Dean Smith (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade) Share this | Hansard source

In Perth on Tuesday, there will be an important event, a celebration even. It's called Bhutan Festival 2025, and it will take place in the heart of the Perth central business district. Although I cannot be there in person, I want the Bhutanese community of Western Australia to know that I'm very much with you in spirit as we celebrate Bhutan Festival 2025 and mark the 70th birthday anniversary of His Majesty the fourth King of Bhutan. This is a moment to honour His Majesty's remarkable legacy, a reign defined by wisdom, humility and a vision that placed human happiness and environmental harmony at the centre of national progress. The philosophy of gross national happiness continues to inspire people far beyond Bhutan's borders, reminding us that true prosperity is measured not just by what we build but how we care for one another.

When I visited Bhutan as part of the inaugural Australian parliamentary friendship group, I witnessed firsthand the depth of that vision. From the leadership of the fourth King's son, His Majesty the fifth King, and the Queen of Bhutan to the optimism of Bhutan's young people, our discussions reaffirmed that Australia and Bhutan are more than friends. We are partners grounded in shared values of democracy, education and respect. In Western Australia, those ties are alive and very, very strong. The Bhutanese community has become part of our state's story, enriching our campuses, our workplaces and our neighbourhoods with their generosity, discipline and joy. May this festival strengthen those bonds even further, and may the friendship between Australia and Bhutan continue to grow, guided by the same spirit of harmony we are celebrating now.

In the last few days, the Premier of Western Australia, accompanied by the Labor Treasurer of Western Australia, have found it necessary to come all the way to Canberra from Perth to defend WA's GST deal. Why would they do that? They would only do that if they thought the GST deal was under threat. Roger Cook, the Premier, knows the legacy of this issue perhaps better than many people, particularly when it comes to the history of the support of Western Australian federal Labor MPs for the GST deal. When Roger Cook was the Deputy Premier of Western Australia, he said that his federal Labor colleagues needed to take more notice and to get real about the GST issue.

When Roger Cook and Rita Saffioti come to Canberra to defend the GST deal, they need more than advertising campaigns. They must come prepared with the facts and to defend the deal. On this trip, Roger Cook forgot some of the most important GST details. Roger Cook and Rita Saffioti travelled all the way across the country, and they forgot the most important details when it comes to defending WA's GST deal. We know in Western Australia that our GST relativity fell to just 29c 10 years ago, and the trajectory was that it would go lower. The GST relativity for Western Australia has been lower than 50 cents for 10 of the last 25 years.

Compare that with New South Wales and Victoria, which have never had a GST relativity lower than 83c. In fact, New South Wales has had GST relativity above 90c for the 13 of the last 25 years, and Victoria has had a GST relativity above 90c for 14 of the last 25 years. Queensland's GST relativity has never dipped below 90c and has been above 100c for 19 of the last 25 years.

Roger Cook and Rita Saffioti should not be wasting a million dollars of Western Australians' money on ill-informed advertising campaigns. They should stick to the GST facts because the numbers speak for themselves. Roger Cook and Rita Saffioti came to Canberra this week because they were concerned about the GST deal. If they can't get confidence from federal Labor MPs from Western Australia that the GST deal is safe, then Roger Cook and Rita Saffioti need to stay home and make the argument in Perth and not in Canberra.

Senate adjourned at 16:47