Patrick Gorman (Perth, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) recognises:

(a) the importance of Western Australia to the national economy; and

(b) that when Western Australia does well, Australia does well;

(2) notes that:

(a) it is clear that the Government is ignorant to Western Australia's drive on the national economy;

(b) without Western Australia there would have been negative national economic growth in the 2019 April-June quarter; and

(c) without Western Australia, the Government would have a budget deficit in 2019-20; and

(3) condemns the Government for:

(a) failing to invest in Western Australia;

(b) failing to offer any funding for Royal Perth Hospital or the construction of the new women's and babies hospital;

(c) refusing to waive historical housing debts for Western Australia, despite doing so for Tasmania; and

(d) giving Western Australia less than ten per cent of the $100 billion infrastructure package.

When Western Australia does well, the national economy does well. It is a simple fact that Western Australia's economy is at the heart of a successful national economy. But, sadly, when it comes to standing up for Western Australia it seems the true 'quiet Australians' are the Western Australian members of the federal cabinet—Senators Cormann, Cash and Reynolds, not to mention the absence of the members for Pearce, Hasluck and Durack—when it comes to standing up for the multitude of things we need in Western Australia: investment in infrastructure, investment in housing, a fair national interest assessment on where we should maintain our submarines—just to name a few. We also have the member for Tangney, often referred to as the 'PM whisperer'. Maybe, when it comes to standing up for Western Australia, he should speak just a little louder.

It is unfortunate that Western Australia is left on the bottom of the priority pile when it comes to this government, because if it weren't for the west then this government's economic narrative would be in absolute tatters. Western Australia accounted for some 16 per cent of Australia's business investment in 2018-19. Western Australia accounted for some 51 per cent of the new mining capital in 2018-19. And when it comes to our merchandise exports, some 43 per cent of those exports come from Western Australia. In fact, if it weren't for the Western Australian economy and the hard work of hundreds of thousands of Western Australians, there would have been negative economic growth in the 2019 April-June quarter—that is, we would potentially have been heading towards a recession. So the government does, as it says, want to get back in black this financial year. It won't just have Western Australian Bon Scott to thank for the fabulous song; it will also have thousands of Western Australians to thank for their hard work, their taxpayer dollars, their risk and their investment, which have actually delivered that surplus.

For all that economic leadership, what does the west get in return? I'm sure we'll have members from the government side come in and tell us about the things they did in the last term of government. When it comes to this term of government there has been only silence. This government has failed to invest properly in Western Australia. We only need to look at the desperate grab for Senator Patrick's vote when assessing where our submarines should be maintained to see that. I have no doubt that the member for Fremantle will tell you about the $8.4 billion in investment that will be added to our gross domestic product if that work is given to Western Australia. He has been a strong advocate for his community; and, more importantly, a strong advocate for his state; and, more importantly again, a strong advocate for our national defence interests.

Then, when it comes to one of the most important things for any family, health, again we see an absolute absence of investment in our public health services. We have the Royal Perth Hospital in desperate need of investment. There's $22 million coming from the state government but, again, not a single dollar of capital investment funding from the federal government. There is nothing for the new women's and babies hospital that will make a huge difference to families across Western Australia and, as I've spoken about many times, investment in homelessness services is sorely lacking.

Western Australia's housing debt, some $343 million at 30 June, is a debt that cannot be repaid; the federal government will not allow it to be repaid. Imagine if for once we actually worked together and had an agreement where they said, 'We will wipe the debt if you invest that money in homelessness and housing services.' There are some 14,000 people on the housing waiting list in Western Australia and estimates of some 600 people sleeping rough in the Perth CBD in my electorate. Surely we can find the money and the common sense to invest properly in homelessness services?

Then we get to the falsehood of the $100 billion infrastructure fund. No-one can tell me how much of that fund is going to Western Australia, but I do know that it's less than 10 per cent and I do know that we have not yet seen any real action on the Perth City Deal.

I will end, though, on a note of bipartisanship. Myself, the member for Fremantle and, I have no doubt, the members for O'Connor and for Curtin will all be celebrating the new offices of The West Australian in a few moments time. It opened in 1833, but tonight, in 2019, The West Australian will open their new bureau here in Parliament House, and I commend them for that.

Kevin Hogan (Page, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is the motion seconded?

Celia Hammond (Curtin, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the motion and I thank the member for Perth for his motion recognising the importance of Western Australia to the national economy.

WA's importance to this country is greater than its contribution to the national economy, a point with which I'm sure the member for Perth agrees, but time limits prevent us from waxing lyrical about our great state. Western Australia is the country's largest state in physical size, covering the entire western third of the country and with a total land area of approximately 2.6 million square kilometres. It's surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Southern Ocean, the Northern Territory and South Australia. There is over 20,000 kilometres of coastline.

As we Western Australians know, Western Australia is far away from the rest of Australia. This is a fact that any sandgroper is well aware of every time they hop on a plane. That isolation and distance have some disadvantages but they also have enormous advantages, including how they shape our identity and our culture. Western Australians are a down-to-earth bunch of people—hardworking, innovative and entrepreneurial. It's a no-nonsense state, where people just want to get on with doing things. We are doers; there is no pretence.

We are also enormously philanthropic and generous. Any doubt about that is put to rest every year by the Channel 7 telethon, an institution in WA for more than 50 years, raising in excess of $200 million in its lifetime. It's the highest-donating telethon per capita in the entire world.

Approximately 2.6 million people live in WA, around 11 per cent of the national total, and I happen to agree with the member for Perth that WA punches above its weight in the national economy. Almost 50 per cent of Australia's total overseas exports come from WA. We are a third of the land mass and only 11 per cent of the population, but almost 50 per cent of the exports come from WA. WA is the second-largest iron ore producer in the world.

The Morrison government gets the importance of WA and, moreover, it gets the vibe of Western Australians as hardworking, can-do, get-it-done people. This government is investing in WA to continue to ensure it supports small business, creates jobs, fosters entrepreneurship and funds essential services like schools, hospitals and infrastructure; to ensure that our great state remains the best place in the world to live, work and raise a family. For the period of over 15 years from 2013-14 to 2028-29, over $13.5 billion is being sent to WA to fund land transport infrastructure projects. More than $5.5 billion was spent in WA between 1 July 2013 and 30 June 2019. A further commitment of $1.7 billion towards infrastructure projects in WA was made in the 2019-20 budget.

The government has delivered tax relief to a projected 1.24 million Western Australians for the 2018-19 financial year. This includes 72,000 people living in my electorate of Curtin. This government is backing small businesses to help them get ahead and create jobs. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, particularly in my electorate of Curtin. There are over 26,000 small and medium businesses in Curtin which are benefiting from legislated tax relief and the government's instant asset write-off scheme.

This government has been investing in industry and innovation in our state. For the period 1 July 2016 to June 2019 the government has supported and invested in our local industries and local innovators, including $8.5 million to the Square Kilometre Array, $74 million in total to 10 cooperative research centres, close to $20 million in funding to 417 businesses under the Entrepreneurs' Program, and $2.4 million in funding from the Business Research and Innovation Initiative.

Funding for health has increased. All local hospitals have had significant increases in funding. It has increased by approximately 70 per cent since this government came to office in 2013. Funding in education and skills has increased and will increase further, from $2 billion in 2019 to $3.2 billion in 2029. That is equivalent to a per student funding increase of 71 per cent for government schools and 43 per cent for non-government schools.

As I said, I agree with the member for Perth that WA is a fantastic place. I will argue and advocate passionately and unashamedly for WA, but I also know that this government, the Morrison government, not only hears but listens and acts. (Time expired)

Josh Wilson (Fremantle, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for the Environment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I think we can all agree that WA is a wonderful place. I thank the member for Perth for bringing the motion forward as a matter for discussion. I know he cares deeply about the community he represents and, more than that, he's working hard to advocate for Western Australia as a whole. We do need advocacy for our side of the country, especially from this side of the parliament, because in a number of key areas we're not getting it from government members.

WA is a remarkable and distinctive place, as others have noted. With only 11 per cent of the population, it accounts for 42 per cent of Australia's merchandise exports, 15 per cent of GDP and an incredible array of arts, cultural and sporting output. We need and deserve funding and policy support that's specific to our circumstances. We need a fair look-in when it comes to infrastructure, jobs and services. But we aren't getting it from this government. I've made this argument a number of times over the last few years. Unfortunately, the song remains the same.

In 2016 the coalition announced 78 road and rail projects Australia-wide. We got three—three out of 78. In 2017 the government announced the Regional Jobs and Investment Packages: $220 million; 10 projects. They were to help regions in Australia diversify their economies, stimulate long-term economic growth and deliver sustainable employment. How many of the 10 projects were in WA? Zero, even though some of the relevant WA regions had unemployment rates three times higher than those regions that were selected for funding.

When it comes to the ABC, which this government has looked to chop at every turn, WA has taken a disproportionate hit as staff reductions across the board have seen jobs centralised in Sydney and Melbourne. In 1974, 8.3 per cent of a significantly larger ABC workforce was based in WA. By 2017 it was down to barely half that, 4.6 per cent, with no front-of-house staff, no general manager position at the time and no human resources or finance personnel. There was no outside broadcast van anymore. One had to come across the Nullarbor for special occasions. Altogether, that is a pretty bleak list of disappointments, but I want to touch on two further issues that have the potential to cast a long shadow over WA's economic and jobs outlook.

The first is Defence shipbuilding. In 2018, the WA Liberals took out full-page ads in The West Australian newspaper saying that WA would be one of two Defence shipbuilding hubs. The ads said that the work split would be fifty-fifty between WA and South Australia, but that is not the reality. The reality is that, so far, we are getting $3.5 billion out of an $89 billion shipbuilding spend. That is less than four per cent. The opportunity to deliver a serious shipbuilding hub in WA now rests, as the member for Perth has said, on the question of whether the full cycle docking of the Collins submarines is moved to the Australian Marine Complex in my electorate of Fremantle. It makes sense to do so. It's in the national interest. It will ensure we have greater and more diversified infrastructure and workforce capability, but we wait to see whether the government keeps its promise or whether it will once again give WA the short end of the stick. I do remember—seeing that the member for Moore is here—that the member for Moore almost 12 months ago in a moment of brutal clarity said that one of his motivations for supporting the end of Malcolm Turnbull was the fact that WA was getting such a poor deal on Defence shipbuilding. But I'm not too sure, Member for Moore, that that has changed in the 12 months since then.

The NBN story for Western Australia is even more disappointing because, in many ways, the damage has been done. We have received the worst allocation of broadband technology under the disastrous multitechnology mix of all of the states. We have nearly half as much again of the 19th century copper line rubbish than the other states, in the form of fibre to the node. It's no surprise that, as a result, we're bottom of the pile when it comes to broadband performance. The ACCC's Measuring Broadband Australia report says we have the worst broadband of any state, with the highest proportion of underperforming broadband services and the slowest average busy hour download speeds. In WA, more than one in seven households or businesses will not meet the national benchmark of 50 megabits per second. In New South Wales, it's fewer than one in 10. It is more than one in seven for us and fewer than one in 10 for New South Wales. That is a serious digital divide in the largest and most remote state. When jobs are centralised elsewhere and people in WA are constantly told to get things done through a call centre or a website, we are lumped with much worse broadband than the big east coast cities.

How does that occur? How do we get such a disappointing list of bleak outcomes, get short-changed or get the rough end of the pineapple? How does it happen? As with everything else I've mentioned, it occurs because the Liberals take WA for granted. They have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to parliamentary representation, but they're not embarrassed. And if they can get away with delivering very little for the west, they will— (Time expired)

Rick Wilson (O'Connor, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I commend the member for Perth for bringing forward this motion because it does give us the opportunity—as proud Western Australians, all of us here!—to talk about our great state. My colleague the member for Curtin has already touched on the fact that 50 per cent of the nation's mercantile exports emanate from WA. We certainly do punch above our weight on the economy. My electorate of O'Connor, of course, is one of the main electorates that produces that wealth, not just in gold, nickel, lithium and cobalt, and some of those products that are very important for the move into more batteries, but also in agriculture, where grain, wool and, of course, meat, both chilled and alive, are very important contributors to our nation's exports.

I know we've all got very short memories, Member for Perth, but there is one thing that hasn't been mentioned—three letters: GST. The Western Australian government is currently enjoying, in this 2019-20 year, an additional $814 million in its budget, which it can spend on any infrastructure projects and health projects that it chooses. We need to be reminded that it was the Western Australian members—my colleague the member for Moore will remember—who met many times with Treasurer Morrison, now the Prime Minister, to thrash out the details of the GST fix. In the couple of minutes while I was waiting, I went onto Google and I searched for 'Labor WA GST' just to see what it threw up. Perth Now, on 4 November 2017 had the headline 'Bill Shorten admits Labor would not change GST carve-up system to appease Queensland'. This was just prior to the Queensland election. It goes on to say:

Bill Shorten's Labor has slammed the door shut on fixing WA's GST rip-off and opened a rift with Premier Mark McGowan.

I've got to commend the Premier for fighting very hard to fix the WA GST problem.

Kevin Hogan (Page, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The time allotted for this debate has expired.

Federation Chamber adjourned at 19:30