INFRASTRUCTURE
— FEDERAL FUNDING
585. Mr R.S. LOVE to the Premier:
I refer to Sunday's
announcement by the federal government that it will cut its infrastructure
funding to WA, leaving us with even less than Tasmania, including the apparent
loss of $1.2 billion in funding for one project. Can the Premier confirm that
he has failed to ensure —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER: Order, please!
Order, please, government members! I will just ask you to repeat that part of
the question, because I certainly could not hear it.
Mr R.S. LOVE: We have been
left with even less than Tasmania, including the apparent loss of $1.2 billion
in funding for one project. Can the Premier confirm that he has failed to
ensure that Western Australia gets its fair share of federal infrastructure
funding?
Mr M.
McGOWAN replied:
I saw the news on Sunday night and
my recollection of it is that the commonwealth government was announcing the
delivery of its election commitments. It made various commitments in each state
and it was announcing the delivery of various commitments to various states,
which I would have thought is just normal practice in the lead-up to a budget.
With regard to Roe 8, the Deputy
Leader of the Opposition does not understand that it was a contingent
liability. There was never any money there; it did not exist. There was never
any money in the budget. I will explain it to him again: there was never any
money in the budget. That has been canvassed numerous times over the years in
this place. There was never any money in the budget for Roe 8—never.
Unless there is another $1.2 billion project that the member is aware of that
he might want to enlighten us on, that is the position.
We have a record infrastructure
program in Western Australia. We have faced difficulties in delivering it
because our economy is so extraordinarily strong—the strongest in
Australia, probably the strongest in the world—and that is for a range
of reasons. One reason is that we managed COVID and kept it out while other
places did not, and there are other factors besides. The reality is that it is
difficult to get our infrastructure program built.
I will just come back to something I
said a bit earlier. One of the big problems we face is the prospect of a global
recession next year, and a global recession will affect everyone. That is why
it is very important that we, as a state, get our house in order, continue on
the trajectory we are on and are not deterred from ensuring that we have a good
set of books. A good set of books means that, if necessary, we can invest; at
times when we need to, we can invest. It also means that we will reduce our
interest rate exposure in case our revenues go down, which, in a recession,
they obviously do. I am saying to everyone: we are on the right trajectory. We
will not be deterred by some of the yelling and screaming by the Liberals and
Nationals.