WESTPORT
— FUTURE OF FREMANTLE PLANNING COMMITTEE
280. Mrs L.M. O'MALLEY to the Minister for Ports:
I refer to the McGowan Labor government's commitment
to a new container port for Perth that will create jobs, meet our long-term
trade needs and get trucks off suburban roads in my electorate. Can the
minister outline to the house how this government's planning for
Westport will also look at future economic development opportunities for the
future of Fremantle, and can the minister advise the house how this government's
responsible, sustainable and job-creating plan compares with the efforts of the
Liberal and National Parties?
Ms R. SAFFIOTI
replied:
I thank the member for the question. Of course, the McGowan
government is getting on with the job of planning and developing a new port in Kwinana and also developing a vision and a future
for Fremantle. At the 2017 election, we
set forward an agenda to not build Roe 8–9 and to build a new container
port, plus also now to look at the vision for Fremantle. Member for
Bicton, I am happy to announce that we are establishing a new Future of
Fremantle Planning Committee. That committee
will look at how Fremantle should look into the future. We have already made
some significant decisions. For example, the A-shed will be redeveloped into a new
brewery and, of course, a new film studio will be located in that area. But we
know that a lot of stakeholders, industry groups, the community, the council
and of course the local members want to be involved in developing a vision for
the future.
Of course, we are getting on with the job and delivering our
commitments. Last night, we saw yet again a demonstration of how pathetic the
Liberal Party is on this issue in this state. Let me go through the record. The
Liberal Party was in government for eight and a half years, but it could not
deliver Roe 8–9. Then, in opposition, it could not even commit to Roe 8–9,
even though it was a core election commitment. It could not commit enough funding to build even one-third of Roe 8–9.
Last night in this house, on what was the biggest election battle in both
2017 and 2019, the opposition could not even vote against the Beeliar wetlands
bill! The Liberal–National Parties did
not vote against the Beeliar wetlands bill, the one that they were absolutely
protesting against. Do members know what? There was no-one here! There
was one member, the member for Cottesloe. He was outside the chamber for a bit,
which is fair enough, and then he sat in the corner. When we got to the second
reading, third reading and consideration in
detail stages of the bill, the opposition did not vote against the bill. It was
the biggest issue that the Liberal and National Parties—the
Liberal Party in particular—had raised and the opposition could not be
bothered to turn up for a couple of hours of debate on a Tuesday night. The
member for Vasse, who was the spokesperson against the Beeliar wetlands bill—''Honk
for Roe 8''—could not be bothered to sit in the chamber and
debate and vote against the bill. Yet again, this demonstrates just how lazy
this opposition is. I am glad opposition members did not vote against the bill,
but members of either the Liberal or National Parties cannot now say anything
about Roe 8–9 because they could not —
Dr D.J. Honey: Just wait!
Ms R. SAFFIOTI: Just wait?
Several members interjected.
Ms R. SAFFIOTI: I was waiting
last night for a division on the bill and I got nothing, members. I am glad
that the member for Cottesloe interjected. Many people were in the chamber last
night; it was an extremely good night here in this chamber.
Dr D.J. Honey: A bigger
percentage of our members were here than you had!
Ms R. SAFFIOTI: I actually
doubt that. If only there had been a division, we could count back, but we did
not have a division.
Of
course, what we outlined, which the member for Cockburn also outlined, was that
when the member for Cottesloe was in charge of the Kwinana Industries
Council, its position paper and letters all claimed that the new port in
Kwinana was a must for economic development in Western Australia. It was a must!
Mr D.A. Templeman interjected.
The SPEAKER: Leader of the House,
it would be great if you could set an example.
Ms R. SAFFIOTI: In a letter
from the Kwinana Industries Council to the Senate Standing Committees on Rural
and Regional Affairs and Transport References in 2015, when the member for
Cottesloe was actually the president of the Kwinana Industries Council, he said
—
Over many years there has been
bipartisan agreement over successive governments that there needs to be an
Outer Harbour built in Cockburn Sound adjacent to the KIA, the State's
premier industrial area.
Dr D.J. Honey: Zinger!
Ms R. SAFFIOTI: A zinger? I thought
it was pretty good. The member is now claiming that there is no way Cockburn
Sound should be the home of the new container port. For year after year when he
was president of the Kwinana Industries Council, he was demanding a new port in
Kwinana. That is pretty good, member for Cottesloe. I thank him for turning up
last night because the person next to him, who was the spokesperson against
this bill during the election campaign, could not be bothered, and members of
the National Party, who have also argued for Roe 8–9 and against the
Beeliar wetlands, also could not be bothered to turn up.