❓ Ms. Freeman asks how bringing Water Corp's metropolitan water and drainage operations back into public hands will save money and benefit Western Australians. The Minister outlines benefits to workers, service delivery, and cost savings.
AnsweredQoN 666Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
WATER CORPORATION — METROPOLITAN WATER AND
DRAINAGE OPERATIONS
666. Ms J.M. FREEMAN to the Minister for Water:
I refer to and congratulate the
McGowan Labor government's decision to overturn the Liberal Party's
privatisation of Water Corporation's metropolitan water and drainage
operations.
Can the minister outline to the
house how bringing this work and these jobs back into public hands will save
taxpayers money and benefit Western Australians?
DRAINAGE OPERATIONS
666. Ms J.M. FREEMAN to the Minister for Water:
I refer to and congratulate the
McGowan Labor government's decision to overturn the Liberal Party's
privatisation of Water Corporation's metropolitan water and drainage
operations.
Can the minister outline to the
house how bringing this work and these jobs back into public hands will save
taxpayers money and benefit Western Australians?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the
question. I thank her for her commitment to quality services here in Western Australia.
On Friday, we announced that the
operations and maintenance work at the Water Corporation in the metropolitan
area is being brought back in-house. To give people a little bit of context, it
was 1995 when the Liberal Party's then Minister for Water, Peter Foss,
made an announcement that this work was going to be privatised and put out to
the private sector. Since then, the staff have gone through numerous tender
processes. The work went out for the first time in 1995; they were put through
a contracting process in 2002, and again in 2011; and here we are in 2019.
After reviewing the operating structures at the Water Corporation, its board
has come to the conclusion that, amongst a number of the changes they want to
make, this work is core business for the Water Corporation.
Dr D.J. Honey interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Cottesloe!
Mr D.J. KELLY : Just so that
members understand, when the proverbial hits the fan, these are the people in
the metropolitan area who go in and clean it up. These people do incredibly
important work at the Water Corporation.
Mr P.A. Katsambanis interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Cottesloe, I call you to order for the first time.
Dr D.J. Honey : I didn't
say anything!
The SPEAKER : Yes, you did.
For the time before, then. Minister for Water.
Mr D.J. KELLY : That work
is core business for the Water Corporation. The board also looked at that
decision and came to the same view. On Friday, we went out there, met with the
staff and told them that over the next nine months, the Water Corporation was
transitioning that work back and making those staff directly employed by the Water Corporation. About 250 staff will be
affected. I have to say, they were pretty happy about the decision. It is not only about the better pay and conditions that they
will receive as direct employees of the Water Corporation, but also about what
that decision by the board of the Water Corporation says to them about the
value they place on their work. I just
give one example: one member of the staff there said to me that he had been
employed doing that work for 30 years.
Mr V.A. Catania interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
North West Central!
Mr D.J. KELLY : He was going
to retire in a couple of years. He could now retire with dignity as an employee
of the Water Corporation. He always felt, as a private contractor, it meant
that the Water Corporation never really valued the role that he played.
Therefore, it is not just about pay and conditions or job security; it is about
the dignity of the work that was done. Those staff are very happy. But I can
also say to members of the public that the Water Corporation believes it will
deliver a better service. It will allow it to have a direct line of sight
between the Water Corporation and its customers —
Mr V.A. Catania interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
North West Central!
Mr D.J. KELLY : — and
it will allow it to better maintain its assets. Rather than having capital
expenditure in one bucket and maintenance
expenditure in a separate bucket, it will be able to bring the two together so
that it can maximise the end-to-end life of its assets. Finally, the
Water Corporation believes that it will lead to cost savings.
Several members interjected.
Mr D.J. KELLY : I can see
members on the other side are not interested.
Several members interjected.
Mr D.J. KELLY : If members
could listen—it was privatised by the then Liberal government in 1995,
the same government that closed the Midland Workshops, if members remember. We
dealt with that a bit earlier.
Mr V.A. Catania : What about
Fisheries up north?
The SPEAKER : Member for
North West Central, you have mentioned that three times, and it did not work. I
call you to order for the first time.
Mr D.J. KELLY : We want to
deliver better services for the people of Western Australia at a lower cost
while delivering a better working environment for those people who do the
really hard work here in Western Australia.
question. I thank her for her commitment to quality services here in Western Australia.
On Friday, we announced that the
operations and maintenance work at the Water Corporation in the metropolitan
area is being brought back in-house. To give people a little bit of context, it
was 1995 when the Liberal Party's then Minister for Water, Peter Foss,
made an announcement that this work was going to be privatised and put out to
the private sector. Since then, the staff have gone through numerous tender
processes. The work went out for the first time in 1995; they were put through
a contracting process in 2002, and again in 2011; and here we are in 2019.
After reviewing the operating structures at the Water Corporation, its board
has come to the conclusion that, amongst a number of the changes they want to
make, this work is core business for the Water Corporation.
Dr D.J. Honey interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Cottesloe!
Mr D.J. KELLY : Just so that
members understand, when the proverbial hits the fan, these are the people in
the metropolitan area who go in and clean it up. These people do incredibly
important work at the Water Corporation.
Mr P.A. Katsambanis interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Cottesloe, I call you to order for the first time.
Dr D.J. Honey : I didn't
say anything!
The SPEAKER : Yes, you did.
For the time before, then. Minister for Water.
Mr D.J. KELLY : That work
is core business for the Water Corporation. The board also looked at that
decision and came to the same view. On Friday, we went out there, met with the
staff and told them that over the next nine months, the Water Corporation was
transitioning that work back and making those staff directly employed by the Water Corporation. About 250 staff will be
affected. I have to say, they were pretty happy about the decision. It is not only about the better pay and conditions that they
will receive as direct employees of the Water Corporation, but also about what
that decision by the board of the Water Corporation says to them about the
value they place on their work. I just
give one example: one member of the staff there said to me that he had been
employed doing that work for 30 years.
Mr V.A. Catania interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
North West Central!
Mr D.J. KELLY : He was going
to retire in a couple of years. He could now retire with dignity as an employee
of the Water Corporation. He always felt, as a private contractor, it meant
that the Water Corporation never really valued the role that he played.
Therefore, it is not just about pay and conditions or job security; it is about
the dignity of the work that was done. Those staff are very happy. But I can
also say to members of the public that the Water Corporation believes it will
deliver a better service. It will allow it to have a direct line of sight
between the Water Corporation and its customers —
Mr V.A. Catania interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
North West Central!
Mr D.J. KELLY : — and
it will allow it to better maintain its assets. Rather than having capital
expenditure in one bucket and maintenance
expenditure in a separate bucket, it will be able to bring the two together so
that it can maximise the end-to-end life of its assets. Finally, the
Water Corporation believes that it will lead to cost savings.
Several members interjected.
Mr D.J. KELLY : I can see
members on the other side are not interested.
Several members interjected.
Mr D.J. KELLY : If members
could listen—it was privatised by the then Liberal government in 1995,
the same government that closed the Midland Workshops, if members remember. We
dealt with that a bit earlier.
Mr V.A. Catania : What about
Fisheries up north?
The SPEAKER : Member for
North West Central, you have mentioned that three times, and it did not work. I
call you to order for the first time.
Mr D.J. KELLY : We want to
deliver better services for the people of Western Australia at a lower cost
while delivering a better working environment for those people who do the
really hard work here in Western Australia.
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