Patrick Gorman (Perth, Australian Labor Party) Share 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.

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