METRONET —
COSTINGS
687. Ms
L. METTAM to the Premier:
Now that the Premier has been in
government for over three years, will he finally provide the true capital cost
of Metronet and the expected operating
subsidy for the new Metronet stage 1 lines, or does the Premier intend to keep
the public of WA in the dark right up until the election?
Mr M.
McGOWAN replied:
We commissioned the Langoulant
report when we came to office, and the recommendation in that report was that
we release the costs as we sign the contracts. In that way people get an
accurate portrayal of the exact costs of various projects. That is the practice
that we are following. In terms of operational costs, obviously rail lines cost
money to operate.
Mr D.C. Nalder: What is the
operating subsidy?
The SPEAKER: Member for
Bateman! You are the only one laughing.
Mr M. McGOWAN: There is an
operating subsidy on the existing lines. There is an operating subsidy on the Prospector,
the AvonLink and the Australind rail lines—that is the
nature of rail lines.
Mr D.C. Nalder interjected.
The SPEAKER: Member for
Bateman! I call you to order for the second time.
Mr M. McGOWAN: The Liberal
Party is so, so negative, Mr Speaker. This year, we will have six major
Metronet projects and railcar construction underway in Western Australia for
the first time in over 30 years. This is a very exciting time for rail and for
ensuring that our city and regions get first-class quality rail and that proper
manufacturing is done here in Western Australia. As members will know, we have
not only provided the biggest expansion in rail, and the construction jobs that
come with it, in the history of Western Australia, but also got the
commonwealth to pay for a large proportion of it. That is a significant
achievement. Indeed, one might notice the ads of federal members in which they
have adopted Metronet praise. I see Christian Porter and Andrew Hastie have
used the words ''Metronet being delivered''. There is only one
group of people who are negative about it—that is the state Liberal
Party. The federal Liberal Party and the state government have worked hand in
glove to deliver these important projects for Western Australia. Malcolm
Turnbull and I were as one. I remember going to his office and laying out the
map in front of him with all the rail lines. He was so excited. I did it twice—once
in Sydney and once in his office in Canberra. He was so excited when he saw all
the rail projects.
Ms L. Mettam interjected.
The SPEAKER: Member for
Vasse, you have a supplementary question.
Mr M. McGOWAN: Malcolm
Turnbull—this probably explains his demise—is a lover of rail.
I have answered the member's question. This government is getting on
with building Metronet and got commonwealth support for it. This government is
providing jobs exactly when Western Australia needs it.