❓ A parliamentary question on notice regarding the WA State Budget 2011-12, specifically concerning net debt, expenses growth, and potential solutions like privatisation. The Treasurer's response focuses heavily on defending the government's financial performance compared to the previous Labor government, without directly answering the specific questions posed.
AnsweredQoN 353Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
STATE BUDGET 2011–12 — NET DEBT
I note from the Treasurer’s 2011–12 budget that spending has grown 36 per cent in three years and state debt is the highest per capita of any state in Australia. (1) When does the Treasurer plan for net debt in Western Australia to peak; and what is the dollar value of the peak? (2) Do the Treasurer’s calculations include — (a) spending the $300 million sitting in the road trauma trust fund and parking levy funds; (b) delivering the election promise to return $1.1 billion in economic audit savings as tax cuts; or (c) funding cost blow-outs on major projects like Fiona Stanley Hospital and the underground busport? (3) How does the Treasurer intend to reduce state debt, if not, in part, by privatisation? Mr C.C. PORTER
I note from the Treasurer’s 2011–12 budget that spending has grown 36 per cent in three years and state debt is the highest per capita of any state in Australia. (1) When does the Treasurer plan for net debt in Western Australia to peak; and what is the dollar value of the peak? (2) Do the Treasurer’s calculations include — (a) spending the $300 million sitting in the road trauma trust fund and parking levy funds; (b) delivering the election promise to return $1.1 billion in economic audit savings as tax cuts; or (c) funding cost blow-outs on major projects like Fiona Stanley Hospital and the underground busport? (3) How does the Treasurer intend to reduce state debt, if not, in part, by privatisation? Mr C.C. PORTER
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(3) I thank the member for Midland for her question. I might just point out a number of facts before we go any further. The first concerns the member’s points about expenses growth. This is a comment that I made during the second reading debate on the budget when I was responding to some of the comments of the member for Balcatta. Expenses growth is still too high in this state—there is no doubt about that in my mind—and it is a very difficult task to rein that in. The government has had some success in that. However, when we compare expenses growth with that which occurred under Labor governments, we find that we are very similar. Ms R. Saffioti : It is actually higher! Mr C.C. PORTER : Again, there are the member’s thoughts and then there are the facts. When we look at the last four years of the Labor government, all of this pivots around 2008–09 when expenses growth was around the 12.7 to 13 per cent mark, which was far too high. We shared that year in government. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed, we did! If I am generous and say that we shared that year and it is a pivotal year and we are equally responsible — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Are you going to answer the questions that I asked? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s question. The question had three parts and the first part was about expenses growth. If we look at that year, we can both take responsibility for the level of expenses growth, which was clearly too high. If we look at the last four years of Labor — Mr E.S. Ripper : Why should we take responsibility for your midyear review decisions in late 2008? That is what blew the budget. Mr C.C. PORTER : The Leader of the Opposition’s shadow Treasurer has asked a question. Part (1) was about expenses growth. Mrs M.H. Roberts : No, it was about net debt! Mr C.C. PORTER : The member for Midland cited a figure. That figure was meant to show that our expenses growth record is worse than Labor’s was. I am taking the opportunity to inform the house that the expenses growth might be too high, but it is exactly comparable with the expenses growth that was experienced by the Labor government, and ours is on the downward trajectory. Let us take out 2008–09. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is when you blew the budget, so let us take it out! Mr C.C. PORTER : I will explain it both ways for the Leader of the Opposition. If we take out 2008–09, what we had over the last four years of the Labor government was 8.75 per cent expenses growth. In 2011–12 this government predicted 11.79 per cent, so we will be doing better over the coming year. We have done some very hard work on what the Labor government did! If we share the responsibility for 2008–09, which I think is a fair representation, expenses growth was too high. Both sides share responsibility for that. For the three years before 2008–09, expenses growth was 10.76 per cent. For the three years after 2008–09, it was 10.93 per cent. They are very similar figures. I would accept that 10.93 per cent is too high, just as 10.76 per cent is too high. That is why the government has engaged in savings initiatives and why it is working hard to get that expenses growth back down to a reasonable level, which is around the seven per cent mark. The other part to the member’s question is whether I am aware of the per capita level of debt. Of course I am. Mr E.S. Ripper : That was not the question. That was a statement of fact. Mr C.C. PORTER : So I am not allowed to talk about the opposition’s statements of fact! Would the Leader of the Opposition like to draft the answers for his shadow Treasurer as well as the questions? He does well by the member for Midland! Mr E.S. Ripper : I would like you to get on with it. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You haven’t answered a single question yet! Mr C.C. PORTER : I am addressing directly the parts of the question that were meant to assert some kind of problem on this side of the house. Mrs M.H. Roberts : I would like an answer to the question. Question (1) was about net debt: when will it peak and how much will it be? The Treasurer keeps asserting that other things are question (1)—they aren’t! Mr C.C. PORTER : Let me ask the member a question: when did Labor show a net debt peak in its last budget? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Please answer a question! Why the hell would I answer a question from you when you haven’t answered one of mine? The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I formally call you to order for the first time today. Can I provide this instruction to the house once more: if members want questions answered, sometimes they have to listen to the answer and stop interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : The second statement that was made, which I will take just a bit of time to answer, was that per capita debt is high in WA. That is one measure. The other measure is looking at debt in terms of the known statistical ability to pay it, which is the size of the economy. The fact is that when we look, for instance, at the level of debt in Western Australia and Victoria and use that as a measure of the size of the economy, we find that we have a comparable figure. What is interesting is that Victoria has a $53 billion economy, and Western Australia, which has far fewer people, has a $42.2 billion economy. It is no wonder that the government is willing to have debt at levels which are responsible but which also allow for infrastructure development; it is because our economy is growing and our economy requires infrastructure investment. Am I aware of the per capita debt level? Yes, I am. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : The third part of member’s question related to the road trauma trust fund. The $300 million will show as expenditure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : How big is the economy in Western Australia? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s questions. The third part of her question was about the RTTF. That will be shown as expenditure when it is approved by cabinet. The member would have heard that in the second reading speech from the Minister for Police today. The difference in that system from the one that was maintained by the Labor government is that now all the decisions about the RTTF will be approved fulsomely by cabinet. In my view, that is a very good system, and is far superior to the one that the Labor government had in place. That is when that expenditure will show. I forget the final part of the member’s question because it was so long ago. Did the member cite the figure of $1.1 billion? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
(1) When does the Treasurer plan for net debt in Western Australia to peak; and what is the dollar value of the peak? (2) Do the Treasurer’s calculations include — (a) spending the $300 million sitting in the road trauma trust fund and parking levy funds; (b) delivering the election promise to return $1.1 billion in economic audit savings as tax cuts; or (c) funding cost blow-outs on major projects like Fiona Stanley Hospital and the underground busport? (3) How does the Treasurer intend to reduce state debt, if not, in part, by privatisation? Mr C.C. PORTER replied: (1)–(3) I thank the member for Midland for her question. I might just point out a number of facts before we go any further. The first concerns the member’s points about expenses growth. This is a comment that I made during the second reading debate on the budget when I was responding to some of the comments of the member for Balcatta. Expenses growth is still too high in this state—there is no doubt about that in my mind—and it is a very difficult task to rein that in. The government has had some success in that. However, when we compare expenses growth with that which occurred under Labor governments, we find that we are very similar. Ms R. Saffioti : It is actually higher! Mr C.C. PORTER : Again, there are the member’s thoughts and then there are the facts. When we look at the last four years of the Labor government, all of this pivots around 2008–09 when expenses growth was around the 12.7 to 13 per cent mark, which was far too high. We shared that year in government. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed, we did! If I am generous and say that we shared that year and it is a pivotal year and we are equally responsible — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Are you going to answer the questions that I asked? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s question. The question had three parts and the first part was about expenses growth. If we look at that year, we can both take responsibility for the level of expenses growth, which was clearly too high. If we look at the last four years of Labor — Mr E.S. Ripper : Why should we take responsibility for your midyear review decisions in late 2008? That is what blew the budget. Mr C.C. PORTER : The Leader of the Opposition’s shadow Treasurer has asked a question. Part (1) was about expenses growth. Mrs M.H. Roberts : No, it was about net debt! Mr C.C. PORTER : The member for Midland cited a figure. That figure was meant to show that our expenses growth record is worse than Labor’s was. I am taking the opportunity to inform the house that the expenses growth might be too high, but it is exactly comparable with the expenses growth that was experienced by the Labor government, and ours is on the downward trajectory. Let us take out 2008–09. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is when you blew the budget, so let us take it out! Mr C.C. PORTER : I will explain it both ways for the Leader of the Opposition. If we take out 2008–09, what we had over the last four years of the Labor government was 8.75 per cent expenses growth. In 2011–12 this government predicted 11.79 per cent, so we will be doing better over the coming year. We have done some very hard work on what the Labor government did! If we share the responsibility for 2008–09, which I think is a fair representation, expenses growth was too high. Both sides share responsibility for that. For the three years before 2008–09, expenses growth was 10.76 per cent. For the three years after 2008–09, it was 10.93 per cent. They are very similar figures. I would accept that 10.93 per cent is too high, just as 10.76 per cent is too high. That is why the government has engaged in savings initiatives and why it is working hard to get that expenses growth back down to a reasonable level, which is around the seven per cent mark. The other part to the member’s question is whether I am aware of the per capita level of debt. Of course I am. Mr E.S. Ripper : That was not the question. That was a statement of fact. Mr C.C. PORTER : So I am not allowed to talk about the opposition’s statements of fact! Would the Leader of the Opposition like to draft the answers for his shadow Treasurer as well as the questions? He does well by the member for Midland! Mr E.S. Ripper : I would like you to get on with it. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You haven’t answered a single question yet! Mr C.C. PORTER : I am addressing directly the parts of the question that were meant to assert some kind of problem on this side of the house. Mrs M.H. Roberts : I would like an answer to the question. Question (1) was about net debt: when will it peak and how much will it be? The Treasurer keeps asserting that other things are question (1)—they aren’t! Mr C.C. PORTER : Let me ask the member a question: when did Labor show a net debt peak in its last budget? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Please answer a question! Why the hell would I answer a question from you when you haven’t answered one of mine? The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I formally call you to order for the first time today. Can I provide this instruction to the house once more: if members want questions answered, sometimes they have to listen to the answer and stop interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : The second statement that was made, which I will take just a bit of time to answer, was that per capita debt is high in WA. That is one measure. The other measure is looking at debt in terms of the known statistical ability to pay it, which is the size of the economy. The fact is that when we look, for instance, at the level of debt in Western Australia and Victoria and use that as a measure of the size of the economy, we find that we have a comparable figure. What is interesting is that Victoria has a $53 billion economy, and Western Australia, which has far fewer people, has a $42.2 billion economy. It is no wonder that the government is willing to have debt at levels which are responsible but which also allow for infrastructure development; it is because our economy is growing and our economy requires infrastructure investment. Am I aware of the per capita debt level? Yes, I am. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : The third part of member’s question related to the road trauma trust fund. The $300 million will show as expenditure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : How big is the economy in Western Australia? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s questions. The third part of her question was about the RTTF. That will be shown as expenditure when it is approved by cabinet. The member would have heard that in the second reading speech from the Minister for Police today. The difference in that system from the one that was maintained by the Labor government is that now all the decisions about the RTTF will be approved fulsomely by cabinet. In my view, that is a very good system, and is far superior to the one that the Labor government had in place. That is when that expenditure will show. I forget the final part of the member’s question because it was so long ago. Did the member cite the figure of $1.1 billion? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
(2) Do the Treasurer’s calculations include — (a) spending the $300 million sitting in the road trauma trust fund and parking levy funds; (b) delivering the election promise to return $1.1 billion in economic audit savings as tax cuts; or (c) funding cost blow-outs on major projects like Fiona Stanley Hospital and the underground busport? (3) How does the Treasurer intend to reduce state debt, if not, in part, by privatisation? Mr C.C. PORTER replied: (1)–(3) I thank the member for Midland for her question. I might just point out a number of facts before we go any further. The first concerns the member’s points about expenses growth. This is a comment that I made during the second reading debate on the budget when I was responding to some of the comments of the member for Balcatta. Expenses growth is still too high in this state—there is no doubt about that in my mind—and it is a very difficult task to rein that in. The government has had some success in that. However, when we compare expenses growth with that which occurred under Labor governments, we find that we are very similar. Ms R. Saffioti : It is actually higher! Mr C.C. PORTER : Again, there are the member’s thoughts and then there are the facts. When we look at the last four years of the Labor government, all of this pivots around 2008–09 when expenses growth was around the 12.7 to 13 per cent mark, which was far too high. We shared that year in government. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed, we did! If I am generous and say that we shared that year and it is a pivotal year and we are equally responsible — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Are you going to answer the questions that I asked? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s question. The question had three parts and the first part was about expenses growth. If we look at that year, we can both take responsibility for the level of expenses growth, which was clearly too high. If we look at the last four years of Labor — Mr E.S. Ripper : Why should we take responsibility for your midyear review decisions in late 2008? That is what blew the budget. Mr C.C. PORTER : The Leader of the Opposition’s shadow Treasurer has asked a question. Part (1) was about expenses growth. Mrs M.H. Roberts : No, it was about net debt! Mr C.C. PORTER : The member for Midland cited a figure. That figure was meant to show that our expenses growth record is worse than Labor’s was. I am taking the opportunity to inform the house that the expenses growth might be too high, but it is exactly comparable with the expenses growth that was experienced by the Labor government, and ours is on the downward trajectory. Let us take out 2008–09. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is when you blew the budget, so let us take it out! Mr C.C. PORTER : I will explain it both ways for the Leader of the Opposition. If we take out 2008–09, what we had over the last four years of the Labor government was 8.75 per cent expenses growth. In 2011–12 this government predicted 11.79 per cent, so we will be doing better over the coming year. We have done some very hard work on what the Labor government did! If we share the responsibility for 2008–09, which I think is a fair representation, expenses growth was too high. Both sides share responsibility for that. For the three years before 2008–09, expenses growth was 10.76 per cent. For the three years after 2008–09, it was 10.93 per cent. They are very similar figures. I would accept that 10.93 per cent is too high, just as 10.76 per cent is too high. That is why the government has engaged in savings initiatives and why it is working hard to get that expenses growth back down to a reasonable level, which is around the seven per cent mark. The other part to the member’s question is whether I am aware of the per capita level of debt. Of course I am. Mr E.S. Ripper : That was not the question. That was a statement of fact. Mr C.C. PORTER : So I am not allowed to talk about the opposition’s statements of fact! Would the Leader of the Opposition like to draft the answers for his shadow Treasurer as well as the questions? He does well by the member for Midland! Mr E.S. Ripper : I would like you to get on with it. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You haven’t answered a single question yet! Mr C.C. PORTER : I am addressing directly the parts of the question that were meant to assert some kind of problem on this side of the house. Mrs M.H. Roberts : I would like an answer to the question. Question (1) was about net debt: when will it peak and how much will it be? The Treasurer keeps asserting that other things are question (1)—they aren’t! Mr C.C. PORTER : Let me ask the member a question: when did Labor show a net debt peak in its last budget? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Please answer a question! Why the hell would I answer a question from you when you haven’t answered one of mine? The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I formally call you to order for the first time today. Can I provide this instruction to the house once more: if members want questions answered, sometimes they have to listen to the answer and stop interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : The second statement that was made, which I will take just a bit of time to answer, was that per capita debt is high in WA. That is one measure. The other measure is looking at debt in terms of the known statistical ability to pay it, which is the size of the economy. The fact is that when we look, for instance, at the level of debt in Western Australia and Victoria and use that as a measure of the size of the economy, we find that we have a comparable figure. What is interesting is that Victoria has a $53 billion economy, and Western Australia, which has far fewer people, has a $42.2 billion economy. It is no wonder that the government is willing to have debt at levels which are responsible but which also allow for infrastructure development; it is because our economy is growing and our economy requires infrastructure investment. Am I aware of the per capita debt level? Yes, I am. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : The third part of member’s question related to the road trauma trust fund. The $300 million will show as expenditure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : How big is the economy in Western Australia? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s questions. The third part of her question was about the RTTF. That will be shown as expenditure when it is approved by cabinet. The member would have heard that in the second reading speech from the Minister for Police today. The difference in that system from the one that was maintained by the Labor government is that now all the decisions about the RTTF will be approved fulsomely by cabinet. In my view, that is a very good system, and is far superior to the one that the Labor government had in place. That is when that expenditure will show. I forget the final part of the member’s question because it was so long ago. Did the member cite the figure of $1.1 billion? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
(b) delivering the election promise to return $1.1 billion in economic audit savings as tax cuts; or (c) funding cost blow-outs on major projects like Fiona Stanley Hospital and the underground busport?
(c) funding cost blow-outs on major projects like Fiona Stanley Hospital and the underground busport?
Mr C.C. PORTER replied: (1)–(3) I thank the member for Midland for her question. I might just point out a number of facts before we go any further. The first concerns the member’s points about expenses growth. This is a comment that I made during the second reading debate on the budget when I was responding to some of the comments of the member for Balcatta. Expenses growth is still too high in this state—there is no doubt about that in my mind—and it is a very difficult task to rein that in. The government has had some success in that. However, when we compare expenses growth with that which occurred under Labor governments, we find that we are very similar. Ms R. Saffioti : It is actually higher! Mr C.C. PORTER : Again, there are the member’s thoughts and then there are the facts. When we look at the last four years of the Labor government, all of this pivots around 2008–09 when expenses growth was around the 12.7 to 13 per cent mark, which was far too high. We shared that year in government. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed, we did! If I am generous and say that we shared that year and it is a pivotal year and we are equally responsible — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Are you going to answer the questions that I asked? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s question. The question had three parts and the first part was about expenses growth. If we look at that year, we can both take responsibility for the level of expenses growth, which was clearly too high. If we look at the last four years of Labor — Mr E.S. Ripper : Why should we take responsibility for your midyear review decisions in late 2008? That is what blew the budget. Mr C.C. PORTER : The Leader of the Opposition’s shadow Treasurer has asked a question. Part (1) was about expenses growth. Mrs M.H. Roberts : No, it was about net debt! Mr C.C. PORTER : The member for Midland cited a figure. That figure was meant to show that our expenses growth record is worse than Labor’s was. I am taking the opportunity to inform the house that the expenses growth might be too high, but it is exactly comparable with the expenses growth that was experienced by the Labor government, and ours is on the downward trajectory. Let us take out 2008–09. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is when you blew the budget, so let us take it out! Mr C.C. PORTER : I will explain it both ways for the Leader of the Opposition. If we take out 2008–09, what we had over the last four years of the Labor government was 8.75 per cent expenses growth. In 2011–12 this government predicted 11.79 per cent, so we will be doing better over the coming year. We have done some very hard work on what the Labor government did! If we share the responsibility for 2008–09, which I think is a fair representation, expenses growth was too high. Both sides share responsibility for that. For the three years before 2008–09, expenses growth was 10.76 per cent. For the three years after 2008–09, it was 10.93 per cent. They are very similar figures. I would accept that 10.93 per cent is too high, just as 10.76 per cent is too high. That is why the government has engaged in savings initiatives and why it is working hard to get that expenses growth back down to a reasonable level, which is around the seven per cent mark. The other part to the member’s question is whether I am aware of the per capita level of debt. Of course I am. Mr E.S. Ripper : That was not the question. That was a statement of fact. Mr C.C. PORTER : So I am not allowed to talk about the opposition’s statements of fact! Would the Leader of the Opposition like to draft the answers for his shadow Treasurer as well as the questions? He does well by the member for Midland! Mr E.S. Ripper : I would like you to get on with it. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You haven’t answered a single question yet! Mr C.C. PORTER : I am addressing directly the parts of the question that were meant to assert some kind of problem on this side of the house. Mrs M.H. Roberts : I would like an answer to the question. Question (1) was about net debt: when will it peak and how much will it be? The Treasurer keeps asserting that other things are question (1)—they aren’t! Mr C.C. PORTER : Let me ask the member a question: when did Labor show a net debt peak in its last budget? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Please answer a question! Why the hell would I answer a question from you when you haven’t answered one of mine? The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I formally call you to order for the first time today. Can I provide this instruction to the house once more: if members want questions answered, sometimes they have to listen to the answer and stop interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : The second statement that was made, which I will take just a bit of time to answer, was that per capita debt is high in WA. That is one measure. The other measure is looking at debt in terms of the known statistical ability to pay it, which is the size of the economy. The fact is that when we look, for instance, at the level of debt in Western Australia and Victoria and use that as a measure of the size of the economy, we find that we have a comparable figure. What is interesting is that Victoria has a $53 billion economy, and Western Australia, which has far fewer people, has a $42.2 billion economy. It is no wonder that the government is willing to have debt at levels which are responsible but which also allow for infrastructure development; it is because our economy is growing and our economy requires infrastructure investment. Am I aware of the per capita debt level? Yes, I am. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : The third part of member’s question related to the road trauma trust fund. The $300 million will show as expenditure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : How big is the economy in Western Australia? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s questions. The third part of her question was about the RTTF. That will be shown as expenditure when it is approved by cabinet. The member would have heard that in the second reading speech from the Minister for Police today. The difference in that system from the one that was maintained by the Labor government is that now all the decisions about the RTTF will be approved fulsomely by cabinet. In my view, that is a very good system, and is far superior to the one that the Labor government had in place. That is when that expenditure will show. I forget the final part of the member’s question because it was so long ago. Did the member cite the figure of $1.1 billion? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
(1)–(3) I thank the member for Midland for her question. I might just point out a number of facts before we go any further. The first concerns the member’s points about expenses growth. This is a comment that I made during the second reading debate on the budget when I was responding to some of the comments of the member for Balcatta. Expenses growth is still too high in this state—there is no doubt about that in my mind—and it is a very difficult task to rein that in. The government has had some success in that. However, when we compare expenses growth with that which occurred under Labor governments, we find that we are very similar. Ms R. Saffioti : It is actually higher! Mr C.C. PORTER : Again, there are the member’s thoughts and then there are the facts. When we look at the last four years of the Labor government, all of this pivots around 2008–09 when expenses growth was around the 12.7 to 13 per cent mark, which was far too high. We shared that year in government. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed, we did! If I am generous and say that we shared that year and it is a pivotal year and we are equally responsible — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Are you going to answer the questions that I asked? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s question. The question had three parts and the first part was about expenses growth. If we look at that year, we can both take responsibility for the level of expenses growth, which was clearly too high. If we look at the last four years of Labor — Mr E.S. Ripper : Why should we take responsibility for your midyear review decisions in late 2008? That is what blew the budget. Mr C.C. PORTER : The Leader of the Opposition’s shadow Treasurer has asked a question. Part (1) was about expenses growth. Mrs M.H. Roberts : No, it was about net debt! Mr C.C. PORTER : The member for Midland cited a figure. That figure was meant to show that our expenses growth record is worse than Labor’s was. I am taking the opportunity to inform the house that the expenses growth might be too high, but it is exactly comparable with the expenses growth that was experienced by the Labor government, and ours is on the downward trajectory. Let us take out 2008–09. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is when you blew the budget, so let us take it out! Mr C.C. PORTER : I will explain it both ways for the Leader of the Opposition. If we take out 2008–09, what we had over the last four years of the Labor government was 8.75 per cent expenses growth. In 2011–12 this government predicted 11.79 per cent, so we will be doing better over the coming year. We have done some very hard work on what the Labor government did! If we share the responsibility for 2008–09, which I think is a fair representation, expenses growth was too high. Both sides share responsibility for that. For the three years before 2008–09, expenses growth was 10.76 per cent. For the three years after 2008–09, it was 10.93 per cent. They are very similar figures. I would accept that 10.93 per cent is too high, just as 10.76 per cent is too high. That is why the government has engaged in savings initiatives and why it is working hard to get that expenses growth back down to a reasonable level, which is around the seven per cent mark. The other part to the member’s question is whether I am aware of the per capita level of debt. Of course I am. Mr E.S. Ripper : That was not the question. That was a statement of fact. Mr C.C. PORTER : So I am not allowed to talk about the opposition’s statements of fact! Would the Leader of the Opposition like to draft the answers for his shadow Treasurer as well as the questions? He does well by the member for Midland! Mr E.S. Ripper : I would like you to get on with it. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You haven’t answered a single question yet! Mr C.C. PORTER : I am addressing directly the parts of the question that were meant to assert some kind of problem on this side of the house. Mrs M.H. Roberts : I would like an answer to the question. Question (1) was about net debt: when will it peak and how much will it be? The Treasurer keeps asserting that other things are question (1)—they aren’t! Mr C.C. PORTER : Let me ask the member a question: when did Labor show a net debt peak in its last budget? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Please answer a question! Why the hell would I answer a question from you when you haven’t answered one of mine? The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I formally call you to order for the first time today. Can I provide this instruction to the house once more: if members want questions answered, sometimes they have to listen to the answer and stop interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : The second statement that was made, which I will take just a bit of time to answer, was that per capita debt is high in WA. That is one measure. The other measure is looking at debt in terms of the known statistical ability to pay it, which is the size of the economy. The fact is that when we look, for instance, at the level of debt in Western Australia and Victoria and use that as a measure of the size of the economy, we find that we have a comparable figure. What is interesting is that Victoria has a $53 billion economy, and Western Australia, which has far fewer people, has a $42.2 billion economy. It is no wonder that the government is willing to have debt at levels which are responsible but which also allow for infrastructure development; it is because our economy is growing and our economy requires infrastructure investment. Am I aware of the per capita debt level? Yes, I am. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : The third part of member’s question related to the road trauma trust fund. The $300 million will show as expenditure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : How big is the economy in Western Australia? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s questions. The third part of her question was about the RTTF. That will be shown as expenditure when it is approved by cabinet. The member would have heard that in the second reading speech from the Minister for Police today. The difference in that system from the one that was maintained by the Labor government is that now all the decisions about the RTTF will be approved fulsomely by cabinet. In my view, that is a very good system, and is far superior to the one that the Labor government had in place. That is when that expenditure will show. I forget the final part of the member’s question because it was so long ago. Did the member cite the figure of $1.1 billion? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
Ms R. Saffioti : It is actually higher! Mr C.C. PORTER : Again, there are the member’s thoughts and then there are the facts. When we look at the last four years of the Labor government, all of this pivots around 2008–09 when expenses growth was around the 12.7 to 13 per cent mark, which was far too high. We shared that year in government. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed, we did! If I am generous and say that we shared that year and it is a pivotal year and we are equally responsible — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Are you going to answer the questions that I asked? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s question. The question had three parts and the first part was about expenses growth. If we look at that year, we can both take responsibility for the level of expenses growth, which was clearly too high. If we look at the last four years of Labor — Mr E.S. Ripper : Why should we take responsibility for your midyear review decisions in late 2008? That is what blew the budget. Mr C.C. PORTER : The Leader of the Opposition’s shadow Treasurer has asked a question. Part (1) was about expenses growth. Mrs M.H. Roberts : No, it was about net debt! Mr C.C. PORTER : The member for Midland cited a figure. That figure was meant to show that our expenses growth record is worse than Labor’s was. I am taking the opportunity to inform the house that the expenses growth might be too high, but it is exactly comparable with the expenses growth that was experienced by the Labor government, and ours is on the downward trajectory. Let us take out 2008–09. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is when you blew the budget, so let us take it out! Mr C.C. PORTER : I will explain it both ways for the Leader of the Opposition. If we take out 2008–09, what we had over the last four years of the Labor government was 8.75 per cent expenses growth. In 2011–12 this government predicted 11.79 per cent, so we will be doing better over the coming year. We have done some very hard work on what the Labor government did! If we share the responsibility for 2008–09, which I think is a fair representation, expenses growth was too high. Both sides share responsibility for that. For the three years before 2008–09, expenses growth was 10.76 per cent. For the three years after 2008–09, it was 10.93 per cent. They are very similar figures. I would accept that 10.93 per cent is too high, just as 10.76 per cent is too high. That is why the government has engaged in savings initiatives and why it is working hard to get that expenses growth back down to a reasonable level, which is around the seven per cent mark. The other part to the member’s question is whether I am aware of the per capita level of debt. Of course I am. Mr E.S. Ripper : That was not the question. That was a statement of fact. Mr C.C. PORTER : So I am not allowed to talk about the opposition’s statements of fact! Would the Leader of the Opposition like to draft the answers for his shadow Treasurer as well as the questions? He does well by the member for Midland! Mr E.S. Ripper : I would like you to get on with it. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You haven’t answered a single question yet! Mr C.C. PORTER : I am addressing directly the parts of the question that were meant to assert some kind of problem on this side of the house. Mrs M.H. Roberts : I would like an answer to the question. Question (1) was about net debt: when will it peak and how much will it be? The Treasurer keeps asserting that other things are question (1)—they aren’t! Mr C.C. PORTER : Let me ask the member a question: when did Labor show a net debt peak in its last budget? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Please answer a question! Why the hell would I answer a question from you when you haven’t answered one of mine? The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I formally call you to order for the first time today. Can I provide this instruction to the house once more: if members want questions answered, sometimes they have to listen to the answer and stop interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : The second statement that was made, which I will take just a bit of time to answer, was that per capita debt is high in WA. That is one measure. The other measure is looking at debt in terms of the known statistical ability to pay it, which is the size of the economy. The fact is that when we look, for instance, at the level of debt in Western Australia and Victoria and use that as a measure of the size of the economy, we find that we have a comparable figure. What is interesting is that Victoria has a $53 billion economy, and Western Australia, which has far fewer people, has a $42.2 billion economy. It is no wonder that the government is willing to have debt at levels which are responsible but which also allow for infrastructure development; it is because our economy is growing and our economy requires infrastructure investment. Am I aware of the per capita debt level? Yes, I am. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : The third part of member’s question related to the road trauma trust fund. The $300 million will show as expenditure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : How big is the economy in Western Australia? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s questions. The third part of her question was about the RTTF. That will be shown as expenditure when it is approved by cabinet. The member would have heard that in the second reading speech from the Minister for Police today. The difference in that system from the one that was maintained by the Labor government is that now all the decisions about the RTTF will be approved fulsomely by cabinet. In my view, that is a very good system, and is far superior to the one that the Labor government had in place. That is when that expenditure will show. I forget the final part of the member’s question because it was so long ago. Did the member cite the figure of $1.1 billion? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
Mr C.C. PORTER : Again, there are the member’s thoughts and then there are the facts. When we look at the last four years of the Labor government, all of this pivots around 2008–09 when expenses growth was around the 12.7 to 13 per cent mark, which was far too high. We shared that year in government. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed, we did! If I am generous and say that we shared that year and it is a pivotal year and we are equally responsible — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Are you going to answer the questions that I asked? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s question. The question had three parts and the first part was about expenses growth. If we look at that year, we can both take responsibility for the level of expenses growth, which was clearly too high. If we look at the last four years of Labor — Mr E.S. Ripper : Why should we take responsibility for your midyear review decisions in late 2008? That is what blew the budget. Mr C.C. PORTER : The Leader of the Opposition’s shadow Treasurer has asked a question. Part (1) was about expenses growth. Mrs M.H. Roberts : No, it was about net debt! Mr C.C. PORTER : The member for Midland cited a figure. That figure was meant to show that our expenses growth record is worse than Labor’s was. I am taking the opportunity to inform the house that the expenses growth might be too high, but it is exactly comparable with the expenses growth that was experienced by the Labor government, and ours is on the downward trajectory. Let us take out 2008–09. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is when you blew the budget, so let us take it out! Mr C.C. PORTER : I will explain it both ways for the Leader of the Opposition. If we take out 2008–09, what we had over the last four years of the Labor government was 8.75 per cent expenses growth. In 2011–12 this government predicted 11.79 per cent, so we will be doing better over the coming year. We have done some very hard work on what the Labor government did! If we share the responsibility for 2008–09, which I think is a fair representation, expenses growth was too high. Both sides share responsibility for that. For the three years before 2008–09, expenses growth was 10.76 per cent. For the three years after 2008–09, it was 10.93 per cent. They are very similar figures. I would accept that 10.93 per cent is too high, just as 10.76 per cent is too high. That is why the government has engaged in savings initiatives and why it is working hard to get that expenses growth back down to a reasonable level, which is around the seven per cent mark. The other part to the member’s question is whether I am aware of the per capita level of debt. Of course I am. Mr E.S. Ripper : That was not the question. That was a statement of fact. Mr C.C. PORTER : So I am not allowed to talk about the opposition’s statements of fact! Would the Leader of the Opposition like to draft the answers for his shadow Treasurer as well as the questions? He does well by the member for Midland! Mr E.S. Ripper : I would like you to get on with it. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You haven’t answered a single question yet! Mr C.C. PORTER : I am addressing directly the parts of the question that were meant to assert some kind of problem on this side of the house. Mrs M.H. Roberts : I would like an answer to the question. Question (1) was about net debt: when will it peak and how much will it be? The Treasurer keeps asserting that other things are question (1)—they aren’t! Mr C.C. PORTER : Let me ask the member a question: when did Labor show a net debt peak in its last budget? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Please answer a question! Why the hell would I answer a question from you when you haven’t answered one of mine? The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I formally call you to order for the first time today. Can I provide this instruction to the house once more: if members want questions answered, sometimes they have to listen to the answer and stop interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : The second statement that was made, which I will take just a bit of time to answer, was that per capita debt is high in WA. That is one measure. The other measure is looking at debt in terms of the known statistical ability to pay it, which is the size of the economy. The fact is that when we look, for instance, at the level of debt in Western Australia and Victoria and use that as a measure of the size of the economy, we find that we have a comparable figure. What is interesting is that Victoria has a $53 billion economy, and Western Australia, which has far fewer people, has a $42.2 billion economy. It is no wonder that the government is willing to have debt at levels which are responsible but which also allow for infrastructure development; it is because our economy is growing and our economy requires infrastructure investment. Am I aware of the per capita debt level? Yes, I am. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : The third part of member’s question related to the road trauma trust fund. The $300 million will show as expenditure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : How big is the economy in Western Australia? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s questions. The third part of her question was about the RTTF. That will be shown as expenditure when it is approved by cabinet. The member would have heard that in the second reading speech from the Minister for Police today. The difference in that system from the one that was maintained by the Labor government is that now all the decisions about the RTTF will be approved fulsomely by cabinet. In my view, that is a very good system, and is far superior to the one that the Labor government had in place. That is when that expenditure will show. I forget the final part of the member’s question because it was so long ago. Did the member cite the figure of $1.1 billion? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed, we did! If I am generous and say that we shared that year and it is a pivotal year and we are equally responsible — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Are you going to answer the questions that I asked? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s question. The question had three parts and the first part was about expenses growth. If we look at that year, we can both take responsibility for the level of expenses growth, which was clearly too high. If we look at the last four years of Labor — Mr E.S. Ripper : Why should we take responsibility for your midyear review decisions in late 2008? That is what blew the budget. Mr C.C. PORTER : The Leader of the Opposition’s shadow Treasurer has asked a question. Part (1) was about expenses growth. Mrs M.H. Roberts : No, it was about net debt! Mr C.C. PORTER : The member for Midland cited a figure. That figure was meant to show that our expenses growth record is worse than Labor’s was. I am taking the opportunity to inform the house that the expenses growth might be too high, but it is exactly comparable with the expenses growth that was experienced by the Labor government, and ours is on the downward trajectory. Let us take out 2008–09. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is when you blew the budget, so let us take it out! Mr C.C. PORTER : I will explain it both ways for the Leader of the Opposition. If we take out 2008–09, what we had over the last four years of the Labor government was 8.75 per cent expenses growth. In 2011–12 this government predicted 11.79 per cent, so we will be doing better over the coming year. We have done some very hard work on what the Labor government did! If we share the responsibility for 2008–09, which I think is a fair representation, expenses growth was too high. Both sides share responsibility for that. For the three years before 2008–09, expenses growth was 10.76 per cent. For the three years after 2008–09, it was 10.93 per cent. They are very similar figures. I would accept that 10.93 per cent is too high, just as 10.76 per cent is too high. That is why the government has engaged in savings initiatives and why it is working hard to get that expenses growth back down to a reasonable level, which is around the seven per cent mark. The other part to the member’s question is whether I am aware of the per capita level of debt. Of course I am. Mr E.S. Ripper : That was not the question. That was a statement of fact. Mr C.C. PORTER : So I am not allowed to talk about the opposition’s statements of fact! Would the Leader of the Opposition like to draft the answers for his shadow Treasurer as well as the questions? He does well by the member for Midland! Mr E.S. Ripper : I would like you to get on with it. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You haven’t answered a single question yet! Mr C.C. PORTER : I am addressing directly the parts of the question that were meant to assert some kind of problem on this side of the house. Mrs M.H. Roberts : I would like an answer to the question. Question (1) was about net debt: when will it peak and how much will it be? The Treasurer keeps asserting that other things are question (1)—they aren’t! Mr C.C. PORTER : Let me ask the member a question: when did Labor show a net debt peak in its last budget? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Please answer a question! Why the hell would I answer a question from you when you haven’t answered one of mine? The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I formally call you to order for the first time today. Can I provide this instruction to the house once more: if members want questions answered, sometimes they have to listen to the answer and stop interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : The second statement that was made, which I will take just a bit of time to answer, was that per capita debt is high in WA. That is one measure. The other measure is looking at debt in terms of the known statistical ability to pay it, which is the size of the economy. The fact is that when we look, for instance, at the level of debt in Western Australia and Victoria and use that as a measure of the size of the economy, we find that we have a comparable figure. What is interesting is that Victoria has a $53 billion economy, and Western Australia, which has far fewer people, has a $42.2 billion economy. It is no wonder that the government is willing to have debt at levels which are responsible but which also allow for infrastructure development; it is because our economy is growing and our economy requires infrastructure investment. Am I aware of the per capita debt level? Yes, I am. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : The third part of member’s question related to the road trauma trust fund. The $300 million will show as expenditure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : How big is the economy in Western Australia? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s questions. The third part of her question was about the RTTF. That will be shown as expenditure when it is approved by cabinet. The member would have heard that in the second reading speech from the Minister for Police today. The difference in that system from the one that was maintained by the Labor government is that now all the decisions about the RTTF will be approved fulsomely by cabinet. In my view, that is a very good system, and is far superior to the one that the Labor government had in place. That is when that expenditure will show. I forget the final part of the member’s question because it was so long ago. Did the member cite the figure of $1.1 billion? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed, we did! If I am generous and say that we shared that year and it is a pivotal year and we are equally responsible — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Are you going to answer the questions that I asked? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s question. The question had three parts and the first part was about expenses growth. If we look at that year, we can both take responsibility for the level of expenses growth, which was clearly too high. If we look at the last four years of Labor — Mr E.S. Ripper : Why should we take responsibility for your midyear review decisions in late 2008? That is what blew the budget. Mr C.C. PORTER : The Leader of the Opposition’s shadow Treasurer has asked a question. Part (1) was about expenses growth. Mrs M.H. Roberts : No, it was about net debt! Mr C.C. PORTER : The member for Midland cited a figure. That figure was meant to show that our expenses growth record is worse than Labor’s was. I am taking the opportunity to inform the house that the expenses growth might be too high, but it is exactly comparable with the expenses growth that was experienced by the Labor government, and ours is on the downward trajectory. Let us take out 2008–09. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is when you blew the budget, so let us take it out! Mr C.C. PORTER : I will explain it both ways for the Leader of the Opposition. If we take out 2008–09, what we had over the last four years of the Labor government was 8.75 per cent expenses growth. In 2011–12 this government predicted 11.79 per cent, so we will be doing better over the coming year. We have done some very hard work on what the Labor government did! If we share the responsibility for 2008–09, which I think is a fair representation, expenses growth was too high. Both sides share responsibility for that. For the three years before 2008–09, expenses growth was 10.76 per cent. For the three years after 2008–09, it was 10.93 per cent. They are very similar figures. I would accept that 10.93 per cent is too high, just as 10.76 per cent is too high. That is why the government has engaged in savings initiatives and why it is working hard to get that expenses growth back down to a reasonable level, which is around the seven per cent mark. The other part to the member’s question is whether I am aware of the per capita level of debt. Of course I am. Mr E.S. Ripper : That was not the question. That was a statement of fact. Mr C.C. PORTER : So I am not allowed to talk about the opposition’s statements of fact! Would the Leader of the Opposition like to draft the answers for his shadow Treasurer as well as the questions? He does well by the member for Midland! Mr E.S. Ripper : I would like you to get on with it. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You haven’t answered a single question yet! Mr C.C. PORTER : I am addressing directly the parts of the question that were meant to assert some kind of problem on this side of the house. Mrs M.H. Roberts : I would like an answer to the question. Question (1) was about net debt: when will it peak and how much will it be? The Treasurer keeps asserting that other things are question (1)—they aren’t! Mr C.C. PORTER : Let me ask the member a question: when did Labor show a net debt peak in its last budget? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Please answer a question! Why the hell would I answer a question from you when you haven’t answered one of mine? The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I formally call you to order for the first time today. Can I provide this instruction to the house once more: if members want questions answered, sometimes they have to listen to the answer and stop interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : The second statement that was made, which I will take just a bit of time to answer, was that per capita debt is high in WA. That is one measure. The other measure is looking at debt in terms of the known statistical ability to pay it, which is the size of the economy. The fact is that when we look, for instance, at the level of debt in Western Australia and Victoria and use that as a measure of the size of the economy, we find that we have a comparable figure. What is interesting is that Victoria has a $53 billion economy, and Western Australia, which has far fewer people, has a $42.2 billion economy. It is no wonder that the government is willing to have debt at levels which are responsible but which also allow for infrastructure development; it is because our economy is growing and our economy requires infrastructure investment. Am I aware of the per capita debt level? Yes, I am. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : The third part of member’s question related to the road trauma trust fund. The $300 million will show as expenditure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : How big is the economy in Western Australia? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s questions. The third part of her question was about the RTTF. That will be shown as expenditure when it is approved by cabinet. The member would have heard that in the second reading speech from the Minister for Police today. The difference in that system from the one that was maintained by the Labor government is that now all the decisions about the RTTF will be approved fulsomely by cabinet. In my view, that is a very good system, and is far superior to the one that the Labor government had in place. That is when that expenditure will show. I forget the final part of the member’s question because it was so long ago. Did the member cite the figure of $1.1 billion? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
Mrs M.H. Roberts : Are you going to answer the questions that I asked? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s question. The question had three parts and the first part was about expenses growth. If we look at that year, we can both take responsibility for the level of expenses growth, which was clearly too high. If we look at the last four years of Labor — Mr E.S. Ripper : Why should we take responsibility for your midyear review decisions in late 2008? That is what blew the budget. Mr C.C. PORTER : The Leader of the Opposition’s shadow Treasurer has asked a question. Part (1) was about expenses growth. Mrs M.H. Roberts : No, it was about net debt! Mr C.C. PORTER : The member for Midland cited a figure. That figure was meant to show that our expenses growth record is worse than Labor’s was. I am taking the opportunity to inform the house that the expenses growth might be too high, but it is exactly comparable with the expenses growth that was experienced by the Labor government, and ours is on the downward trajectory. Let us take out 2008–09. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is when you blew the budget, so let us take it out! Mr C.C. PORTER : I will explain it both ways for the Leader of the Opposition. If we take out 2008–09, what we had over the last four years of the Labor government was 8.75 per cent expenses growth. In 2011–12 this government predicted 11.79 per cent, so we will be doing better over the coming year. We have done some very hard work on what the Labor government did! If we share the responsibility for 2008–09, which I think is a fair representation, expenses growth was too high. Both sides share responsibility for that. For the three years before 2008–09, expenses growth was 10.76 per cent. For the three years after 2008–09, it was 10.93 per cent. They are very similar figures. I would accept that 10.93 per cent is too high, just as 10.76 per cent is too high. That is why the government has engaged in savings initiatives and why it is working hard to get that expenses growth back down to a reasonable level, which is around the seven per cent mark. The other part to the member’s question is whether I am aware of the per capita level of debt. Of course I am. Mr E.S. Ripper : That was not the question. That was a statement of fact. Mr C.C. PORTER : So I am not allowed to talk about the opposition’s statements of fact! Would the Leader of the Opposition like to draft the answers for his shadow Treasurer as well as the questions? He does well by the member for Midland! Mr E.S. Ripper : I would like you to get on with it. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You haven’t answered a single question yet! Mr C.C. PORTER : I am addressing directly the parts of the question that were meant to assert some kind of problem on this side of the house. Mrs M.H. Roberts : I would like an answer to the question. Question (1) was about net debt: when will it peak and how much will it be? The Treasurer keeps asserting that other things are question (1)—they aren’t! Mr C.C. PORTER : Let me ask the member a question: when did Labor show a net debt peak in its last budget? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Please answer a question! Why the hell would I answer a question from you when you haven’t answered one of mine? The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I formally call you to order for the first time today. Can I provide this instruction to the house once more: if members want questions answered, sometimes they have to listen to the answer and stop interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : The second statement that was made, which I will take just a bit of time to answer, was that per capita debt is high in WA. That is one measure. The other measure is looking at debt in terms of the known statistical ability to pay it, which is the size of the economy. The fact is that when we look, for instance, at the level of debt in Western Australia and Victoria and use that as a measure of the size of the economy, we find that we have a comparable figure. What is interesting is that Victoria has a $53 billion economy, and Western Australia, which has far fewer people, has a $42.2 billion economy. It is no wonder that the government is willing to have debt at levels which are responsible but which also allow for infrastructure development; it is because our economy is growing and our economy requires infrastructure investment. Am I aware of the per capita debt level? Yes, I am. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : The third part of member’s question related to the road trauma trust fund. The $300 million will show as expenditure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : How big is the economy in Western Australia? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s questions. The third part of her question was about the RTTF. That will be shown as expenditure when it is approved by cabinet. The member would have heard that in the second reading speech from the Minister for Police today. The difference in that system from the one that was maintained by the Labor government is that now all the decisions about the RTTF will be approved fulsomely by cabinet. In my view, that is a very good system, and is far superior to the one that the Labor government had in place. That is when that expenditure will show. I forget the final part of the member’s question because it was so long ago. Did the member cite the figure of $1.1 billion? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s question. The question had three parts and the first part was about expenses growth. If we look at that year, we can both take responsibility for the level of expenses growth, which was clearly too high. If we look at the last four years of Labor — Mr E.S. Ripper : Why should we take responsibility for your midyear review decisions in late 2008? That is what blew the budget. Mr C.C. PORTER : The Leader of the Opposition’s shadow Treasurer has asked a question. Part (1) was about expenses growth. Mrs M.H. Roberts : No, it was about net debt! Mr C.C. PORTER : The member for Midland cited a figure. That figure was meant to show that our expenses growth record is worse than Labor’s was. I am taking the opportunity to inform the house that the expenses growth might be too high, but it is exactly comparable with the expenses growth that was experienced by the Labor government, and ours is on the downward trajectory. Let us take out 2008–09. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is when you blew the budget, so let us take it out! Mr C.C. PORTER : I will explain it both ways for the Leader of the Opposition. If we take out 2008–09, what we had over the last four years of the Labor government was 8.75 per cent expenses growth. In 2011–12 this government predicted 11.79 per cent, so we will be doing better over the coming year. We have done some very hard work on what the Labor government did! If we share the responsibility for 2008–09, which I think is a fair representation, expenses growth was too high. Both sides share responsibility for that. For the three years before 2008–09, expenses growth was 10.76 per cent. For the three years after 2008–09, it was 10.93 per cent. They are very similar figures. I would accept that 10.93 per cent is too high, just as 10.76 per cent is too high. That is why the government has engaged in savings initiatives and why it is working hard to get that expenses growth back down to a reasonable level, which is around the seven per cent mark. The other part to the member’s question is whether I am aware of the per capita level of debt. Of course I am. Mr E.S. Ripper : That was not the question. That was a statement of fact. Mr C.C. PORTER : So I am not allowed to talk about the opposition’s statements of fact! Would the Leader of the Opposition like to draft the answers for his shadow Treasurer as well as the questions? He does well by the member for Midland! Mr E.S. Ripper : I would like you to get on with it. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You haven’t answered a single question yet! Mr C.C. PORTER : I am addressing directly the parts of the question that were meant to assert some kind of problem on this side of the house. Mrs M.H. Roberts : I would like an answer to the question. Question (1) was about net debt: when will it peak and how much will it be? The Treasurer keeps asserting that other things are question (1)—they aren’t! Mr C.C. PORTER : Let me ask the member a question: when did Labor show a net debt peak in its last budget? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Please answer a question! Why the hell would I answer a question from you when you haven’t answered one of mine? The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I formally call you to order for the first time today. Can I provide this instruction to the house once more: if members want questions answered, sometimes they have to listen to the answer and stop interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : The second statement that was made, which I will take just a bit of time to answer, was that per capita debt is high in WA. That is one measure. The other measure is looking at debt in terms of the known statistical ability to pay it, which is the size of the economy. The fact is that when we look, for instance, at the level of debt in Western Australia and Victoria and use that as a measure of the size of the economy, we find that we have a comparable figure. What is interesting is that Victoria has a $53 billion economy, and Western Australia, which has far fewer people, has a $42.2 billion economy. It is no wonder that the government is willing to have debt at levels which are responsible but which also allow for infrastructure development; it is because our economy is growing and our economy requires infrastructure investment. Am I aware of the per capita debt level? Yes, I am. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : The third part of member’s question related to the road trauma trust fund. The $300 million will show as expenditure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : How big is the economy in Western Australia? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s questions. The third part of her question was about the RTTF. That will be shown as expenditure when it is approved by cabinet. The member would have heard that in the second reading speech from the Minister for Police today. The difference in that system from the one that was maintained by the Labor government is that now all the decisions about the RTTF will be approved fulsomely by cabinet. In my view, that is a very good system, and is far superior to the one that the Labor government had in place. That is when that expenditure will show. I forget the final part of the member’s question because it was so long ago. Did the member cite the figure of $1.1 billion? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
Mr E.S. Ripper : Why should we take responsibility for your midyear review decisions in late 2008? That is what blew the budget. Mr C.C. PORTER : The Leader of the Opposition’s shadow Treasurer has asked a question. Part (1) was about expenses growth. Mrs M.H. Roberts : No, it was about net debt! Mr C.C. PORTER : The member for Midland cited a figure. That figure was meant to show that our expenses growth record is worse than Labor’s was. I am taking the opportunity to inform the house that the expenses growth might be too high, but it is exactly comparable with the expenses growth that was experienced by the Labor government, and ours is on the downward trajectory. Let us take out 2008–09. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is when you blew the budget, so let us take it out! Mr C.C. PORTER : I will explain it both ways for the Leader of the Opposition. If we take out 2008–09, what we had over the last four years of the Labor government was 8.75 per cent expenses growth. In 2011–12 this government predicted 11.79 per cent, so we will be doing better over the coming year. We have done some very hard work on what the Labor government did! If we share the responsibility for 2008–09, which I think is a fair representation, expenses growth was too high. Both sides share responsibility for that. For the three years before 2008–09, expenses growth was 10.76 per cent. For the three years after 2008–09, it was 10.93 per cent. They are very similar figures. I would accept that 10.93 per cent is too high, just as 10.76 per cent is too high. That is why the government has engaged in savings initiatives and why it is working hard to get that expenses growth back down to a reasonable level, which is around the seven per cent mark. The other part to the member’s question is whether I am aware of the per capita level of debt. Of course I am. Mr E.S. Ripper : That was not the question. That was a statement of fact. Mr C.C. PORTER : So I am not allowed to talk about the opposition’s statements of fact! Would the Leader of the Opposition like to draft the answers for his shadow Treasurer as well as the questions? He does well by the member for Midland! Mr E.S. Ripper : I would like you to get on with it. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You haven’t answered a single question yet! Mr C.C. PORTER : I am addressing directly the parts of the question that were meant to assert some kind of problem on this side of the house. Mrs M.H. Roberts : I would like an answer to the question. Question (1) was about net debt: when will it peak and how much will it be? The Treasurer keeps asserting that other things are question (1)—they aren’t! Mr C.C. PORTER : Let me ask the member a question: when did Labor show a net debt peak in its last budget? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Please answer a question! Why the hell would I answer a question from you when you haven’t answered one of mine? The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I formally call you to order for the first time today. Can I provide this instruction to the house once more: if members want questions answered, sometimes they have to listen to the answer and stop interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : The second statement that was made, which I will take just a bit of time to answer, was that per capita debt is high in WA. That is one measure. The other measure is looking at debt in terms of the known statistical ability to pay it, which is the size of the economy. The fact is that when we look, for instance, at the level of debt in Western Australia and Victoria and use that as a measure of the size of the economy, we find that we have a comparable figure. What is interesting is that Victoria has a $53 billion economy, and Western Australia, which has far fewer people, has a $42.2 billion economy. It is no wonder that the government is willing to have debt at levels which are responsible but which also allow for infrastructure development; it is because our economy is growing and our economy requires infrastructure investment. Am I aware of the per capita debt level? Yes, I am. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : The third part of member’s question related to the road trauma trust fund. The $300 million will show as expenditure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : How big is the economy in Western Australia? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s questions. The third part of her question was about the RTTF. That will be shown as expenditure when it is approved by cabinet. The member would have heard that in the second reading speech from the Minister for Police today. The difference in that system from the one that was maintained by the Labor government is that now all the decisions about the RTTF will be approved fulsomely by cabinet. In my view, that is a very good system, and is far superior to the one that the Labor government had in place. That is when that expenditure will show. I forget the final part of the member’s question because it was so long ago. Did the member cite the figure of $1.1 billion? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
Mr C.C. PORTER : The Leader of the Opposition’s shadow Treasurer has asked a question. Part (1) was about expenses growth. Mrs M.H. Roberts : No, it was about net debt! Mr C.C. PORTER : The member for Midland cited a figure. That figure was meant to show that our expenses growth record is worse than Labor’s was. I am taking the opportunity to inform the house that the expenses growth might be too high, but it is exactly comparable with the expenses growth that was experienced by the Labor government, and ours is on the downward trajectory. Let us take out 2008–09. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is when you blew the budget, so let us take it out! Mr C.C. PORTER : I will explain it both ways for the Leader of the Opposition. If we take out 2008–09, what we had over the last four years of the Labor government was 8.75 per cent expenses growth. In 2011–12 this government predicted 11.79 per cent, so we will be doing better over the coming year. We have done some very hard work on what the Labor government did! If we share the responsibility for 2008–09, which I think is a fair representation, expenses growth was too high. Both sides share responsibility for that. For the three years before 2008–09, expenses growth was 10.76 per cent. For the three years after 2008–09, it was 10.93 per cent. They are very similar figures. I would accept that 10.93 per cent is too high, just as 10.76 per cent is too high. That is why the government has engaged in savings initiatives and why it is working hard to get that expenses growth back down to a reasonable level, which is around the seven per cent mark. The other part to the member’s question is whether I am aware of the per capita level of debt. Of course I am. Mr E.S. Ripper : That was not the question. That was a statement of fact. Mr C.C. PORTER : So I am not allowed to talk about the opposition’s statements of fact! Would the Leader of the Opposition like to draft the answers for his shadow Treasurer as well as the questions? He does well by the member for Midland! Mr E.S. Ripper : I would like you to get on with it. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You haven’t answered a single question yet! Mr C.C. PORTER : I am addressing directly the parts of the question that were meant to assert some kind of problem on this side of the house. Mrs M.H. Roberts : I would like an answer to the question. Question (1) was about net debt: when will it peak and how much will it be? The Treasurer keeps asserting that other things are question (1)—they aren’t! Mr C.C. PORTER : Let me ask the member a question: when did Labor show a net debt peak in its last budget? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Please answer a question! Why the hell would I answer a question from you when you haven’t answered one of mine? The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I formally call you to order for the first time today. Can I provide this instruction to the house once more: if members want questions answered, sometimes they have to listen to the answer and stop interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : The second statement that was made, which I will take just a bit of time to answer, was that per capita debt is high in WA. That is one measure. The other measure is looking at debt in terms of the known statistical ability to pay it, which is the size of the economy. The fact is that when we look, for instance, at the level of debt in Western Australia and Victoria and use that as a measure of the size of the economy, we find that we have a comparable figure. What is interesting is that Victoria has a $53 billion economy, and Western Australia, which has far fewer people, has a $42.2 billion economy. It is no wonder that the government is willing to have debt at levels which are responsible but which also allow for infrastructure development; it is because our economy is growing and our economy requires infrastructure investment. Am I aware of the per capita debt level? Yes, I am. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : The third part of member’s question related to the road trauma trust fund. The $300 million will show as expenditure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : How big is the economy in Western Australia? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s questions. The third part of her question was about the RTTF. That will be shown as expenditure when it is approved by cabinet. The member would have heard that in the second reading speech from the Minister for Police today. The difference in that system from the one that was maintained by the Labor government is that now all the decisions about the RTTF will be approved fulsomely by cabinet. In my view, that is a very good system, and is far superior to the one that the Labor government had in place. That is when that expenditure will show. I forget the final part of the member’s question because it was so long ago. Did the member cite the figure of $1.1 billion? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
Mrs M.H. Roberts : No, it was about net debt! Mr C.C. PORTER : The member for Midland cited a figure. That figure was meant to show that our expenses growth record is worse than Labor’s was. I am taking the opportunity to inform the house that the expenses growth might be too high, but it is exactly comparable with the expenses growth that was experienced by the Labor government, and ours is on the downward trajectory. Let us take out 2008–09. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is when you blew the budget, so let us take it out! Mr C.C. PORTER : I will explain it both ways for the Leader of the Opposition. If we take out 2008–09, what we had over the last four years of the Labor government was 8.75 per cent expenses growth. In 2011–12 this government predicted 11.79 per cent, so we will be doing better over the coming year. We have done some very hard work on what the Labor government did! If we share the responsibility for 2008–09, which I think is a fair representation, expenses growth was too high. Both sides share responsibility for that. For the three years before 2008–09, expenses growth was 10.76 per cent. For the three years after 2008–09, it was 10.93 per cent. They are very similar figures. I would accept that 10.93 per cent is too high, just as 10.76 per cent is too high. That is why the government has engaged in savings initiatives and why it is working hard to get that expenses growth back down to a reasonable level, which is around the seven per cent mark. The other part to the member’s question is whether I am aware of the per capita level of debt. Of course I am. Mr E.S. Ripper : That was not the question. That was a statement of fact. Mr C.C. PORTER : So I am not allowed to talk about the opposition’s statements of fact! Would the Leader of the Opposition like to draft the answers for his shadow Treasurer as well as the questions? He does well by the member for Midland! Mr E.S. Ripper : I would like you to get on with it. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You haven’t answered a single question yet! Mr C.C. PORTER : I am addressing directly the parts of the question that were meant to assert some kind of problem on this side of the house. Mrs M.H. Roberts : I would like an answer to the question. Question (1) was about net debt: when will it peak and how much will it be? The Treasurer keeps asserting that other things are question (1)—they aren’t! Mr C.C. PORTER : Let me ask the member a question: when did Labor show a net debt peak in its last budget? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Please answer a question! Why the hell would I answer a question from you when you haven’t answered one of mine? The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I formally call you to order for the first time today. Can I provide this instruction to the house once more: if members want questions answered, sometimes they have to listen to the answer and stop interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : The second statement that was made, which I will take just a bit of time to answer, was that per capita debt is high in WA. That is one measure. The other measure is looking at debt in terms of the known statistical ability to pay it, which is the size of the economy. The fact is that when we look, for instance, at the level of debt in Western Australia and Victoria and use that as a measure of the size of the economy, we find that we have a comparable figure. What is interesting is that Victoria has a $53 billion economy, and Western Australia, which has far fewer people, has a $42.2 billion economy. It is no wonder that the government is willing to have debt at levels which are responsible but which also allow for infrastructure development; it is because our economy is growing and our economy requires infrastructure investment. Am I aware of the per capita debt level? Yes, I am. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : The third part of member’s question related to the road trauma trust fund. The $300 million will show as expenditure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : How big is the economy in Western Australia? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s questions. The third part of her question was about the RTTF. That will be shown as expenditure when it is approved by cabinet. The member would have heard that in the second reading speech from the Minister for Police today. The difference in that system from the one that was maintained by the Labor government is that now all the decisions about the RTTF will be approved fulsomely by cabinet. In my view, that is a very good system, and is far superior to the one that the Labor government had in place. That is when that expenditure will show. I forget the final part of the member’s question because it was so long ago. Did the member cite the figure of $1.1 billion? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
Mr C.C. PORTER : The member for Midland cited a figure. That figure was meant to show that our expenses growth record is worse than Labor’s was. I am taking the opportunity to inform the house that the expenses growth might be too high, but it is exactly comparable with the expenses growth that was experienced by the Labor government, and ours is on the downward trajectory. Let us take out 2008–09. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is when you blew the budget, so let us take it out! Mr C.C. PORTER : I will explain it both ways for the Leader of the Opposition. If we take out 2008–09, what we had over the last four years of the Labor government was 8.75 per cent expenses growth. In 2011–12 this government predicted 11.79 per cent, so we will be doing better over the coming year. We have done some very hard work on what the Labor government did! If we share the responsibility for 2008–09, which I think is a fair representation, expenses growth was too high. Both sides share responsibility for that. For the three years before 2008–09, expenses growth was 10.76 per cent. For the three years after 2008–09, it was 10.93 per cent. They are very similar figures. I would accept that 10.93 per cent is too high, just as 10.76 per cent is too high. That is why the government has engaged in savings initiatives and why it is working hard to get that expenses growth back down to a reasonable level, which is around the seven per cent mark. The other part to the member’s question is whether I am aware of the per capita level of debt. Of course I am. Mr E.S. Ripper : That was not the question. That was a statement of fact. Mr C.C. PORTER : So I am not allowed to talk about the opposition’s statements of fact! Would the Leader of the Opposition like to draft the answers for his shadow Treasurer as well as the questions? He does well by the member for Midland! Mr E.S. Ripper : I would like you to get on with it. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You haven’t answered a single question yet! Mr C.C. PORTER : I am addressing directly the parts of the question that were meant to assert some kind of problem on this side of the house. Mrs M.H. Roberts : I would like an answer to the question. Question (1) was about net debt: when will it peak and how much will it be? The Treasurer keeps asserting that other things are question (1)—they aren’t! Mr C.C. PORTER : Let me ask the member a question: when did Labor show a net debt peak in its last budget? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Please answer a question! Why the hell would I answer a question from you when you haven’t answered one of mine? The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I formally call you to order for the first time today. Can I provide this instruction to the house once more: if members want questions answered, sometimes they have to listen to the answer and stop interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : The second statement that was made, which I will take just a bit of time to answer, was that per capita debt is high in WA. That is one measure. The other measure is looking at debt in terms of the known statistical ability to pay it, which is the size of the economy. The fact is that when we look, for instance, at the level of debt in Western Australia and Victoria and use that as a measure of the size of the economy, we find that we have a comparable figure. What is interesting is that Victoria has a $53 billion economy, and Western Australia, which has far fewer people, has a $42.2 billion economy. It is no wonder that the government is willing to have debt at levels which are responsible but which also allow for infrastructure development; it is because our economy is growing and our economy requires infrastructure investment. Am I aware of the per capita debt level? Yes, I am. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : The third part of member’s question related to the road trauma trust fund. The $300 million will show as expenditure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : How big is the economy in Western Australia? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s questions. The third part of her question was about the RTTF. That will be shown as expenditure when it is approved by cabinet. The member would have heard that in the second reading speech from the Minister for Police today. The difference in that system from the one that was maintained by the Labor government is that now all the decisions about the RTTF will be approved fulsomely by cabinet. In my view, that is a very good system, and is far superior to the one that the Labor government had in place. That is when that expenditure will show. I forget the final part of the member’s question because it was so long ago. Did the member cite the figure of $1.1 billion? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
Mr E.S. Ripper : That is when you blew the budget, so let us take it out! Mr C.C. PORTER : I will explain it both ways for the Leader of the Opposition. If we take out 2008–09, what we had over the last four years of the Labor government was 8.75 per cent expenses growth. In 2011–12 this government predicted 11.79 per cent, so we will be doing better over the coming year. We have done some very hard work on what the Labor government did! If we share the responsibility for 2008–09, which I think is a fair representation, expenses growth was too high. Both sides share responsibility for that. For the three years before 2008–09, expenses growth was 10.76 per cent. For the three years after 2008–09, it was 10.93 per cent. They are very similar figures. I would accept that 10.93 per cent is too high, just as 10.76 per cent is too high. That is why the government has engaged in savings initiatives and why it is working hard to get that expenses growth back down to a reasonable level, which is around the seven per cent mark. The other part to the member’s question is whether I am aware of the per capita level of debt. Of course I am. Mr E.S. Ripper : That was not the question. That was a statement of fact. Mr C.C. PORTER : So I am not allowed to talk about the opposition’s statements of fact! Would the Leader of the Opposition like to draft the answers for his shadow Treasurer as well as the questions? He does well by the member for Midland! Mr E.S. Ripper : I would like you to get on with it. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You haven’t answered a single question yet! Mr C.C. PORTER : I am addressing directly the parts of the question that were meant to assert some kind of problem on this side of the house. Mrs M.H. Roberts : I would like an answer to the question. Question (1) was about net debt: when will it peak and how much will it be? The Treasurer keeps asserting that other things are question (1)—they aren’t! Mr C.C. PORTER : Let me ask the member a question: when did Labor show a net debt peak in its last budget? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Please answer a question! Why the hell would I answer a question from you when you haven’t answered one of mine? The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I formally call you to order for the first time today. Can I provide this instruction to the house once more: if members want questions answered, sometimes they have to listen to the answer and stop interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : The second statement that was made, which I will take just a bit of time to answer, was that per capita debt is high in WA. That is one measure. The other measure is looking at debt in terms of the known statistical ability to pay it, which is the size of the economy. The fact is that when we look, for instance, at the level of debt in Western Australia and Victoria and use that as a measure of the size of the economy, we find that we have a comparable figure. What is interesting is that Victoria has a $53 billion economy, and Western Australia, which has far fewer people, has a $42.2 billion economy. It is no wonder that the government is willing to have debt at levels which are responsible but which also allow for infrastructure development; it is because our economy is growing and our economy requires infrastructure investment. Am I aware of the per capita debt level? Yes, I am. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : The third part of member’s question related to the road trauma trust fund. The $300 million will show as expenditure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : How big is the economy in Western Australia? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s questions. The third part of her question was about the RTTF. That will be shown as expenditure when it is approved by cabinet. The member would have heard that in the second reading speech from the Minister for Police today. The difference in that system from the one that was maintained by the Labor government is that now all the decisions about the RTTF will be approved fulsomely by cabinet. In my view, that is a very good system, and is far superior to the one that the Labor government had in place. That is when that expenditure will show. I forget the final part of the member’s question because it was so long ago. Did the member cite the figure of $1.1 billion? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
Mr C.C. PORTER : I will explain it both ways for the Leader of the Opposition. If we take out 2008–09, what we had over the last four years of the Labor government was 8.75 per cent expenses growth. In 2011–12 this government predicted 11.79 per cent, so we will be doing better over the coming year. We have done some very hard work on what the Labor government did! If we share the responsibility for 2008–09, which I think is a fair representation, expenses growth was too high. Both sides share responsibility for that. For the three years before 2008–09, expenses growth was 10.76 per cent. For the three years after 2008–09, it was 10.93 per cent. They are very similar figures. I would accept that 10.93 per cent is too high, just as 10.76 per cent is too high. That is why the government has engaged in savings initiatives and why it is working hard to get that expenses growth back down to a reasonable level, which is around the seven per cent mark. The other part to the member’s question is whether I am aware of the per capita level of debt. Of course I am. Mr E.S. Ripper : That was not the question. That was a statement of fact. Mr C.C. PORTER : So I am not allowed to talk about the opposition’s statements of fact! Would the Leader of the Opposition like to draft the answers for his shadow Treasurer as well as the questions? He does well by the member for Midland! Mr E.S. Ripper : I would like you to get on with it. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You haven’t answered a single question yet! Mr C.C. PORTER : I am addressing directly the parts of the question that were meant to assert some kind of problem on this side of the house. Mrs M.H. Roberts : I would like an answer to the question. Question (1) was about net debt: when will it peak and how much will it be? The Treasurer keeps asserting that other things are question (1)—they aren’t! Mr C.C. PORTER : Let me ask the member a question: when did Labor show a net debt peak in its last budget? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Please answer a question! Why the hell would I answer a question from you when you haven’t answered one of mine? The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I formally call you to order for the first time today. Can I provide this instruction to the house once more: if members want questions answered, sometimes they have to listen to the answer and stop interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : The second statement that was made, which I will take just a bit of time to answer, was that per capita debt is high in WA. That is one measure. The other measure is looking at debt in terms of the known statistical ability to pay it, which is the size of the economy. The fact is that when we look, for instance, at the level of debt in Western Australia and Victoria and use that as a measure of the size of the economy, we find that we have a comparable figure. What is interesting is that Victoria has a $53 billion economy, and Western Australia, which has far fewer people, has a $42.2 billion economy. It is no wonder that the government is willing to have debt at levels which are responsible but which also allow for infrastructure development; it is because our economy is growing and our economy requires infrastructure investment. Am I aware of the per capita debt level? Yes, I am. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : The third part of member’s question related to the road trauma trust fund. The $300 million will show as expenditure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : How big is the economy in Western Australia? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s questions. The third part of her question was about the RTTF. That will be shown as expenditure when it is approved by cabinet. The member would have heard that in the second reading speech from the Minister for Police today. The difference in that system from the one that was maintained by the Labor government is that now all the decisions about the RTTF will be approved fulsomely by cabinet. In my view, that is a very good system, and is far superior to the one that the Labor government had in place. That is when that expenditure will show. I forget the final part of the member’s question because it was so long ago. Did the member cite the figure of $1.1 billion? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
The other part to the member’s question is whether I am aware of the per capita level of debt. Of course I am. Mr E.S. Ripper : That was not the question. That was a statement of fact. Mr C.C. PORTER : So I am not allowed to talk about the opposition’s statements of fact! Would the Leader of the Opposition like to draft the answers for his shadow Treasurer as well as the questions? He does well by the member for Midland! Mr E.S. Ripper : I would like you to get on with it. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You haven’t answered a single question yet! Mr C.C. PORTER : I am addressing directly the parts of the question that were meant to assert some kind of problem on this side of the house. Mrs M.H. Roberts : I would like an answer to the question. Question (1) was about net debt: when will it peak and how much will it be? The Treasurer keeps asserting that other things are question (1)—they aren’t! Mr C.C. PORTER : Let me ask the member a question: when did Labor show a net debt peak in its last budget? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Please answer a question! Why the hell would I answer a question from you when you haven’t answered one of mine? The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I formally call you to order for the first time today. Can I provide this instruction to the house once more: if members want questions answered, sometimes they have to listen to the answer and stop interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : The second statement that was made, which I will take just a bit of time to answer, was that per capita debt is high in WA. That is one measure. The other measure is looking at debt in terms of the known statistical ability to pay it, which is the size of the economy. The fact is that when we look, for instance, at the level of debt in Western Australia and Victoria and use that as a measure of the size of the economy, we find that we have a comparable figure. What is interesting is that Victoria has a $53 billion economy, and Western Australia, which has far fewer people, has a $42.2 billion economy. It is no wonder that the government is willing to have debt at levels which are responsible but which also allow for infrastructure development; it is because our economy is growing and our economy requires infrastructure investment. Am I aware of the per capita debt level? Yes, I am. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : The third part of member’s question related to the road trauma trust fund. The $300 million will show as expenditure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : How big is the economy in Western Australia? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s questions. The third part of her question was about the RTTF. That will be shown as expenditure when it is approved by cabinet. The member would have heard that in the second reading speech from the Minister for Police today. The difference in that system from the one that was maintained by the Labor government is that now all the decisions about the RTTF will be approved fulsomely by cabinet. In my view, that is a very good system, and is far superior to the one that the Labor government had in place. That is when that expenditure will show. I forget the final part of the member’s question because it was so long ago. Did the member cite the figure of $1.1 billion? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
Mr E.S. Ripper : That was not the question. That was a statement of fact. Mr C.C. PORTER : So I am not allowed to talk about the opposition’s statements of fact! Would the Leader of the Opposition like to draft the answers for his shadow Treasurer as well as the questions? He does well by the member for Midland! Mr E.S. Ripper : I would like you to get on with it. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You haven’t answered a single question yet! Mr C.C. PORTER : I am addressing directly the parts of the question that were meant to assert some kind of problem on this side of the house. Mrs M.H. Roberts : I would like an answer to the question. Question (1) was about net debt: when will it peak and how much will it be? The Treasurer keeps asserting that other things are question (1)—they aren’t! Mr C.C. PORTER : Let me ask the member a question: when did Labor show a net debt peak in its last budget? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Please answer a question! Why the hell would I answer a question from you when you haven’t answered one of mine? The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I formally call you to order for the first time today. Can I provide this instruction to the house once more: if members want questions answered, sometimes they have to listen to the answer and stop interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : The second statement that was made, which I will take just a bit of time to answer, was that per capita debt is high in WA. That is one measure. The other measure is looking at debt in terms of the known statistical ability to pay it, which is the size of the economy. The fact is that when we look, for instance, at the level of debt in Western Australia and Victoria and use that as a measure of the size of the economy, we find that we have a comparable figure. What is interesting is that Victoria has a $53 billion economy, and Western Australia, which has far fewer people, has a $42.2 billion economy. It is no wonder that the government is willing to have debt at levels which are responsible but which also allow for infrastructure development; it is because our economy is growing and our economy requires infrastructure investment. Am I aware of the per capita debt level? Yes, I am. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : The third part of member’s question related to the road trauma trust fund. The $300 million will show as expenditure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : How big is the economy in Western Australia? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s questions. The third part of her question was about the RTTF. That will be shown as expenditure when it is approved by cabinet. The member would have heard that in the second reading speech from the Minister for Police today. The difference in that system from the one that was maintained by the Labor government is that now all the decisions about the RTTF will be approved fulsomely by cabinet. In my view, that is a very good system, and is far superior to the one that the Labor government had in place. That is when that expenditure will show. I forget the final part of the member’s question because it was so long ago. Did the member cite the figure of $1.1 billion? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
Mr C.C. PORTER : So I am not allowed to talk about the opposition’s statements of fact! Would the Leader of the Opposition like to draft the answers for his shadow Treasurer as well as the questions? He does well by the member for Midland! Mr E.S. Ripper : I would like you to get on with it. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You haven’t answered a single question yet! Mr C.C. PORTER : I am addressing directly the parts of the question that were meant to assert some kind of problem on this side of the house. Mrs M.H. Roberts : I would like an answer to the question. Question (1) was about net debt: when will it peak and how much will it be? The Treasurer keeps asserting that other things are question (1)—they aren’t! Mr C.C. PORTER : Let me ask the member a question: when did Labor show a net debt peak in its last budget? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Please answer a question! Why the hell would I answer a question from you when you haven’t answered one of mine? The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I formally call you to order for the first time today. Can I provide this instruction to the house once more: if members want questions answered, sometimes they have to listen to the answer and stop interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : The second statement that was made, which I will take just a bit of time to answer, was that per capita debt is high in WA. That is one measure. The other measure is looking at debt in terms of the known statistical ability to pay it, which is the size of the economy. The fact is that when we look, for instance, at the level of debt in Western Australia and Victoria and use that as a measure of the size of the economy, we find that we have a comparable figure. What is interesting is that Victoria has a $53 billion economy, and Western Australia, which has far fewer people, has a $42.2 billion economy. It is no wonder that the government is willing to have debt at levels which are responsible but which also allow for infrastructure development; it is because our economy is growing and our economy requires infrastructure investment. Am I aware of the per capita debt level? Yes, I am. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : The third part of member’s question related to the road trauma trust fund. The $300 million will show as expenditure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : How big is the economy in Western Australia? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s questions. The third part of her question was about the RTTF. That will be shown as expenditure when it is approved by cabinet. The member would have heard that in the second reading speech from the Minister for Police today. The difference in that system from the one that was maintained by the Labor government is that now all the decisions about the RTTF will be approved fulsomely by cabinet. In my view, that is a very good system, and is far superior to the one that the Labor government had in place. That is when that expenditure will show. I forget the final part of the member’s question because it was so long ago. Did the member cite the figure of $1.1 billion? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
Mr E.S. Ripper : I would like you to get on with it. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You haven’t answered a single question yet! Mr C.C. PORTER : I am addressing directly the parts of the question that were meant to assert some kind of problem on this side of the house. Mrs M.H. Roberts : I would like an answer to the question. Question (1) was about net debt: when will it peak and how much will it be? The Treasurer keeps asserting that other things are question (1)—they aren’t! Mr C.C. PORTER : Let me ask the member a question: when did Labor show a net debt peak in its last budget? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Please answer a question! Why the hell would I answer a question from you when you haven’t answered one of mine? The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I formally call you to order for the first time today. Can I provide this instruction to the house once more: if members want questions answered, sometimes they have to listen to the answer and stop interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : The second statement that was made, which I will take just a bit of time to answer, was that per capita debt is high in WA. That is one measure. The other measure is looking at debt in terms of the known statistical ability to pay it, which is the size of the economy. The fact is that when we look, for instance, at the level of debt in Western Australia and Victoria and use that as a measure of the size of the economy, we find that we have a comparable figure. What is interesting is that Victoria has a $53 billion economy, and Western Australia, which has far fewer people, has a $42.2 billion economy. It is no wonder that the government is willing to have debt at levels which are responsible but which also allow for infrastructure development; it is because our economy is growing and our economy requires infrastructure investment. Am I aware of the per capita debt level? Yes, I am. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : The third part of member’s question related to the road trauma trust fund. The $300 million will show as expenditure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : How big is the economy in Western Australia? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s questions. The third part of her question was about the RTTF. That will be shown as expenditure when it is approved by cabinet. The member would have heard that in the second reading speech from the Minister for Police today. The difference in that system from the one that was maintained by the Labor government is that now all the decisions about the RTTF will be approved fulsomely by cabinet. In my view, that is a very good system, and is far superior to the one that the Labor government had in place. That is when that expenditure will show. I forget the final part of the member’s question because it was so long ago. Did the member cite the figure of $1.1 billion? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
Mrs M.H. Roberts : You haven’t answered a single question yet! Mr C.C. PORTER : I am addressing directly the parts of the question that were meant to assert some kind of problem on this side of the house. Mrs M.H. Roberts : I would like an answer to the question. Question (1) was about net debt: when will it peak and how much will it be? The Treasurer keeps asserting that other things are question (1)—they aren’t! Mr C.C. PORTER : Let me ask the member a question: when did Labor show a net debt peak in its last budget? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Please answer a question! Why the hell would I answer a question from you when you haven’t answered one of mine? The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I formally call you to order for the first time today. Can I provide this instruction to the house once more: if members want questions answered, sometimes they have to listen to the answer and stop interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : The second statement that was made, which I will take just a bit of time to answer, was that per capita debt is high in WA. That is one measure. The other measure is looking at debt in terms of the known statistical ability to pay it, which is the size of the economy. The fact is that when we look, for instance, at the level of debt in Western Australia and Victoria and use that as a measure of the size of the economy, we find that we have a comparable figure. What is interesting is that Victoria has a $53 billion economy, and Western Australia, which has far fewer people, has a $42.2 billion economy. It is no wonder that the government is willing to have debt at levels which are responsible but which also allow for infrastructure development; it is because our economy is growing and our economy requires infrastructure investment. Am I aware of the per capita debt level? Yes, I am. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : The third part of member’s question related to the road trauma trust fund. The $300 million will show as expenditure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : How big is the economy in Western Australia? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s questions. The third part of her question was about the RTTF. That will be shown as expenditure when it is approved by cabinet. The member would have heard that in the second reading speech from the Minister for Police today. The difference in that system from the one that was maintained by the Labor government is that now all the decisions about the RTTF will be approved fulsomely by cabinet. In my view, that is a very good system, and is far superior to the one that the Labor government had in place. That is when that expenditure will show. I forget the final part of the member’s question because it was so long ago. Did the member cite the figure of $1.1 billion? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
Mr C.C. PORTER : I am addressing directly the parts of the question that were meant to assert some kind of problem on this side of the house. Mrs M.H. Roberts : I would like an answer to the question. Question (1) was about net debt: when will it peak and how much will it be? The Treasurer keeps asserting that other things are question (1)—they aren’t! Mr C.C. PORTER : Let me ask the member a question: when did Labor show a net debt peak in its last budget? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Please answer a question! Why the hell would I answer a question from you when you haven’t answered one of mine? The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I formally call you to order for the first time today. Can I provide this instruction to the house once more: if members want questions answered, sometimes they have to listen to the answer and stop interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : The second statement that was made, which I will take just a bit of time to answer, was that per capita debt is high in WA. That is one measure. The other measure is looking at debt in terms of the known statistical ability to pay it, which is the size of the economy. The fact is that when we look, for instance, at the level of debt in Western Australia and Victoria and use that as a measure of the size of the economy, we find that we have a comparable figure. What is interesting is that Victoria has a $53 billion economy, and Western Australia, which has far fewer people, has a $42.2 billion economy. It is no wonder that the government is willing to have debt at levels which are responsible but which also allow for infrastructure development; it is because our economy is growing and our economy requires infrastructure investment. Am I aware of the per capita debt level? Yes, I am. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : The third part of member’s question related to the road trauma trust fund. The $300 million will show as expenditure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : How big is the economy in Western Australia? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s questions. The third part of her question was about the RTTF. That will be shown as expenditure when it is approved by cabinet. The member would have heard that in the second reading speech from the Minister for Police today. The difference in that system from the one that was maintained by the Labor government is that now all the decisions about the RTTF will be approved fulsomely by cabinet. In my view, that is a very good system, and is far superior to the one that the Labor government had in place. That is when that expenditure will show. I forget the final part of the member’s question because it was so long ago. Did the member cite the figure of $1.1 billion? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
Mrs M.H. Roberts : I would like an answer to the question. Question (1) was about net debt: when will it peak and how much will it be? The Treasurer keeps asserting that other things are question (1)—they aren’t! Mr C.C. PORTER : Let me ask the member a question: when did Labor show a net debt peak in its last budget? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Please answer a question! Why the hell would I answer a question from you when you haven’t answered one of mine? The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I formally call you to order for the first time today. Can I provide this instruction to the house once more: if members want questions answered, sometimes they have to listen to the answer and stop interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : The second statement that was made, which I will take just a bit of time to answer, was that per capita debt is high in WA. That is one measure. The other measure is looking at debt in terms of the known statistical ability to pay it, which is the size of the economy. The fact is that when we look, for instance, at the level of debt in Western Australia and Victoria and use that as a measure of the size of the economy, we find that we have a comparable figure. What is interesting is that Victoria has a $53 billion economy, and Western Australia, which has far fewer people, has a $42.2 billion economy. It is no wonder that the government is willing to have debt at levels which are responsible but which also allow for infrastructure development; it is because our economy is growing and our economy requires infrastructure investment. Am I aware of the per capita debt level? Yes, I am. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : The third part of member’s question related to the road trauma trust fund. The $300 million will show as expenditure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : How big is the economy in Western Australia? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s questions. The third part of her question was about the RTTF. That will be shown as expenditure when it is approved by cabinet. The member would have heard that in the second reading speech from the Minister for Police today. The difference in that system from the one that was maintained by the Labor government is that now all the decisions about the RTTF will be approved fulsomely by cabinet. In my view, that is a very good system, and is far superior to the one that the Labor government had in place. That is when that expenditure will show. I forget the final part of the member’s question because it was so long ago. Did the member cite the figure of $1.1 billion? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
Mr C.C. PORTER : Let me ask the member a question: when did Labor show a net debt peak in its last budget? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Please answer a question! Why the hell would I answer a question from you when you haven’t answered one of mine? The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I formally call you to order for the first time today. Can I provide this instruction to the house once more: if members want questions answered, sometimes they have to listen to the answer and stop interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : The second statement that was made, which I will take just a bit of time to answer, was that per capita debt is high in WA. That is one measure. The other measure is looking at debt in terms of the known statistical ability to pay it, which is the size of the economy. The fact is that when we look, for instance, at the level of debt in Western Australia and Victoria and use that as a measure of the size of the economy, we find that we have a comparable figure. What is interesting is that Victoria has a $53 billion economy, and Western Australia, which has far fewer people, has a $42.2 billion economy. It is no wonder that the government is willing to have debt at levels which are responsible but which also allow for infrastructure development; it is because our economy is growing and our economy requires infrastructure investment. Am I aware of the per capita debt level? Yes, I am. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : The third part of member’s question related to the road trauma trust fund. The $300 million will show as expenditure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : How big is the economy in Western Australia? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s questions. The third part of her question was about the RTTF. That will be shown as expenditure when it is approved by cabinet. The member would have heard that in the second reading speech from the Minister for Police today. The difference in that system from the one that was maintained by the Labor government is that now all the decisions about the RTTF will be approved fulsomely by cabinet. In my view, that is a very good system, and is far superior to the one that the Labor government had in place. That is when that expenditure will show. I forget the final part of the member’s question because it was so long ago. Did the member cite the figure of $1.1 billion? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
Mrs M.H. Roberts : Please answer a question! Why the hell would I answer a question from you when you haven’t answered one of mine? The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I formally call you to order for the first time today. Can I provide this instruction to the house once more: if members want questions answered, sometimes they have to listen to the answer and stop interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : The second statement that was made, which I will take just a bit of time to answer, was that per capita debt is high in WA. That is one measure. The other measure is looking at debt in terms of the known statistical ability to pay it, which is the size of the economy. The fact is that when we look, for instance, at the level of debt in Western Australia and Victoria and use that as a measure of the size of the economy, we find that we have a comparable figure. What is interesting is that Victoria has a $53 billion economy, and Western Australia, which has far fewer people, has a $42.2 billion economy. It is no wonder that the government is willing to have debt at levels which are responsible but which also allow for infrastructure development; it is because our economy is growing and our economy requires infrastructure investment. Am I aware of the per capita debt level? Yes, I am. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : The third part of member’s question related to the road trauma trust fund. The $300 million will show as expenditure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : How big is the economy in Western Australia? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s questions. The third part of her question was about the RTTF. That will be shown as expenditure when it is approved by cabinet. The member would have heard that in the second reading speech from the Minister for Police today. The difference in that system from the one that was maintained by the Labor government is that now all the decisions about the RTTF will be approved fulsomely by cabinet. In my view, that is a very good system, and is far superior to the one that the Labor government had in place. That is when that expenditure will show. I forget the final part of the member’s question because it was so long ago. Did the member cite the figure of $1.1 billion? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I formally call you to order for the first time today. Can I provide this instruction to the house once more: if members want questions answered, sometimes they have to listen to the answer and stop interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : The second statement that was made, which I will take just a bit of time to answer, was that per capita debt is high in WA. That is one measure. The other measure is looking at debt in terms of the known statistical ability to pay it, which is the size of the economy. The fact is that when we look, for instance, at the level of debt in Western Australia and Victoria and use that as a measure of the size of the economy, we find that we have a comparable figure. What is interesting is that Victoria has a $53 billion economy, and Western Australia, which has far fewer people, has a $42.2 billion economy. It is no wonder that the government is willing to have debt at levels which are responsible but which also allow for infrastructure development; it is because our economy is growing and our economy requires infrastructure investment. Am I aware of the per capita debt level? Yes, I am. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : The third part of member’s question related to the road trauma trust fund. The $300 million will show as expenditure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : How big is the economy in Western Australia? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s questions. The third part of her question was about the RTTF. That will be shown as expenditure when it is approved by cabinet. The member would have heard that in the second reading speech from the Minister for Police today. The difference in that system from the one that was maintained by the Labor government is that now all the decisions about the RTTF will be approved fulsomely by cabinet. In my view, that is a very good system, and is far superior to the one that the Labor government had in place. That is when that expenditure will show. I forget the final part of the member’s question because it was so long ago. Did the member cite the figure of $1.1 billion? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
Mr C.C. PORTER : The second statement that was made, which I will take just a bit of time to answer, was that per capita debt is high in WA. That is one measure. The other measure is looking at debt in terms of the known statistical ability to pay it, which is the size of the economy. The fact is that when we look, for instance, at the level of debt in Western Australia and Victoria and use that as a measure of the size of the economy, we find that we have a comparable figure. What is interesting is that Victoria has a $53 billion economy, and Western Australia, which has far fewer people, has a $42.2 billion economy. It is no wonder that the government is willing to have debt at levels which are responsible but which also allow for infrastructure development; it is because our economy is growing and our economy requires infrastructure investment. Am I aware of the per capita debt level? Yes, I am. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : The third part of member’s question related to the road trauma trust fund. The $300 million will show as expenditure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : How big is the economy in Western Australia? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s questions. The third part of her question was about the RTTF. That will be shown as expenditure when it is approved by cabinet. The member would have heard that in the second reading speech from the Minister for Police today. The difference in that system from the one that was maintained by the Labor government is that now all the decisions about the RTTF will be approved fulsomely by cabinet. In my view, that is a very good system, and is far superior to the one that the Labor government had in place. That is when that expenditure will show. I forget the final part of the member’s question because it was so long ago. Did the member cite the figure of $1.1 billion? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : The third part of member’s question related to the road trauma trust fund. The $300 million will show as expenditure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : How big is the economy in Western Australia? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s questions. The third part of her question was about the RTTF. That will be shown as expenditure when it is approved by cabinet. The member would have heard that in the second reading speech from the Minister for Police today. The difference in that system from the one that was maintained by the Labor government is that now all the decisions about the RTTF will be approved fulsomely by cabinet. In my view, that is a very good system, and is far superior to the one that the Labor government had in place. That is when that expenditure will show. I forget the final part of the member’s question because it was so long ago. Did the member cite the figure of $1.1 billion? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
Mr C.C. PORTER : The third part of member’s question related to the road trauma trust fund. The $300 million will show as expenditure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : How big is the economy in Western Australia? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s questions. The third part of her question was about the RTTF. That will be shown as expenditure when it is approved by cabinet. The member would have heard that in the second reading speech from the Minister for Police today. The difference in that system from the one that was maintained by the Labor government is that now all the decisions about the RTTF will be approved fulsomely by cabinet. In my view, that is a very good system, and is far superior to the one that the Labor government had in place. That is when that expenditure will show. I forget the final part of the member’s question because it was so long ago. Did the member cite the figure of $1.1 billion? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
Mrs M.H. Roberts : How big is the economy in Western Australia? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s questions. The third part of her question was about the RTTF. That will be shown as expenditure when it is approved by cabinet. The member would have heard that in the second reading speech from the Minister for Police today. The difference in that system from the one that was maintained by the Labor government is that now all the decisions about the RTTF will be approved fulsomely by cabinet. In my view, that is a very good system, and is far superior to the one that the Labor government had in place. That is when that expenditure will show. I forget the final part of the member’s question because it was so long ago. Did the member cite the figure of $1.1 billion? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s questions. The third part of her question was about the RTTF. That will be shown as expenditure when it is approved by cabinet. The member would have heard that in the second reading speech from the Minister for Police today. The difference in that system from the one that was maintained by the Labor government is that now all the decisions about the RTTF will be approved fulsomely by cabinet. In my view, that is a very good system, and is far superior to the one that the Labor government had in place. That is when that expenditure will show. I forget the final part of the member’s question because it was so long ago. Did the member cite the figure of $1.1 billion? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
(1) When does the Treasurer plan for net debt in Western Australia to peak; and what is the dollar value of the peak? (2) Do the Treasurer’s calculations include — (a) spending the $300 million sitting in the road trauma trust fund and parking levy funds; (b) delivering the election promise to return $1.1 billion in economic audit savings as tax cuts; or (c) funding cost blow-outs on major projects like Fiona Stanley Hospital and the underground busport? (3) How does the Treasurer intend to reduce state debt, if not, in part, by privatisation? Mr C.C. PORTER replied: (1)–(3) I thank the member for Midland for her question. I might just point out a number of facts before we go any further. The first concerns the member’s points about expenses growth. This is a comment that I made during the second reading debate on the budget when I was responding to some of the comments of the member for Balcatta. Expenses growth is still too high in this state—there is no doubt about that in my mind—and it is a very difficult task to rein that in. The government has had some success in that. However, when we compare expenses growth with that which occurred under Labor governments, we find that we are very similar. Ms R. Saffioti : It is actually higher! Mr C.C. PORTER : Again, there are the member’s thoughts and then there are the facts. When we look at the last four years of the Labor government, all of this pivots around 2008–09 when expenses growth was around the 12.7 to 13 per cent mark, which was far too high. We shared that year in government. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed, we did! If I am generous and say that we shared that year and it is a pivotal year and we are equally responsible — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Are you going to answer the questions that I asked? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s question. The question had three parts and the first part was about expenses growth. If we look at that year, we can both take responsibility for the level of expenses growth, which was clearly too high. If we look at the last four years of Labor — Mr E.S. Ripper : Why should we take responsibility for your midyear review decisions in late 2008? That is what blew the budget. Mr C.C. PORTER : The Leader of the Opposition’s shadow Treasurer has asked a question. Part (1) was about expenses growth. Mrs M.H. Roberts : No, it was about net debt! Mr C.C. PORTER : The member for Midland cited a figure. That figure was meant to show that our expenses growth record is worse than Labor’s was. I am taking the opportunity to inform the house that the expenses growth might be too high, but it is exactly comparable with the expenses growth that was experienced by the Labor government, and ours is on the downward trajectory. Let us take out 2008–09. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is when you blew the budget, so let us take it out! Mr C.C. PORTER : I will explain it both ways for the Leader of the Opposition. If we take out 2008–09, what we had over the last four years of the Labor government was 8.75 per cent expenses growth. In 2011–12 this government predicted 11.79 per cent, so we will be doing better over the coming year. We have done some very hard work on what the Labor government did! If we share the responsibility for 2008–09, which I think is a fair representation, expenses growth was too high. Both sides share responsibility for that. For the three years before 2008–09, expenses growth was 10.76 per cent. For the three years after 2008–09, it was 10.93 per cent. They are very similar figures. I would accept that 10.93 per cent is too high, just as 10.76 per cent is too high. That is why the government has engaged in savings initiatives and why it is working hard to get that expenses growth back down to a reasonable level, which is around the seven per cent mark. The other part to the member’s question is whether I am aware of the per capita level of debt. Of course I am. Mr E.S. Ripper : That was not the question. That was a statement of fact. Mr C.C. PORTER : So I am not allowed to talk about the opposition’s statements of fact! Would the Leader of the Opposition like to draft the answers for his shadow Treasurer as well as the questions? He does well by the member for Midland! Mr E.S. Ripper : I would like you to get on with it. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You haven’t answered a single question yet! Mr C.C. PORTER : I am addressing directly the parts of the question that were meant to assert some kind of problem on this side of the house. Mrs M.H. Roberts : I would like an answer to the question. Question (1) was about net debt: when will it peak and how much will it be? The Treasurer keeps asserting that other things are question (1)—they aren’t! Mr C.C. PORTER : Let me ask the member a question: when did Labor show a net debt peak in its last budget? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Please answer a question! Why the hell would I answer a question from you when you haven’t answered one of mine? The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I formally call you to order for the first time today. Can I provide this instruction to the house once more: if members want questions answered, sometimes they have to listen to the answer and stop interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : The second statement that was made, which I will take just a bit of time to answer, was that per capita debt is high in WA. That is one measure. The other measure is looking at debt in terms of the known statistical ability to pay it, which is the size of the economy. The fact is that when we look, for instance, at the level of debt in Western Australia and Victoria and use that as a measure of the size of the economy, we find that we have a comparable figure. What is interesting is that Victoria has a $53 billion economy, and Western Australia, which has far fewer people, has a $42.2 billion economy. It is no wonder that the government is willing to have debt at levels which are responsible but which also allow for infrastructure development; it is because our economy is growing and our economy requires infrastructure investment. Am I aware of the per capita debt level? Yes, I am. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : The third part of member’s question related to the road trauma trust fund. The $300 million will show as expenditure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : How big is the economy in Western Australia? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s questions. The third part of her question was about the RTTF. That will be shown as expenditure when it is approved by cabinet. The member would have heard that in the second reading speech from the Minister for Police today. The difference in that system from the one that was maintained by the Labor government is that now all the decisions about the RTTF will be approved fulsomely by cabinet. In my view, that is a very good system, and is far superior to the one that the Labor government had in place. That is when that expenditure will show. I forget the final part of the member’s question because it was so long ago. Did the member cite the figure of $1.1 billion? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
(2) Do the Treasurer’s calculations include — (a) spending the $300 million sitting in the road trauma trust fund and parking levy funds; (b) delivering the election promise to return $1.1 billion in economic audit savings as tax cuts; or (c) funding cost blow-outs on major projects like Fiona Stanley Hospital and the underground busport? (3) How does the Treasurer intend to reduce state debt, if not, in part, by privatisation? Mr C.C. PORTER replied: (1)–(3) I thank the member for Midland for her question. I might just point out a number of facts before we go any further. The first concerns the member’s points about expenses growth. This is a comment that I made during the second reading debate on the budget when I was responding to some of the comments of the member for Balcatta. Expenses growth is still too high in this state—there is no doubt about that in my mind—and it is a very difficult task to rein that in. The government has had some success in that. However, when we compare expenses growth with that which occurred under Labor governments, we find that we are very similar. Ms R. Saffioti : It is actually higher! Mr C.C. PORTER : Again, there are the member’s thoughts and then there are the facts. When we look at the last four years of the Labor government, all of this pivots around 2008–09 when expenses growth was around the 12.7 to 13 per cent mark, which was far too high. We shared that year in government. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed, we did! If I am generous and say that we shared that year and it is a pivotal year and we are equally responsible — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Are you going to answer the questions that I asked? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s question. The question had three parts and the first part was about expenses growth. If we look at that year, we can both take responsibility for the level of expenses growth, which was clearly too high. If we look at the last four years of Labor — Mr E.S. Ripper : Why should we take responsibility for your midyear review decisions in late 2008? That is what blew the budget. Mr C.C. PORTER : The Leader of the Opposition’s shadow Treasurer has asked a question. Part (1) was about expenses growth. Mrs M.H. Roberts : No, it was about net debt! Mr C.C. PORTER : The member for Midland cited a figure. That figure was meant to show that our expenses growth record is worse than Labor’s was. I am taking the opportunity to inform the house that the expenses growth might be too high, but it is exactly comparable with the expenses growth that was experienced by the Labor government, and ours is on the downward trajectory. Let us take out 2008–09. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is when you blew the budget, so let us take it out! Mr C.C. PORTER : I will explain it both ways for the Leader of the Opposition. If we take out 2008–09, what we had over the last four years of the Labor government was 8.75 per cent expenses growth. In 2011–12 this government predicted 11.79 per cent, so we will be doing better over the coming year. We have done some very hard work on what the Labor government did! If we share the responsibility for 2008–09, which I think is a fair representation, expenses growth was too high. Both sides share responsibility for that. For the three years before 2008–09, expenses growth was 10.76 per cent. For the three years after 2008–09, it was 10.93 per cent. They are very similar figures. I would accept that 10.93 per cent is too high, just as 10.76 per cent is too high. That is why the government has engaged in savings initiatives and why it is working hard to get that expenses growth back down to a reasonable level, which is around the seven per cent mark. The other part to the member’s question is whether I am aware of the per capita level of debt. Of course I am. Mr E.S. Ripper : That was not the question. That was a statement of fact. Mr C.C. PORTER : So I am not allowed to talk about the opposition’s statements of fact! Would the Leader of the Opposition like to draft the answers for his shadow Treasurer as well as the questions? He does well by the member for Midland! Mr E.S. Ripper : I would like you to get on with it. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You haven’t answered a single question yet! Mr C.C. PORTER : I am addressing directly the parts of the question that were meant to assert some kind of problem on this side of the house. Mrs M.H. Roberts : I would like an answer to the question. Question (1) was about net debt: when will it peak and how much will it be? The Treasurer keeps asserting that other things are question (1)—they aren’t! Mr C.C. PORTER : Let me ask the member a question: when did Labor show a net debt peak in its last budget? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Please answer a question! Why the hell would I answer a question from you when you haven’t answered one of mine? The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I formally call you to order for the first time today. Can I provide this instruction to the house once more: if members want questions answered, sometimes they have to listen to the answer and stop interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : The second statement that was made, which I will take just a bit of time to answer, was that per capita debt is high in WA. That is one measure. The other measure is looking at debt in terms of the known statistical ability to pay it, which is the size of the economy. The fact is that when we look, for instance, at the level of debt in Western Australia and Victoria and use that as a measure of the size of the economy, we find that we have a comparable figure. What is interesting is that Victoria has a $53 billion economy, and Western Australia, which has far fewer people, has a $42.2 billion economy. It is no wonder that the government is willing to have debt at levels which are responsible but which also allow for infrastructure development; it is because our economy is growing and our economy requires infrastructure investment. Am I aware of the per capita debt level? Yes, I am. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : The third part of member’s question related to the road trauma trust fund. The $300 million will show as expenditure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : How big is the economy in Western Australia? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s questions. The third part of her question was about the RTTF. That will be shown as expenditure when it is approved by cabinet. The member would have heard that in the second reading speech from the Minister for Police today. The difference in that system from the one that was maintained by the Labor government is that now all the decisions about the RTTF will be approved fulsomely by cabinet. In my view, that is a very good system, and is far superior to the one that the Labor government had in place. That is when that expenditure will show. I forget the final part of the member’s question because it was so long ago. Did the member cite the figure of $1.1 billion? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
(b) delivering the election promise to return $1.1 billion in economic audit savings as tax cuts; or (c) funding cost blow-outs on major projects like Fiona Stanley Hospital and the underground busport?
(c) funding cost blow-outs on major projects like Fiona Stanley Hospital and the underground busport?
Mr C.C. PORTER replied: (1)–(3) I thank the member for Midland for her question. I might just point out a number of facts before we go any further. The first concerns the member’s points about expenses growth. This is a comment that I made during the second reading debate on the budget when I was responding to some of the comments of the member for Balcatta. Expenses growth is still too high in this state—there is no doubt about that in my mind—and it is a very difficult task to rein that in. The government has had some success in that. However, when we compare expenses growth with that which occurred under Labor governments, we find that we are very similar. Ms R. Saffioti : It is actually higher! Mr C.C. PORTER : Again, there are the member’s thoughts and then there are the facts. When we look at the last four years of the Labor government, all of this pivots around 2008–09 when expenses growth was around the 12.7 to 13 per cent mark, which was far too high. We shared that year in government. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed, we did! If I am generous and say that we shared that year and it is a pivotal year and we are equally responsible — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Are you going to answer the questions that I asked? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s question. The question had three parts and the first part was about expenses growth. If we look at that year, we can both take responsibility for the level of expenses growth, which was clearly too high. If we look at the last four years of Labor — Mr E.S. Ripper : Why should we take responsibility for your midyear review decisions in late 2008? That is what blew the budget. Mr C.C. PORTER : The Leader of the Opposition’s shadow Treasurer has asked a question. Part (1) was about expenses growth. Mrs M.H. Roberts : No, it was about net debt! Mr C.C. PORTER : The member for Midland cited a figure. That figure was meant to show that our expenses growth record is worse than Labor’s was. I am taking the opportunity to inform the house that the expenses growth might be too high, but it is exactly comparable with the expenses growth that was experienced by the Labor government, and ours is on the downward trajectory. Let us take out 2008–09. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is when you blew the budget, so let us take it out! Mr C.C. PORTER : I will explain it both ways for the Leader of the Opposition. If we take out 2008–09, what we had over the last four years of the Labor government was 8.75 per cent expenses growth. In 2011–12 this government predicted 11.79 per cent, so we will be doing better over the coming year. We have done some very hard work on what the Labor government did! If we share the responsibility for 2008–09, which I think is a fair representation, expenses growth was too high. Both sides share responsibility for that. For the three years before 2008–09, expenses growth was 10.76 per cent. For the three years after 2008–09, it was 10.93 per cent. They are very similar figures. I would accept that 10.93 per cent is too high, just as 10.76 per cent is too high. That is why the government has engaged in savings initiatives and why it is working hard to get that expenses growth back down to a reasonable level, which is around the seven per cent mark. The other part to the member’s question is whether I am aware of the per capita level of debt. Of course I am. Mr E.S. Ripper : That was not the question. That was a statement of fact. Mr C.C. PORTER : So I am not allowed to talk about the opposition’s statements of fact! Would the Leader of the Opposition like to draft the answers for his shadow Treasurer as well as the questions? He does well by the member for Midland! Mr E.S. Ripper : I would like you to get on with it. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You haven’t answered a single question yet! Mr C.C. PORTER : I am addressing directly the parts of the question that were meant to assert some kind of problem on this side of the house. Mrs M.H. Roberts : I would like an answer to the question. Question (1) was about net debt: when will it peak and how much will it be? The Treasurer keeps asserting that other things are question (1)—they aren’t! Mr C.C. PORTER : Let me ask the member a question: when did Labor show a net debt peak in its last budget? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Please answer a question! Why the hell would I answer a question from you when you haven’t answered one of mine? The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I formally call you to order for the first time today. Can I provide this instruction to the house once more: if members want questions answered, sometimes they have to listen to the answer and stop interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : The second statement that was made, which I will take just a bit of time to answer, was that per capita debt is high in WA. That is one measure. The other measure is looking at debt in terms of the known statistical ability to pay it, which is the size of the economy. The fact is that when we look, for instance, at the level of debt in Western Australia and Victoria and use that as a measure of the size of the economy, we find that we have a comparable figure. What is interesting is that Victoria has a $53 billion economy, and Western Australia, which has far fewer people, has a $42.2 billion economy. It is no wonder that the government is willing to have debt at levels which are responsible but which also allow for infrastructure development; it is because our economy is growing and our economy requires infrastructure investment. Am I aware of the per capita debt level? Yes, I am. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : The third part of member’s question related to the road trauma trust fund. The $300 million will show as expenditure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : How big is the economy in Western Australia? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s questions. The third part of her question was about the RTTF. That will be shown as expenditure when it is approved by cabinet. The member would have heard that in the second reading speech from the Minister for Police today. The difference in that system from the one that was maintained by the Labor government is that now all the decisions about the RTTF will be approved fulsomely by cabinet. In my view, that is a very good system, and is far superior to the one that the Labor government had in place. That is when that expenditure will show. I forget the final part of the member’s question because it was so long ago. Did the member cite the figure of $1.1 billion? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
(1)–(3) I thank the member for Midland for her question. I might just point out a number of facts before we go any further. The first concerns the member’s points about expenses growth. This is a comment that I made during the second reading debate on the budget when I was responding to some of the comments of the member for Balcatta. Expenses growth is still too high in this state—there is no doubt about that in my mind—and it is a very difficult task to rein that in. The government has had some success in that. However, when we compare expenses growth with that which occurred under Labor governments, we find that we are very similar. Ms R. Saffioti : It is actually higher! Mr C.C. PORTER : Again, there are the member’s thoughts and then there are the facts. When we look at the last four years of the Labor government, all of this pivots around 2008–09 when expenses growth was around the 12.7 to 13 per cent mark, which was far too high. We shared that year in government. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed, we did! If I am generous and say that we shared that year and it is a pivotal year and we are equally responsible — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Are you going to answer the questions that I asked? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s question. The question had three parts and the first part was about expenses growth. If we look at that year, we can both take responsibility for the level of expenses growth, which was clearly too high. If we look at the last four years of Labor — Mr E.S. Ripper : Why should we take responsibility for your midyear review decisions in late 2008? That is what blew the budget. Mr C.C. PORTER : The Leader of the Opposition’s shadow Treasurer has asked a question. Part (1) was about expenses growth. Mrs M.H. Roberts : No, it was about net debt! Mr C.C. PORTER : The member for Midland cited a figure. That figure was meant to show that our expenses growth record is worse than Labor’s was. I am taking the opportunity to inform the house that the expenses growth might be too high, but it is exactly comparable with the expenses growth that was experienced by the Labor government, and ours is on the downward trajectory. Let us take out 2008–09. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is when you blew the budget, so let us take it out! Mr C.C. PORTER : I will explain it both ways for the Leader of the Opposition. If we take out 2008–09, what we had over the last four years of the Labor government was 8.75 per cent expenses growth. In 2011–12 this government predicted 11.79 per cent, so we will be doing better over the coming year. We have done some very hard work on what the Labor government did! If we share the responsibility for 2008–09, which I think is a fair representation, expenses growth was too high. Both sides share responsibility for that. For the three years before 2008–09, expenses growth was 10.76 per cent. For the three years after 2008–09, it was 10.93 per cent. They are very similar figures. I would accept that 10.93 per cent is too high, just as 10.76 per cent is too high. That is why the government has engaged in savings initiatives and why it is working hard to get that expenses growth back down to a reasonable level, which is around the seven per cent mark. The other part to the member’s question is whether I am aware of the per capita level of debt. Of course I am. Mr E.S. Ripper : That was not the question. That was a statement of fact. Mr C.C. PORTER : So I am not allowed to talk about the opposition’s statements of fact! Would the Leader of the Opposition like to draft the answers for his shadow Treasurer as well as the questions? He does well by the member for Midland! Mr E.S. Ripper : I would like you to get on with it. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You haven’t answered a single question yet! Mr C.C. PORTER : I am addressing directly the parts of the question that were meant to assert some kind of problem on this side of the house. Mrs M.H. Roberts : I would like an answer to the question. Question (1) was about net debt: when will it peak and how much will it be? The Treasurer keeps asserting that other things are question (1)—they aren’t! Mr C.C. PORTER : Let me ask the member a question: when did Labor show a net debt peak in its last budget? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Please answer a question! Why the hell would I answer a question from you when you haven’t answered one of mine? The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I formally call you to order for the first time today. Can I provide this instruction to the house once more: if members want questions answered, sometimes they have to listen to the answer and stop interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : The second statement that was made, which I will take just a bit of time to answer, was that per capita debt is high in WA. That is one measure. The other measure is looking at debt in terms of the known statistical ability to pay it, which is the size of the economy. The fact is that when we look, for instance, at the level of debt in Western Australia and Victoria and use that as a measure of the size of the economy, we find that we have a comparable figure. What is interesting is that Victoria has a $53 billion economy, and Western Australia, which has far fewer people, has a $42.2 billion economy. It is no wonder that the government is willing to have debt at levels which are responsible but which also allow for infrastructure development; it is because our economy is growing and our economy requires infrastructure investment. Am I aware of the per capita debt level? Yes, I am. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : The third part of member’s question related to the road trauma trust fund. The $300 million will show as expenditure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : How big is the economy in Western Australia? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s questions. The third part of her question was about the RTTF. That will be shown as expenditure when it is approved by cabinet. The member would have heard that in the second reading speech from the Minister for Police today. The difference in that system from the one that was maintained by the Labor government is that now all the decisions about the RTTF will be approved fulsomely by cabinet. In my view, that is a very good system, and is far superior to the one that the Labor government had in place. That is when that expenditure will show. I forget the final part of the member’s question because it was so long ago. Did the member cite the figure of $1.1 billion? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
Ms R. Saffioti : It is actually higher! Mr C.C. PORTER : Again, there are the member’s thoughts and then there are the facts. When we look at the last four years of the Labor government, all of this pivots around 2008–09 when expenses growth was around the 12.7 to 13 per cent mark, which was far too high. We shared that year in government. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed, we did! If I am generous and say that we shared that year and it is a pivotal year and we are equally responsible — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Are you going to answer the questions that I asked? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s question. The question had three parts and the first part was about expenses growth. If we look at that year, we can both take responsibility for the level of expenses growth, which was clearly too high. If we look at the last four years of Labor — Mr E.S. Ripper : Why should we take responsibility for your midyear review decisions in late 2008? That is what blew the budget. Mr C.C. PORTER : The Leader of the Opposition’s shadow Treasurer has asked a question. Part (1) was about expenses growth. Mrs M.H. Roberts : No, it was about net debt! Mr C.C. PORTER : The member for Midland cited a figure. That figure was meant to show that our expenses growth record is worse than Labor’s was. I am taking the opportunity to inform the house that the expenses growth might be too high, but it is exactly comparable with the expenses growth that was experienced by the Labor government, and ours is on the downward trajectory. Let us take out 2008–09. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is when you blew the budget, so let us take it out! Mr C.C. PORTER : I will explain it both ways for the Leader of the Opposition. If we take out 2008–09, what we had over the last four years of the Labor government was 8.75 per cent expenses growth. In 2011–12 this government predicted 11.79 per cent, so we will be doing better over the coming year. We have done some very hard work on what the Labor government did! If we share the responsibility for 2008–09, which I think is a fair representation, expenses growth was too high. Both sides share responsibility for that. For the three years before 2008–09, expenses growth was 10.76 per cent. For the three years after 2008–09, it was 10.93 per cent. They are very similar figures. I would accept that 10.93 per cent is too high, just as 10.76 per cent is too high. That is why the government has engaged in savings initiatives and why it is working hard to get that expenses growth back down to a reasonable level, which is around the seven per cent mark. The other part to the member’s question is whether I am aware of the per capita level of debt. Of course I am. Mr E.S. Ripper : That was not the question. That was a statement of fact. Mr C.C. PORTER : So I am not allowed to talk about the opposition’s statements of fact! Would the Leader of the Opposition like to draft the answers for his shadow Treasurer as well as the questions? He does well by the member for Midland! Mr E.S. Ripper : I would like you to get on with it. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You haven’t answered a single question yet! Mr C.C. PORTER : I am addressing directly the parts of the question that were meant to assert some kind of problem on this side of the house. Mrs M.H. Roberts : I would like an answer to the question. Question (1) was about net debt: when will it peak and how much will it be? The Treasurer keeps asserting that other things are question (1)—they aren’t! Mr C.C. PORTER : Let me ask the member a question: when did Labor show a net debt peak in its last budget? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Please answer a question! Why the hell would I answer a question from you when you haven’t answered one of mine? The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I formally call you to order for the first time today. Can I provide this instruction to the house once more: if members want questions answered, sometimes they have to listen to the answer and stop interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : The second statement that was made, which I will take just a bit of time to answer, was that per capita debt is high in WA. That is one measure. The other measure is looking at debt in terms of the known statistical ability to pay it, which is the size of the economy. The fact is that when we look, for instance, at the level of debt in Western Australia and Victoria and use that as a measure of the size of the economy, we find that we have a comparable figure. What is interesting is that Victoria has a $53 billion economy, and Western Australia, which has far fewer people, has a $42.2 billion economy. It is no wonder that the government is willing to have debt at levels which are responsible but which also allow for infrastructure development; it is because our economy is growing and our economy requires infrastructure investment. Am I aware of the per capita debt level? Yes, I am. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : The third part of member’s question related to the road trauma trust fund. The $300 million will show as expenditure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : How big is the economy in Western Australia? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s questions. The third part of her question was about the RTTF. That will be shown as expenditure when it is approved by cabinet. The member would have heard that in the second reading speech from the Minister for Police today. The difference in that system from the one that was maintained by the Labor government is that now all the decisions about the RTTF will be approved fulsomely by cabinet. In my view, that is a very good system, and is far superior to the one that the Labor government had in place. That is when that expenditure will show. I forget the final part of the member’s question because it was so long ago. Did the member cite the figure of $1.1 billion? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
Mr C.C. PORTER : Again, there are the member’s thoughts and then there are the facts. When we look at the last four years of the Labor government, all of this pivots around 2008–09 when expenses growth was around the 12.7 to 13 per cent mark, which was far too high. We shared that year in government. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed, we did! If I am generous and say that we shared that year and it is a pivotal year and we are equally responsible — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Are you going to answer the questions that I asked? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s question. The question had three parts and the first part was about expenses growth. If we look at that year, we can both take responsibility for the level of expenses growth, which was clearly too high. If we look at the last four years of Labor — Mr E.S. Ripper : Why should we take responsibility for your midyear review decisions in late 2008? That is what blew the budget. Mr C.C. PORTER : The Leader of the Opposition’s shadow Treasurer has asked a question. Part (1) was about expenses growth. Mrs M.H. Roberts : No, it was about net debt! Mr C.C. PORTER : The member for Midland cited a figure. That figure was meant to show that our expenses growth record is worse than Labor’s was. I am taking the opportunity to inform the house that the expenses growth might be too high, but it is exactly comparable with the expenses growth that was experienced by the Labor government, and ours is on the downward trajectory. Let us take out 2008–09. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is when you blew the budget, so let us take it out! Mr C.C. PORTER : I will explain it both ways for the Leader of the Opposition. If we take out 2008–09, what we had over the last four years of the Labor government was 8.75 per cent expenses growth. In 2011–12 this government predicted 11.79 per cent, so we will be doing better over the coming year. We have done some very hard work on what the Labor government did! If we share the responsibility for 2008–09, which I think is a fair representation, expenses growth was too high. Both sides share responsibility for that. For the three years before 2008–09, expenses growth was 10.76 per cent. For the three years after 2008–09, it was 10.93 per cent. They are very similar figures. I would accept that 10.93 per cent is too high, just as 10.76 per cent is too high. That is why the government has engaged in savings initiatives and why it is working hard to get that expenses growth back down to a reasonable level, which is around the seven per cent mark. The other part to the member’s question is whether I am aware of the per capita level of debt. Of course I am. Mr E.S. Ripper : That was not the question. That was a statement of fact. Mr C.C. PORTER : So I am not allowed to talk about the opposition’s statements of fact! Would the Leader of the Opposition like to draft the answers for his shadow Treasurer as well as the questions? He does well by the member for Midland! Mr E.S. Ripper : I would like you to get on with it. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You haven’t answered a single question yet! Mr C.C. PORTER : I am addressing directly the parts of the question that were meant to assert some kind of problem on this side of the house. Mrs M.H. Roberts : I would like an answer to the question. Question (1) was about net debt: when will it peak and how much will it be? The Treasurer keeps asserting that other things are question (1)—they aren’t! Mr C.C. PORTER : Let me ask the member a question: when did Labor show a net debt peak in its last budget? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Please answer a question! Why the hell would I answer a question from you when you haven’t answered one of mine? The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I formally call you to order for the first time today. Can I provide this instruction to the house once more: if members want questions answered, sometimes they have to listen to the answer and stop interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : The second statement that was made, which I will take just a bit of time to answer, was that per capita debt is high in WA. That is one measure. The other measure is looking at debt in terms of the known statistical ability to pay it, which is the size of the economy. The fact is that when we look, for instance, at the level of debt in Western Australia and Victoria and use that as a measure of the size of the economy, we find that we have a comparable figure. What is interesting is that Victoria has a $53 billion economy, and Western Australia, which has far fewer people, has a $42.2 billion economy. It is no wonder that the government is willing to have debt at levels which are responsible but which also allow for infrastructure development; it is because our economy is growing and our economy requires infrastructure investment. Am I aware of the per capita debt level? Yes, I am. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : The third part of member’s question related to the road trauma trust fund. The $300 million will show as expenditure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : How big is the economy in Western Australia? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s questions. The third part of her question was about the RTTF. That will be shown as expenditure when it is approved by cabinet. The member would have heard that in the second reading speech from the Minister for Police today. The difference in that system from the one that was maintained by the Labor government is that now all the decisions about the RTTF will be approved fulsomely by cabinet. In my view, that is a very good system, and is far superior to the one that the Labor government had in place. That is when that expenditure will show. I forget the final part of the member’s question because it was so long ago. Did the member cite the figure of $1.1 billion? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed, we did! If I am generous and say that we shared that year and it is a pivotal year and we are equally responsible — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Are you going to answer the questions that I asked? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s question. The question had three parts and the first part was about expenses growth. If we look at that year, we can both take responsibility for the level of expenses growth, which was clearly too high. If we look at the last four years of Labor — Mr E.S. Ripper : Why should we take responsibility for your midyear review decisions in late 2008? That is what blew the budget. Mr C.C. PORTER : The Leader of the Opposition’s shadow Treasurer has asked a question. Part (1) was about expenses growth. Mrs M.H. Roberts : No, it was about net debt! Mr C.C. PORTER : The member for Midland cited a figure. That figure was meant to show that our expenses growth record is worse than Labor’s was. I am taking the opportunity to inform the house that the expenses growth might be too high, but it is exactly comparable with the expenses growth that was experienced by the Labor government, and ours is on the downward trajectory. Let us take out 2008–09. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is when you blew the budget, so let us take it out! Mr C.C. PORTER : I will explain it both ways for the Leader of the Opposition. If we take out 2008–09, what we had over the last four years of the Labor government was 8.75 per cent expenses growth. In 2011–12 this government predicted 11.79 per cent, so we will be doing better over the coming year. We have done some very hard work on what the Labor government did! If we share the responsibility for 2008–09, which I think is a fair representation, expenses growth was too high. Both sides share responsibility for that. For the three years before 2008–09, expenses growth was 10.76 per cent. For the three years after 2008–09, it was 10.93 per cent. They are very similar figures. I would accept that 10.93 per cent is too high, just as 10.76 per cent is too high. That is why the government has engaged in savings initiatives and why it is working hard to get that expenses growth back down to a reasonable level, which is around the seven per cent mark. The other part to the member’s question is whether I am aware of the per capita level of debt. Of course I am. Mr E.S. Ripper : That was not the question. That was a statement of fact. Mr C.C. PORTER : So I am not allowed to talk about the opposition’s statements of fact! Would the Leader of the Opposition like to draft the answers for his shadow Treasurer as well as the questions? He does well by the member for Midland! Mr E.S. Ripper : I would like you to get on with it. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You haven’t answered a single question yet! Mr C.C. PORTER : I am addressing directly the parts of the question that were meant to assert some kind of problem on this side of the house. Mrs M.H. Roberts : I would like an answer to the question. Question (1) was about net debt: when will it peak and how much will it be? The Treasurer keeps asserting that other things are question (1)—they aren’t! Mr C.C. PORTER : Let me ask the member a question: when did Labor show a net debt peak in its last budget? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Please answer a question! Why the hell would I answer a question from you when you haven’t answered one of mine? The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I formally call you to order for the first time today. Can I provide this instruction to the house once more: if members want questions answered, sometimes they have to listen to the answer and stop interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : The second statement that was made, which I will take just a bit of time to answer, was that per capita debt is high in WA. That is one measure. The other measure is looking at debt in terms of the known statistical ability to pay it, which is the size of the economy. The fact is that when we look, for instance, at the level of debt in Western Australia and Victoria and use that as a measure of the size of the economy, we find that we have a comparable figure. What is interesting is that Victoria has a $53 billion economy, and Western Australia, which has far fewer people, has a $42.2 billion economy. It is no wonder that the government is willing to have debt at levels which are responsible but which also allow for infrastructure development; it is because our economy is growing and our economy requires infrastructure investment. Am I aware of the per capita debt level? Yes, I am. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : The third part of member’s question related to the road trauma trust fund. The $300 million will show as expenditure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : How big is the economy in Western Australia? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s questions. The third part of her question was about the RTTF. That will be shown as expenditure when it is approved by cabinet. The member would have heard that in the second reading speech from the Minister for Police today. The difference in that system from the one that was maintained by the Labor government is that now all the decisions about the RTTF will be approved fulsomely by cabinet. In my view, that is a very good system, and is far superior to the one that the Labor government had in place. That is when that expenditure will show. I forget the final part of the member’s question because it was so long ago. Did the member cite the figure of $1.1 billion? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed, we did! If I am generous and say that we shared that year and it is a pivotal year and we are equally responsible — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Are you going to answer the questions that I asked? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s question. The question had three parts and the first part was about expenses growth. If we look at that year, we can both take responsibility for the level of expenses growth, which was clearly too high. If we look at the last four years of Labor — Mr E.S. Ripper : Why should we take responsibility for your midyear review decisions in late 2008? That is what blew the budget. Mr C.C. PORTER : The Leader of the Opposition’s shadow Treasurer has asked a question. Part (1) was about expenses growth. Mrs M.H. Roberts : No, it was about net debt! Mr C.C. PORTER : The member for Midland cited a figure. That figure was meant to show that our expenses growth record is worse than Labor’s was. I am taking the opportunity to inform the house that the expenses growth might be too high, but it is exactly comparable with the expenses growth that was experienced by the Labor government, and ours is on the downward trajectory. Let us take out 2008–09. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is when you blew the budget, so let us take it out! Mr C.C. PORTER : I will explain it both ways for the Leader of the Opposition. If we take out 2008–09, what we had over the last four years of the Labor government was 8.75 per cent expenses growth. In 2011–12 this government predicted 11.79 per cent, so we will be doing better over the coming year. We have done some very hard work on what the Labor government did! If we share the responsibility for 2008–09, which I think is a fair representation, expenses growth was too high. Both sides share responsibility for that. For the three years before 2008–09, expenses growth was 10.76 per cent. For the three years after 2008–09, it was 10.93 per cent. They are very similar figures. I would accept that 10.93 per cent is too high, just as 10.76 per cent is too high. That is why the government has engaged in savings initiatives and why it is working hard to get that expenses growth back down to a reasonable level, which is around the seven per cent mark. The other part to the member’s question is whether I am aware of the per capita level of debt. Of course I am. Mr E.S. Ripper : That was not the question. That was a statement of fact. Mr C.C. PORTER : So I am not allowed to talk about the opposition’s statements of fact! Would the Leader of the Opposition like to draft the answers for his shadow Treasurer as well as the questions? He does well by the member for Midland! Mr E.S. Ripper : I would like you to get on with it. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You haven’t answered a single question yet! Mr C.C. PORTER : I am addressing directly the parts of the question that were meant to assert some kind of problem on this side of the house. Mrs M.H. Roberts : I would like an answer to the question. Question (1) was about net debt: when will it peak and how much will it be? The Treasurer keeps asserting that other things are question (1)—they aren’t! Mr C.C. PORTER : Let me ask the member a question: when did Labor show a net debt peak in its last budget? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Please answer a question! Why the hell would I answer a question from you when you haven’t answered one of mine? The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I formally call you to order for the first time today. Can I provide this instruction to the house once more: if members want questions answered, sometimes they have to listen to the answer and stop interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : The second statement that was made, which I will take just a bit of time to answer, was that per capita debt is high in WA. That is one measure. The other measure is looking at debt in terms of the known statistical ability to pay it, which is the size of the economy. The fact is that when we look, for instance, at the level of debt in Western Australia and Victoria and use that as a measure of the size of the economy, we find that we have a comparable figure. What is interesting is that Victoria has a $53 billion economy, and Western Australia, which has far fewer people, has a $42.2 billion economy. It is no wonder that the government is willing to have debt at levels which are responsible but which also allow for infrastructure development; it is because our economy is growing and our economy requires infrastructure investment. Am I aware of the per capita debt level? Yes, I am. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : The third part of member’s question related to the road trauma trust fund. The $300 million will show as expenditure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : How big is the economy in Western Australia? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s questions. The third part of her question was about the RTTF. That will be shown as expenditure when it is approved by cabinet. The member would have heard that in the second reading speech from the Minister for Police today. The difference in that system from the one that was maintained by the Labor government is that now all the decisions about the RTTF will be approved fulsomely by cabinet. In my view, that is a very good system, and is far superior to the one that the Labor government had in place. That is when that expenditure will show. I forget the final part of the member’s question because it was so long ago. Did the member cite the figure of $1.1 billion? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
Mrs M.H. Roberts : Are you going to answer the questions that I asked? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s question. The question had three parts and the first part was about expenses growth. If we look at that year, we can both take responsibility for the level of expenses growth, which was clearly too high. If we look at the last four years of Labor — Mr E.S. Ripper : Why should we take responsibility for your midyear review decisions in late 2008? That is what blew the budget. Mr C.C. PORTER : The Leader of the Opposition’s shadow Treasurer has asked a question. Part (1) was about expenses growth. Mrs M.H. Roberts : No, it was about net debt! Mr C.C. PORTER : The member for Midland cited a figure. That figure was meant to show that our expenses growth record is worse than Labor’s was. I am taking the opportunity to inform the house that the expenses growth might be too high, but it is exactly comparable with the expenses growth that was experienced by the Labor government, and ours is on the downward trajectory. Let us take out 2008–09. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is when you blew the budget, so let us take it out! Mr C.C. PORTER : I will explain it both ways for the Leader of the Opposition. If we take out 2008–09, what we had over the last four years of the Labor government was 8.75 per cent expenses growth. In 2011–12 this government predicted 11.79 per cent, so we will be doing better over the coming year. We have done some very hard work on what the Labor government did! If we share the responsibility for 2008–09, which I think is a fair representation, expenses growth was too high. Both sides share responsibility for that. For the three years before 2008–09, expenses growth was 10.76 per cent. For the three years after 2008–09, it was 10.93 per cent. They are very similar figures. I would accept that 10.93 per cent is too high, just as 10.76 per cent is too high. That is why the government has engaged in savings initiatives and why it is working hard to get that expenses growth back down to a reasonable level, which is around the seven per cent mark. The other part to the member’s question is whether I am aware of the per capita level of debt. Of course I am. Mr E.S. Ripper : That was not the question. That was a statement of fact. Mr C.C. PORTER : So I am not allowed to talk about the opposition’s statements of fact! Would the Leader of the Opposition like to draft the answers for his shadow Treasurer as well as the questions? He does well by the member for Midland! Mr E.S. Ripper : I would like you to get on with it. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You haven’t answered a single question yet! Mr C.C. PORTER : I am addressing directly the parts of the question that were meant to assert some kind of problem on this side of the house. Mrs M.H. Roberts : I would like an answer to the question. Question (1) was about net debt: when will it peak and how much will it be? The Treasurer keeps asserting that other things are question (1)—they aren’t! Mr C.C. PORTER : Let me ask the member a question: when did Labor show a net debt peak in its last budget? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Please answer a question! Why the hell would I answer a question from you when you haven’t answered one of mine? The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I formally call you to order for the first time today. Can I provide this instruction to the house once more: if members want questions answered, sometimes they have to listen to the answer and stop interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : The second statement that was made, which I will take just a bit of time to answer, was that per capita debt is high in WA. That is one measure. The other measure is looking at debt in terms of the known statistical ability to pay it, which is the size of the economy. The fact is that when we look, for instance, at the level of debt in Western Australia and Victoria and use that as a measure of the size of the economy, we find that we have a comparable figure. What is interesting is that Victoria has a $53 billion economy, and Western Australia, which has far fewer people, has a $42.2 billion economy. It is no wonder that the government is willing to have debt at levels which are responsible but which also allow for infrastructure development; it is because our economy is growing and our economy requires infrastructure investment. Am I aware of the per capita debt level? Yes, I am. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : The third part of member’s question related to the road trauma trust fund. The $300 million will show as expenditure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : How big is the economy in Western Australia? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s questions. The third part of her question was about the RTTF. That will be shown as expenditure when it is approved by cabinet. The member would have heard that in the second reading speech from the Minister for Police today. The difference in that system from the one that was maintained by the Labor government is that now all the decisions about the RTTF will be approved fulsomely by cabinet. In my view, that is a very good system, and is far superior to the one that the Labor government had in place. That is when that expenditure will show. I forget the final part of the member’s question because it was so long ago. Did the member cite the figure of $1.1 billion? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s question. The question had three parts and the first part was about expenses growth. If we look at that year, we can both take responsibility for the level of expenses growth, which was clearly too high. If we look at the last four years of Labor — Mr E.S. Ripper : Why should we take responsibility for your midyear review decisions in late 2008? That is what blew the budget. Mr C.C. PORTER : The Leader of the Opposition’s shadow Treasurer has asked a question. Part (1) was about expenses growth. Mrs M.H. Roberts : No, it was about net debt! Mr C.C. PORTER : The member for Midland cited a figure. That figure was meant to show that our expenses growth record is worse than Labor’s was. I am taking the opportunity to inform the house that the expenses growth might be too high, but it is exactly comparable with the expenses growth that was experienced by the Labor government, and ours is on the downward trajectory. Let us take out 2008–09. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is when you blew the budget, so let us take it out! Mr C.C. PORTER : I will explain it both ways for the Leader of the Opposition. If we take out 2008–09, what we had over the last four years of the Labor government was 8.75 per cent expenses growth. In 2011–12 this government predicted 11.79 per cent, so we will be doing better over the coming year. We have done some very hard work on what the Labor government did! If we share the responsibility for 2008–09, which I think is a fair representation, expenses growth was too high. Both sides share responsibility for that. For the three years before 2008–09, expenses growth was 10.76 per cent. For the three years after 2008–09, it was 10.93 per cent. They are very similar figures. I would accept that 10.93 per cent is too high, just as 10.76 per cent is too high. That is why the government has engaged in savings initiatives and why it is working hard to get that expenses growth back down to a reasonable level, which is around the seven per cent mark. The other part to the member’s question is whether I am aware of the per capita level of debt. Of course I am. Mr E.S. Ripper : That was not the question. That was a statement of fact. Mr C.C. PORTER : So I am not allowed to talk about the opposition’s statements of fact! Would the Leader of the Opposition like to draft the answers for his shadow Treasurer as well as the questions? He does well by the member for Midland! Mr E.S. Ripper : I would like you to get on with it. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You haven’t answered a single question yet! Mr C.C. PORTER : I am addressing directly the parts of the question that were meant to assert some kind of problem on this side of the house. Mrs M.H. Roberts : I would like an answer to the question. Question (1) was about net debt: when will it peak and how much will it be? The Treasurer keeps asserting that other things are question (1)—they aren’t! Mr C.C. PORTER : Let me ask the member a question: when did Labor show a net debt peak in its last budget? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Please answer a question! Why the hell would I answer a question from you when you haven’t answered one of mine? The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I formally call you to order for the first time today. Can I provide this instruction to the house once more: if members want questions answered, sometimes they have to listen to the answer and stop interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : The second statement that was made, which I will take just a bit of time to answer, was that per capita debt is high in WA. That is one measure. The other measure is looking at debt in terms of the known statistical ability to pay it, which is the size of the economy. The fact is that when we look, for instance, at the level of debt in Western Australia and Victoria and use that as a measure of the size of the economy, we find that we have a comparable figure. What is interesting is that Victoria has a $53 billion economy, and Western Australia, which has far fewer people, has a $42.2 billion economy. It is no wonder that the government is willing to have debt at levels which are responsible but which also allow for infrastructure development; it is because our economy is growing and our economy requires infrastructure investment. Am I aware of the per capita debt level? Yes, I am. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : The third part of member’s question related to the road trauma trust fund. The $300 million will show as expenditure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : How big is the economy in Western Australia? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s questions. The third part of her question was about the RTTF. That will be shown as expenditure when it is approved by cabinet. The member would have heard that in the second reading speech from the Minister for Police today. The difference in that system from the one that was maintained by the Labor government is that now all the decisions about the RTTF will be approved fulsomely by cabinet. In my view, that is a very good system, and is far superior to the one that the Labor government had in place. That is when that expenditure will show. I forget the final part of the member’s question because it was so long ago. Did the member cite the figure of $1.1 billion? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
Mr E.S. Ripper : Why should we take responsibility for your midyear review decisions in late 2008? That is what blew the budget. Mr C.C. PORTER : The Leader of the Opposition’s shadow Treasurer has asked a question. Part (1) was about expenses growth. Mrs M.H. Roberts : No, it was about net debt! Mr C.C. PORTER : The member for Midland cited a figure. That figure was meant to show that our expenses growth record is worse than Labor’s was. I am taking the opportunity to inform the house that the expenses growth might be too high, but it is exactly comparable with the expenses growth that was experienced by the Labor government, and ours is on the downward trajectory. Let us take out 2008–09. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is when you blew the budget, so let us take it out! Mr C.C. PORTER : I will explain it both ways for the Leader of the Opposition. If we take out 2008–09, what we had over the last four years of the Labor government was 8.75 per cent expenses growth. In 2011–12 this government predicted 11.79 per cent, so we will be doing better over the coming year. We have done some very hard work on what the Labor government did! If we share the responsibility for 2008–09, which I think is a fair representation, expenses growth was too high. Both sides share responsibility for that. For the three years before 2008–09, expenses growth was 10.76 per cent. For the three years after 2008–09, it was 10.93 per cent. They are very similar figures. I would accept that 10.93 per cent is too high, just as 10.76 per cent is too high. That is why the government has engaged in savings initiatives and why it is working hard to get that expenses growth back down to a reasonable level, which is around the seven per cent mark. The other part to the member’s question is whether I am aware of the per capita level of debt. Of course I am. Mr E.S. Ripper : That was not the question. That was a statement of fact. Mr C.C. PORTER : So I am not allowed to talk about the opposition’s statements of fact! Would the Leader of the Opposition like to draft the answers for his shadow Treasurer as well as the questions? He does well by the member for Midland! Mr E.S. Ripper : I would like you to get on with it. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You haven’t answered a single question yet! Mr C.C. PORTER : I am addressing directly the parts of the question that were meant to assert some kind of problem on this side of the house. Mrs M.H. Roberts : I would like an answer to the question. Question (1) was about net debt: when will it peak and how much will it be? The Treasurer keeps asserting that other things are question (1)—they aren’t! Mr C.C. PORTER : Let me ask the member a question: when did Labor show a net debt peak in its last budget? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Please answer a question! Why the hell would I answer a question from you when you haven’t answered one of mine? The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I formally call you to order for the first time today. Can I provide this instruction to the house once more: if members want questions answered, sometimes they have to listen to the answer and stop interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : The second statement that was made, which I will take just a bit of time to answer, was that per capita debt is high in WA. That is one measure. The other measure is looking at debt in terms of the known statistical ability to pay it, which is the size of the economy. The fact is that when we look, for instance, at the level of debt in Western Australia and Victoria and use that as a measure of the size of the economy, we find that we have a comparable figure. What is interesting is that Victoria has a $53 billion economy, and Western Australia, which has far fewer people, has a $42.2 billion economy. It is no wonder that the government is willing to have debt at levels which are responsible but which also allow for infrastructure development; it is because our economy is growing and our economy requires infrastructure investment. Am I aware of the per capita debt level? Yes, I am. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : The third part of member’s question related to the road trauma trust fund. The $300 million will show as expenditure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : How big is the economy in Western Australia? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s questions. The third part of her question was about the RTTF. That will be shown as expenditure when it is approved by cabinet. The member would have heard that in the second reading speech from the Minister for Police today. The difference in that system from the one that was maintained by the Labor government is that now all the decisions about the RTTF will be approved fulsomely by cabinet. In my view, that is a very good system, and is far superior to the one that the Labor government had in place. That is when that expenditure will show. I forget the final part of the member’s question because it was so long ago. Did the member cite the figure of $1.1 billion? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
Mr C.C. PORTER : The Leader of the Opposition’s shadow Treasurer has asked a question. Part (1) was about expenses growth. Mrs M.H. Roberts : No, it was about net debt! Mr C.C. PORTER : The member for Midland cited a figure. That figure was meant to show that our expenses growth record is worse than Labor’s was. I am taking the opportunity to inform the house that the expenses growth might be too high, but it is exactly comparable with the expenses growth that was experienced by the Labor government, and ours is on the downward trajectory. Let us take out 2008–09. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is when you blew the budget, so let us take it out! Mr C.C. PORTER : I will explain it both ways for the Leader of the Opposition. If we take out 2008–09, what we had over the last four years of the Labor government was 8.75 per cent expenses growth. In 2011–12 this government predicted 11.79 per cent, so we will be doing better over the coming year. We have done some very hard work on what the Labor government did! If we share the responsibility for 2008–09, which I think is a fair representation, expenses growth was too high. Both sides share responsibility for that. For the three years before 2008–09, expenses growth was 10.76 per cent. For the three years after 2008–09, it was 10.93 per cent. They are very similar figures. I would accept that 10.93 per cent is too high, just as 10.76 per cent is too high. That is why the government has engaged in savings initiatives and why it is working hard to get that expenses growth back down to a reasonable level, which is around the seven per cent mark. The other part to the member’s question is whether I am aware of the per capita level of debt. Of course I am. Mr E.S. Ripper : That was not the question. That was a statement of fact. Mr C.C. PORTER : So I am not allowed to talk about the opposition’s statements of fact! Would the Leader of the Opposition like to draft the answers for his shadow Treasurer as well as the questions? He does well by the member for Midland! Mr E.S. Ripper : I would like you to get on with it. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You haven’t answered a single question yet! Mr C.C. PORTER : I am addressing directly the parts of the question that were meant to assert some kind of problem on this side of the house. Mrs M.H. Roberts : I would like an answer to the question. Question (1) was about net debt: when will it peak and how much will it be? The Treasurer keeps asserting that other things are question (1)—they aren’t! Mr C.C. PORTER : Let me ask the member a question: when did Labor show a net debt peak in its last budget? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Please answer a question! Why the hell would I answer a question from you when you haven’t answered one of mine? The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I formally call you to order for the first time today. Can I provide this instruction to the house once more: if members want questions answered, sometimes they have to listen to the answer and stop interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : The second statement that was made, which I will take just a bit of time to answer, was that per capita debt is high in WA. That is one measure. The other measure is looking at debt in terms of the known statistical ability to pay it, which is the size of the economy. The fact is that when we look, for instance, at the level of debt in Western Australia and Victoria and use that as a measure of the size of the economy, we find that we have a comparable figure. What is interesting is that Victoria has a $53 billion economy, and Western Australia, which has far fewer people, has a $42.2 billion economy. It is no wonder that the government is willing to have debt at levels which are responsible but which also allow for infrastructure development; it is because our economy is growing and our economy requires infrastructure investment. Am I aware of the per capita debt level? Yes, I am. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : The third part of member’s question related to the road trauma trust fund. The $300 million will show as expenditure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : How big is the economy in Western Australia? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s questions. The third part of her question was about the RTTF. That will be shown as expenditure when it is approved by cabinet. The member would have heard that in the second reading speech from the Minister for Police today. The difference in that system from the one that was maintained by the Labor government is that now all the decisions about the RTTF will be approved fulsomely by cabinet. In my view, that is a very good system, and is far superior to the one that the Labor government had in place. That is when that expenditure will show. I forget the final part of the member’s question because it was so long ago. Did the member cite the figure of $1.1 billion? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
Mrs M.H. Roberts : No, it was about net debt! Mr C.C. PORTER : The member for Midland cited a figure. That figure was meant to show that our expenses growth record is worse than Labor’s was. I am taking the opportunity to inform the house that the expenses growth might be too high, but it is exactly comparable with the expenses growth that was experienced by the Labor government, and ours is on the downward trajectory. Let us take out 2008–09. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is when you blew the budget, so let us take it out! Mr C.C. PORTER : I will explain it both ways for the Leader of the Opposition. If we take out 2008–09, what we had over the last four years of the Labor government was 8.75 per cent expenses growth. In 2011–12 this government predicted 11.79 per cent, so we will be doing better over the coming year. We have done some very hard work on what the Labor government did! If we share the responsibility for 2008–09, which I think is a fair representation, expenses growth was too high. Both sides share responsibility for that. For the three years before 2008–09, expenses growth was 10.76 per cent. For the three years after 2008–09, it was 10.93 per cent. They are very similar figures. I would accept that 10.93 per cent is too high, just as 10.76 per cent is too high. That is why the government has engaged in savings initiatives and why it is working hard to get that expenses growth back down to a reasonable level, which is around the seven per cent mark. The other part to the member’s question is whether I am aware of the per capita level of debt. Of course I am. Mr E.S. Ripper : That was not the question. That was a statement of fact. Mr C.C. PORTER : So I am not allowed to talk about the opposition’s statements of fact! Would the Leader of the Opposition like to draft the answers for his shadow Treasurer as well as the questions? He does well by the member for Midland! Mr E.S. Ripper : I would like you to get on with it. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You haven’t answered a single question yet! Mr C.C. PORTER : I am addressing directly the parts of the question that were meant to assert some kind of problem on this side of the house. Mrs M.H. Roberts : I would like an answer to the question. Question (1) was about net debt: when will it peak and how much will it be? The Treasurer keeps asserting that other things are question (1)—they aren’t! Mr C.C. PORTER : Let me ask the member a question: when did Labor show a net debt peak in its last budget? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Please answer a question! Why the hell would I answer a question from you when you haven’t answered one of mine? The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I formally call you to order for the first time today. Can I provide this instruction to the house once more: if members want questions answered, sometimes they have to listen to the answer and stop interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : The second statement that was made, which I will take just a bit of time to answer, was that per capita debt is high in WA. That is one measure. The other measure is looking at debt in terms of the known statistical ability to pay it, which is the size of the economy. The fact is that when we look, for instance, at the level of debt in Western Australia and Victoria and use that as a measure of the size of the economy, we find that we have a comparable figure. What is interesting is that Victoria has a $53 billion economy, and Western Australia, which has far fewer people, has a $42.2 billion economy. It is no wonder that the government is willing to have debt at levels which are responsible but which also allow for infrastructure development; it is because our economy is growing and our economy requires infrastructure investment. Am I aware of the per capita debt level? Yes, I am. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : The third part of member’s question related to the road trauma trust fund. The $300 million will show as expenditure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : How big is the economy in Western Australia? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s questions. The third part of her question was about the RTTF. That will be shown as expenditure when it is approved by cabinet. The member would have heard that in the second reading speech from the Minister for Police today. The difference in that system from the one that was maintained by the Labor government is that now all the decisions about the RTTF will be approved fulsomely by cabinet. In my view, that is a very good system, and is far superior to the one that the Labor government had in place. That is when that expenditure will show. I forget the final part of the member’s question because it was so long ago. Did the member cite the figure of $1.1 billion? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
Mr C.C. PORTER : The member for Midland cited a figure. That figure was meant to show that our expenses growth record is worse than Labor’s was. I am taking the opportunity to inform the house that the expenses growth might be too high, but it is exactly comparable with the expenses growth that was experienced by the Labor government, and ours is on the downward trajectory. Let us take out 2008–09. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is when you blew the budget, so let us take it out! Mr C.C. PORTER : I will explain it both ways for the Leader of the Opposition. If we take out 2008–09, what we had over the last four years of the Labor government was 8.75 per cent expenses growth. In 2011–12 this government predicted 11.79 per cent, so we will be doing better over the coming year. We have done some very hard work on what the Labor government did! If we share the responsibility for 2008–09, which I think is a fair representation, expenses growth was too high. Both sides share responsibility for that. For the three years before 2008–09, expenses growth was 10.76 per cent. For the three years after 2008–09, it was 10.93 per cent. They are very similar figures. I would accept that 10.93 per cent is too high, just as 10.76 per cent is too high. That is why the government has engaged in savings initiatives and why it is working hard to get that expenses growth back down to a reasonable level, which is around the seven per cent mark. The other part to the member’s question is whether I am aware of the per capita level of debt. Of course I am. Mr E.S. Ripper : That was not the question. That was a statement of fact. Mr C.C. PORTER : So I am not allowed to talk about the opposition’s statements of fact! Would the Leader of the Opposition like to draft the answers for his shadow Treasurer as well as the questions? He does well by the member for Midland! Mr E.S. Ripper : I would like you to get on with it. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You haven’t answered a single question yet! Mr C.C. PORTER : I am addressing directly the parts of the question that were meant to assert some kind of problem on this side of the house. Mrs M.H. Roberts : I would like an answer to the question. Question (1) was about net debt: when will it peak and how much will it be? The Treasurer keeps asserting that other things are question (1)—they aren’t! Mr C.C. PORTER : Let me ask the member a question: when did Labor show a net debt peak in its last budget? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Please answer a question! Why the hell would I answer a question from you when you haven’t answered one of mine? The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I formally call you to order for the first time today. Can I provide this instruction to the house once more: if members want questions answered, sometimes they have to listen to the answer and stop interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : The second statement that was made, which I will take just a bit of time to answer, was that per capita debt is high in WA. That is one measure. The other measure is looking at debt in terms of the known statistical ability to pay it, which is the size of the economy. The fact is that when we look, for instance, at the level of debt in Western Australia and Victoria and use that as a measure of the size of the economy, we find that we have a comparable figure. What is interesting is that Victoria has a $53 billion economy, and Western Australia, which has far fewer people, has a $42.2 billion economy. It is no wonder that the government is willing to have debt at levels which are responsible but which also allow for infrastructure development; it is because our economy is growing and our economy requires infrastructure investment. Am I aware of the per capita debt level? Yes, I am. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : The third part of member’s question related to the road trauma trust fund. The $300 million will show as expenditure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : How big is the economy in Western Australia? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s questions. The third part of her question was about the RTTF. That will be shown as expenditure when it is approved by cabinet. The member would have heard that in the second reading speech from the Minister for Police today. The difference in that system from the one that was maintained by the Labor government is that now all the decisions about the RTTF will be approved fulsomely by cabinet. In my view, that is a very good system, and is far superior to the one that the Labor government had in place. That is when that expenditure will show. I forget the final part of the member’s question because it was so long ago. Did the member cite the figure of $1.1 billion? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
Mr E.S. Ripper : That is when you blew the budget, so let us take it out! Mr C.C. PORTER : I will explain it both ways for the Leader of the Opposition. If we take out 2008–09, what we had over the last four years of the Labor government was 8.75 per cent expenses growth. In 2011–12 this government predicted 11.79 per cent, so we will be doing better over the coming year. We have done some very hard work on what the Labor government did! If we share the responsibility for 2008–09, which I think is a fair representation, expenses growth was too high. Both sides share responsibility for that. For the three years before 2008–09, expenses growth was 10.76 per cent. For the three years after 2008–09, it was 10.93 per cent. They are very similar figures. I would accept that 10.93 per cent is too high, just as 10.76 per cent is too high. That is why the government has engaged in savings initiatives and why it is working hard to get that expenses growth back down to a reasonable level, which is around the seven per cent mark. The other part to the member’s question is whether I am aware of the per capita level of debt. Of course I am. Mr E.S. Ripper : That was not the question. That was a statement of fact. Mr C.C. PORTER : So I am not allowed to talk about the opposition’s statements of fact! Would the Leader of the Opposition like to draft the answers for his shadow Treasurer as well as the questions? He does well by the member for Midland! Mr E.S. Ripper : I would like you to get on with it. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You haven’t answered a single question yet! Mr C.C. PORTER : I am addressing directly the parts of the question that were meant to assert some kind of problem on this side of the house. Mrs M.H. Roberts : I would like an answer to the question. Question (1) was about net debt: when will it peak and how much will it be? The Treasurer keeps asserting that other things are question (1)—they aren’t! Mr C.C. PORTER : Let me ask the member a question: when did Labor show a net debt peak in its last budget? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Please answer a question! Why the hell would I answer a question from you when you haven’t answered one of mine? The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I formally call you to order for the first time today. Can I provide this instruction to the house once more: if members want questions answered, sometimes they have to listen to the answer and stop interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : The second statement that was made, which I will take just a bit of time to answer, was that per capita debt is high in WA. That is one measure. The other measure is looking at debt in terms of the known statistical ability to pay it, which is the size of the economy. The fact is that when we look, for instance, at the level of debt in Western Australia and Victoria and use that as a measure of the size of the economy, we find that we have a comparable figure. What is interesting is that Victoria has a $53 billion economy, and Western Australia, which has far fewer people, has a $42.2 billion economy. It is no wonder that the government is willing to have debt at levels which are responsible but which also allow for infrastructure development; it is because our economy is growing and our economy requires infrastructure investment. Am I aware of the per capita debt level? Yes, I am. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : The third part of member’s question related to the road trauma trust fund. The $300 million will show as expenditure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : How big is the economy in Western Australia? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s questions. The third part of her question was about the RTTF. That will be shown as expenditure when it is approved by cabinet. The member would have heard that in the second reading speech from the Minister for Police today. The difference in that system from the one that was maintained by the Labor government is that now all the decisions about the RTTF will be approved fulsomely by cabinet. In my view, that is a very good system, and is far superior to the one that the Labor government had in place. That is when that expenditure will show. I forget the final part of the member’s question because it was so long ago. Did the member cite the figure of $1.1 billion? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
Mr C.C. PORTER : I will explain it both ways for the Leader of the Opposition. If we take out 2008–09, what we had over the last four years of the Labor government was 8.75 per cent expenses growth. In 2011–12 this government predicted 11.79 per cent, so we will be doing better over the coming year. We have done some very hard work on what the Labor government did! If we share the responsibility for 2008–09, which I think is a fair representation, expenses growth was too high. Both sides share responsibility for that. For the three years before 2008–09, expenses growth was 10.76 per cent. For the three years after 2008–09, it was 10.93 per cent. They are very similar figures. I would accept that 10.93 per cent is too high, just as 10.76 per cent is too high. That is why the government has engaged in savings initiatives and why it is working hard to get that expenses growth back down to a reasonable level, which is around the seven per cent mark. The other part to the member’s question is whether I am aware of the per capita level of debt. Of course I am. Mr E.S. Ripper : That was not the question. That was a statement of fact. Mr C.C. PORTER : So I am not allowed to talk about the opposition’s statements of fact! Would the Leader of the Opposition like to draft the answers for his shadow Treasurer as well as the questions? He does well by the member for Midland! Mr E.S. Ripper : I would like you to get on with it. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You haven’t answered a single question yet! Mr C.C. PORTER : I am addressing directly the parts of the question that were meant to assert some kind of problem on this side of the house. Mrs M.H. Roberts : I would like an answer to the question. Question (1) was about net debt: when will it peak and how much will it be? The Treasurer keeps asserting that other things are question (1)—they aren’t! Mr C.C. PORTER : Let me ask the member a question: when did Labor show a net debt peak in its last budget? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Please answer a question! Why the hell would I answer a question from you when you haven’t answered one of mine? The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I formally call you to order for the first time today. Can I provide this instruction to the house once more: if members want questions answered, sometimes they have to listen to the answer and stop interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : The second statement that was made, which I will take just a bit of time to answer, was that per capita debt is high in WA. That is one measure. The other measure is looking at debt in terms of the known statistical ability to pay it, which is the size of the economy. The fact is that when we look, for instance, at the level of debt in Western Australia and Victoria and use that as a measure of the size of the economy, we find that we have a comparable figure. What is interesting is that Victoria has a $53 billion economy, and Western Australia, which has far fewer people, has a $42.2 billion economy. It is no wonder that the government is willing to have debt at levels which are responsible but which also allow for infrastructure development; it is because our economy is growing and our economy requires infrastructure investment. Am I aware of the per capita debt level? Yes, I am. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : The third part of member’s question related to the road trauma trust fund. The $300 million will show as expenditure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : How big is the economy in Western Australia? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s questions. The third part of her question was about the RTTF. That will be shown as expenditure when it is approved by cabinet. The member would have heard that in the second reading speech from the Minister for Police today. The difference in that system from the one that was maintained by the Labor government is that now all the decisions about the RTTF will be approved fulsomely by cabinet. In my view, that is a very good system, and is far superior to the one that the Labor government had in place. That is when that expenditure will show. I forget the final part of the member’s question because it was so long ago. Did the member cite the figure of $1.1 billion? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
The other part to the member’s question is whether I am aware of the per capita level of debt. Of course I am. Mr E.S. Ripper : That was not the question. That was a statement of fact. Mr C.C. PORTER : So I am not allowed to talk about the opposition’s statements of fact! Would the Leader of the Opposition like to draft the answers for his shadow Treasurer as well as the questions? He does well by the member for Midland! Mr E.S. Ripper : I would like you to get on with it. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You haven’t answered a single question yet! Mr C.C. PORTER : I am addressing directly the parts of the question that were meant to assert some kind of problem on this side of the house. Mrs M.H. Roberts : I would like an answer to the question. Question (1) was about net debt: when will it peak and how much will it be? The Treasurer keeps asserting that other things are question (1)—they aren’t! Mr C.C. PORTER : Let me ask the member a question: when did Labor show a net debt peak in its last budget? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Please answer a question! Why the hell would I answer a question from you when you haven’t answered one of mine? The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I formally call you to order for the first time today. Can I provide this instruction to the house once more: if members want questions answered, sometimes they have to listen to the answer and stop interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : The second statement that was made, which I will take just a bit of time to answer, was that per capita debt is high in WA. That is one measure. The other measure is looking at debt in terms of the known statistical ability to pay it, which is the size of the economy. The fact is that when we look, for instance, at the level of debt in Western Australia and Victoria and use that as a measure of the size of the economy, we find that we have a comparable figure. What is interesting is that Victoria has a $53 billion economy, and Western Australia, which has far fewer people, has a $42.2 billion economy. It is no wonder that the government is willing to have debt at levels which are responsible but which also allow for infrastructure development; it is because our economy is growing and our economy requires infrastructure investment. Am I aware of the per capita debt level? Yes, I am. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : The third part of member’s question related to the road trauma trust fund. The $300 million will show as expenditure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : How big is the economy in Western Australia? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s questions. The third part of her question was about the RTTF. That will be shown as expenditure when it is approved by cabinet. The member would have heard that in the second reading speech from the Minister for Police today. The difference in that system from the one that was maintained by the Labor government is that now all the decisions about the RTTF will be approved fulsomely by cabinet. In my view, that is a very good system, and is far superior to the one that the Labor government had in place. That is when that expenditure will show. I forget the final part of the member’s question because it was so long ago. Did the member cite the figure of $1.1 billion? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
Mr E.S. Ripper : That was not the question. That was a statement of fact. Mr C.C. PORTER : So I am not allowed to talk about the opposition’s statements of fact! Would the Leader of the Opposition like to draft the answers for his shadow Treasurer as well as the questions? He does well by the member for Midland! Mr E.S. Ripper : I would like you to get on with it. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You haven’t answered a single question yet! Mr C.C. PORTER : I am addressing directly the parts of the question that were meant to assert some kind of problem on this side of the house. Mrs M.H. Roberts : I would like an answer to the question. Question (1) was about net debt: when will it peak and how much will it be? The Treasurer keeps asserting that other things are question (1)—they aren’t! Mr C.C. PORTER : Let me ask the member a question: when did Labor show a net debt peak in its last budget? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Please answer a question! Why the hell would I answer a question from you when you haven’t answered one of mine? The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I formally call you to order for the first time today. Can I provide this instruction to the house once more: if members want questions answered, sometimes they have to listen to the answer and stop interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : The second statement that was made, which I will take just a bit of time to answer, was that per capita debt is high in WA. That is one measure. The other measure is looking at debt in terms of the known statistical ability to pay it, which is the size of the economy. The fact is that when we look, for instance, at the level of debt in Western Australia and Victoria and use that as a measure of the size of the economy, we find that we have a comparable figure. What is interesting is that Victoria has a $53 billion economy, and Western Australia, which has far fewer people, has a $42.2 billion economy. It is no wonder that the government is willing to have debt at levels which are responsible but which also allow for infrastructure development; it is because our economy is growing and our economy requires infrastructure investment. Am I aware of the per capita debt level? Yes, I am. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : The third part of member’s question related to the road trauma trust fund. The $300 million will show as expenditure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : How big is the economy in Western Australia? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s questions. The third part of her question was about the RTTF. That will be shown as expenditure when it is approved by cabinet. The member would have heard that in the second reading speech from the Minister for Police today. The difference in that system from the one that was maintained by the Labor government is that now all the decisions about the RTTF will be approved fulsomely by cabinet. In my view, that is a very good system, and is far superior to the one that the Labor government had in place. That is when that expenditure will show. I forget the final part of the member’s question because it was so long ago. Did the member cite the figure of $1.1 billion? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
Mr C.C. PORTER : So I am not allowed to talk about the opposition’s statements of fact! Would the Leader of the Opposition like to draft the answers for his shadow Treasurer as well as the questions? He does well by the member for Midland! Mr E.S. Ripper : I would like you to get on with it. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You haven’t answered a single question yet! Mr C.C. PORTER : I am addressing directly the parts of the question that were meant to assert some kind of problem on this side of the house. Mrs M.H. Roberts : I would like an answer to the question. Question (1) was about net debt: when will it peak and how much will it be? The Treasurer keeps asserting that other things are question (1)—they aren’t! Mr C.C. PORTER : Let me ask the member a question: when did Labor show a net debt peak in its last budget? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Please answer a question! Why the hell would I answer a question from you when you haven’t answered one of mine? The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I formally call you to order for the first time today. Can I provide this instruction to the house once more: if members want questions answered, sometimes they have to listen to the answer and stop interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : The second statement that was made, which I will take just a bit of time to answer, was that per capita debt is high in WA. That is one measure. The other measure is looking at debt in terms of the known statistical ability to pay it, which is the size of the economy. The fact is that when we look, for instance, at the level of debt in Western Australia and Victoria and use that as a measure of the size of the economy, we find that we have a comparable figure. What is interesting is that Victoria has a $53 billion economy, and Western Australia, which has far fewer people, has a $42.2 billion economy. It is no wonder that the government is willing to have debt at levels which are responsible but which also allow for infrastructure development; it is because our economy is growing and our economy requires infrastructure investment. Am I aware of the per capita debt level? Yes, I am. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : The third part of member’s question related to the road trauma trust fund. The $300 million will show as expenditure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : How big is the economy in Western Australia? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s questions. The third part of her question was about the RTTF. That will be shown as expenditure when it is approved by cabinet. The member would have heard that in the second reading speech from the Minister for Police today. The difference in that system from the one that was maintained by the Labor government is that now all the decisions about the RTTF will be approved fulsomely by cabinet. In my view, that is a very good system, and is far superior to the one that the Labor government had in place. That is when that expenditure will show. I forget the final part of the member’s question because it was so long ago. Did the member cite the figure of $1.1 billion? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
Mr E.S. Ripper : I would like you to get on with it. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You haven’t answered a single question yet! Mr C.C. PORTER : I am addressing directly the parts of the question that were meant to assert some kind of problem on this side of the house. Mrs M.H. Roberts : I would like an answer to the question. Question (1) was about net debt: when will it peak and how much will it be? The Treasurer keeps asserting that other things are question (1)—they aren’t! Mr C.C. PORTER : Let me ask the member a question: when did Labor show a net debt peak in its last budget? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Please answer a question! Why the hell would I answer a question from you when you haven’t answered one of mine? The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I formally call you to order for the first time today. Can I provide this instruction to the house once more: if members want questions answered, sometimes they have to listen to the answer and stop interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : The second statement that was made, which I will take just a bit of time to answer, was that per capita debt is high in WA. That is one measure. The other measure is looking at debt in terms of the known statistical ability to pay it, which is the size of the economy. The fact is that when we look, for instance, at the level of debt in Western Australia and Victoria and use that as a measure of the size of the economy, we find that we have a comparable figure. What is interesting is that Victoria has a $53 billion economy, and Western Australia, which has far fewer people, has a $42.2 billion economy. It is no wonder that the government is willing to have debt at levels which are responsible but which also allow for infrastructure development; it is because our economy is growing and our economy requires infrastructure investment. Am I aware of the per capita debt level? Yes, I am. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : The third part of member’s question related to the road trauma trust fund. The $300 million will show as expenditure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : How big is the economy in Western Australia? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s questions. The third part of her question was about the RTTF. That will be shown as expenditure when it is approved by cabinet. The member would have heard that in the second reading speech from the Minister for Police today. The difference in that system from the one that was maintained by the Labor government is that now all the decisions about the RTTF will be approved fulsomely by cabinet. In my view, that is a very good system, and is far superior to the one that the Labor government had in place. That is when that expenditure will show. I forget the final part of the member’s question because it was so long ago. Did the member cite the figure of $1.1 billion? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
Mrs M.H. Roberts : You haven’t answered a single question yet! Mr C.C. PORTER : I am addressing directly the parts of the question that were meant to assert some kind of problem on this side of the house. Mrs M.H. Roberts : I would like an answer to the question. Question (1) was about net debt: when will it peak and how much will it be? The Treasurer keeps asserting that other things are question (1)—they aren’t! Mr C.C. PORTER : Let me ask the member a question: when did Labor show a net debt peak in its last budget? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Please answer a question! Why the hell would I answer a question from you when you haven’t answered one of mine? The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I formally call you to order for the first time today. Can I provide this instruction to the house once more: if members want questions answered, sometimes they have to listen to the answer and stop interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : The second statement that was made, which I will take just a bit of time to answer, was that per capita debt is high in WA. That is one measure. The other measure is looking at debt in terms of the known statistical ability to pay it, which is the size of the economy. The fact is that when we look, for instance, at the level of debt in Western Australia and Victoria and use that as a measure of the size of the economy, we find that we have a comparable figure. What is interesting is that Victoria has a $53 billion economy, and Western Australia, which has far fewer people, has a $42.2 billion economy. It is no wonder that the government is willing to have debt at levels which are responsible but which also allow for infrastructure development; it is because our economy is growing and our economy requires infrastructure investment. Am I aware of the per capita debt level? Yes, I am. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : The third part of member’s question related to the road trauma trust fund. The $300 million will show as expenditure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : How big is the economy in Western Australia? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s questions. The third part of her question was about the RTTF. That will be shown as expenditure when it is approved by cabinet. The member would have heard that in the second reading speech from the Minister for Police today. The difference in that system from the one that was maintained by the Labor government is that now all the decisions about the RTTF will be approved fulsomely by cabinet. In my view, that is a very good system, and is far superior to the one that the Labor government had in place. That is when that expenditure will show. I forget the final part of the member’s question because it was so long ago. Did the member cite the figure of $1.1 billion? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
Mr C.C. PORTER : I am addressing directly the parts of the question that were meant to assert some kind of problem on this side of the house. Mrs M.H. Roberts : I would like an answer to the question. Question (1) was about net debt: when will it peak and how much will it be? The Treasurer keeps asserting that other things are question (1)—they aren’t! Mr C.C. PORTER : Let me ask the member a question: when did Labor show a net debt peak in its last budget? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Please answer a question! Why the hell would I answer a question from you when you haven’t answered one of mine? The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I formally call you to order for the first time today. Can I provide this instruction to the house once more: if members want questions answered, sometimes they have to listen to the answer and stop interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : The second statement that was made, which I will take just a bit of time to answer, was that per capita debt is high in WA. That is one measure. The other measure is looking at debt in terms of the known statistical ability to pay it, which is the size of the economy. The fact is that when we look, for instance, at the level of debt in Western Australia and Victoria and use that as a measure of the size of the economy, we find that we have a comparable figure. What is interesting is that Victoria has a $53 billion economy, and Western Australia, which has far fewer people, has a $42.2 billion economy. It is no wonder that the government is willing to have debt at levels which are responsible but which also allow for infrastructure development; it is because our economy is growing and our economy requires infrastructure investment. Am I aware of the per capita debt level? Yes, I am. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : The third part of member’s question related to the road trauma trust fund. The $300 million will show as expenditure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : How big is the economy in Western Australia? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s questions. The third part of her question was about the RTTF. That will be shown as expenditure when it is approved by cabinet. The member would have heard that in the second reading speech from the Minister for Police today. The difference in that system from the one that was maintained by the Labor government is that now all the decisions about the RTTF will be approved fulsomely by cabinet. In my view, that is a very good system, and is far superior to the one that the Labor government had in place. That is when that expenditure will show. I forget the final part of the member’s question because it was so long ago. Did the member cite the figure of $1.1 billion? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
Mrs M.H. Roberts : I would like an answer to the question. Question (1) was about net debt: when will it peak and how much will it be? The Treasurer keeps asserting that other things are question (1)—they aren’t! Mr C.C. PORTER : Let me ask the member a question: when did Labor show a net debt peak in its last budget? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Please answer a question! Why the hell would I answer a question from you when you haven’t answered one of mine? The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I formally call you to order for the first time today. Can I provide this instruction to the house once more: if members want questions answered, sometimes they have to listen to the answer and stop interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : The second statement that was made, which I will take just a bit of time to answer, was that per capita debt is high in WA. That is one measure. The other measure is looking at debt in terms of the known statistical ability to pay it, which is the size of the economy. The fact is that when we look, for instance, at the level of debt in Western Australia and Victoria and use that as a measure of the size of the economy, we find that we have a comparable figure. What is interesting is that Victoria has a $53 billion economy, and Western Australia, which has far fewer people, has a $42.2 billion economy. It is no wonder that the government is willing to have debt at levels which are responsible but which also allow for infrastructure development; it is because our economy is growing and our economy requires infrastructure investment. Am I aware of the per capita debt level? Yes, I am. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : The third part of member’s question related to the road trauma trust fund. The $300 million will show as expenditure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : How big is the economy in Western Australia? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s questions. The third part of her question was about the RTTF. That will be shown as expenditure when it is approved by cabinet. The member would have heard that in the second reading speech from the Minister for Police today. The difference in that system from the one that was maintained by the Labor government is that now all the decisions about the RTTF will be approved fulsomely by cabinet. In my view, that is a very good system, and is far superior to the one that the Labor government had in place. That is when that expenditure will show. I forget the final part of the member’s question because it was so long ago. Did the member cite the figure of $1.1 billion? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
Mr C.C. PORTER : Let me ask the member a question: when did Labor show a net debt peak in its last budget? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Please answer a question! Why the hell would I answer a question from you when you haven’t answered one of mine? The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I formally call you to order for the first time today. Can I provide this instruction to the house once more: if members want questions answered, sometimes they have to listen to the answer and stop interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : The second statement that was made, which I will take just a bit of time to answer, was that per capita debt is high in WA. That is one measure. The other measure is looking at debt in terms of the known statistical ability to pay it, which is the size of the economy. The fact is that when we look, for instance, at the level of debt in Western Australia and Victoria and use that as a measure of the size of the economy, we find that we have a comparable figure. What is interesting is that Victoria has a $53 billion economy, and Western Australia, which has far fewer people, has a $42.2 billion economy. It is no wonder that the government is willing to have debt at levels which are responsible but which also allow for infrastructure development; it is because our economy is growing and our economy requires infrastructure investment. Am I aware of the per capita debt level? Yes, I am. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : The third part of member’s question related to the road trauma trust fund. The $300 million will show as expenditure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : How big is the economy in Western Australia? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s questions. The third part of her question was about the RTTF. That will be shown as expenditure when it is approved by cabinet. The member would have heard that in the second reading speech from the Minister for Police today. The difference in that system from the one that was maintained by the Labor government is that now all the decisions about the RTTF will be approved fulsomely by cabinet. In my view, that is a very good system, and is far superior to the one that the Labor government had in place. That is when that expenditure will show. I forget the final part of the member’s question because it was so long ago. Did the member cite the figure of $1.1 billion? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
Mrs M.H. Roberts : Please answer a question! Why the hell would I answer a question from you when you haven’t answered one of mine? The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I formally call you to order for the first time today. Can I provide this instruction to the house once more: if members want questions answered, sometimes they have to listen to the answer and stop interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : The second statement that was made, which I will take just a bit of time to answer, was that per capita debt is high in WA. That is one measure. The other measure is looking at debt in terms of the known statistical ability to pay it, which is the size of the economy. The fact is that when we look, for instance, at the level of debt in Western Australia and Victoria and use that as a measure of the size of the economy, we find that we have a comparable figure. What is interesting is that Victoria has a $53 billion economy, and Western Australia, which has far fewer people, has a $42.2 billion economy. It is no wonder that the government is willing to have debt at levels which are responsible but which also allow for infrastructure development; it is because our economy is growing and our economy requires infrastructure investment. Am I aware of the per capita debt level? Yes, I am. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : The third part of member’s question related to the road trauma trust fund. The $300 million will show as expenditure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : How big is the economy in Western Australia? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s questions. The third part of her question was about the RTTF. That will be shown as expenditure when it is approved by cabinet. The member would have heard that in the second reading speech from the Minister for Police today. The difference in that system from the one that was maintained by the Labor government is that now all the decisions about the RTTF will be approved fulsomely by cabinet. In my view, that is a very good system, and is far superior to the one that the Labor government had in place. That is when that expenditure will show. I forget the final part of the member’s question because it was so long ago. Did the member cite the figure of $1.1 billion? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I formally call you to order for the first time today. Can I provide this instruction to the house once more: if members want questions answered, sometimes they have to listen to the answer and stop interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : The second statement that was made, which I will take just a bit of time to answer, was that per capita debt is high in WA. That is one measure. The other measure is looking at debt in terms of the known statistical ability to pay it, which is the size of the economy. The fact is that when we look, for instance, at the level of debt in Western Australia and Victoria and use that as a measure of the size of the economy, we find that we have a comparable figure. What is interesting is that Victoria has a $53 billion economy, and Western Australia, which has far fewer people, has a $42.2 billion economy. It is no wonder that the government is willing to have debt at levels which are responsible but which also allow for infrastructure development; it is because our economy is growing and our economy requires infrastructure investment. Am I aware of the per capita debt level? Yes, I am. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : The third part of member’s question related to the road trauma trust fund. The $300 million will show as expenditure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : How big is the economy in Western Australia? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s questions. The third part of her question was about the RTTF. That will be shown as expenditure when it is approved by cabinet. The member would have heard that in the second reading speech from the Minister for Police today. The difference in that system from the one that was maintained by the Labor government is that now all the decisions about the RTTF will be approved fulsomely by cabinet. In my view, that is a very good system, and is far superior to the one that the Labor government had in place. That is when that expenditure will show. I forget the final part of the member’s question because it was so long ago. Did the member cite the figure of $1.1 billion? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
Mr C.C. PORTER : The second statement that was made, which I will take just a bit of time to answer, was that per capita debt is high in WA. That is one measure. The other measure is looking at debt in terms of the known statistical ability to pay it, which is the size of the economy. The fact is that when we look, for instance, at the level of debt in Western Australia and Victoria and use that as a measure of the size of the economy, we find that we have a comparable figure. What is interesting is that Victoria has a $53 billion economy, and Western Australia, which has far fewer people, has a $42.2 billion economy. It is no wonder that the government is willing to have debt at levels which are responsible but which also allow for infrastructure development; it is because our economy is growing and our economy requires infrastructure investment. Am I aware of the per capita debt level? Yes, I am. Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : The third part of member’s question related to the road trauma trust fund. The $300 million will show as expenditure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : How big is the economy in Western Australia? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s questions. The third part of her question was about the RTTF. That will be shown as expenditure when it is approved by cabinet. The member would have heard that in the second reading speech from the Minister for Police today. The difference in that system from the one that was maintained by the Labor government is that now all the decisions about the RTTF will be approved fulsomely by cabinet. In my view, that is a very good system, and is far superior to the one that the Labor government had in place. That is when that expenditure will show. I forget the final part of the member’s question because it was so long ago. Did the member cite the figure of $1.1 billion? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
Several members interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : The third part of member’s question related to the road trauma trust fund. The $300 million will show as expenditure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : How big is the economy in Western Australia? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s questions. The third part of her question was about the RTTF. That will be shown as expenditure when it is approved by cabinet. The member would have heard that in the second reading speech from the Minister for Police today. The difference in that system from the one that was maintained by the Labor government is that now all the decisions about the RTTF will be approved fulsomely by cabinet. In my view, that is a very good system, and is far superior to the one that the Labor government had in place. That is when that expenditure will show. I forget the final part of the member’s question because it was so long ago. Did the member cite the figure of $1.1 billion? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
Mr C.C. PORTER : The third part of member’s question related to the road trauma trust fund. The $300 million will show as expenditure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : How big is the economy in Western Australia? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s questions. The third part of her question was about the RTTF. That will be shown as expenditure when it is approved by cabinet. The member would have heard that in the second reading speech from the Minister for Police today. The difference in that system from the one that was maintained by the Labor government is that now all the decisions about the RTTF will be approved fulsomely by cabinet. In my view, that is a very good system, and is far superior to the one that the Labor government had in place. That is when that expenditure will show. I forget the final part of the member’s question because it was so long ago. Did the member cite the figure of $1.1 billion? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
Mrs M.H. Roberts : How big is the economy in Western Australia? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s questions. The third part of her question was about the RTTF. That will be shown as expenditure when it is approved by cabinet. The member would have heard that in the second reading speech from the Minister for Police today. The difference in that system from the one that was maintained by the Labor government is that now all the decisions about the RTTF will be approved fulsomely by cabinet. In my view, that is a very good system, and is far superior to the one that the Labor government had in place. That is when that expenditure will show. I forget the final part of the member’s question because it was so long ago. Did the member cite the figure of $1.1 billion? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
Mr C.C. PORTER : I am answering the member’s questions. The third part of her question was about the RTTF. That will be shown as expenditure when it is approved by cabinet. The member would have heard that in the second reading speech from the Minister for Police today. The difference in that system from the one that was maintained by the Labor government is that now all the decisions about the RTTF will be approved fulsomely by cabinet. In my view, that is a very good system, and is far superior to the one that the Labor government had in place. That is when that expenditure will show. I forget the final part of the member’s question because it was so long ago. Did the member cite the figure of $1.1 billion? Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
Mrs M.H. Roberts : Yes, the tax cuts from economic audit savings. Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
Mr C.C. PORTER : The member asserted that was a promise of this government. I think what we promised was to devote any windfall revenues to tax cuts. The point that I have making consistently is that, unlike a government that had $2 billion coming in from transfer duties when house prices exploded, we are not having windfall revenues.
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