GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT REFORM
170. Ms C.M. TONKIN to the Minister for Finance:
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's commitment to supporting Western Australian businesses in
creating more jobs by cutting red tape and streamlining
government procurement. Can the minister update the house on the implementation
of the government's new procurement model and outline how this will
make it easier for small and medium-sized businesses, including
Aboriginal business and those in regional Western Australia, to work with
government?
Dr A.D.
BUTI replied:
I
would like to thank the member for Churchlands for her question and her very
strong interest in all things procurement, as being an expert in the
area.
One of the first thing that the
McGowan government did when it came to office in 2017 was commission the Service Priority Review and the Special Inquiry
into Government Projects and Programs. That process found that the
Barnett government had a system that could only be described as an absolute
basket case. It had a system in which a business
operator who might be supplying products or services to multiple government
agencies had to go through a tendering process for each agency and
different contract documents and contract management approaches. It was not
very friendly for business operators to tender or to do work on government
projects.
To
the credit of the first-term McGowan government and the former Minister for
Finance, a lot of work was done instigating reform in this area. I am very
delighted today to announce the next step in our suite of reforms. Last year,
as members know, we passed the Procurement Act 2020, which for the first time
in Western Australia brought together goods, services and works under one piece
of legislation. I am delighted also to be able to inform the house that the new
Western Australian procurement
framework comes into effect today, 1 June 2021. This will make it much, much
easier for small and medium-sized business operators to do
work with this state government. Under this framework, we will have consistent
policies and practices across all government departments, making the landscape
simpler and easier to navigate.
If I can refer to comments from the
Civil Contractors Federation of WA, it states regarding the policies that we
have brought in —
''This could be a game-changer
that will reduce red tape, help create more long-term local jobs, and deliver
greater value-for-money for taxpayers,'' �
It states also —
''Achieving standardised
procurement practices right across Government will no doubt be a long and
challenging journey, but the payoff will be worth it. Congratulations to the
State Government for getting the ball rolling,'' �
That is absolutely fantastic.
I would like to thank everyone who
has been involved in the reform process, including those in industry, regional
and peak organisations, the community services sector, practitioners, agency
leaders from across the public sector, and all those who have been involved in
this policy reform, including the previous Minister for Finance, the whole
McGowan government, and everyone else involved.
The SPEAKER: The member for
Vasse, with the last question.