Slade Brockman (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Labor is bad for my home state of Western Australia. I've only got two minutes so I can't tell you all the reasons why Labor is bad for WA, but I'll go through just a few of the top reasons. Firstly, there is their disdain for the mining industry. Just a few minutes ago in this place, someone described the mining industry as 'dig and ship', which ignores the amazing investment in technology, in R&D and in high-paid jobs in my home state of Western Australia. Secondly, there are the nature positive laws, which Labor has now slipped into the bottom drawer until after the next election and which would destroy the economy of Western Australia. Thirdly, there is the return of union thuggery to the Pilbara. It's back to the bad old days of the 1970s when the iron ore industry was absolutely brought to its knees by the inefficiencies and ridiculous demands of the union movement on mine sites. There were 26 shop stewards in a small mine doing nothing but 'representing the workers'. And, after those mine sites were cleaned up and the union thuggery was dispensed with, they actually became safer mine sites. Next, of course, they are destroying the great Western Australian sheep industry by cutting off one of its chief markets: the export trade to the Middle East.

This Labor government has been a disaster for Western Australia, a disaster for the mining industry and a disaster for agriculture. The sooner we can get to the polls and show them what we think of them the better.