Skip to main content
Home
  • The Legislative Assembly meets on 16/04/2024 (01:00 PM)
    Assembly sit 16/04/2024
  • The Legislative Council meets on 16/04/2024 (01:00 PM)
    Council sit 16/04/2024
  • The Public Administration meets on 08/04/2024 (10:00 AM)
    Committee meet 08/04/2024

Parliamentary Questions


Question Without Notice No. 976 asked in the Legislative Assembly on 4 December 2020 by Mr R.S. Love

Parliament: 40 Session: 1

ROYALTIES FOR REGIONS — REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

976. Mr R.S. LOVE to the Premier:

I ask this question on behalf of the people of regional Western Australia. Will the Premier outline whether he and the Labor Party will fully commit to royalties for regions as it was intended—that is, 25 per cent of royalties collected by the state dedicated to a statewide regional development program?

Mr M. McGOWAN replied:

It is interesting because there are only 25 per cent of Nationals WA members in the chamber—and one of them is a ring-in.

We said prior to the last election that we would keep royalties for regions, and that is exactly what we have done. Members of the Nationals ran a scare campaign prior to the last election in which they were saying that we were going to abolish the scheme. It turned out that they were wrong. They ran another scare campaign that we were going to abolish the Country Age Pension Fuel Card. Again it turned out that they were wrong. We kept the scheme. We are ensuring that the money is spent wisely. We have proper budget processes around it; we do not have the two budget processes that the Liberals and Nationals had that drove Colin Barnett nuts. We have a proper budget process whereby royalties for regions comes in to the Expenditure Review Committee and measures within it are ticked off and go through the normal cabinet process.

Members will find that all sorts of important projects all over regional WA are being funded by this government through royalties for regions. Yesterday, I was in Bunbury for the opening of the Jetty Road Causeway, the wonderful Bunbury waterfront project. I congratulate the member for Bunbury.

Mr R.S. Love: He's not here.

Mr M. McGOWAN: He is no doubt down there enjoying it.

Mr R.S. Love: He's not here; he must be out with the Nationals.

Mr M. McGOWAN: We have about 85 per cent of our members here.

I was down there yesterday for that important announcement. Yesterday, I was also in Mandurah to see the important upgrades to the TAFE college. Our record stands. We are strongly supportive of regional WA. We are keeping an important program for the people of regional WA. We are keeping the regions safe and strong. Industries all over the state, including the tourism, hospitality, mining and agriculture industries, are all very, very strong in the midst of a worldwide pandemic. That is what this government has ensured will continue to take place.