’s irresponsible approach to financial management in Western Australia. I am very pleased to table that evidence. Mr M. McGOWAN : The document was clearly two pages. The Treasurer indicated that he would table that official document, and he has not, which is contrary to the Speaker’s instruction. I request that he table it. The SPEAKER : My instruction to the Treasurer is that if it is in fact an official document and there are two pages to it, they both need to be on that table. If the Treasurer says that the official document is sitting there, I will accept that it is the official document. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Hang on. I will get some advice from my office. This is the document that I and my ministerial staff put together, and it is the document that Treasury used to aggregate the figures. I am very happy to have it tabled. Mr E.S. RIPPER : This all depends on the truth of the Treasurer’s assertion that Treasury had done an analysis and that he was reading from the Treasury analysis. If that is the case, he should table the document. If he now argues that he should not, he misled the house when he claimed it was a Treasury analysis. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I will find out whether this document — Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : In that case I will not table it. Mr M. McGowan : Another coward. [See paper 913.] Withdrawal of Remark Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Once again, the member for Rockingham has called the Treasurer a coward. That is totally unparliamentary, and I ask that he withdraw. Mr M. McGOWAN : Anyone who has been in this house for any time would know that that term is not unparliamentary.
Several members interjected. Mr D.A. Templeman : You messed up the delivery. The SPEAKER : I advise the member for Mandurah that I like him a lot and he has great style, but I advise him not to do that again. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : This government was able to hand down a budget that included a massive investment in infrastructure in Western Australia. That investment will go a long way to putting in place the infrastructure building blocks that this state will grow into the twenty-first century and it will support Western Australian jobs. We did it in a way that protected, as the member rightly pointed out, the state’s AAA credit rating. I have heard comments from members opposite about the level of debt of $19.1 billion in four years. I make no apology for the fact that this government has been prepared to borrow money to support infrastructure investment that supports Western Australian jobs. It is important to put that in context. I was interested to read in today’s paper comments about Queensland, which is a state that has about twice the general government sector turnover of Western Australia. It is estimated that the debt in Queensland in four years will be $74 billion. That state has twice Western Australia’s general government sector turnover, but four times the debt. That reflects on the job that this government did in the budget that was handed down last week. More to the point, this is the question I look forward to the Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Treasurer answering: which Labor Party will come into bat on state debt when the Labor Party gets up to speed? Will it be the case that the Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Treasurer will argue that state debt in Western Australia at $19.1 billion is completely unsustainable? If that is their argument, what will they cut out of the budget document to reduce the level of debt? I will compare that with the comments by members opposite since last week’s budget was brought down. I want to understand who wears the mantle of fiscal responsibility. We have added up all the things that the opposition members want to unwind out of the budget that was handed down last week. The house might be interested to know the answer because we asked Treasury to cost it. The result is $3.864 billion of extra debt that the Labor side of politics in Western Australia would have this state lumbered with. Do members know what $3.864 billion of extra debt means? It means that the opposition is advocating debt in four years of $23.4 billion and it is advocating the Standard and Poor’s AAA credit rating at 100 per cent. When the Leader of the Opposition stands, we will be interested to see which Labor Party turns up. Will it be the big-spending Labor Party of all his colleagues or the other guy? Point of Order Mr B.S. WYATT : I ask the Treasurer to table the document to which he is referring. Mr T.R. Buswell : These are notes. Mr B.S. WYATT : The Treasurer referred to a Treasury document, which is an official document and I ask that he table it. The SPEAKER : I advise the Treasurer that if it is an official document, he does need to table it. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I intended to table it, but I did not think it would be appropriate. I am happy to table the document, which I just finished reading from. It clearly shows the economic cost of the Labor Party’s irresponsible approach to financial management in Western Australia. I am very pleased to table that evidence. Mr M. McGOWAN : The document was clearly two pages. The Treasurer indicated that he would table that official document, and he has not, which is contrary to the Speaker’s instruction. I request that he table it. The SPEAKER : My instruction to the Treasurer is that if it is in fact an official document and there are two pages to it, they both need to be on that table. If the Treasurer says that the official document is sitting there, I will accept that it is the official document. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Hang on. I will get some advice from my office. This is the document that I and my ministerial staff put together, and it is the document that Treasury used to aggregate the figures. I am very happy to have it tabled. Mr E.S. RIPPER : This all depends on the truth of the Treasurer’s assertion that Treasury had done an analysis and that he was reading from the Treasury analysis. If that is the case, he should table the document. If he now argues that he should not, he misled the house when he claimed it was a Treasury analysis. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I will find out whether this document — Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : In that case I will not table it. Mr M. McGowan : Another coward. [See paper 913.] Withdrawal of Remark Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Once again, the member for Rockingham has called the Treasurer a coward. That is totally unparliamentary, and I ask that he withdraw. Mr M. McGOWAN : Anyone who has been in this house for any time would know that that term is not unparliamentary.
Mr D.A. Templeman : You messed up the delivery. The SPEAKER : I advise the member for Mandurah that I like him a lot and he has great style, but I advise him not to do that again. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : This government was able to hand down a budget that included a massive investment in infrastructure in Western Australia. That investment will go a long way to putting in place the infrastructure building blocks that this state will grow into the twenty-first century and it will support Western Australian jobs. We did it in a way that protected, as the member rightly pointed out, the state’s AAA credit rating. I have heard comments from members opposite about the level of debt of $19.1 billion in four years. I make no apology for the fact that this government has been prepared to borrow money to support infrastructure investment that supports Western Australian jobs. It is important to put that in context. I was interested to read in today’s paper comments about Queensland, which is a state that has about twice the general government sector turnover of Western Australia. It is estimated that the debt in Queensland in four years will be $74 billion. That state has twice Western Australia’s general government sector turnover, but four times the debt. That reflects on the job that this government did in the budget that was handed down last week. More to the point, this is the question I look forward to the Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Treasurer answering: which Labor Party will come into bat on state debt when the Labor Party gets up to speed? Will it be the case that the Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Treasurer will argue that state debt in Western Australia at $19.1 billion is completely unsustainable? If that is their argument, what will they cut out of the budget document to reduce the level of debt? I will compare that with the comments by members opposite since last week’s budget was brought down. I want to understand who wears the mantle of fiscal responsibility. We have added up all the things that the opposition members want to unwind out of the budget that was handed down last week. The house might be interested to know the answer because we asked Treasury to cost it. The result is $3.864 billion of extra debt that the Labor side of politics in Western Australia would have this state lumbered with. Do members know what $3.864 billion of extra debt means? It means that the opposition is advocating debt in four years of $23.4 billion and it is advocating the Standard and Poor’s AAA credit rating at 100 per cent. When the Leader of the Opposition stands, we will be interested to see which Labor Party turns up. Will it be the big-spending Labor Party of all his colleagues or the other guy? Point of Order Mr B.S. WYATT : I ask the Treasurer to table the document to which he is referring. Mr T.R. Buswell : These are notes. Mr B.S. WYATT : The Treasurer referred to a Treasury document, which is an official document and I ask that he table it. The SPEAKER : I advise the Treasurer that if it is an official document, he does need to table it. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I intended to table it, but I did not think it would be appropriate. I am happy to table the document, which I just finished reading from. It clearly shows the economic cost of the Labor Party’s irresponsible approach to financial management in Western Australia. I am very pleased to table that evidence. Mr M. McGOWAN : The document was clearly two pages. The Treasurer indicated that he would table that official document, and he has not, which is contrary to the Speaker’s instruction. I request that he table it. The SPEAKER : My instruction to the Treasurer is that if it is in fact an official document and there are two pages to it, they both need to be on that table. If the Treasurer says that the official document is sitting there, I will accept that it is the official document. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Hang on. I will get some advice from my office. This is the document that I and my ministerial staff put together, and it is the document that Treasury used to aggregate the figures. I am very happy to have it tabled. Mr E.S. RIPPER : This all depends on the truth of the Treasurer’s assertion that Treasury had done an analysis and that he was reading from the Treasury analysis. If that is the case, he should table the document. If he now argues that he should not, he misled the house when he claimed it was a Treasury analysis. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I will find out whether this document — Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : In that case I will not table it. Mr M. McGowan : Another coward. [See paper 913.] Withdrawal of Remark Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Once again, the member for Rockingham has called the Treasurer a coward. That is totally unparliamentary, and I ask that he withdraw. Mr M. McGOWAN : Anyone who has been in this house for any time would know that that term is not unparliamentary.
The SPEAKER : I advise the member for Mandurah that I like him a lot and he has great style, but I advise him not to do that again. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : This government was able to hand down a budget that included a massive investment in infrastructure in Western Australia. That investment will go a long way to putting in place the infrastructure building blocks that this state will grow into the twenty-first century and it will support Western Australian jobs. We did it in a way that protected, as the member rightly pointed out, the state’s AAA credit rating. I have heard comments from members opposite about the level of debt of $19.1 billion in four years. I make no apology for the fact that this government has been prepared to borrow money to support infrastructure investment that supports Western Australian jobs. It is important to put that in context. I was interested to read in today’s paper comments about Queensland, which is a state that has about twice the general government sector turnover of Western Australia. It is estimated that the debt in Queensland in four years will be $74 billion. That state has twice Western Australia’s general government sector turnover, but four times the debt. That reflects on the job that this government did in the budget that was handed down last week. More to the point, this is the question I look forward to the Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Treasurer answering: which Labor Party will come into bat on state debt when the Labor Party gets up to speed? Will it be the case that the Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Treasurer will argue that state debt in Western Australia at $19.1 billion is completely unsustainable? If that is their argument, what will they cut out of the budget document to reduce the level of debt? I will compare that with the comments by members opposite since last week’s budget was brought down. I want to understand who wears the mantle of fiscal responsibility. We have added up all the things that the opposition members want to unwind out of the budget that was handed down last week. The house might be interested to know the answer because we asked Treasury to cost it. The result is $3.864 billion of extra debt that the Labor side of politics in Western Australia would have this state lumbered with. Do members know what $3.864 billion of extra debt means? It means that the opposition is advocating debt in four years of $23.4 billion and it is advocating the Standard and Poor’s AAA credit rating at 100 per cent. When the Leader of the Opposition stands, we will be interested to see which Labor Party turns up. Will it be the big-spending Labor Party of all his colleagues or the other guy? Point of Order Mr B.S. WYATT : I ask the Treasurer to table the document to which he is referring. Mr T.R. Buswell : These are notes. Mr B.S. WYATT : The Treasurer referred to a Treasury document, which is an official document and I ask that he table it. The SPEAKER : I advise the Treasurer that if it is an official document, he does need to table it. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I intended to table it, but I did not think it would be appropriate. I am happy to table the document, which I just finished reading from. It clearly shows the economic cost of the Labor Party’s irresponsible approach to financial management in Western Australia. I am very pleased to table that evidence. Mr M. McGOWAN : The document was clearly two pages. The Treasurer indicated that he would table that official document, and he has not, which is contrary to the Speaker’s instruction. I request that he table it. The SPEAKER : My instruction to the Treasurer is that if it is in fact an official document and there are two pages to it, they both need to be on that table. If the Treasurer says that the official document is sitting there, I will accept that it is the official document. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Hang on. I will get some advice from my office. This is the document that I and my ministerial staff put together, and it is the document that Treasury used to aggregate the figures. I am very happy to have it tabled. Mr E.S. RIPPER : This all depends on the truth of the Treasurer’s assertion that Treasury had done an analysis and that he was reading from the Treasury analysis. If that is the case, he should table the document. If he now argues that he should not, he misled the house when he claimed it was a Treasury analysis. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I will find out whether this document — Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : In that case I will not table it. Mr M. McGowan : Another coward. [See paper 913.] Withdrawal of Remark Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Once again, the member for Rockingham has called the Treasurer a coward. That is totally unparliamentary, and I ask that he withdraw. Mr M. McGOWAN : Anyone who has been in this house for any time would know that that term is not unparliamentary.
Mr T.R. BUSWELL : This government was able to hand down a budget that included a massive investment in infrastructure in Western Australia. That investment will go a long way to putting in place the infrastructure building blocks that this state will grow into the twenty-first century and it will support Western Australian jobs. We did it in a way that protected, as the member rightly pointed out, the state’s AAA credit rating. I have heard comments from members opposite about the level of debt of $19.1 billion in four years. I make no apology for the fact that this government has been prepared to borrow money to support infrastructure investment that supports Western Australian jobs. It is important to put that in context. I was interested to read in today’s paper comments about Queensland, which is a state that has about twice the general government sector turnover of Western Australia. It is estimated that the debt in Queensland in four years will be $74 billion. That state has twice Western Australia’s general government sector turnover, but four times the debt. That reflects on the job that this government did in the budget that was handed down last week. More to the point, this is the question I look forward to the Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Treasurer answering: which Labor Party will come into bat on state debt when the Labor Party gets up to speed? Will it be the case that the Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Treasurer will argue that state debt in Western Australia at $19.1 billion is completely unsustainable? If that is their argument, what will they cut out of the budget document to reduce the level of debt? I will compare that with the comments by members opposite since last week’s budget was brought down. I want to understand who wears the mantle of fiscal responsibility. We have added up all the things that the opposition members want to unwind out of the budget that was handed down last week. The house might be interested to know the answer because we asked Treasury to cost it. The result is $3.864 billion of extra debt that the Labor side of politics in Western Australia would have this state lumbered with. Do members know what $3.864 billion of extra debt means? It means that the opposition is advocating debt in four years of $23.4 billion and it is advocating the Standard and Poor’s AAA credit rating at 100 per cent. When the Leader of the Opposition stands, we will be interested to see which Labor Party turns up. Will it be the big-spending Labor Party of all his colleagues or the other guy? Point of Order Mr B.S. WYATT : I ask the Treasurer to table the document to which he is referring. Mr T.R. Buswell : These are notes. Mr B.S. WYATT : The Treasurer referred to a Treasury document, which is an official document and I ask that he table it. The SPEAKER : I advise the Treasurer that if it is an official document, he does need to table it. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I intended to table it, but I did not think it would be appropriate. I am happy to table the document, which I just finished reading from. It clearly shows the economic cost of the Labor Party’s irresponsible approach to financial management in Western Australia. I am very pleased to table that evidence. Mr M. McGOWAN : The document was clearly two pages. The Treasurer indicated that he would table that official document, and he has not, which is contrary to the Speaker’s instruction. I request that he table it. The SPEAKER : My instruction to the Treasurer is that if it is in fact an official document and there are two pages to it, they both need to be on that table. If the Treasurer says that the official document is sitting there, I will accept that it is the official document. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Hang on. I will get some advice from my office. This is the document that I and my ministerial staff put together, and it is the document that Treasury used to aggregate the figures. I am very happy to have it tabled. Mr E.S. RIPPER : This all depends on the truth of the Treasurer’s assertion that Treasury had done an analysis and that he was reading from the Treasury analysis. If that is the case, he should table the document. If he now argues that he should not, he misled the house when he claimed it was a Treasury analysis. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I will find out whether this document — Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : In that case I will not table it. Mr M. McGowan : Another coward. [See paper 913.] Withdrawal of Remark Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Once again, the member for Rockingham has called the Treasurer a coward. That is totally unparliamentary, and I ask that he withdraw. Mr M. McGOWAN : Anyone who has been in this house for any time would know that that term is not unparliamentary.
I have heard comments from members opposite about the level of debt of $19.1 billion in four years. I make no apology for the fact that this government has been prepared to borrow money to support infrastructure investment that supports Western Australian jobs. It is important to put that in context. I was interested to read in today’s paper comments about Queensland, which is a state that has about twice the general government sector turnover of Western Australia. It is estimated that the debt in Queensland in four years will be $74 billion. That state has twice Western Australia’s general government sector turnover, but four times the debt. That reflects on the job that this government did in the budget that was handed down last week. More to the point, this is the question I look forward to the Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Treasurer answering: which Labor Party will come into bat on state debt when the Labor Party gets up to speed? Will it be the case that the Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Treasurer will argue that state debt in Western Australia at $19.1 billion is completely unsustainable? If that is their argument, what will they cut out of the budget document to reduce the level of debt? I will compare that with the comments by members opposite since last week’s budget was brought down. I want to understand who wears the mantle of fiscal responsibility. We have added up all the things that the opposition members want to unwind out of the budget that was handed down last week. The house might be interested to know the answer because we asked Treasury to cost it. The result is $3.864 billion of extra debt that the Labor side of politics in Western Australia would have this state lumbered with. Do members know what $3.864 billion of extra debt means? It means that the opposition is advocating debt in four years of $23.4 billion and it is advocating the Standard and Poor’s AAA credit rating at 100 per cent. When the Leader of the Opposition stands, we will be interested to see which Labor Party turns up. Will it be the big-spending Labor Party of all his colleagues or the other guy? Point of Order Mr B.S. WYATT : I ask the Treasurer to table the document to which he is referring. Mr T.R. Buswell : These are notes. Mr B.S. WYATT : The Treasurer referred to a Treasury document, which is an official document and I ask that he table it. The SPEAKER : I advise the Treasurer that if it is an official document, he does need to table it. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I intended to table it, but I did not think it would be appropriate. I am happy to table the document, which I just finished reading from. It clearly shows the economic cost of the Labor Party’s irresponsible approach to financial management in Western Australia. I am very pleased to table that evidence. Mr M. McGOWAN : The document was clearly two pages. The Treasurer indicated that he would table that official document, and he has not, which is contrary to the Speaker’s instruction. I request that he table it. The SPEAKER : My instruction to the Treasurer is that if it is in fact an official document and there are two pages to it, they both need to be on that table. If the Treasurer says that the official document is sitting there, I will accept that it is the official document. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Hang on. I will get some advice from my office. This is the document that I and my ministerial staff put together, and it is the document that Treasury used to aggregate the figures. I am very happy to have it tabled. Mr E.S. RIPPER : This all depends on the truth of the Treasurer’s assertion that Treasury had done an analysis and that he was reading from the Treasury analysis. If that is the case, he should table the document. If he now argues that he should not, he misled the house when he claimed it was a Treasury analysis. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I will find out whether this document — Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : In that case I will not table it. Mr M. McGowan : Another coward. [See paper 913.] Withdrawal of Remark Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Once again, the member for Rockingham has called the Treasurer a coward. That is totally unparliamentary, and I ask that he withdraw. Mr M. McGOWAN : Anyone who has been in this house for any time would know that that term is not unparliamentary.
I was interested to read in today’s paper comments about Queensland, which is a state that has about twice the general government sector turnover of Western Australia. It is estimated that the debt in Queensland in four years will be $74 billion. That state has twice Western Australia’s general government sector turnover, but four times the debt. That reflects on the job that this government did in the budget that was handed down last week. More to the point, this is the question I look forward to the Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Treasurer answering: which Labor Party will come into bat on state debt when the Labor Party gets up to speed? Will it be the case that the Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Treasurer will argue that state debt in Western Australia at $19.1 billion is completely unsustainable? If that is their argument, what will they cut out of the budget document to reduce the level of debt? I will compare that with the comments by members opposite since last week’s budget was brought down. I want to understand who wears the mantle of fiscal responsibility. We have added up all the things that the opposition members want to unwind out of the budget that was handed down last week. The house might be interested to know the answer because we asked Treasury to cost it. The result is $3.864 billion of extra debt that the Labor side of politics in Western Australia would have this state lumbered with. Do members know what $3.864 billion of extra debt means? It means that the opposition is advocating debt in four years of $23.4 billion and it is advocating the Standard and Poor’s AAA credit rating at 100 per cent. When the Leader of the Opposition stands, we will be interested to see which Labor Party turns up. Will it be the big-spending Labor Party of all his colleagues or the other guy? Point of Order Mr B.S. WYATT : I ask the Treasurer to table the document to which he is referring. Mr T.R. Buswell : These are notes. Mr B.S. WYATT : The Treasurer referred to a Treasury document, which is an official document and I ask that he table it. The SPEAKER : I advise the Treasurer that if it is an official document, he does need to table it. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I intended to table it, but I did not think it would be appropriate. I am happy to table the document, which I just finished reading from. It clearly shows the economic cost of the Labor Party’s irresponsible approach to financial management in Western Australia. I am very pleased to table that evidence. Mr M. McGOWAN : The document was clearly two pages. The Treasurer indicated that he would table that official document, and he has not, which is contrary to the Speaker’s instruction. I request that he table it. The SPEAKER : My instruction to the Treasurer is that if it is in fact an official document and there are two pages to it, they both need to be on that table. If the Treasurer says that the official document is sitting there, I will accept that it is the official document. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Hang on. I will get some advice from my office. This is the document that I and my ministerial staff put together, and it is the document that Treasury used to aggregate the figures. I am very happy to have it tabled. Mr E.S. RIPPER : This all depends on the truth of the Treasurer’s assertion that Treasury had done an analysis and that he was reading from the Treasury analysis. If that is the case, he should table the document. If he now argues that he should not, he misled the house when he claimed it was a Treasury analysis. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I will find out whether this document — Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : In that case I will not table it. Mr M. McGowan : Another coward. [See paper 913.] Withdrawal of Remark Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Once again, the member for Rockingham has called the Treasurer a coward. That is totally unparliamentary, and I ask that he withdraw. Mr M. McGOWAN : Anyone who has been in this house for any time would know that that term is not unparliamentary.
More to the point, this is the question I look forward to the Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Treasurer answering: which Labor Party will come into bat on state debt when the Labor Party gets up to speed? Will it be the case that the Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Treasurer will argue that state debt in Western Australia at $19.1 billion is completely unsustainable? If that is their argument, what will they cut out of the budget document to reduce the level of debt? I will compare that with the comments by members opposite since last week’s budget was brought down. I want to understand who wears the mantle of fiscal responsibility. We have added up all the things that the opposition members want to unwind out of the budget that was handed down last week. The house might be interested to know the answer because we asked Treasury to cost it. The result is $3.864 billion of extra debt that the Labor side of politics in Western Australia would have this state lumbered with. Do members know what $3.864 billion of extra debt means? It means that the opposition is advocating debt in four years of $23.4 billion and it is advocating the Standard and Poor’s AAA credit rating at 100 per cent. When the Leader of the Opposition stands, we will be interested to see which Labor Party turns up. Will it be the big-spending Labor Party of all his colleagues or the other guy? Point of Order Mr B.S. WYATT : I ask the Treasurer to table the document to which he is referring. Mr T.R. Buswell : These are notes. Mr B.S. WYATT : The Treasurer referred to a Treasury document, which is an official document and I ask that he table it. The SPEAKER : I advise the Treasurer that if it is an official document, he does need to table it. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I intended to table it, but I did not think it would be appropriate. I am happy to table the document, which I just finished reading from. It clearly shows the economic cost of the Labor Party’s irresponsible approach to financial management in Western Australia. I am very pleased to table that evidence. Mr M. McGOWAN : The document was clearly two pages. The Treasurer indicated that he would table that official document, and he has not, which is contrary to the Speaker’s instruction. I request that he table it. The SPEAKER : My instruction to the Treasurer is that if it is in fact an official document and there are two pages to it, they both need to be on that table. If the Treasurer says that the official document is sitting there, I will accept that it is the official document. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Hang on. I will get some advice from my office. This is the document that I and my ministerial staff put together, and it is the document that Treasury used to aggregate the figures. I am very happy to have it tabled. Mr E.S. RIPPER : This all depends on the truth of the Treasurer’s assertion that Treasury had done an analysis and that he was reading from the Treasury analysis. If that is the case, he should table the document. If he now argues that he should not, he misled the house when he claimed it was a Treasury analysis. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I will find out whether this document — Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : In that case I will not table it. Mr M. McGowan : Another coward. [See paper 913.] Withdrawal of Remark Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Once again, the member for Rockingham has called the Treasurer a coward. That is totally unparliamentary, and I ask that he withdraw. Mr M. McGOWAN : Anyone who has been in this house for any time would know that that term is not unparliamentary.
I will compare that with the comments by members opposite since last week’s budget was brought down. I want to understand who wears the mantle of fiscal responsibility. We have added up all the things that the opposition members want to unwind out of the budget that was handed down last week. The house might be interested to know the answer because we asked Treasury to cost it. The result is $3.864 billion of extra debt that the Labor side of politics in Western Australia would have this state lumbered with. Do members know what $3.864 billion of extra debt means? It means that the opposition is advocating debt in four years of $23.4 billion and it is advocating the Standard and Poor’s AAA credit rating at 100 per cent. When the Leader of the Opposition stands, we will be interested to see which Labor Party turns up. Will it be the big-spending Labor Party of all his colleagues or the other guy? Point of Order Mr B.S. WYATT : I ask the Treasurer to table the document to which he is referring. Mr T.R. Buswell : These are notes. Mr B.S. WYATT : The Treasurer referred to a Treasury document, which is an official document and I ask that he table it. The SPEAKER : I advise the Treasurer that if it is an official document, he does need to table it. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I intended to table it, but I did not think it would be appropriate. I am happy to table the document, which I just finished reading from. It clearly shows the economic cost of the Labor Party’s irresponsible approach to financial management in Western Australia. I am very pleased to table that evidence. Mr M. McGOWAN : The document was clearly two pages. The Treasurer indicated that he would table that official document, and he has not, which is contrary to the Speaker’s instruction. I request that he table it. The SPEAKER : My instruction to the Treasurer is that if it is in fact an official document and there are two pages to it, they both need to be on that table. If the Treasurer says that the official document is sitting there, I will accept that it is the official document. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Hang on. I will get some advice from my office. This is the document that I and my ministerial staff put together, and it is the document that Treasury used to aggregate the figures. I am very happy to have it tabled. Mr E.S. RIPPER : This all depends on the truth of the Treasurer’s assertion that Treasury had done an analysis and that he was reading from the Treasury analysis. If that is the case, he should table the document. If he now argues that he should not, he misled the house when he claimed it was a Treasury analysis. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I will find out whether this document — Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : In that case I will not table it. Mr M. McGowan : Another coward. [See paper 913.] Withdrawal of Remark Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Once again, the member for Rockingham has called the Treasurer a coward. That is totally unparliamentary, and I ask that he withdraw. Mr M. McGOWAN : Anyone who has been in this house for any time would know that that term is not unparliamentary.
Mr T.R. Buswell : These are notes. Mr B.S. WYATT : The Treasurer referred to a Treasury document, which is an official document and I ask that he table it. The SPEAKER : I advise the Treasurer that if it is an official document, he does need to table it. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I intended to table it, but I did not think it would be appropriate. I am happy to table the document, which I just finished reading from. It clearly shows the economic cost of the Labor Party’s irresponsible approach to financial management in Western Australia. I am very pleased to table that evidence. Mr M. McGOWAN : The document was clearly two pages. The Treasurer indicated that he would table that official document, and he has not, which is contrary to the Speaker’s instruction. I request that he table it. The SPEAKER : My instruction to the Treasurer is that if it is in fact an official document and there are two pages to it, they both need to be on that table. If the Treasurer says that the official document is sitting there, I will accept that it is the official document. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Hang on. I will get some advice from my office. This is the document that I and my ministerial staff put together, and it is the document that Treasury used to aggregate the figures. I am very happy to have it tabled. Mr E.S. RIPPER : This all depends on the truth of the Treasurer’s assertion that Treasury had done an analysis and that he was reading from the Treasury analysis. If that is the case, he should table the document. If he now argues that he should not, he misled the house when he claimed it was a Treasury analysis. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I will find out whether this document — Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : In that case I will not table it. Mr M. McGowan : Another coward. [See paper 913.] Withdrawal of Remark Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Once again, the member for Rockingham has called the Treasurer a coward. That is totally unparliamentary, and I ask that he withdraw. Mr M. McGOWAN : Anyone who has been in this house for any time would know that that term is not unparliamentary.
Mr B.S. WYATT : The Treasurer referred to a Treasury document, which is an official document and I ask that he table it. The SPEAKER : I advise the Treasurer that if it is an official document, he does need to table it. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I intended to table it, but I did not think it would be appropriate. I am happy to table the document, which I just finished reading from. It clearly shows the economic cost of the Labor Party’s irresponsible approach to financial management in Western Australia. I am very pleased to table that evidence. Mr M. McGOWAN : The document was clearly two pages. The Treasurer indicated that he would table that official document, and he has not, which is contrary to the Speaker’s instruction. I request that he table it. The SPEAKER : My instruction to the Treasurer is that if it is in fact an official document and there are two pages to it, they both need to be on that table. If the Treasurer says that the official document is sitting there, I will accept that it is the official document. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Hang on. I will get some advice from my office. This is the document that I and my ministerial staff put together, and it is the document that Treasury used to aggregate the figures. I am very happy to have it tabled. Mr E.S. RIPPER : This all depends on the truth of the Treasurer’s assertion that Treasury had done an analysis and that he was reading from the Treasury analysis. If that is the case, he should table the document. If he now argues that he should not, he misled the house when he claimed it was a Treasury analysis. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I will find out whether this document — Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : In that case I will not table it. Mr M. McGowan : Another coward. [See paper 913.] Withdrawal of Remark Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Once again, the member for Rockingham has called the Treasurer a coward. That is totally unparliamentary, and I ask that he withdraw. Mr M. McGOWAN : Anyone who has been in this house for any time would know that that term is not unparliamentary.
The SPEAKER : I advise the Treasurer that if it is an official document, he does need to table it. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I intended to table it, but I did not think it would be appropriate. I am happy to table the document, which I just finished reading from. It clearly shows the economic cost of the Labor Party’s irresponsible approach to financial management in Western Australia. I am very pleased to table that evidence. Mr M. McGOWAN : The document was clearly two pages. The Treasurer indicated that he would table that official document, and he has not, which is contrary to the Speaker’s instruction. I request that he table it. The SPEAKER : My instruction to the Treasurer is that if it is in fact an official document and there are two pages to it, they both need to be on that table. If the Treasurer says that the official document is sitting there, I will accept that it is the official document. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Hang on. I will get some advice from my office. This is the document that I and my ministerial staff put together, and it is the document that Treasury used to aggregate the figures. I am very happy to have it tabled. Mr E.S. RIPPER : This all depends on the truth of the Treasurer’s assertion that Treasury had done an analysis and that he was reading from the Treasury analysis. If that is the case, he should table the document. If he now argues that he should not, he misled the house when he claimed it was a Treasury analysis. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I will find out whether this document — Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : In that case I will not table it. Mr M. McGowan : Another coward. [See paper 913.] Withdrawal of Remark Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Once again, the member for Rockingham has called the Treasurer a coward. That is totally unparliamentary, and I ask that he withdraw. Mr M. McGOWAN : Anyone who has been in this house for any time would know that that term is not unparliamentary.
Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I intended to table it, but I did not think it would be appropriate. I am happy to table the document, which I just finished reading from. It clearly shows the economic cost of the Labor Party’s irresponsible approach to financial management in Western Australia. I am very pleased to table that evidence. Mr M. McGOWAN : The document was clearly two pages. The Treasurer indicated that he would table that official document, and he has not, which is contrary to the Speaker’s instruction. I request that he table it. The SPEAKER : My instruction to the Treasurer is that if it is in fact an official document and there are two pages to it, they both need to be on that table. If the Treasurer says that the official document is sitting there, I will accept that it is the official document. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Hang on. I will get some advice from my office. This is the document that I and my ministerial staff put together, and it is the document that Treasury used to aggregate the figures. I am very happy to have it tabled. Mr E.S. RIPPER : This all depends on the truth of the Treasurer’s assertion that Treasury had done an analysis and that he was reading from the Treasury analysis. If that is the case, he should table the document. If he now argues that he should not, he misled the house when he claimed it was a Treasury analysis. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I will find out whether this document — Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : In that case I will not table it. Mr M. McGowan : Another coward. [See paper 913.] Withdrawal of Remark Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Once again, the member for Rockingham has called the Treasurer a coward. That is totally unparliamentary, and I ask that he withdraw. Mr M. McGOWAN : Anyone who has been in this house for any time would know that that term is not unparliamentary.
Mr M. McGOWAN : The document was clearly two pages. The Treasurer indicated that he would table that official document, and he has not, which is contrary to the Speaker’s instruction. I request that he table it. The SPEAKER : My instruction to the Treasurer is that if it is in fact an official document and there are two pages to it, they both need to be on that table. If the Treasurer says that the official document is sitting there, I will accept that it is the official document. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Hang on. I will get some advice from my office. This is the document that I and my ministerial staff put together, and it is the document that Treasury used to aggregate the figures. I am very happy to have it tabled. Mr E.S. RIPPER : This all depends on the truth of the Treasurer’s assertion that Treasury had done an analysis and that he was reading from the Treasury analysis. If that is the case, he should table the document. If he now argues that he should not, he misled the house when he claimed it was a Treasury analysis. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I will find out whether this document — Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : In that case I will not table it. Mr M. McGowan : Another coward. [See paper 913.] Withdrawal of Remark Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Once again, the member for Rockingham has called the Treasurer a coward. That is totally unparliamentary, and I ask that he withdraw. Mr M. McGOWAN : Anyone who has been in this house for any time would know that that term is not unparliamentary.
The SPEAKER : My instruction to the Treasurer is that if it is in fact an official document and there are two pages to it, they both need to be on that table. If the Treasurer says that the official document is sitting there, I will accept that it is the official document. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Hang on. I will get some advice from my office. This is the document that I and my ministerial staff put together, and it is the document that Treasury used to aggregate the figures. I am very happy to have it tabled. Mr E.S. RIPPER : This all depends on the truth of the Treasurer’s assertion that Treasury had done an analysis and that he was reading from the Treasury analysis. If that is the case, he should table the document. If he now argues that he should not, he misled the house when he claimed it was a Treasury analysis. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I will find out whether this document — Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : In that case I will not table it. Mr M. McGowan : Another coward. [See paper 913.] Withdrawal of Remark Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Once again, the member for Rockingham has called the Treasurer a coward. That is totally unparliamentary, and I ask that he withdraw. Mr M. McGOWAN : Anyone who has been in this house for any time would know that that term is not unparliamentary.
Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Hang on. I will get some advice from my office. This is the document that I and my ministerial staff put together, and it is the document that Treasury used to aggregate the figures. I am very happy to have it tabled. Mr E.S. RIPPER : This all depends on the truth of the Treasurer’s assertion that Treasury had done an analysis and that he was reading from the Treasury analysis. If that is the case, he should table the document. If he now argues that he should not, he misled the house when he claimed it was a Treasury analysis. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I will find out whether this document — Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : In that case I will not table it. Mr M. McGowan : Another coward. [See paper 913.] Withdrawal of Remark Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Once again, the member for Rockingham has called the Treasurer a coward. That is totally unparliamentary, and I ask that he withdraw. Mr M. McGOWAN : Anyone who has been in this house for any time would know that that term is not unparliamentary.
Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Hang on. I will get some advice from my office. This is the document that I and my ministerial staff put together, and it is the document that Treasury used to aggregate the figures. I am very happy to have it tabled. Mr E.S. RIPPER : This all depends on the truth of the Treasurer’s assertion that Treasury had done an analysis and that he was reading from the Treasury analysis. If that is the case, he should table the document. If he now argues that he should not, he misled the house when he claimed it was a Treasury analysis. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I will find out whether this document — Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : In that case I will not table it. Mr M. McGowan : Another coward. [See paper 913.] Withdrawal of Remark Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Once again, the member for Rockingham has called the Treasurer a coward. That is totally unparliamentary, and I ask that he withdraw. Mr M. McGOWAN : Anyone who has been in this house for any time would know that that term is not unparliamentary.
Mr E.S. RIPPER : This all depends on the truth of the Treasurer’s assertion that Treasury had done an analysis and that he was reading from the Treasury analysis. If that is the case, he should table the document. If he now argues that he should not, he misled the house when he claimed it was a Treasury analysis. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I will find out whether this document — Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : In that case I will not table it. Mr M. McGowan : Another coward. [See paper 913.] Withdrawal of Remark Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Once again, the member for Rockingham has called the Treasurer a coward. That is totally unparliamentary, and I ask that he withdraw. Mr M. McGOWAN : Anyone who has been in this house for any time would know that that term is not unparliamentary.
Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I will find out whether this document — Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : In that case I will not table it. Mr M. McGowan : Another coward. [See paper 913.] Withdrawal of Remark Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Once again, the member for Rockingham has called the Treasurer a coward. That is totally unparliamentary, and I ask that he withdraw. Mr M. McGOWAN : Anyone who has been in this house for any time would know that that term is not unparliamentary.
Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : In that case I will not table it. Mr M. McGowan : Another coward. [See paper 913.] Withdrawal of Remark Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Once again, the member for Rockingham has called the Treasurer a coward. That is totally unparliamentary, and I ask that he withdraw. Mr M. McGOWAN : Anyone who has been in this house for any time would know that that term is not unparliamentary.
Mr T.R. BUSWELL : In that case I will not table it. Mr M. McGowan : Another coward. [See paper 913.] Withdrawal of Remark Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Once again, the member for Rockingham has called the Treasurer a coward. That is totally unparliamentary, and I ask that he withdraw. Mr M. McGOWAN : Anyone who has been in this house for any time would know that that term is not unparliamentary.
Mr M. McGowan : Another coward. [See paper 913.] Withdrawal of Remark Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Once again, the member for Rockingham has called the Treasurer a coward. That is totally unparliamentary, and I ask that he withdraw. Mr M. McGOWAN : Anyone who has been in this house for any time would know that that term is not unparliamentary.
[See paper 913.] Withdrawal of Remark Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Once again, the member for Rockingham has called the Treasurer a coward. That is totally unparliamentary, and I ask that he withdraw. Mr M. McGOWAN : Anyone who has been in this house for any time would know that that term is not unparliamentary.
Mr M. McGOWAN : Anyone who has been in this house for any time would know that that term is not unparliamentary.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Members, I do not know that I distinctly heard all of the question that the member for Carine asked, because members on both sides of this place continued to interject and perhaps thought they had a better question to ask, again. I presume the Treasurer did hear all of that question. Mr T.R. BUSWELL replied: Mr Speaker, as much as that question comes to me as a surprise, I do seem to have the answer here! Firstly, I thank the member for Carine for his question. Of course the state’s AAA credit rating is fundamentally important. It is fundamentally important for a range of reasons. It means that ultimately we can borrow money at a lower rate of interest. Treasury has indicated to me that the savings from that should be measured in the tens of millions of dollars. Last Thursday was clearly a vote of confidence from Standard and Poor’s in the financial management strategy that the state has put in place. I think, more broadly, that it was also a vote of confidence in Western Australia. It is interesting that, last week, both sides of this house faced a challenge. Our challenge was to hand down a financially responsible budget. We succeeded in doing that. The opposition’s challenge was to hold the seat of Fremantle, and the results are well known to all. I was interested to hear somebody’s comments that the Liberal Party did not stand a candidate against the Labor Party, and it did not. However, in a recent by-election in this state’s history the Labor Party did not stand a candidate against the Liberal Party, and that was in February last year in the seat of Murdoch. I have looked at some of the results. In the seat of Murdoch — Point of Order Mr B.S. WYATT : The question from the member for Carine was specifically about debt and I, for one, am interested in the answer. I ask that the Treasurer perhaps provide an answer that is relevant to the question the member asked. The SPEAKER : I take the member for Victoria Park’s point of order. Questions Without Notice Resumed Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Suffice to say, as I move on to the answer, in the Murdoch by-election in February last year, for which the Labor Party did not stand a candidate, there was a significant swing to the Liberal Party of 14 per cent, which is unlike what happened on the weekend. I suspect when people look at the political history of Western Australia, they would find that February last year was the start of the train wreck, September last year was the delivery of the train wreck and last weekend showed that the Labor Party is nowhere near getting that train back on the rails—the caboose. Several members interjected. Mr D.A. Templeman : You messed up the delivery. The SPEAKER : I advise the member for Mandurah that I like him a lot and he has great style, but I advise him not to do that again. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : This government was able to hand down a budget that included a massive investment in infrastructure in Western Australia. That investment will go a long way to putting in place the infrastructure building blocks that this state will grow into the twenty-first century and it will support Western Australian jobs. We did it in a way that protected, as the member rightly pointed out, the state’s AAA credit rating. I have heard comments from members opposite about the level of debt of $19.1 billion in four years. I make no apology for the fact that this government has been prepared to borrow money to support infrastructure investment that supports Western Australian jobs. It is important to put that in context. I was interested to read in today’s paper comments about Queensland, which is a state that has about twice the general government sector turnover of Western Australia. It is estimated that the debt in Queensland in four years will be $74 billion. That state has twice Western Australia’s general government sector turnover, but four times the debt. That reflects on the job that this government did in the budget that was handed down last week. More to the point, this is the question I look forward to the Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Treasurer answering: which Labor Party will come into bat on state debt when the Labor Party gets up to speed? Will it be the case that the Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Treasurer will argue that state debt in Western Australia at $19.1 billion is completely unsustainable? If that is their argument, what will they cut out of the budget document to reduce the level of debt? I will compare that with the comments by members opposite since last week’s budget was brought down. I want to understand who wears the mantle of fiscal responsibility. We have added up all the things that the opposition members want to unwind out of the budget that was handed down last week. The house might be interested to know the answer because we asked Treasury to cost it. The result is $3.864 billion of extra debt that the Labor side of politics in Western Australia would have this state lumbered with. Do members know what $3.864 billion of extra debt means? It means that the opposition is advocating debt in four years of $23.4 billion and it is advocating the Standard and Poor’s AAA credit rating at 100 per cent. When the Leader of the Opposition stands, we will be interested to see which Labor Party turns up. Will it be the big-spending Labor Party of all his colleagues or the other guy? Point of Order Mr B.S. WYATT : I ask the Treasurer to table the document to which he is referring. Mr T.R. Buswell : These are notes. Mr B.S. WYATT : The Treasurer referred to a Treasury document, which is an official document and I ask that he table it. The SPEAKER : I advise the Treasurer that if it is an official document, he does need to table it. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I intended to table it, but I did not think it would be appropriate. I am happy to table the document, which I just finished reading from. It clearly shows the economic cost of the Labor Party’s irresponsible approach to financial management in Western Australia. I am very pleased to table that evidence. Mr M. McGOWAN : The document was clearly two pages. The Treasurer indicated that he would table that official document, and he has not, which is contrary to the Speaker’s instruction. I request that he table it. The SPEAKER : My instruction to the Treasurer is that if it is in fact an official document and there are two pages to it, they both need to be on that table. If the Treasurer says that the official document is sitting there, I will accept that it is the official document. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Hang on. I will get some advice from my office. This is the document that I and my ministerial staff put together, and it is the document that Treasury used to aggregate the figures. I am very happy to have it tabled. Mr E.S. RIPPER : This all depends on the truth of the Treasurer’s assertion that Treasury had done an analysis and that he was reading from the Treasury analysis. If that is the case, he should table the document. If he now argues that he should not, he misled the house when he claimed it was a Treasury analysis. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I will find out whether this document — Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : In that case I will not table it. Mr M. McGowan : Another coward. [See paper 913.] Withdrawal of Remark Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Once again, the member for Rockingham has called the Treasurer a coward. That is totally unparliamentary, and I ask that he withdraw. Mr M. McGOWAN : Anyone who has been in this house for any time would know that that term is not unparliamentary.
The SPEAKER : Order! Members, I do not know that I distinctly heard all of the question that the member for Carine asked, because members on both sides of this place continued to interject and perhaps thought they had a better question to ask, again. I presume the Treasurer did hear all of that question. Mr T.R. BUSWELL replied: Mr Speaker, as much as that question comes to me as a surprise, I do seem to have the answer here! Firstly, I thank the member for Carine for his question. Of course the state’s AAA credit rating is fundamentally important. It is fundamentally important for a range of reasons. It means that ultimately we can borrow money at a lower rate of interest. Treasury has indicated to me that the savings from that should be measured in the tens of millions of dollars. Last Thursday was clearly a vote of confidence from Standard and Poor’s in the financial management strategy that the state has put in place. I think, more broadly, that it was also a vote of confidence in Western Australia. It is interesting that, last week, both sides of this house faced a challenge. Our challenge was to hand down a financially responsible budget. We succeeded in doing that. The opposition’s challenge was to hold the seat of Fremantle, and the results are well known to all. I was interested to hear somebody’s comments that the Liberal Party did not stand a candidate against the Labor Party, and it did not. However, in a recent by-election in this state’s history the Labor Party did not stand a candidate against the Liberal Party, and that was in February last year in the seat of Murdoch. I have looked at some of the results. In the seat of Murdoch — Point of Order Mr B.S. WYATT : The question from the member for Carine was specifically about debt and I, for one, am interested in the answer. I ask that the Treasurer perhaps provide an answer that is relevant to the question the member asked. The SPEAKER : I take the member for Victoria Park’s point of order. Questions Without Notice Resumed Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Suffice to say, as I move on to the answer, in the Murdoch by-election in February last year, for which the Labor Party did not stand a candidate, there was a significant swing to the Liberal Party of 14 per cent, which is unlike what happened on the weekend. I suspect when people look at the political history of Western Australia, they would find that February last year was the start of the train wreck, September last year was the delivery of the train wreck and last weekend showed that the Labor Party is nowhere near getting that train back on the rails—the caboose. Several members interjected. Mr D.A. Templeman : You messed up the delivery. The SPEAKER : I advise the member for Mandurah that I like him a lot and he has great style, but I advise him not to do that again. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : This government was able to hand down a budget that included a massive investment in infrastructure in Western Australia. That investment will go a long way to putting in place the infrastructure building blocks that this state will grow into the twenty-first century and it will support Western Australian jobs. We did it in a way that protected, as the member rightly pointed out, the state’s AAA credit rating. I have heard comments from members opposite about the level of debt of $19.1 billion in four years. I make no apology for the fact that this government has been prepared to borrow money to support infrastructure investment that supports Western Australian jobs. It is important to put that in context. I was interested to read in today’s paper comments about Queensland, which is a state that has about twice the general government sector turnover of Western Australia. It is estimated that the debt in Queensland in four years will be $74 billion. That state has twice Western Australia’s general government sector turnover, but four times the debt. That reflects on the job that this government did in the budget that was handed down last week. More to the point, this is the question I look forward to the Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Treasurer answering: which Labor Party will come into bat on state debt when the Labor Party gets up to speed? Will it be the case that the Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Treasurer will argue that state debt in Western Australia at $19.1 billion is completely unsustainable? If that is their argument, what will they cut out of the budget document to reduce the level of debt? I will compare that with the comments by members opposite since last week’s budget was brought down. I want to understand who wears the mantle of fiscal responsibility. We have added up all the things that the opposition members want to unwind out of the budget that was handed down last week. The house might be interested to know the answer because we asked Treasury to cost it. The result is $3.864 billion of extra debt that the Labor side of politics in Western Australia would have this state lumbered with. Do members know what $3.864 billion of extra debt means? It means that the opposition is advocating debt in four years of $23.4 billion and it is advocating the Standard and Poor’s AAA credit rating at 100 per cent. When the Leader of the Opposition stands, we will be interested to see which Labor Party turns up. Will it be the big-spending Labor Party of all his colleagues or the other guy? Point of Order Mr B.S. WYATT : I ask the Treasurer to table the document to which he is referring. Mr T.R. Buswell : These are notes. Mr B.S. WYATT : The Treasurer referred to a Treasury document, which is an official document and I ask that he table it. The SPEAKER : I advise the Treasurer that if it is an official document, he does need to table it. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I intended to table it, but I did not think it would be appropriate. I am happy to table the document, which I just finished reading from. It clearly shows the economic cost of the Labor Party’s irresponsible approach to financial management in Western Australia. I am very pleased to table that evidence. Mr M. McGOWAN : The document was clearly two pages. The Treasurer indicated that he would table that official document, and he has not, which is contrary to the Speaker’s instruction. I request that he table it. The SPEAKER : My instruction to the Treasurer is that if it is in fact an official document and there are two pages to it, they both need to be on that table. If the Treasurer says that the official document is sitting there, I will accept that it is the official document. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Hang on. I will get some advice from my office. This is the document that I and my ministerial staff put together, and it is the document that Treasury used to aggregate the figures. I am very happy to have it tabled. Mr E.S. RIPPER : This all depends on the truth of the Treasurer’s assertion that Treasury had done an analysis and that he was reading from the Treasury analysis. If that is the case, he should table the document. If he now argues that he should not, he misled the house when he claimed it was a Treasury analysis. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I will find out whether this document — Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : In that case I will not table it. Mr M. McGowan : Another coward. [See paper 913.] Withdrawal of Remark Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Once again, the member for Rockingham has called the Treasurer a coward. That is totally unparliamentary, and I ask that he withdraw. Mr M. McGOWAN : Anyone who has been in this house for any time would know that that term is not unparliamentary.
Mr T.R. BUSWELL replied: Mr Speaker, as much as that question comes to me as a surprise, I do seem to have the answer here! Firstly, I thank the member for Carine for his question. Of course the state’s AAA credit rating is fundamentally important. It is fundamentally important for a range of reasons. It means that ultimately we can borrow money at a lower rate of interest. Treasury has indicated to me that the savings from that should be measured in the tens of millions of dollars. Last Thursday was clearly a vote of confidence from Standard and Poor’s in the financial management strategy that the state has put in place. I think, more broadly, that it was also a vote of confidence in Western Australia. It is interesting that, last week, both sides of this house faced a challenge. Our challenge was to hand down a financially responsible budget. We succeeded in doing that. The opposition’s challenge was to hold the seat of Fremantle, and the results are well known to all. I was interested to hear somebody’s comments that the Liberal Party did not stand a candidate against the Labor Party, and it did not. However, in a recent by-election in this state’s history the Labor Party did not stand a candidate against the Liberal Party, and that was in February last year in the seat of Murdoch. I have looked at some of the results. In the seat of Murdoch — Point of Order Mr B.S. WYATT : The question from the member for Carine was specifically about debt and I, for one, am interested in the answer. I ask that the Treasurer perhaps provide an answer that is relevant to the question the member asked. The SPEAKER : I take the member for Victoria Park’s point of order. Questions Without Notice Resumed Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Suffice to say, as I move on to the answer, in the Murdoch by-election in February last year, for which the Labor Party did not stand a candidate, there was a significant swing to the Liberal Party of 14 per cent, which is unlike what happened on the weekend. I suspect when people look at the political history of Western Australia, they would find that February last year was the start of the train wreck, September last year was the delivery of the train wreck and last weekend showed that the Labor Party is nowhere near getting that train back on the rails—the caboose. Several members interjected. Mr D.A. Templeman : You messed up the delivery. The SPEAKER : I advise the member for Mandurah that I like him a lot and he has great style, but I advise him not to do that again. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : This government was able to hand down a budget that included a massive investment in infrastructure in Western Australia. That investment will go a long way to putting in place the infrastructure building blocks that this state will grow into the twenty-first century and it will support Western Australian jobs. We did it in a way that protected, as the member rightly pointed out, the state’s AAA credit rating. I have heard comments from members opposite about the level of debt of $19.1 billion in four years. I make no apology for the fact that this government has been prepared to borrow money to support infrastructure investment that supports Western Australian jobs. It is important to put that in context. I was interested to read in today’s paper comments about Queensland, which is a state that has about twice the general government sector turnover of Western Australia. It is estimated that the debt in Queensland in four years will be $74 billion. That state has twice Western Australia’s general government sector turnover, but four times the debt. That reflects on the job that this government did in the budget that was handed down last week. More to the point, this is the question I look forward to the Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Treasurer answering: which Labor Party will come into bat on state debt when the Labor Party gets up to speed? Will it be the case that the Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Treasurer will argue that state debt in Western Australia at $19.1 billion is completely unsustainable? If that is their argument, what will they cut out of the budget document to reduce the level of debt? I will compare that with the comments by members opposite since last week’s budget was brought down. I want to understand who wears the mantle of fiscal responsibility. We have added up all the things that the opposition members want to unwind out of the budget that was handed down last week. The house might be interested to know the answer because we asked Treasury to cost it. The result is $3.864 billion of extra debt that the Labor side of politics in Western Australia would have this state lumbered with. Do members know what $3.864 billion of extra debt means? It means that the opposition is advocating debt in four years of $23.4 billion and it is advocating the Standard and Poor’s AAA credit rating at 100 per cent. When the Leader of the Opposition stands, we will be interested to see which Labor Party turns up. Will it be the big-spending Labor Party of all his colleagues or the other guy? Point of Order Mr B.S. WYATT : I ask the Treasurer to table the document to which he is referring. Mr T.R. Buswell : These are notes. Mr B.S. WYATT : The Treasurer referred to a Treasury document, which is an official document and I ask that he table it. The SPEAKER : I advise the Treasurer that if it is an official document, he does need to table it. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I intended to table it, but I did not think it would be appropriate. I am happy to table the document, which I just finished reading from. It clearly shows the economic cost of the Labor Party’s irresponsible approach to financial management in Western Australia. I am very pleased to table that evidence. Mr M. McGOWAN : The document was clearly two pages. The Treasurer indicated that he would table that official document, and he has not, which is contrary to the Speaker’s instruction. I request that he table it. The SPEAKER : My instruction to the Treasurer is that if it is in fact an official document and there are two pages to it, they both need to be on that table. If the Treasurer says that the official document is sitting there, I will accept that it is the official document. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Hang on. I will get some advice from my office. This is the document that I and my ministerial staff put together, and it is the document that Treasury used to aggregate the figures. I am very happy to have it tabled. Mr E.S. RIPPER : This all depends on the truth of the Treasurer’s assertion that Treasury had done an analysis and that he was reading from the Treasury analysis. If that is the case, he should table the document. If he now argues that he should not, he misled the house when he claimed it was a Treasury analysis. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I will find out whether this document — Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : In that case I will not table it. Mr M. McGowan : Another coward. [See paper 913.] Withdrawal of Remark Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Once again, the member for Rockingham has called the Treasurer a coward. That is totally unparliamentary, and I ask that he withdraw. Mr M. McGOWAN : Anyone who has been in this house for any time would know that that term is not unparliamentary.
Mr Speaker, as much as that question comes to me as a surprise, I do seem to have the answer here! Firstly, I thank the member for Carine for his question. Of course the state’s AAA credit rating is fundamentally important. It is fundamentally important for a range of reasons. It means that ultimately we can borrow money at a lower rate of interest. Treasury has indicated to me that the savings from that should be measured in the tens of millions of dollars. Last Thursday was clearly a vote of confidence from Standard and Poor’s in the financial management strategy that the state has put in place. I think, more broadly, that it was also a vote of confidence in Western Australia. It is interesting that, last week, both sides of this house faced a challenge. Our challenge was to hand down a financially responsible budget. We succeeded in doing that. The opposition’s challenge was to hold the seat of Fremantle, and the results are well known to all. I was interested to hear somebody’s comments that the Liberal Party did not stand a candidate against the Labor Party, and it did not. However, in a recent by-election in this state’s history the Labor Party did not stand a candidate against the Liberal Party, and that was in February last year in the seat of Murdoch. I have looked at some of the results. In the seat of Murdoch — Point of Order Mr B.S. WYATT : The question from the member for Carine was specifically about debt and I, for one, am interested in the answer. I ask that the Treasurer perhaps provide an answer that is relevant to the question the member asked. The SPEAKER : I take the member for Victoria Park’s point of order. Questions Without Notice Resumed Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Suffice to say, as I move on to the answer, in the Murdoch by-election in February last year, for which the Labor Party did not stand a candidate, there was a significant swing to the Liberal Party of 14 per cent, which is unlike what happened on the weekend. I suspect when people look at the political history of Western Australia, they would find that February last year was the start of the train wreck, September last year was the delivery of the train wreck and last weekend showed that the Labor Party is nowhere near getting that train back on the rails—the caboose. Several members interjected. Mr D.A. Templeman : You messed up the delivery. The SPEAKER : I advise the member for Mandurah that I like him a lot and he has great style, but I advise him not to do that again. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : This government was able to hand down a budget that included a massive investment in infrastructure in Western Australia. That investment will go a long way to putting in place the infrastructure building blocks that this state will grow into the twenty-first century and it will support Western Australian jobs. We did it in a way that protected, as the member rightly pointed out, the state’s AAA credit rating. I have heard comments from members opposite about the level of debt of $19.1 billion in four years. I make no apology for the fact that this government has been prepared to borrow money to support infrastructure investment that supports Western Australian jobs. It is important to put that in context. I was interested to read in today’s paper comments about Queensland, which is a state that has about twice the general government sector turnover of Western Australia. It is estimated that the debt in Queensland in four years will be $74 billion. That state has twice Western Australia’s general government sector turnover, but four times the debt. That reflects on the job that this government did in the budget that was handed down last week. More to the point, this is the question I look forward to the Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Treasurer answering: which Labor Party will come into bat on state debt when the Labor Party gets up to speed? Will it be the case that the Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Treasurer will argue that state debt in Western Australia at $19.1 billion is completely unsustainable? If that is their argument, what will they cut out of the budget document to reduce the level of debt? I will compare that with the comments by members opposite since last week’s budget was brought down. I want to understand who wears the mantle of fiscal responsibility. We have added up all the things that the opposition members want to unwind out of the budget that was handed down last week. The house might be interested to know the answer because we asked Treasury to cost it. The result is $3.864 billion of extra debt that the Labor side of politics in Western Australia would have this state lumbered with. Do members know what $3.864 billion of extra debt means? It means that the opposition is advocating debt in four years of $23.4 billion and it is advocating the Standard and Poor’s AAA credit rating at 100 per cent. When the Leader of the Opposition stands, we will be interested to see which Labor Party turns up. Will it be the big-spending Labor Party of all his colleagues or the other guy? Point of Order Mr B.S. WYATT : I ask the Treasurer to table the document to which he is referring. Mr T.R. Buswell : These are notes. Mr B.S. WYATT : The Treasurer referred to a Treasury document, which is an official document and I ask that he table it. The SPEAKER : I advise the Treasurer that if it is an official document, he does need to table it. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I intended to table it, but I did not think it would be appropriate. I am happy to table the document, which I just finished reading from. It clearly shows the economic cost of the Labor Party’s irresponsible approach to financial management in Western Australia. I am very pleased to table that evidence. Mr M. McGOWAN : The document was clearly two pages. The Treasurer indicated that he would table that official document, and he has not, which is contrary to the Speaker’s instruction. I request that he table it. The SPEAKER : My instruction to the Treasurer is that if it is in fact an official document and there are two pages to it, they both need to be on that table. If the Treasurer says that the official document is sitting there, I will accept that it is the official document. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Hang on. I will get some advice from my office. This is the document that I and my ministerial staff put together, and it is the document that Treasury used to aggregate the figures. I am very happy to have it tabled. Mr E.S. RIPPER : This all depends on the truth of the Treasurer’s assertion that Treasury had done an analysis and that he was reading from the Treasury analysis. If that is the case, he should table the document. If he now argues that he should not, he misled the house when he claimed it was a Treasury analysis. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I will find out whether this document — Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : In that case I will not table it. Mr M. McGowan : Another coward. [See paper 913.] Withdrawal of Remark Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Once again, the member for Rockingham has called the Treasurer a coward. That is totally unparliamentary, and I ask that he withdraw. Mr M. McGOWAN : Anyone who has been in this house for any time would know that that term is not unparliamentary.
The SPEAKER : I take the member for Victoria Park’s point of order. Questions Without Notice Resumed Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Suffice to say, as I move on to the answer, in the Murdoch by-election in February last year, for which the Labor Party did not stand a candidate, there was a significant swing to the Liberal Party of 14 per cent, which is unlike what happened on the weekend. I suspect when people look at the political history of Western Australia, they would find that February last year was the start of the train wreck, September last year was the delivery of the train wreck and last weekend showed that the Labor Party is nowhere near getting that train back on the rails—the caboose. Several members interjected. Mr D.A. Templeman : You messed up the delivery. The SPEAKER : I advise the member for Mandurah that I like him a lot and he has great style, but I advise him not to do that again. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : This government was able to hand down a budget that included a massive investment in infrastructure in Western Australia. That investment will go a long way to putting in place the infrastructure building blocks that this state will grow into the twenty-first century and it will support Western Australian jobs. We did it in a way that protected, as the member rightly pointed out, the state’s AAA credit rating. I have heard comments from members opposite about the level of debt of $19.1 billion in four years. I make no apology for the fact that this government has been prepared to borrow money to support infrastructure investment that supports Western Australian jobs. It is important to put that in context. I was interested to read in today’s paper comments about Queensland, which is a state that has about twice the general government sector turnover of Western Australia. It is estimated that the debt in Queensland in four years will be $74 billion. That state has twice Western Australia’s general government sector turnover, but four times the debt. That reflects on the job that this government did in the budget that was handed down last week. More to the point, this is the question I look forward to the Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Treasurer answering: which Labor Party will come into bat on state debt when the Labor Party gets up to speed? Will it be the case that the Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Treasurer will argue that state debt in Western Australia at $19.1 billion is completely unsustainable? If that is their argument, what will they cut out of the budget document to reduce the level of debt? I will compare that with the comments by members opposite since last week’s budget was brought down. I want to understand who wears the mantle of fiscal responsibility. We have added up all the things that the opposition members want to unwind out of the budget that was handed down last week. The house might be interested to know the answer because we asked Treasury to cost it. The result is $3.864 billion of extra debt that the Labor side of politics in Western Australia would have this state lumbered with. Do members know what $3.864 billion of extra debt means? It means that the opposition is advocating debt in four years of $23.4 billion and it is advocating the Standard and Poor’s AAA credit rating at 100 per cent. When the Leader of the Opposition stands, we will be interested to see which Labor Party turns up. Will it be the big-spending Labor Party of all his colleagues or the other guy? Point of Order Mr B.S. WYATT : I ask the Treasurer to table the document to which he is referring. Mr T.R. Buswell : These are notes. Mr B.S. WYATT : The Treasurer referred to a Treasury document, which is an official document and I ask that he table it. The SPEAKER : I advise the Treasurer that if it is an official document, he does need to table it. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I intended to table it, but I did not think it would be appropriate. I am happy to table the document, which I just finished reading from. It clearly shows the economic cost of the Labor Party’s irresponsible approach to financial management in Western Australia. I am very pleased to table that evidence. Mr M. McGOWAN : The document was clearly two pages. The Treasurer indicated that he would table that official document, and he has not, which is contrary to the Speaker’s instruction. I request that he table it. The SPEAKER : My instruction to the Treasurer is that if it is in fact an official document and there are two pages to it, they both need to be on that table. If the Treasurer says that the official document is sitting there, I will accept that it is the official document. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Hang on. I will get some advice from my office. This is the document that I and my ministerial staff put together, and it is the document that Treasury used to aggregate the figures. I am very happy to have it tabled. Mr E.S. RIPPER : This all depends on the truth of the Treasurer’s assertion that Treasury had done an analysis and that he was reading from the Treasury analysis. If that is the case, he should table the document. If he now argues that he should not, he misled the house when he claimed it was a Treasury analysis. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I will find out whether this document — Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : In that case I will not table it. Mr M. McGowan : Another coward. [See paper 913.] Withdrawal of Remark Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Once again, the member for Rockingham has called the Treasurer a coward. That is totally unparliamentary, and I ask that he withdraw. Mr M. McGOWAN : Anyone who has been in this house for any time would know that that term is not unparliamentary.
Several members interjected. Mr D.A. Templeman : You messed up the delivery. The SPEAKER : I advise the member for Mandurah that I like him a lot and he has great style, but I advise him not to do that again. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : This government was able to hand down a budget that included a massive investment in infrastructure in Western Australia. That investment will go a long way to putting in place the infrastructure building blocks that this state will grow into the twenty-first century and it will support Western Australian jobs. We did it in a way that protected, as the member rightly pointed out, the state’s AAA credit rating. I have heard comments from members opposite about the level of debt of $19.1 billion in four years. I make no apology for the fact that this government has been prepared to borrow money to support infrastructure investment that supports Western Australian jobs. It is important to put that in context. I was interested to read in today’s paper comments about Queensland, which is a state that has about twice the general government sector turnover of Western Australia. It is estimated that the debt in Queensland in four years will be $74 billion. That state has twice Western Australia’s general government sector turnover, but four times the debt. That reflects on the job that this government did in the budget that was handed down last week. More to the point, this is the question I look forward to the Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Treasurer answering: which Labor Party will come into bat on state debt when the Labor Party gets up to speed? Will it be the case that the Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Treasurer will argue that state debt in Western Australia at $19.1 billion is completely unsustainable? If that is their argument, what will they cut out of the budget document to reduce the level of debt? I will compare that with the comments by members opposite since last week’s budget was brought down. I want to understand who wears the mantle of fiscal responsibility. We have added up all the things that the opposition members want to unwind out of the budget that was handed down last week. The house might be interested to know the answer because we asked Treasury to cost it. The result is $3.864 billion of extra debt that the Labor side of politics in Western Australia would have this state lumbered with. Do members know what $3.864 billion of extra debt means? It means that the opposition is advocating debt in four years of $23.4 billion and it is advocating the Standard and Poor’s AAA credit rating at 100 per cent. When the Leader of the Opposition stands, we will be interested to see which Labor Party turns up. Will it be the big-spending Labor Party of all his colleagues or the other guy? Point of Order Mr B.S. WYATT : I ask the Treasurer to table the document to which he is referring. Mr T.R. Buswell : These are notes. Mr B.S. WYATT : The Treasurer referred to a Treasury document, which is an official document and I ask that he table it. The SPEAKER : I advise the Treasurer that if it is an official document, he does need to table it. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I intended to table it, but I did not think it would be appropriate. I am happy to table the document, which I just finished reading from. It clearly shows the economic cost of the Labor Party’s irresponsible approach to financial management in Western Australia. I am very pleased to table that evidence. Mr M. McGOWAN : The document was clearly two pages. The Treasurer indicated that he would table that official document, and he has not, which is contrary to the Speaker’s instruction. I request that he table it. The SPEAKER : My instruction to the Treasurer is that if it is in fact an official document and there are two pages to it, they both need to be on that table. If the Treasurer says that the official document is sitting there, I will accept that it is the official document. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Hang on. I will get some advice from my office. This is the document that I and my ministerial staff put together, and it is the document that Treasury used to aggregate the figures. I am very happy to have it tabled. Mr E.S. RIPPER : This all depends on the truth of the Treasurer’s assertion that Treasury had done an analysis and that he was reading from the Treasury analysis. If that is the case, he should table the document. If he now argues that he should not, he misled the house when he claimed it was a Treasury analysis. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I will find out whether this document — Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : In that case I will not table it. Mr M. McGowan : Another coward. [See paper 913.] Withdrawal of Remark Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Once again, the member for Rockingham has called the Treasurer a coward. That is totally unparliamentary, and I ask that he withdraw. Mr M. McGOWAN : Anyone who has been in this house for any time would know that that term is not unparliamentary.
Mr D.A. Templeman : You messed up the delivery. The SPEAKER : I advise the member for Mandurah that I like him a lot and he has great style, but I advise him not to do that again. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : This government was able to hand down a budget that included a massive investment in infrastructure in Western Australia. That investment will go a long way to putting in place the infrastructure building blocks that this state will grow into the twenty-first century and it will support Western Australian jobs. We did it in a way that protected, as the member rightly pointed out, the state’s AAA credit rating. I have heard comments from members opposite about the level of debt of $19.1 billion in four years. I make no apology for the fact that this government has been prepared to borrow money to support infrastructure investment that supports Western Australian jobs. It is important to put that in context. I was interested to read in today’s paper comments about Queensland, which is a state that has about twice the general government sector turnover of Western Australia. It is estimated that the debt in Queensland in four years will be $74 billion. That state has twice Western Australia’s general government sector turnover, but four times the debt. That reflects on the job that this government did in the budget that was handed down last week. More to the point, this is the question I look forward to the Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Treasurer answering: which Labor Party will come into bat on state debt when the Labor Party gets up to speed? Will it be the case that the Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Treasurer will argue that state debt in Western Australia at $19.1 billion is completely unsustainable? If that is their argument, what will they cut out of the budget document to reduce the level of debt? I will compare that with the comments by members opposite since last week’s budget was brought down. I want to understand who wears the mantle of fiscal responsibility. We have added up all the things that the opposition members want to unwind out of the budget that was handed down last week. The house might be interested to know the answer because we asked Treasury to cost it. The result is $3.864 billion of extra debt that the Labor side of politics in Western Australia would have this state lumbered with. Do members know what $3.864 billion of extra debt means? It means that the opposition is advocating debt in four years of $23.4 billion and it is advocating the Standard and Poor’s AAA credit rating at 100 per cent. When the Leader of the Opposition stands, we will be interested to see which Labor Party turns up. Will it be the big-spending Labor Party of all his colleagues or the other guy? Point of Order Mr B.S. WYATT : I ask the Treasurer to table the document to which he is referring. Mr T.R. Buswell : These are notes. Mr B.S. WYATT : The Treasurer referred to a Treasury document, which is an official document and I ask that he table it. The SPEAKER : I advise the Treasurer that if it is an official document, he does need to table it. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I intended to table it, but I did not think it would be appropriate. I am happy to table the document, which I just finished reading from. It clearly shows the economic cost of the Labor Party’s irresponsible approach to financial management in Western Australia. I am very pleased to table that evidence. Mr M. McGOWAN : The document was clearly two pages. The Treasurer indicated that he would table that official document, and he has not, which is contrary to the Speaker’s instruction. I request that he table it. The SPEAKER : My instruction to the Treasurer is that if it is in fact an official document and there are two pages to it, they both need to be on that table. If the Treasurer says that the official document is sitting there, I will accept that it is the official document. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Hang on. I will get some advice from my office. This is the document that I and my ministerial staff put together, and it is the document that Treasury used to aggregate the figures. I am very happy to have it tabled. Mr E.S. RIPPER : This all depends on the truth of the Treasurer’s assertion that Treasury had done an analysis and that he was reading from the Treasury analysis. If that is the case, he should table the document. If he now argues that he should not, he misled the house when he claimed it was a Treasury analysis. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I will find out whether this document — Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : In that case I will not table it. Mr M. McGowan : Another coward. [See paper 913.] Withdrawal of Remark Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Once again, the member for Rockingham has called the Treasurer a coward. That is totally unparliamentary, and I ask that he withdraw. Mr M. McGOWAN : Anyone who has been in this house for any time would know that that term is not unparliamentary.
The SPEAKER : I advise the member for Mandurah that I like him a lot and he has great style, but I advise him not to do that again. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : This government was able to hand down a budget that included a massive investment in infrastructure in Western Australia. That investment will go a long way to putting in place the infrastructure building blocks that this state will grow into the twenty-first century and it will support Western Australian jobs. We did it in a way that protected, as the member rightly pointed out, the state’s AAA credit rating. I have heard comments from members opposite about the level of debt of $19.1 billion in four years. I make no apology for the fact that this government has been prepared to borrow money to support infrastructure investment that supports Western Australian jobs. It is important to put that in context. I was interested to read in today’s paper comments about Queensland, which is a state that has about twice the general government sector turnover of Western Australia. It is estimated that the debt in Queensland in four years will be $74 billion. That state has twice Western Australia’s general government sector turnover, but four times the debt. That reflects on the job that this government did in the budget that was handed down last week. More to the point, this is the question I look forward to the Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Treasurer answering: which Labor Party will come into bat on state debt when the Labor Party gets up to speed? Will it be the case that the Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Treasurer will argue that state debt in Western Australia at $19.1 billion is completely unsustainable? If that is their argument, what will they cut out of the budget document to reduce the level of debt? I will compare that with the comments by members opposite since last week’s budget was brought down. I want to understand who wears the mantle of fiscal responsibility. We have added up all the things that the opposition members want to unwind out of the budget that was handed down last week. The house might be interested to know the answer because we asked Treasury to cost it. The result is $3.864 billion of extra debt that the Labor side of politics in Western Australia would have this state lumbered with. Do members know what $3.864 billion of extra debt means? It means that the opposition is advocating debt in four years of $23.4 billion and it is advocating the Standard and Poor’s AAA credit rating at 100 per cent. When the Leader of the Opposition stands, we will be interested to see which Labor Party turns up. Will it be the big-spending Labor Party of all his colleagues or the other guy? Point of Order Mr B.S. WYATT : I ask the Treasurer to table the document to which he is referring. Mr T.R. Buswell : These are notes. Mr B.S. WYATT : The Treasurer referred to a Treasury document, which is an official document and I ask that he table it. The SPEAKER : I advise the Treasurer that if it is an official document, he does need to table it. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I intended to table it, but I did not think it would be appropriate. I am happy to table the document, which I just finished reading from. It clearly shows the economic cost of the Labor Party’s irresponsible approach to financial management in Western Australia. I am very pleased to table that evidence. Mr M. McGOWAN : The document was clearly two pages. The Treasurer indicated that he would table that official document, and he has not, which is contrary to the Speaker’s instruction. I request that he table it. The SPEAKER : My instruction to the Treasurer is that if it is in fact an official document and there are two pages to it, they both need to be on that table. If the Treasurer says that the official document is sitting there, I will accept that it is the official document. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Hang on. I will get some advice from my office. This is the document that I and my ministerial staff put together, and it is the document that Treasury used to aggregate the figures. I am very happy to have it tabled. Mr E.S. RIPPER : This all depends on the truth of the Treasurer’s assertion that Treasury had done an analysis and that he was reading from the Treasury analysis. If that is the case, he should table the document. If he now argues that he should not, he misled the house when he claimed it was a Treasury analysis. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I will find out whether this document — Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : In that case I will not table it. Mr M. McGowan : Another coward. [See paper 913.] Withdrawal of Remark Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Once again, the member for Rockingham has called the Treasurer a coward. That is totally unparliamentary, and I ask that he withdraw. Mr M. McGOWAN : Anyone who has been in this house for any time would know that that term is not unparliamentary.
Mr T.R. BUSWELL : This government was able to hand down a budget that included a massive investment in infrastructure in Western Australia. That investment will go a long way to putting in place the infrastructure building blocks that this state will grow into the twenty-first century and it will support Western Australian jobs. We did it in a way that protected, as the member rightly pointed out, the state’s AAA credit rating. I have heard comments from members opposite about the level of debt of $19.1 billion in four years. I make no apology for the fact that this government has been prepared to borrow money to support infrastructure investment that supports Western Australian jobs. It is important to put that in context. I was interested to read in today’s paper comments about Queensland, which is a state that has about twice the general government sector turnover of Western Australia. It is estimated that the debt in Queensland in four years will be $74 billion. That state has twice Western Australia’s general government sector turnover, but four times the debt. That reflects on the job that this government did in the budget that was handed down last week. More to the point, this is the question I look forward to the Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Treasurer answering: which Labor Party will come into bat on state debt when the Labor Party gets up to speed? Will it be the case that the Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Treasurer will argue that state debt in Western Australia at $19.1 billion is completely unsustainable? If that is their argument, what will they cut out of the budget document to reduce the level of debt? I will compare that with the comments by members opposite since last week’s budget was brought down. I want to understand who wears the mantle of fiscal responsibility. We have added up all the things that the opposition members want to unwind out of the budget that was handed down last week. The house might be interested to know the answer because we asked Treasury to cost it. The result is $3.864 billion of extra debt that the Labor side of politics in Western Australia would have this state lumbered with. Do members know what $3.864 billion of extra debt means? It means that the opposition is advocating debt in four years of $23.4 billion and it is advocating the Standard and Poor’s AAA credit rating at 100 per cent. When the Leader of the Opposition stands, we will be interested to see which Labor Party turns up. Will it be the big-spending Labor Party of all his colleagues or the other guy? Point of Order Mr B.S. WYATT : I ask the Treasurer to table the document to which he is referring. Mr T.R. Buswell : These are notes. Mr B.S. WYATT : The Treasurer referred to a Treasury document, which is an official document and I ask that he table it. The SPEAKER : I advise the Treasurer that if it is an official document, he does need to table it. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I intended to table it, but I did not think it would be appropriate. I am happy to table the document, which I just finished reading from. It clearly shows the economic cost of the Labor Party’s irresponsible approach to financial management in Western Australia. I am very pleased to table that evidence. Mr M. McGOWAN : The document was clearly two pages. The Treasurer indicated that he would table that official document, and he has not, which is contrary to the Speaker’s instruction. I request that he table it. The SPEAKER : My instruction to the Treasurer is that if it is in fact an official document and there are two pages to it, they both need to be on that table. If the Treasurer says that the official document is sitting there, I will accept that it is the official document. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Hang on. I will get some advice from my office. This is the document that I and my ministerial staff put together, and it is the document that Treasury used to aggregate the figures. I am very happy to have it tabled. Mr E.S. RIPPER : This all depends on the truth of the Treasurer’s assertion that Treasury had done an analysis and that he was reading from the Treasury analysis. If that is the case, he should table the document. If he now argues that he should not, he misled the house when he claimed it was a Treasury analysis. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I will find out whether this document — Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : In that case I will not table it. Mr M. McGowan : Another coward. [See paper 913.] Withdrawal of Remark Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Once again, the member for Rockingham has called the Treasurer a coward. That is totally unparliamentary, and I ask that he withdraw. Mr M. McGOWAN : Anyone who has been in this house for any time would know that that term is not unparliamentary.
I have heard comments from members opposite about the level of debt of $19.1 billion in four years. I make no apology for the fact that this government has been prepared to borrow money to support infrastructure investment that supports Western Australian jobs. It is important to put that in context. I was interested to read in today’s paper comments about Queensland, which is a state that has about twice the general government sector turnover of Western Australia. It is estimated that the debt in Queensland in four years will be $74 billion. That state has twice Western Australia’s general government sector turnover, but four times the debt. That reflects on the job that this government did in the budget that was handed down last week. More to the point, this is the question I look forward to the Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Treasurer answering: which Labor Party will come into bat on state debt when the Labor Party gets up to speed? Will it be the case that the Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Treasurer will argue that state debt in Western Australia at $19.1 billion is completely unsustainable? If that is their argument, what will they cut out of the budget document to reduce the level of debt? I will compare that with the comments by members opposite since last week’s budget was brought down. I want to understand who wears the mantle of fiscal responsibility. We have added up all the things that the opposition members want to unwind out of the budget that was handed down last week. The house might be interested to know the answer because we asked Treasury to cost it. The result is $3.864 billion of extra debt that the Labor side of politics in Western Australia would have this state lumbered with. Do members know what $3.864 billion of extra debt means? It means that the opposition is advocating debt in four years of $23.4 billion and it is advocating the Standard and Poor’s AAA credit rating at 100 per cent. When the Leader of the Opposition stands, we will be interested to see which Labor Party turns up. Will it be the big-spending Labor Party of all his colleagues or the other guy? Point of Order Mr B.S. WYATT : I ask the Treasurer to table the document to which he is referring. Mr T.R. Buswell : These are notes. Mr B.S. WYATT : The Treasurer referred to a Treasury document, which is an official document and I ask that he table it. The SPEAKER : I advise the Treasurer that if it is an official document, he does need to table it. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I intended to table it, but I did not think it would be appropriate. I am happy to table the document, which I just finished reading from. It clearly shows the economic cost of the Labor Party’s irresponsible approach to financial management in Western Australia. I am very pleased to table that evidence. Mr M. McGOWAN : The document was clearly two pages. The Treasurer indicated that he would table that official document, and he has not, which is contrary to the Speaker’s instruction. I request that he table it. The SPEAKER : My instruction to the Treasurer is that if it is in fact an official document and there are two pages to it, they both need to be on that table. If the Treasurer says that the official document is sitting there, I will accept that it is the official document. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Hang on. I will get some advice from my office. This is the document that I and my ministerial staff put together, and it is the document that Treasury used to aggregate the figures. I am very happy to have it tabled. Mr E.S. RIPPER : This all depends on the truth of the Treasurer’s assertion that Treasury had done an analysis and that he was reading from the Treasury analysis. If that is the case, he should table the document. If he now argues that he should not, he misled the house when he claimed it was a Treasury analysis. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I will find out whether this document — Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : In that case I will not table it. Mr M. McGowan : Another coward. [See paper 913.] Withdrawal of Remark Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Once again, the member for Rockingham has called the Treasurer a coward. That is totally unparliamentary, and I ask that he withdraw. Mr M. McGOWAN : Anyone who has been in this house for any time would know that that term is not unparliamentary.
I was interested to read in today’s paper comments about Queensland, which is a state that has about twice the general government sector turnover of Western Australia. It is estimated that the debt in Queensland in four years will be $74 billion. That state has twice Western Australia’s general government sector turnover, but four times the debt. That reflects on the job that this government did in the budget that was handed down last week. More to the point, this is the question I look forward to the Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Treasurer answering: which Labor Party will come into bat on state debt when the Labor Party gets up to speed? Will it be the case that the Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Treasurer will argue that state debt in Western Australia at $19.1 billion is completely unsustainable? If that is their argument, what will they cut out of the budget document to reduce the level of debt? I will compare that with the comments by members opposite since last week’s budget was brought down. I want to understand who wears the mantle of fiscal responsibility. We have added up all the things that the opposition members want to unwind out of the budget that was handed down last week. The house might be interested to know the answer because we asked Treasury to cost it. The result is $3.864 billion of extra debt that the Labor side of politics in Western Australia would have this state lumbered with. Do members know what $3.864 billion of extra debt means? It means that the opposition is advocating debt in four years of $23.4 billion and it is advocating the Standard and Poor’s AAA credit rating at 100 per cent. When the Leader of the Opposition stands, we will be interested to see which Labor Party turns up. Will it be the big-spending Labor Party of all his colleagues or the other guy? Point of Order Mr B.S. WYATT : I ask the Treasurer to table the document to which he is referring. Mr T.R. Buswell : These are notes. Mr B.S. WYATT : The Treasurer referred to a Treasury document, which is an official document and I ask that he table it. The SPEAKER : I advise the Treasurer that if it is an official document, he does need to table it. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I intended to table it, but I did not think it would be appropriate. I am happy to table the document, which I just finished reading from. It clearly shows the economic cost of the Labor Party’s irresponsible approach to financial management in Western Australia. I am very pleased to table that evidence. Mr M. McGOWAN : The document was clearly two pages. The Treasurer indicated that he would table that official document, and he has not, which is contrary to the Speaker’s instruction. I request that he table it. The SPEAKER : My instruction to the Treasurer is that if it is in fact an official document and there are two pages to it, they both need to be on that table. If the Treasurer says that the official document is sitting there, I will accept that it is the official document. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Hang on. I will get some advice from my office. This is the document that I and my ministerial staff put together, and it is the document that Treasury used to aggregate the figures. I am very happy to have it tabled. Mr E.S. RIPPER : This all depends on the truth of the Treasurer’s assertion that Treasury had done an analysis and that he was reading from the Treasury analysis. If that is the case, he should table the document. If he now argues that he should not, he misled the house when he claimed it was a Treasury analysis. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I will find out whether this document — Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : In that case I will not table it. Mr M. McGowan : Another coward. [See paper 913.] Withdrawal of Remark Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Once again, the member for Rockingham has called the Treasurer a coward. That is totally unparliamentary, and I ask that he withdraw. Mr M. McGOWAN : Anyone who has been in this house for any time would know that that term is not unparliamentary.
More to the point, this is the question I look forward to the Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Treasurer answering: which Labor Party will come into bat on state debt when the Labor Party gets up to speed? Will it be the case that the Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Treasurer will argue that state debt in Western Australia at $19.1 billion is completely unsustainable? If that is their argument, what will they cut out of the budget document to reduce the level of debt? I will compare that with the comments by members opposite since last week’s budget was brought down. I want to understand who wears the mantle of fiscal responsibility. We have added up all the things that the opposition members want to unwind out of the budget that was handed down last week. The house might be interested to know the answer because we asked Treasury to cost it. The result is $3.864 billion of extra debt that the Labor side of politics in Western Australia would have this state lumbered with. Do members know what $3.864 billion of extra debt means? It means that the opposition is advocating debt in four years of $23.4 billion and it is advocating the Standard and Poor’s AAA credit rating at 100 per cent. When the Leader of the Opposition stands, we will be interested to see which Labor Party turns up. Will it be the big-spending Labor Party of all his colleagues or the other guy? Point of Order Mr B.S. WYATT : I ask the Treasurer to table the document to which he is referring. Mr T.R. Buswell : These are notes. Mr B.S. WYATT : The Treasurer referred to a Treasury document, which is an official document and I ask that he table it. The SPEAKER : I advise the Treasurer that if it is an official document, he does need to table it. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I intended to table it, but I did not think it would be appropriate. I am happy to table the document, which I just finished reading from. It clearly shows the economic cost of the Labor Party’s irresponsible approach to financial management in Western Australia. I am very pleased to table that evidence. Mr M. McGOWAN : The document was clearly two pages. The Treasurer indicated that he would table that official document, and he has not, which is contrary to the Speaker’s instruction. I request that he table it. The SPEAKER : My instruction to the Treasurer is that if it is in fact an official document and there are two pages to it, they both need to be on that table. If the Treasurer says that the official document is sitting there, I will accept that it is the official document. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Hang on. I will get some advice from my office. This is the document that I and my ministerial staff put together, and it is the document that Treasury used to aggregate the figures. I am very happy to have it tabled. Mr E.S. RIPPER : This all depends on the truth of the Treasurer’s assertion that Treasury had done an analysis and that he was reading from the Treasury analysis. If that is the case, he should table the document. If he now argues that he should not, he misled the house when he claimed it was a Treasury analysis. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I will find out whether this document — Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : In that case I will not table it. Mr M. McGowan : Another coward. [See paper 913.] Withdrawal of Remark Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Once again, the member for Rockingham has called the Treasurer a coward. That is totally unparliamentary, and I ask that he withdraw. Mr M. McGOWAN : Anyone who has been in this house for any time would know that that term is not unparliamentary.
I will compare that with the comments by members opposite since last week’s budget was brought down. I want to understand who wears the mantle of fiscal responsibility. We have added up all the things that the opposition members want to unwind out of the budget that was handed down last week. The house might be interested to know the answer because we asked Treasury to cost it. The result is $3.864 billion of extra debt that the Labor side of politics in Western Australia would have this state lumbered with. Do members know what $3.864 billion of extra debt means? It means that the opposition is advocating debt in four years of $23.4 billion and it is advocating the Standard and Poor’s AAA credit rating at 100 per cent. When the Leader of the Opposition stands, we will be interested to see which Labor Party turns up. Will it be the big-spending Labor Party of all his colleagues or the other guy? Point of Order Mr B.S. WYATT : I ask the Treasurer to table the document to which he is referring. Mr T.R. Buswell : These are notes. Mr B.S. WYATT : The Treasurer referred to a Treasury document, which is an official document and I ask that he table it. The SPEAKER : I advise the Treasurer that if it is an official document, he does need to table it. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I intended to table it, but I did not think it would be appropriate. I am happy to table the document, which I just finished reading from. It clearly shows the economic cost of the Labor Party’s irresponsible approach to financial management in Western Australia. I am very pleased to table that evidence. Mr M. McGOWAN : The document was clearly two pages. The Treasurer indicated that he would table that official document, and he has not, which is contrary to the Speaker’s instruction. I request that he table it. The SPEAKER : My instruction to the Treasurer is that if it is in fact an official document and there are two pages to it, they both need to be on that table. If the Treasurer says that the official document is sitting there, I will accept that it is the official document. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Hang on. I will get some advice from my office. This is the document that I and my ministerial staff put together, and it is the document that Treasury used to aggregate the figures. I am very happy to have it tabled. Mr E.S. RIPPER : This all depends on the truth of the Treasurer’s assertion that Treasury had done an analysis and that he was reading from the Treasury analysis. If that is the case, he should table the document. If he now argues that he should not, he misled the house when he claimed it was a Treasury analysis. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I will find out whether this document — Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : In that case I will not table it. Mr M. McGowan : Another coward. [See paper 913.] Withdrawal of Remark Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Once again, the member for Rockingham has called the Treasurer a coward. That is totally unparliamentary, and I ask that he withdraw. Mr M. McGOWAN : Anyone who has been in this house for any time would know that that term is not unparliamentary.
Mr T.R. Buswell : These are notes. Mr B.S. WYATT : The Treasurer referred to a Treasury document, which is an official document and I ask that he table it. The SPEAKER : I advise the Treasurer that if it is an official document, he does need to table it. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I intended to table it, but I did not think it would be appropriate. I am happy to table the document, which I just finished reading from. It clearly shows the economic cost of the Labor Party’s irresponsible approach to financial management in Western Australia. I am very pleased to table that evidence. Mr M. McGOWAN : The document was clearly two pages. The Treasurer indicated that he would table that official document, and he has not, which is contrary to the Speaker’s instruction. I request that he table it. The SPEAKER : My instruction to the Treasurer is that if it is in fact an official document and there are two pages to it, they both need to be on that table. If the Treasurer says that the official document is sitting there, I will accept that it is the official document. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Hang on. I will get some advice from my office. This is the document that I and my ministerial staff put together, and it is the document that Treasury used to aggregate the figures. I am very happy to have it tabled. Mr E.S. RIPPER : This all depends on the truth of the Treasurer’s assertion that Treasury had done an analysis and that he was reading from the Treasury analysis. If that is the case, he should table the document. If he now argues that he should not, he misled the house when he claimed it was a Treasury analysis. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I will find out whether this document — Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : In that case I will not table it. Mr M. McGowan : Another coward. [See paper 913.] Withdrawal of Remark Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Once again, the member for Rockingham has called the Treasurer a coward. That is totally unparliamentary, and I ask that he withdraw. Mr M. McGOWAN : Anyone who has been in this house for any time would know that that term is not unparliamentary.
Mr B.S. WYATT : The Treasurer referred to a Treasury document, which is an official document and I ask that he table it. The SPEAKER : I advise the Treasurer that if it is an official document, he does need to table it. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I intended to table it, but I did not think it would be appropriate. I am happy to table the document, which I just finished reading from. It clearly shows the economic cost of the Labor Party’s irresponsible approach to financial management in Western Australia. I am very pleased to table that evidence. Mr M. McGOWAN : The document was clearly two pages. The Treasurer indicated that he would table that official document, and he has not, which is contrary to the Speaker’s instruction. I request that he table it. The SPEAKER : My instruction to the Treasurer is that if it is in fact an official document and there are two pages to it, they both need to be on that table. If the Treasurer says that the official document is sitting there, I will accept that it is the official document. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Hang on. I will get some advice from my office. This is the document that I and my ministerial staff put together, and it is the document that Treasury used to aggregate the figures. I am very happy to have it tabled. Mr E.S. RIPPER : This all depends on the truth of the Treasurer’s assertion that Treasury had done an analysis and that he was reading from the Treasury analysis. If that is the case, he should table the document. If he now argues that he should not, he misled the house when he claimed it was a Treasury analysis. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I will find out whether this document — Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : In that case I will not table it. Mr M. McGowan : Another coward. [See paper 913.] Withdrawal of Remark Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Once again, the member for Rockingham has called the Treasurer a coward. That is totally unparliamentary, and I ask that he withdraw. Mr M. McGOWAN : Anyone who has been in this house for any time would know that that term is not unparliamentary.
The SPEAKER : I advise the Treasurer that if it is an official document, he does need to table it. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I intended to table it, but I did not think it would be appropriate. I am happy to table the document, which I just finished reading from. It clearly shows the economic cost of the Labor Party’s irresponsible approach to financial management in Western Australia. I am very pleased to table that evidence. Mr M. McGOWAN : The document was clearly two pages. The Treasurer indicated that he would table that official document, and he has not, which is contrary to the Speaker’s instruction. I request that he table it. The SPEAKER : My instruction to the Treasurer is that if it is in fact an official document and there are two pages to it, they both need to be on that table. If the Treasurer says that the official document is sitting there, I will accept that it is the official document. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Hang on. I will get some advice from my office. This is the document that I and my ministerial staff put together, and it is the document that Treasury used to aggregate the figures. I am very happy to have it tabled. Mr E.S. RIPPER : This all depends on the truth of the Treasurer’s assertion that Treasury had done an analysis and that he was reading from the Treasury analysis. If that is the case, he should table the document. If he now argues that he should not, he misled the house when he claimed it was a Treasury analysis. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I will find out whether this document — Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : In that case I will not table it. Mr M. McGowan : Another coward. [See paper 913.] Withdrawal of Remark Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Once again, the member for Rockingham has called the Treasurer a coward. That is totally unparliamentary, and I ask that he withdraw. Mr M. McGOWAN : Anyone who has been in this house for any time would know that that term is not unparliamentary.
Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I intended to table it, but I did not think it would be appropriate. I am happy to table the document, which I just finished reading from. It clearly shows the economic cost of the Labor Party’s irresponsible approach to financial management in Western Australia. I am very pleased to table that evidence. Mr M. McGOWAN : The document was clearly two pages. The Treasurer indicated that he would table that official document, and he has not, which is contrary to the Speaker’s instruction. I request that he table it. The SPEAKER : My instruction to the Treasurer is that if it is in fact an official document and there are two pages to it, they both need to be on that table. If the Treasurer says that the official document is sitting there, I will accept that it is the official document. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Hang on. I will get some advice from my office. This is the document that I and my ministerial staff put together, and it is the document that Treasury used to aggregate the figures. I am very happy to have it tabled. Mr E.S. RIPPER : This all depends on the truth of the Treasurer’s assertion that Treasury had done an analysis and that he was reading from the Treasury analysis. If that is the case, he should table the document. If he now argues that he should not, he misled the house when he claimed it was a Treasury analysis. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I will find out whether this document — Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : In that case I will not table it. Mr M. McGowan : Another coward. [See paper 913.] Withdrawal of Remark Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Once again, the member for Rockingham has called the Treasurer a coward. That is totally unparliamentary, and I ask that he withdraw. Mr M. McGOWAN : Anyone who has been in this house for any time would know that that term is not unparliamentary.
Mr M. McGOWAN : The document was clearly two pages. The Treasurer indicated that he would table that official document, and he has not, which is contrary to the Speaker’s instruction. I request that he table it. The SPEAKER : My instruction to the Treasurer is that if it is in fact an official document and there are two pages to it, they both need to be on that table. If the Treasurer says that the official document is sitting there, I will accept that it is the official document. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Hang on. I will get some advice from my office. This is the document that I and my ministerial staff put together, and it is the document that Treasury used to aggregate the figures. I am very happy to have it tabled. Mr E.S. RIPPER : This all depends on the truth of the Treasurer’s assertion that Treasury had done an analysis and that he was reading from the Treasury analysis. If that is the case, he should table the document. If he now argues that he should not, he misled the house when he claimed it was a Treasury analysis. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I will find out whether this document — Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : In that case I will not table it. Mr M. McGowan : Another coward. [See paper 913.] Withdrawal of Remark Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Once again, the member for Rockingham has called the Treasurer a coward. That is totally unparliamentary, and I ask that he withdraw. Mr M. McGOWAN : Anyone who has been in this house for any time would know that that term is not unparliamentary.
The SPEAKER : My instruction to the Treasurer is that if it is in fact an official document and there are two pages to it, they both need to be on that table. If the Treasurer says that the official document is sitting there, I will accept that it is the official document. Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Hang on. I will get some advice from my office. This is the document that I and my ministerial staff put together, and it is the document that Treasury used to aggregate the figures. I am very happy to have it tabled. Mr E.S. RIPPER : This all depends on the truth of the Treasurer’s assertion that Treasury had done an analysis and that he was reading from the Treasury analysis. If that is the case, he should table the document. If he now argues that he should not, he misled the house when he claimed it was a Treasury analysis. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I will find out whether this document — Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : In that case I will not table it. Mr M. McGowan : Another coward. [See paper 913.] Withdrawal of Remark Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Once again, the member for Rockingham has called the Treasurer a coward. That is totally unparliamentary, and I ask that he withdraw. Mr M. McGOWAN : Anyone who has been in this house for any time would know that that term is not unparliamentary.
Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Hang on. I will get some advice from my office. This is the document that I and my ministerial staff put together, and it is the document that Treasury used to aggregate the figures. I am very happy to have it tabled. Mr E.S. RIPPER : This all depends on the truth of the Treasurer’s assertion that Treasury had done an analysis and that he was reading from the Treasury analysis. If that is the case, he should table the document. If he now argues that he should not, he misled the house when he claimed it was a Treasury analysis. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I will find out whether this document — Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : In that case I will not table it. Mr M. McGowan : Another coward. [See paper 913.] Withdrawal of Remark Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Once again, the member for Rockingham has called the Treasurer a coward. That is totally unparliamentary, and I ask that he withdraw. Mr M. McGOWAN : Anyone who has been in this house for any time would know that that term is not unparliamentary.
Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Hang on. I will get some advice from my office. This is the document that I and my ministerial staff put together, and it is the document that Treasury used to aggregate the figures. I am very happy to have it tabled. Mr E.S. RIPPER : This all depends on the truth of the Treasurer’s assertion that Treasury had done an analysis and that he was reading from the Treasury analysis. If that is the case, he should table the document. If he now argues that he should not, he misled the house when he claimed it was a Treasury analysis. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I will find out whether this document — Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : In that case I will not table it. Mr M. McGowan : Another coward. [See paper 913.] Withdrawal of Remark Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Once again, the member for Rockingham has called the Treasurer a coward. That is totally unparliamentary, and I ask that he withdraw. Mr M. McGOWAN : Anyone who has been in this house for any time would know that that term is not unparliamentary.
Mr E.S. RIPPER : This all depends on the truth of the Treasurer’s assertion that Treasury had done an analysis and that he was reading from the Treasury analysis. If that is the case, he should table the document. If he now argues that he should not, he misled the house when he claimed it was a Treasury analysis. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I will find out whether this document — Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : In that case I will not table it. Mr M. McGowan : Another coward. [See paper 913.] Withdrawal of Remark Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Once again, the member for Rockingham has called the Treasurer a coward. That is totally unparliamentary, and I ask that he withdraw. Mr M. McGOWAN : Anyone who has been in this house for any time would know that that term is not unparliamentary.
Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I will find out whether this document — Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : In that case I will not table it. Mr M. McGowan : Another coward. [See paper 913.] Withdrawal of Remark Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Once again, the member for Rockingham has called the Treasurer a coward. That is totally unparliamentary, and I ask that he withdraw. Mr M. McGOWAN : Anyone who has been in this house for any time would know that that term is not unparliamentary.
Several members interjected. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : In that case I will not table it. Mr M. McGowan : Another coward. [See paper 913.] Withdrawal of Remark Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Once again, the member for Rockingham has called the Treasurer a coward. That is totally unparliamentary, and I ask that he withdraw. Mr M. McGOWAN : Anyone who has been in this house for any time would know that that term is not unparliamentary.
Mr T.R. BUSWELL : In that case I will not table it. Mr M. McGowan : Another coward. [See paper 913.] Withdrawal of Remark Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Once again, the member for Rockingham has called the Treasurer a coward. That is totally unparliamentary, and I ask that he withdraw. Mr M. McGOWAN : Anyone who has been in this house for any time would know that that term is not unparliamentary.
Mr M. McGowan : Another coward. [See paper 913.] Withdrawal of Remark Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Once again, the member for Rockingham has called the Treasurer a coward. That is totally unparliamentary, and I ask that he withdraw. Mr M. McGOWAN : Anyone who has been in this house for any time would know that that term is not unparliamentary.
[See paper 913.] Withdrawal of Remark Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Once again, the member for Rockingham has called the Treasurer a coward. That is totally unparliamentary, and I ask that he withdraw. Mr M. McGOWAN : Anyone who has been in this house for any time would know that that term is not unparliamentary.
Mr M. McGOWAN : Anyone who has been in this house for any time would know that that term is not unparliamentary.
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