Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of the answers given by ministers to questions without notice asked by Opposition senators today relating to the Bell Group litigation.

Something is on the nose. Something is seriously on the nose with this government and the Western Australian Liberal government in terms of who said what and who promised what. I want to go back to the question that I asked. I want to remind the Senate that when I asked the Attorney-General that question I quoted Dr Mike Nahan, the Western Australian Treasurer, when he told the Western Australian parliament:

We had a deal with the commonwealth that it would not oppose the Bell act.

I then went on to ask the Attorney-General: did he believe Dr Nahan was misleading the Western Australian parliament? Obviously, someone is not telling the truth. Dr Nahan may have made that up in his own little mind, but clearly that is not the case.

I am not one to defend the most incompetent state government, in this Barnett Liberal government, that Western Australia has ever seen. Let me just remind the Senate why I say that. Since Mr Barnett and the Liberal government took power in Western Australia nearly eight years ago, we have lost our AAA credit rating. We lost that back in 2013. That is why Dr Nahan is not making this up. That is why I believe it. That is why I believe nothing that happens in Western Australia gets past a number of ministers. Minister Cormann said he knew nothing about it, but you see there is another minister in the other place, Mr Porter. Let us not forget that Mr Porter was the Western Australian Treasurer before he had a change of career and wanted to come over here. The Bell issue is nothing strange or new to Mr Porter. I want to know what is going on between this lot, the Western Australian Treasurer and the Western Australian government.

Let's not forget that the Barnett government have unveiled the state's largest ever forecast budget deficit—I am reading a quote from the ABC—of almost $4 billion. When they took over in 2008 there was a very healthy piggybank. Dr Nahan must be getting a bit worried, because he is the one who is getting a lot of the blame—although that is grossly unfair, because Mr Barnett is the Premier and you have to be surrounded by competent minsters. Sadly, in Western Australia that is lacking. The ABC said:

Treasurer Mike Nahan has handed down his third budget, showing the deficit will surge from a forecast $2.96 billion to $3.9 billion in 2016–17.

We know Dr Nahan has been very vocal, absolutely criticising his federal counterparts and naming none other than Senator Cormann, the member for Curtin, Ms Bishop, and Senator Cash—all cabinet ministers. He named not only them but Mr Porter. He has absolutely criticised them—as you would know, Madam Deputy President—because of the lack of guts within the federal Liberal parliamentary team to stand up for Western Australia, which has been the GST cash cow for our nation.

But let's not blame it all on Dr Nahan's view of the incompetent Liberal ministers from Western Australia in the federal cabinet. Let us not forget that there was a certain minister, back in the Court government, who ushered through the GST—could not wait. I never once heard Mr Colin Barnett oppose the introduction of Prime Minister Howard's and Treasurer Costello's GST. They were all for it. I remember the arguments—as you would, too, Madam Deputy President—so I can understand Dr Nahan's discomfort here. I have read—and if anyone wants to tell me it is not true, you have the opportunity—that there was a blazing row, an absolute blue between the Attorney-General and the state Attorney, Mr Mischin, because someone ratted on a deal that someone in this place or in the place over there had done over the phone or over dinner with the Western Australian Liberal government. They flew to Perth and had some secret meetings: 'She'll be right; we'll sort this out.'

There were a few carrots along the way, too. Remember the $490 million—'Shut your mouth; stop whinging about the GST; we'll give you some money from the federal government'? Now, I say, give us more money; give us back the money you stole off us from the GST. I am running out of time, but I am absolutely gobsmacked, because I can understand the pressure on the Western Australian Liberal government, because they are incompetent, but also they have been made a promise and someone has ratted on the deal, and we need to find out who that is. (Time expired)