Dean Smith (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The state election on Saturday, 9 March, is not only crucial for the future of Western Australia but critical for the wellbeing of regional Western Australians, their families and businesses. On 9 March, Western Australians will make a choice about whether the Labor Party or the Liberal Party will lead my state. The prosperity that Western Australia enjoys is not the product of chance. Instead it is borne of hard work and careful design.

As I travel around Western Australia, particularly across the central wheat belt and great southern regions, I have been heartened by the observation that people do understand that elections are always competitive contests. If Western Australians do change the government, they will most definitely change the direction of Western Australia.

Many believe Western Australia is heading in the right direction and now is not the time to take the risk by changing. In all fairness, no-one can doubt that Colin Barnett's leadership has provided certainty and direction to our state's economy. His leadership and determination has ensured Western Australia has remained secure and prosperous during difficult times. This has been achieved despite leading a minority government.

Colin Barnett and his team have stood up for Western Australia, and as a result of that leadership Western Australia is leading our country and making a solid contribution to our nation's regional relationships.

No-one should underestimate, however, the challenges facing communities across Western Australia. These are tough times for WA farmers, many of whom are relying on season-to-season finance to stay viable. Just last weekend I attended a great initiative, 'Farmer On Your Plate'. 'Farmer On Your Plate' is a great campaign to draw the attention of city people to the importance of agriculture and it is working to forge stronger links between the two. I congratulate Mary Nenke and Cate Rocchi on this great initiative. I was pleased to sign up as a 'Farming Champion' on the day. It is a good idea with an important message. The message is that life is tough for WA farmers and their families and that the crises in farming communities need answers soon.

At this election it is important for regional Western Australians to elect someone who shares their experiences and knows firsthand the challenges of living, farming and raising a family in WA. I want to specifically mention a great candidate working to represent the people of the Central Wheatbelt. Stephen Strange and his wife Karen are third-generation grain-growers and livestock producers with 40 years agriculture experience. Stephen Strange understands the issues important to local families and businesses. On Friday I attended a Central Wheatbelt forum in Kondinin with Stephen Strange, where he talked to local farmers about his commitment to keeping grain on rail, opposing forced regional local government amalgamations and his commitment to keep Royalties for Regions. If elected, Stephen Strange would be a strong advocate for WA farmers and the families in a Barnett-led Liberal government.

The Liberals have a strong commitment to regional Western Australia, and I have always believed Liberals represent regional communities better than others. The Liberals are committed to Western Australian agriculture, to Royalties for Regions, to supporting Western Australia's live-export trade and to standing up for Western Australia by demanding a fairer deal on the distribution of the GST. It was heartening to hear at the recent Liberal Party campaign launch the Premier's commitment to taking personal responsibility for cutting farmers' red tape. This commitment puts agricultural issues at the heart of a future Liberal-led government in Western Australia.

Today's West Australian confirmed the feeling of many farmers across Western Australia when it reported on a WA farmers campaign report card, putting the Liberal Party at the top of the list of all parties on key agriculture policies. The media report said:

… the Liberal Party rated eight out of ten, compared with the Nationals six out of ten, while the ALP had three ticks compared with the Greens four on the WA Farmers' 10-point wish list.

Just yesterday, Colin Barnett and Liberals committed themselves to fighting for WA farmers. He committed the Liberals to keeping open commercially viable tier-3 rail lines and to giving greater support to enhancing a farmer's private property rights. Agriculture and food sectors are vital to securing WA's strong economy. The WA agricultural sector needs to be given an opportunity to expand and innovate, to increase productivity and to expand markets in Asia and the Middle East.

These election commitments come on the back of a solid record of achievement in government. Since 2008 the Liberal-led government has funded the $54.5 million Muchea Livestock Centre and provided $21.5 million to develop and modernise two significant regional sale yards for Western Australia's livestock industry in Katanning and Plantagenet as well as clearing the debt for the sale yard at Mount Barker. The Liberal-led government has overseen the commercial cultivation of genetically modified canola, ensuring WA farmers remain competitive with other states.

Early in the campaign the Liberals announced their priorities for the successful Royalties for Regions program. Colin Barnett took a good idea and made it happen, and now he plans to make it better. At this election he has listened to the attitudes of people living in regional areas and, if re-elected, will give it a better focus. The Liberals' priorities for Royalties for Regions include improving regional health services and a significant improvement in country roads. Liberals across regional Western Australia are pleased that, under a future Liberal-led government, Royalties for Regions is here to stay.

While Royalties for Regions is important, it is only part of total state government expenditure in regional Western Australia. That is why regional communities need a strong local voice that can make a difference across all areas of government in areas where it matters.

On the important issue of the live export trade, the Liberals will continue to support live animal exports with strict animal welfare conditions. Western Australian farmers deserve to be supported, especially when they have the best welfare interests of their livestock as a priority. Western Australia is Australia's largest exporter of cattle. The Liberal-led state government stood up for pastoralists when this federal Labor government made the irrational decision to immediately suspend all live-cattle exports to Indonesia in 2011. More than that, Western Australian Liberals—and I commend the energy and commitment of my colleague Senator Chris Back on this critical issue—put pressure on the federal Labor government to get the live-export trade back up and running or risk a worsening animal welfare situation in the state's north.

No Western Australian politician should ever come to Canberra without championing the importance of getting WA a better deal on the distribution of the GST. We all know the story well: the goods and service tax was introduced by the Howard government to give financial security to the states and, in return, the states gave up their share of income and company tax. Under the Howard government Western Australia got 92c back from every $1 paid in GST by Western Australians. Under the Gillard government Western Australia now gets 55c back, and this is forecast to fall below 30c in two years. This is grossly unfair. Western Australia is prepared to help smaller states, but there has to be a limit. We believe we are entitled to at least 75 cents in the dollar back. That is generous of Western Australians, given that New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland all get over 90 cents in the dollar back. Our main concern is that Western Australia gets a fair share of GST revenue to help us build and run our schools and hospitals and to better support regional communities.

The Gillard government has failed to fix what is clearly a broken system, and Mark McGowan has failed to stand up for Western Australia. My colleague Senator Cormann was correct when he said in the Sunday Times on the morning of the Liberal campaign launch:

Expect Mr Barnett to make a strong case with some clear messages for a future Coalition government in Canberra about what he wants in WA's interest.

Only Colin Barnett has taken the fight up to the federal government in the interests of getting a fair deal for Western Australians.

The Liberals in government make decisions and get things done. They are securing Western Australia's future.

At the WA state election on Saturday, 9 March, only the Liberals' have a plan that will ensure Western Australia's success is sustained and not wasted. If re-elected, regional communities will be stronger under the Liberals than under any other party. Only the Liberals will broaden the state economy, stand up for WA's fair share, maintain our nation-leading infrastructure program, improve access in quality frontline education and health services, invest in local and regional communities and make regional communities safer. At this critical time, we cannot endanger WA's future by electing anyone other than Colin Barnett as Premier and his Liberal team as the government. Only with this outcome will WA have a strong, stable government with a clear direction and with realistic plans for the future.