Melissa Price (Durack, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

It's incredible just how out of touch this government is. It's quite clear that, since Labor was elected, life for the vast majority of Western Australian families has got harder, not easier. That's despite those opposite saying life would be easier and would be cheaper under them. Yet here we are again, with those opposite giving themselves an almighty big pat on the back for overseeing this cost-of-living disaster.

The member for Swan, in her motion, calls on this chamber to recognise that this government understands the specific needs of the Western Australian community. Well, I'm sorry, but that is an absurd request, given the Albanese Labor government is making decisions over here in Canberra that, to the detriment of our estate, aim to shore up inner-city votes in the eastern states. Look no further than Labor's dreadful decision to wipe out the Western Australian live sheep trade. This is an industry that is unique to Western Australia. It supports some 3,000 workers across regional communities that depend on this trade. How can those opposite come into this place and say they understand WA's needs and they have our best interests in mind when they have turned their backs on our regional communities?

The Prime Minister talks a big game about how often he visits Western Australia. Just a couple of weeks ago he made time to hop on a plane—I'm not sure about the upgrade status—to Geraldton for a photo op with members of the really important crayfish industry, and then he was back on a plane to Perth. Credit where credit is due, I'm very pleased that the crayfish trade with China will resume, and I'd like to note all the constructive efforts of both sides of this House on that matter. While saying that, I'll note that it was reported that the Prime Minister was in Geraldton for just one hour. Obviously, his being in Geraldton for just one hour shows that he believes there's nothing else worthy of his attention in the midwest. Is he coming back, because we've got lots of things we need to talk to the Prime Minister about? It's a real shame that he didn't make the time to meet with our local sheep farmers, who have been targeted by this government, although we shouldn't be surprised, as he has not met once with the Western Australian farmers about this ban on their livelihoods.

Let's look at the so-called achievements that the member for Swan has included in her motion. She points to investments in critical infrastructure, and I notice that there is just one example of regional infrastructure, which is the funding for the Outback Way, also known as Australia's longest shortcut. I wonder if the member for Swan is aware that the significant funding for this project was committed to by the coalition government. Seriously, need we thank Labor for not tearing up this investment, like they did for a multitude of other WA projects, including the $48 million for upgrades to the Marble Bar Road in my electorate?

The very next line of the member's motion refers to Labor's support for the GST deal, which we delivered whilst we were in government.

A division having been called in the House of Representatives—

Sitting suspended from 18:04 to 18:16

Again, patting themselves on the back for adopting our policy, it seems the policies that those opposite are most proud of are the Liberal Party's. Of course, the GST contribution provides a great source of revenue for the WA government, but we cannot forget the contribution of our mining and resources sector. This is a sector that has been treated like dirt under the Albanese government. Labor's pursuit of more and more red and green tape is creating further hardship and hurdles for the sector, which has contributed to almost 60 per cent of the nation's iron ore, coal and gas projects having been delayed, disrupted or put on hold.

Australia has a pipeline of 421 resource and energy projects, with an investment value of more than $525 billion. Almost 40 per cent of these projects are in Western Australia, so they are WA jobs that this government is putting at risk. We are a mining state in a mining nation. It's simple: we won't be able to fund the essential services like Medicare and the NDIS, build the hospitals in Sydney or, indeed, the roads in Melbourne without a strong mining sector. This is a point those opposite fail to understand, as they make it harder and harder to get projects off the ground.

Western Australians are not mugs and we understand that Labor will attempt to pay us lip-service but, when push comes to shove, they will sell our state out if it means they have a better chance to hold off the Greens over in the east. At the next election, there will be a stark contrast between the Labor government, who has betrayed Western Australian farmers and industry, and a coalition who unashamedly backs Western Australia.

See this speech in context