Tim Hammond (Perth, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I could not agree with the member for Grayndler more. I think they know that the last dance has been danced, but it is only today that I see the member for Tangney and the member for O'Connor finally rocking up. It remains to be seen whether they will actually get on their feet and stump up with what might be too little too late in relation to defending this hollow, broken shell of the government, but I tell you what: the timing of the member for Tangney is impeccable. He comes in at the last minute. Do you know what they are calling the member for Tangney over in Western Australia right now? They are calling him Houdini—the former state Liberal director of the party. He is nowhere to be seen. He is an escape artist of the highest order.

Speaking of nowhere to be seen, I am reminded about the honourable member for Pearce. For reasons that still escape me, Western Australians voted to elect federal Liberal members of parliament in 11 of the 16 seats. I still cannot work it out, but go figure. You would be forgiven for thinking it was precisely the other way around in this place, because they are MIA. Not once have we heard them get up and go in to bat for their state Liberal counterparts. That is probably for two reasons. Firstly, they say: 'If you don't have anything nice to say about anyone, don't say anything at all.' That could be it. The second thing might be the absolute lack of subject matter, and that is at the heart of this matter of public importance. We wonder why Western Australians are just so disappointed after what they have had served up to them over the last eight years, and perhaps disillusioned in the political process.

If I had longer, I would go through all of them. Let us look at some of the broken promises in relation to infrastructure that besiege this state Liberal government. The MAX light rail in my electorate—cancelled. On 2 September 2012:

Mr Barnett and Mr Buswell unveiled details of the proposed route, which would link Mirrabooka with the CBD via Alexander Drive and Fitzgerald Street.

Cue forward: 21 June 2016—duh dong. Gone. Colin Barnett said, 'Yes, yes, we did break that promise'—perhaps a shard of honesty in this debate. You would think breaking a promise once is perhaps just one of those things that happen. What about breaking promises twice? That is just careless. The Ellenbrook railway line—do you remember that? What a gift left to his electorate by the honourable member for Peace. In 2009 WAtoday.com.au said:

After matching Alan Carpenter's commitment to build the $850 million, 20km spur off the existing Midland line, Mr Barnett was sworn in as Premier on September 23, less than six weeks before the railway-cancelling email was sent.

Six weeks. Barely enough time for the seats to warm up before that promise was pulled, but not before the member for Swan Hills, Frank Alban, had sent out a pamphlet to all of his electorate—I hope this was not under the member for Tangney's watch—to promise the rail line. There are so many more but so little time. Airport rail link delayed. The Yanchep railway line delayed. So many more delays, nothing but delays. (Time expired)

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