Fatima Payman (WA, Australia's Voice) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In August, it was reported that, despite $3 billion set aside for Western Australia under Rewiring the Nation, a program designed to upgrade, expand and modernise Australia's electricity grid to support the transition into renewable energy, not a single dollar has been directed to a project in WA. At the same time, $3.54 billion—more than WA's entire allocation—had already been allocated to projects across Victoria and New South Wales. That figure has since doubled to $7.34 billion. Guess how much of that went to WA? It's a number between one and minus one. This information comes from order for the production of documents No. 148, which the government delivered more than a month late, only after I threatened to summon the minister to the Senate.

I know that WA runs three hours behind, but it is unbelievable that we are being left so far behind in actual project funding. The government are quick to sing WA's praises, and so they should be, but, when it comes to action, the vibes are decidedly off. When the federal and WA governments signed the Rewiring the Nation deal, four projects were listed for potential funding, yet one of them, the Chichester corridor project, doesn't expect a funding decision until late 2027—that's late 2027! Premier Roger Cook is in Canberra this week. Despite his claim of a close working relationship with federal Labor, WA remains stuck at zero while the east coast powers ahead. This is how the government treats WA—all talk, no action. 'Over-easters' might enjoy the fruits of our economic contributions, but, sooner or later, Western Australians will decide that we've had enough of being taken for granted.