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Parliamentary Questions


Question Without Notice No. 346 asked in the Legislative Assembly on 14 June 2022 by Mr R.S. Love

Parliament: 41 Session: 1

APARTMENTS — FLAMMABLE CLADDING

346. Mr R.S. LOVE to the Minister for Commerce:

I was going to ask this of the Minister for Commerce; Deputy Premier, who will not be here until after the winter break, so I seek guidance.

Several members interjected.

The SPEAKER: Order! Members, I think you have had your little bit of fun, but I would like to get on with question time. Member, I ask you to ask the question to the Minister for Commerce and the government will respond.

Ms S. Winton interjected.

The SPEAKER: Order, member for Wanneroo!

Mr R.S. LOVE: I refer to reports that the safety of residents of nine Perth apartment buildings remain at risk due to the presence of dangerously flammable cladding material similar to that which contributed to the Grenfell Tower disaster in the United Kingdom.

(1) Has the minister's department, or the government, briefed the minister on how the government might assist the owners of these apartments to ensure their properties are made safe?

(2) Where the companies that carry the liability no longer exist, will the government step in to make sure that Western Australian families are safe in their own apartment homes?

Ms R. SAFFIOTI replied:

(1)–(2) The government has a program for government-owned buildings in relation to the cladding system, and that program is being rolled out. If the member really wanted to take this issue seriously, he would have known that the minister was not here and is out there promoting Western Australia, attracting workers to WA, because that is what they called for!

Mr R.S. Love interjected.

Ms R. SAFFIOTI: No, listen! The opposition called for us to promote WA around the world, so the Minister for State Development, Jobs and Trade; Tourism is doing that. The member comes in here trying to play politics with the Deputy Premier up there promoting Western Australia. When you have an acting minister, look it up! That is what we used to do. We used to get the Government Gazette and see who the acting minister was. It was called research. If you wanted detailed answers, you would give some notice. That is parliamentary practice. That is what we did when we were in opposition. There will be ministers who will be away. There will be acting ministers. We give notice, so do not come in here and play the victim. Where has your leader gone? She could not even last here for one question, members. Do not come in here and play politics with the fact that we have a Premier and minister undertaking significant projects on behalf of WA. It is pathetic! You have a couple of questions—use your parliamentary time wisely.

Several members interjected.

Ms R. SAFFIOTI: As I said, ministers are sometimes absent from the Parliament on ministerial business, and there are acting ministers. When I sat over there for eight and a half years and the Minister for Culture and the Arts was the opposition Whip, we had a process. We knew that if the relevant minister was not there, there would be an acting minister, and if the question required detail, we would provide notice. That is simple. I have been around politics for 25 years and I have never seen such a stupid stunt being played because the Premier and a minister are out there undertaking essential business on behalf of the state.