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Parliamentary Questions


Question Without Notice No. 894 asked in the Legislative Assembly on 11 November 2020 by Ms L. Mettam

Parliament: 40 Session: 1

AUDITOR GENERAL — SECTION 82 NOTIFICATIONS — METRONET

894. Ms L. METTAM to the Premier:

I refer to the Auditor General's ''Annual Report 2019–2020'', which states —

We continue to encounter some difficulty accessing documents subject to claims of public interest immunity, legal professional privilege or Cabinet confidentiality

Why is the government being so secretive, especially around Metronet, including the Metronet Taskforce?

Mr M. McGOWAN replied:

I saw the news item on Channel Seven on the weekend —

Ms L. Mettam: Last night.

Mr M. McGOWAN: Sorry?

Ms L. Mettam: Last night.

Mr M. McGOWAN: No. I saw it on Sunday, post the Liberal Party state conference. Does the member remember the Liberal Party state conference that six members attended? The Liberal Party had a state conference on Sunday that six members of the Liberal Party attended, and they were attacking Metronet. That is odd, because it is such a fantastic project. Seven major projects are underway. In fact, eight major projects are underway now across the metro area and we are upgrading the rail line to Bunbury as we speak. All that activity is happening with thousands upon thousands of jobs. Yesterday, I was standing there with the Minister for Transport and Steve Irons, the member for Swan. Steve and I, jointly, were saying how great Metronet is. Steve Irons is 100 per cent on board. I must say that when the Minister for Transport had a go at the state Liberal Party during the press conference, Steve was standing there and looking a bit embarrassed by the opposition's performance on these issues.

We are 100 per cent behind the best capital works and transport project this state has ever seen. We are building it. To undertake eight major projects at once has never been done before in any state in Australia. It has never been done before. The projects are all over the metro area and on the way to Bunbury. It has never been done before, but this government is doing it. All we get from the Liberal Party is attack. All it wants to do is undermine it. When the Liberal Party was in office, of course, it promised twice to build a rail line to Ellenbrook but it did nothing about it. The north eastern suburbs know that the Liberal Party did nothing, despite promising them that it would do it. Then into the northern suburbs, through Balcatta, Mirrabooka, Mt Lawley and Perth, the Liberals promised Metro Area Express light rail. People actually went out and bought land on the basis of that. Investors bought land in Mirrabooka on the basis that they would be able to invest around the MAX light rail train stations. The Liberal Party misled people on it.

The Auditor General's report found that in an overwhelming majority of cases it was entirely reasonable, for commercial-in-confidence reasons, for information not to be released. That is standard practice across all governments. That is what she found. The Liberal Party has a tactic. Liberal members ask ridiculous questions on notice—the questions are incomprehensible or obviously about commercial-in-confidence information—and then a section 82 response is issued. They then say that we are hiding information. They get a cheap media hit out of using that strategy. That is a misuse of Parliament that they are engaging in. I repeat: the Auditor General found that it was entirely reasonable for information to be withheld in the interests of commercial-in-confidence in the vast majority of cases she looked at.