Question Without Notice No. 512 asked in the Legislative Council on 5 September 2017 by Hon Colin Holt
Parliament: 40 Session: 1
WATER FOR FOOD PROGRAM — SOUTH WEST
512. Hon COLIN HOLT to the Minister for Regional Development:
I refer to the minister's response to question without notice 419 when she requested that I get on the phone to Barnaby Joyce to ask him to deliver for Western Australia.
(1) Will the minister table all the documents and correspondence between the federal government and the state government on these projects to ensure that I have access to all information on the issues that need to be addressed for the projects to be funded?
(2) Will the minister commit to providing a briefing from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development as well as the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation on the status of the projects so that I can make a fully informed representation to the Deputy Prime Minister?
Hon ALANNAH MacTIERNAN replied:
(1)–(2) Good luck with that! His latest dream is apparently a rail line from Cairns to Broome! I felt like I was trapped in an episode of Utopia when I was with the Deputy Prime Minister the other day, talking about the practical things that need to be done to get this state moving. Members will be very interested in what he had to say. Talking about his discussion with proponents of the national infrastructure fund, he said to them, ''It can be a rail, it can be a road, it can even be a pie shop as long as it's big!'' That is the Deputy Prime Minister's vision for this state. He said it could even be a pie shop as long as it is big. If a certain High Court case goes a certain way, I will be —
Point of Order
Hon JIM CHOWN: Surely we can have an answer to the question rather than a speech on —
Several members interjected.
The PRESIDENT: There is no point of order. Hon Jim Chown, you have been around long enough to know that when a member asks a question, the minister will provide whichever response they choose to be appropriate. Minister, do you need to finish up?Questions without Notice Resumed
Hon ALANNAH MacTIERNAN: Madam President, I thought it was important for the member who was going in there as an ambassador for us to understand the mindset of this person—the ''Bro''. It is a very challenging thing to do.
I would be very happy to arrange a briefing for the member in the next few weeks on the wild dog fencing funding and the southern forests and Wellington–Myalup National Water Initiative projects. I will even extend to the member an invitation to attend our wild dog forum in the next few weeks to better equip him to get in Western Australia's corner to fight for some wild dog money.