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

I would like to take this opportunity to update the House on an infrastructure project within the electorate of Swan, and that is the Forrestfield Airport Link, which is being funded by a GST top-up payment. As a proud Western Australian, the issue of GST is a sore point, but it is a national point. As we are transitioning from the investment phase of the mining boom, WA's economy is still hurting and the current rate of GST we receive is a major issue in the electorate.

The system is flawed, and I am sure we can all agree that no member envisaged that the distribution of GST in Australia would drop so low that any state would be getting around 34 cents in the dollar in return of GST. That is why I stand on this side of the House, where our Treasurer has announced that the Productivity Commission is to conduct a review into how the GST distribution among states and territories has impacted and will continue to impact national productivity and growth. This was all initiated by the Prime Minister and the Western Australian coalition members. The Treasurer was also a strong supporter, as were many other interstate MPs. I understand the commission is due to report back to the government in January.

In the interim, the federal government is continuing to support Western Australia through GST top-up payments. I have been a consistent advocate in ensuring WA receives its fair share and, over three successive budgets, I have been pleased to see the Turnbull government's GST top-up payments to WA go directly to projects within the electorate of Swan. In the 2015-16 budget, a GST top-up payment of $499 million was allocated for the Roe Highway/Berkshire Road grade separation in High Wycombe, which is in the Swan electorate.

In this year's budget, the Treasurer announced a GST top-up payment to WA of $226 million as part of the Western Australian Infrastructure Package. The coalition government's investment in the infrastructure package includes $760.1 million towards priority new road projects to address safety and congestion at key locations in Perth and in regional WA more broadly. The package will provide a major boost to WA's local economy, with around 6,000 jobs expected to be supported as a result of the new projects. Included in this package is $68.8 million for the grade separation of Roe Highway/Kalamunda Road in the High Wycombe area. I have mentioned previously in this chamber how important an investment this is within Swan, as the Roe-Kalamunda is currently ranked as No. 1 for crashes by Main Roads over the five-year reporting period. Also included is $28 million going towards the Manning Road, which I have spoken about in this chamber before.

But it is the 2016-17 budget announcement of $490 million, which was allocated to the Forrestfield Airport Link that I would like to draw to the chamber's attention. The link includes three new train stations being built with fast connections to the city in Belmont, Perth Airport and Forrestfield—all in my electorate of Swan. This infrastructure will deliver the people of Perth a 20-minute trip to the CBD, a trip which is otherwise a 40-minute drive. Perth Airport has cemented its position as the fourth busiest airport in Australia so, as you can imagine, this infrastructure has become a priority project for the great state of WA.

Now, this was a Liberal initiative—a Liberal initiative that has received funding because of the consistent advocacy of coalition members, both state and federal, and an initiative that has been able to eventuate because of the GST top-up payments allocated by the federal coalition government. But the kicker is that the new state Labor government has now claimed or rebranded, if you prefer, the Forrestfield Airport Link as part of their Metronet project. To top it off, they are now claiming that the project might not be completed by 2020, which is an outrageous claim, given the work has already begun. In fact the new state Minister for Transport Rita Saffioti has said:

The State Government will monitor the project schedule closely to ensure milestones are reached.

She also said:

I have been advised there is a risk that might not be possible.

So, Mr Deputy Speaker, we are talking about another Labor government that has been literally handed a popular project on a silver platter worth $490 million—mind you—rebranded it as their own and yet has publicly admitted it is still incapable of delivering it within the scheduled time line. This project is expected to create 2000 jobs during the construction phase alone—that is, 2000 jobs that are needed in WA. So the honeymoon phase of the McGowan government is over. After eight years of the Barnett government delivering major infrastructure in our state, the people of Western Australia expect the best and they deserve to have the Forrestfield Airport Link delivered as part of the Metronet within the original time line. If the state Labor government wants to rebrand it as Metronet, that is fine, but so long as the people of Western Australia and Swan realise it was the coalition state and federal governments that initiated it and previously funded it.

House adjourned at 20:00

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