COST OF LIVING — FEES AND CHARGES
298. Mrs R.M.J. CLARKE to the Treasurer:
I refer to the strong, responsible
financial management of the McGowan Labor government and its efforts to protect
the WA economy during the COVID-19 pandemic.
(1) Can the
Premier outline to the house how the state budget is continuing to provide
unprecedented support for households facing cost-of-living pressures?
(2) Can the
Premier advise the house how this support compares with the way households were
treated by the Liberal–National government, including the Leader of the
Opposition as the then Minister for Water?
Mr M.
McGOWAN replied:
I thank the member for Murray–Wellington
for the question.
(1)–(2) The truth is that this government has done more to
support Western Australians with cost-of-living pressures than any
government in memory. I just want to remind members of our record prior to this
budget. We froze fees and charges in 2020–21, which was at the height
of the COVID pandemic. We delivered the $600 household credit using the Bell
proceeds in 2020, again not adding to debt to do it; we capped public transport
fares at two zones, so someone in Dawesville, where I was the other day, will
save potentially $3 000 a year; and we put the cap on regional airfares, which
has never been done before by a government in Australia, and the Nationals and
Liberals never even considered it. We put the cap on regional airfares to help
regional residents. We delivered free rapid antigen tests across the community
and there are new arrangements so that people can get free RATs if they are
close contacts. We are the only government in Australia
providing free RATs to every household that applies, or even goes and collects
them. We doubled the energy assistance payments. Just so members know,
in terms of Mr Glasson's comments, if someone is on a commonwealth
Health Care Card, they not only get the $400, but also the energy assistance
payment, which is $318 as well. So, $718 will click on to their account as a credit
as of 1 July. People on a commonwealth Health Care Card, 300 000 households
across the state, will receive that. I am not aware of another government that
is as supportive as that. We restored funding for financial counsellors,
helping people get themselves out of their predicaments, that the last
government cut. We expanded the hardship utility grant scheme and a whole range
of others out there.
But
we know that there is financial pressure at the moment because of issues
outside our control, particularly the cost-of-living increases. That is
why we put in place the $400 household electricity credit, which the Liberals
and Nationals oppose. They opposed the $600 in 2020, they opposed —
Several members interjected.
Mr M. McGOWAN: Hold on, you did!
There we go, we have one come in.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER: Order, please!
Mr M. McGOWAN: As Paul
Keating said, ''This is a salmon that actually jumps on the hook for you''!
The Leader of the Liberal Party went
out on 16 May and said that giving cost relief to families was all just
politics. He said that it is all about the federal election. Our budget was set
months ago. We did not know when the federal election
was going to be held and we do our budget preparation carefully in the lead-up
to that. We will provide relief to families, as we have across our term
in government. That is $445 million straight back to Western Australians. As I said to members before, this will give some
relief to people who never get anything from government—working
and middle–class families who need support.
It is within the capability of the
state to do this because we actually run the electricity system. Unlike New
South Wales, we did not sell it all off
while at the same time blowing debt and blowing deficits. They are amazing
economic managers! We actually ensured that we kept it in public
ownership, and we are delivering this to families across the state—something
that never occurred under the last Liberal–National government. This is
the third consecutive year that household fees have been kept below CPI. The
former government never did that in office. In fact, the average increase was
about 10 per cent for electricity and water during its term in office. This
year, when we take into account the totality of everything we have done, fees
and charges are going down by 3.8 per cent across the board for families in Western
Australia. That is very different from what occurred under the last government.
The
Leader of the Liberal Party described the $600 credit in 2020 as a disgraceful
waste. He said that giving families some money during a very frightening
time was a disgraceful waste. He opposed our free RAT program. We were the only
government in Australia that provided RATs to people around the state. The only
one in the opposition who seems to be in
favour of what we are doing is Hon Dr Steve Thomas, who always comes through
with the goods. He always comes through. He has this honesty gene going
on in his head. He cannot help but endorse everything we do, which I appreciate, but he is the only one. The rest of you are
so miserable and so looking to be negative that even when we deliver
surpluses, debt reduction, record investment in health, record investment in
diversification of the state economy, significant down payments for Indigenous
housing and climate change, and reduce the cost of living, you criticise and
find things to be negative about because that is your nature.