Steve Irons (Swan, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Now I do hear the member for Perth interjecting, and I would like to quote something she said back in November 2006 in an extract from Hansard in the Western Australian parliament. Alannah MacTiernan, who last week introduced an MPI that there should be more funding for infrastructure in Western Australia, was at that time the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure in Western Australia. She responded to a question from the member for South Perth, John McGrath, on the Manning Road on-ramp. She said:

I understand that the on-ramp would be very desirable for the residents of his electorate. Technically, of course, it can be done.

It can actually be done.

From an engineering point of view it is not a challenging project and it certainly could be done. Indeed, the planning for this project was undertaken in the 1980s—

can you believe?—

and the metropolitan region scheme was amended to make provision for it.'

These are all terrific words, but she went on to say:

This is not a project that the government believes would reach the top of the priority list over the next five years. In fact, the government is keen to find the reserves to provide for the member’s electorate a train station at South Perth—

which no-one in South Perth wants; everyone wants the on-ramp—

which would be a far more useful exercise for the member's constituents.

So there we have an opportunity. We have seen the member for Perth is not prepared to provide any infrastructure, and that is another example of how Labor treats Western Australia. That is another example of how Labor treats Western Australia.

Labor also saddled Western Australians with a mining tax that raised a fraction of what was promised.

Ms MacTiernan interjecting—

Yes, okay. I am waiting for the 'sweetheart' comment to come back now. Yet the mining tax burdened business with millions of dollars of red tape, as well as costing jobs and driving away investment. So, if we need to say anything to the voters in Western Australia, we need to say to them: 'Be reminded about how federal Labor, over the last six years, treated Western Australians. They imposed a mining tax and a carbon tax, and they will continue to do so.' So what Western Australians need to do is give their support to the Liberals and tell Labor to go to the Senate and repeal those taxes. (Time expired)

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