METRONET
— CONSTRUCTION COSTS
146. Mr R.S. LOVE to the Minister for Transport:
I have a supplementary question. Some of these pressures have
been around for some time, yet there is nothing reflected in the midyear fiscal
outlook to account for increasing costs as outlined in this article. Why is
that, and when is the minister going to reveal the actual increases?
The SPEAKER: Again we had a preamble, and we got a ''why
is that'' and a ''when''. The preamble does not stand.
Perhaps you can just answer, ''Why is that?''
Ms R. SAFFIOTI
replied:
As I said, we acknowledge new
budgets or new estimate to completes when they eventuate, materialise or
crystallise. I do notice something. Despite a coalition government advertising
about Metronet, despite the member for Moore
acknowledging that the federal government is so supportive of Metronet, members
opposite still have those awful little
stickers on their vehicles—their anti-Metronet stickers. We have one
for the member for Moore, the ''I love Metronet'' sticker.
As he knows, the Nationals WA is very keen to win the hearts and minds of the
suburbs.
A member interjected: The western
suburbs!
Ms R. SAFFIOTI: Well, it has
won those hearts and minds, but now it wants to move to the other suburbs and
become a city-based party and a regional party. I urge the member for Moore to
get on board, take a Metronet sticker and
stop opposing. The Nationals are actually not supporting the Byford level
crossing removal build that we will bring in this place today. The
question was put from the member for Mount Lawley, ''Are you supporting
it?'' The member for Moore said, ''We're not opposing it''.
The opposition is not supporting the Metronet bill. When these cost pressures
materialise, we reflect those in our financial documents.
The SPEAKER: I have asked
ministers to keep answers to supplementaries as brief as possible as well.