Tony Crook (O'Connor, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

In this regard, I would like to take this opportunity to extend my warmest thanks to the member for Moore and the member for Kennedy for their public support of this motion.

Finally, I think it is important to address why this issue needs to come to the fore now. Western Australians are willing to assist the other states and to contribute more than their fair share to the federal economy. However, Western Australians are not prepared to be ripped off under this system by receiving less than 75 per cent of their per capita share when all the other states and territories receive more than 91 per cent. Western Australians certainly are not prepared to face a scenario such as where we are forecast to receive just 33 per cent of our per capita share of GST revenue in 2014-15.

While I welcomed the GST revenue review announced by the Prime Minister in March this year and welcomed her admission that the current GST carve-up is unfair, the review is on an unnecessarily long time frame and is unlikely to result in any reform before WA is set to receive a record punishment for its success in 2014-15. As such, this pressing issue needs to come to the fore now. A 75 per cent floor will give WA—and, indeed, all states and territories in Australia—much-needed certainty over GST revenue into the future.

Western Australia, like any state or territory in Australia, deserves a fair deal from the Commonwealth. Currently, the situation is far from fair for WA. Western Australia's economy is under siege through the mining tax, the carbon tax and GST revenue distributions. Western Australians are prepared to contribute more than their fair share to the federal economy, but there must be some limit to the rip-off; there must be some limit to the punishment WA receives for its economic success; there must be some formal acknowledgement of Western Australia's disproportionate contribution to our national economic prosperity; and there must be some members in this House who are prepared to stand up for their state. For these reasons, I commend the motion to the House.

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