State economy
77. Mr Rhys Williams to the Premier:
Mr Rhys Williams: Mr Speaker!
The Speaker: The member for Maylands—no, Mandurah. Sorry about that, member for Maylands!
Mr Rhys Williams: I am pleased to be back in Mandurah!
I refer to the recent data that shows national and local inflation continues to moderate.
(1) Can the Premier outline to the house how the Cook Labor government has worked with its federal counterparts to build a strong economy?
(2) Can the Premier advise the house whether he is aware of any risks to that economic progress?
Mr Roger Cook replied:
I thank the member for the question and congratulate him on his inaugural speech. I thought it was a great contribution.
(1)–(2) Over the last three years, this government, my government, has collaborated with the Albanese Labor government, in an era of global uncertainty and volatility, to produce stable government for both Western Australia and this country. We have worked together on the big issues: the economy, cost-of-living, housing, health and good jobs. A major factor affecting these issues has been the global inflationary crisis. Yesterday's inflation data, both nationally and locally, again fell comfortably within the Reserve Bank of Australia's target range—the best figure in over three years—and, naturally, this has raised expectations of a rate cut later this month.
Easing inflation is not the only indicator of success. Over the last three years, the unemployment rate has been historically low. There have been 143,200 jobs created in WA. Apprenticeship and traineeship numbers have skyrocketed. Housing is increasing, as is the workforce building them, and the rental vacancy rate has gone from around 1% to 2.5%. Real wages have gone up while taxes have gone down. We are the best economy in the nation.
The efforts of government are addressing the issues that people face now while preparing ourselves for the future. Like this government, the Albanese Labor government wants to make more things here. It recognises our potential to be a renewable energy powerhouse. The critical minerals production tax incentive is one of those future-focused policies. It is foresight and it is visionary. It is a vote of confidence in the WA economy, and it is a federal government that understands Western Australia.
In contrast—we have a contrast, member for Mandurah, and it is the Liberals and Nationals WA members. They represent all the bad parts of right-wing American politics. They represent the opposite of stability. For WA, the risk of Peter Dutton is enormous. He is more interested in culture wars than serious policy. He wants an uncosted, untested and unproven plan for nuclear power in Western Australia. I was in Collie with the Prime Minister just last week, and I wonder whether the Leader of the Opposition is going to be joining Peter Dutton when he comes to Western Australia tomorrow. They certainly will not be in Collie, but I reckon they will not be standing next to each other either. I am not sure who wants to keep further away from whom!
The question is: what is on the chopping block to pay for his nuclear fantasy? They will cancel the critical minerals production tax incentive. They will rip $3 billion from the Pilbara for the north-west grid upgrades. They want a DOGE-style public sector raiding, and free TAFE is also in the firing line. It represents chaos at a time when we need stability more than ever. The one thing we know about Peter Dutton, because he flips and flops depending on what time of day it is during the election campaign, is that he does not support WA's fair share of the GST.
Mr Basil Zempilas interjected.
Mr Roger Cook: The idea of a Peter Dutton Liberal–National government in Canberra should send shivers up the spines of all Western Australians, and the only way to take this state forward is to vote Labor on 3 May.
