Anne Aly (Cowan, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister's NBN fits right into the last century. As much as we like to have a joke about this, it really is not a laughing matter. It really does belie some real grievances in Western Australia—grievances around unemployment, stagnant wages and, particularly, around our fair share of the GST. It's a very real issue, because Western Australia at the moment is getting just 34 cents in the dollar in return for our GST, despite the numerous things that we contribute to the economy. Apart from that, we don't get much of a say in the national conversation, whether it is on the GST or on things like housing affordability, which in Western Australia—I'm sorry that the member for Deakin has left the room, because I could Melbsplain to him what housing affordability is like in Western Australia. In Western Australia, mortgage stress is such a huge issue. A reduction in equity in people's homes is what's facing them after the big housing bubble. All of this underlines some real grievances from Western Australians around these issues and around the lack of fair share in our GST returns.

What does this government do? What's the government's response to it? It's not offering any solutions apart from a spectacularly ludicrous proposal to establish the faraway mythical land of 'Westralia'. Apart from that, this government's response is to sprinkle a little sugar, bring the GST up to about 37.6c in the dollar, as if Western Australians can easily be shut up with a spoonful of honey. Well, they just don't know us sandgropers and what a force we can be. And of course they wouldn't know that, because—look over there on that side—out of 11 from Western Australia there are four here in the chamber today, and not one of them could stand up to speak about their state and speak up for their electorates and for their state.

Last week, amidst much fanfare, the Prime Minister came to Western Australia. What did he announce? He announced a paltry $100 million exploration development incentive which, like a soggy, reheated meat pie, is just a rehash of the policy that they'd abolished previously. The Prime Minister was given a choice. He could have matched Labor's commitment of a $1.6 billion fair share fund for Western Australia, which would be the equivalent of a 70c floor. He could have done more, by promising to fix the GST share, or he could have done nothing. What did he choose to do? He chose to do nothing. He chose to tell us to wait a while. No wonder the WA Libs don't want him to govern them.

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