2020–21 STATE
BUDGET
770. Mr M. HUGHES to the Premier:
My question is on the budget,
Premier. I refer to the McGowan Labor government's significant investment
in supporting Western Australia's
economic recovery, and keeping the state safe and strong. Can the Premier
outline to the house how the state budget handed down last week will
help create more local jobs, deliver more opportunities for local businesses, drive greater business confidence, and provide
more support for Western Australian households?
Mr M.
McGOWAN replied:
It is a budget that keeps Western Australia
safe and strong. There is no doubt that the people of Western Australia's
response to COVID has been world leading. We have now gone six months without a
single case of community transmission of the
virus. That means we have been able to open our economy to a greater extent
than any other state in Australia. We have the strongest business and
consumer confidence of anywhere in the country. The confidence in the economy
was on show at Diggers and Dealers on Sunday and yesterday, when I attended and
opened the conference. The decision of Northern Star and Saracen to merge, even
in an environment in which there is a world pandemic, shows that there is great
confidence in the industry. Indeed, over the course of the last week, the
Environmental Protection Authority provided environmental approval for the
expansion of the Super Pit, which is a $600 million investment and will involve
700 jobs.
The
budget fully funds our $5.5 billion recovery plan. There is $27.1 billion of
infrastructure investment, the biggest infrastructure
investment program in history, of which $7.5 billion-plus will be in regional
WA, the biggest investment in regional WA infrastructure in history.
That will create a huge pipeline of work. The budget also ensured that we
brought to book the cuts to payroll tax and the waiving of payroll tax, and all
the other initiatives to support small business across the state in waiving
licence fees and the like. They were all brought to book in the budget.
The budget also provided a $600
electricity credit to 1.1 million households all over Western Australia. That
has never been done before in Western Australia. It also froze fees and charges
for households all over the state. That is the first time in 14 years, since
the last Labor government, that that has taken place. It also provided a range
of other cost-of-living supports for families around the state. Indeed, it also
brought about—I am sure the Minister for Police will speak about this—a
significant expansion in police numbers.
It
is a budget that keeps Western Australians safe and strong. It ensures that we
put more support into local businesses and into the pockets of Western Australians
to ensure that they can spend. It also puts record investment into
infrastructure around our state.
I have noted some talk nationally.
I was asked about this at Diggers and Dealers yesterday, and I want to be very clear. I have heard some talk nationally about
unwinding the GST deal that this government secured. After 20 years of governments attempting to do that, this
government secured the GST deal, which puts a floor under the amount of revenue this state will receive. We still are
massive net contributors to the rest of the country. We still underwrite the
national finances and those of the other
states to a huge degree—just not as much as we used to, that is all.
The GST deal is very important to
this state. If other states want to try to unwind that, there will be war with Western
Australia. If other states want to take us on on that, there will be war
with the people and the government of this state. The GST deal needs to stay in
place. It would be a gross breach of faith with the people of Western Australia
if anyone in the other states of Australia or nationally tried to unwind that
arrangement.
Visitor — David GraysStatement
The SPEAKER: Before I forget,
on behalf of the member for Murray–Wellington, I would like to welcome
David Grays from David Grays Aglink to the Speaker's gallery
today. Welcome to the chamber.