TRANSPORT PROJECTS — MID-TIER CONTRACTORS
745. Mrs R.M.J. CLARKE to the Minister for Transport:
I refer to the McGowan Labor government's efforts to
support local jobs and local businesses through its record investment of $260 million
a month in road and transport projects across Western Australia.
(1) Will the
minister outline to the house how this record investment is supporting local,
Australian, mid-tier contractors?
(2) Will the
minister advise the house whether she is aware of any false claims being made
about this government's support for these companies?
Ms R. SAFFIOTI
replied:
I thank the
member for Murray–Wellington for the question.
(1)–(2)
The government is getting on with the job, as the member well knows. Across the
state, the government is investing $260 million
a month in transport infrastructure projects in regional and metropolitan WA.
This compares with $150 million a month when the last government was in
power. It includes a significant pipeline of
work for all contractors, including mid-tier contractors. Yesterday, the
Premier and I announced a $175 million contract for the Albany
ring-road. That project will be delivered by Decmil Southern. Other mid-tier companies that have just finished
delivering projects include MACA, which helped to deliver the Karratha–Tom Price road and is
currently working on the Hay Street bridge. BMD delivered the very successful
smart freeway project, the Manning Road on-ramp and the Mitchell Freeway and
Kwinana Freeway improvements, and is currently under contract for the Tonkin
gap project. It was BMD that the opposition spokesperson for transport said we
should sack from the freeway job. Do members remember that? Decmil has just
delivered the Reid Highway widening and is also helping to deliver the Bayswater station. Georgiou Group is working on
the High Street upgrade, the Roe Highway in Kalamunda and the Karel
Avenue duplication and is also part of the consortium for the Tonkin gap
project.
A record number of projects are going
to different sized companies. I know the industry supports what we are doing
because I talk to it all the time, unlike the recent announcements made by the
opposition. We are in an economic recovery
and what we do not need is an alternative government throwing out ill-thought-out policies that create more
uncertainty and impact on investor confidence in Western Australia. The
Leader of the Opposition appears to have a policy of opening the Western Australian
borders but closing the WA economy.
She wants the borders open but she
wants to stop all overseas investment in WA! That is the policy of the Leader of the Opposition. It is causing
enormous nervousness in the economy and also among contractors. We know
that the opposition will say and do anything. They will lie to the Western Australian
public, as they have in —
Withdrawal of Remark
Mr Z.R.F.
KIRKUP: I do not believe that the minister can use the language ''the
opposition can lie''.
Mr T. Healy interjected.
Mr Z.R.F. KIRKUP: That is the
point of order.
Mr T. Healy interjected.
The SPEAKER: No, it is not a point
of order.
Mr T. Healy interjected.
Mr Z.R.F. KIRKUP: I would be
surprised if you can count.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER: I was going to
call the member for Southern River to order for the first time, but I will call
him to order for the second time. We will not have that sort of behaviour in
the chamber.
Member for Dawesville, it is only if
it is against a person and not a group.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Ms R. SAFFIOTI: Yesterday,
the opposition claimed that a WA company was locked out of a Metronet contract.
That is not true. That company refused to bid because it did not want to comply
with modern safety standards for trains. That is what happened. I know the
opposition likes to selectively quote Australian Owned Contractors. Let me update the house on what it is saying about
Liberal Party policies. Australian Owned Contractors has not, and will not, endorse or support the WA opposition's
local jobs guarantee policy. Even worse, members, it said that this policy
would likely deny project opportunities to some of its members over the others,
which is a bad policy outcome. Even Australian Owned Contractors does not
support the opposition's policy. Just imagine other companies such as Laing O'Rourke, Multiplex and Clough—the
Liberal Party's policy is to ban companies like Clough and Multiplex
from bidding on WA government projects. Member for Bateman, do you support that
policy? Do you support banning Clough and Multiplex from bidding for WA
government contracts?
The SPEAKER: Through the
Chair, minister.
Ms R. SAFFIOTI: I take that
as a no, because I do not think the shadow Treasurer was consulted on what is
one of the most devastating impacts on WA investor confidence in this state.
The Premier alluded to it yesterday,
and, as I said, a lot of leaders like aspiring to leaders of the past. The
Premier has outlined how much the influences of Bob Hawke and Paul Keating have
had on his leadership style. But what has
surprised us is where the Leader of the Opposition is drawing her inspiration
from. The WA Liberal Party models itself on the policies of Fidel Castro
from the 1960s—a closed economy! The next policy from the Leader of the
Opposition will be that Scarborough will be turned into the next Havana! We
will be driving Cortinas from the 1990s under the leadership of the Leader of
the Opposition—an absolute disgrace. The organisation the Leader of the
Opposition purports to support does not even support her policies.