Flt~1Attnt Neeumhlg Tuesday, 4 December 1990
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8310 flt~1attnt Neeumhlg Tuesday, 4 December 1990 THE SPEAKER (Mr Michael Barnett) took the Chair at 2.00 pmo, and read prayers. PETITION - MIT LESUEUR NATIONAL PARK PROPOSAL Coal Mining or Power Stations - Opposition MR KIERATH (Riverton) [2.03 pm]: I have a petition which reads as follows - To: The Honourable the Speaker and members of the Legislative Assembly of the Parliament of Western Australia in Parliament assembled. We, the undersigned, request that the Parliament, in recognition of the immense biological diversity and importance of the Mt Lesucur area: (1) create a National Park with boundaries as recommended by the Environmental Protection Authority, (2) no coal mining or power stations be permitted within the boundaries or adjacent to the Mt Lesueur National Park. Your petitioners therefore humbly pray that you will give this mailer earnest consideration and your petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray. The petition bears 209 signatures and I certify that it conforms to the Standing Orders of the Legislative Assembly. The SPEAKER: I direct that the petition be brought to the Table of the House. [See petition No 201.] PETITION - DUCK SHOOTING ProhibitionLegislation Support MRS WATKINS (Wanneroo) [2.04 pm]: I have a petition to present, couched in the following terms - To: The Honourable the Speaker and members of the Legislative Assembly of the Parliament of Western Australia in Parliament assembled. We, the undersigned petitioners of Western Australia and residents, urge you not to declare a Duck Shooting Season for 1990 and to legislate for the prohibition of any future Duck Shooting in this State because of the cruelty inflicted on our wildlife; the loss of significant water bird breeding habitat; the pollution of the wetlands from lead pellets, cartridges and other rubbish, and community disapproval of recreational shooting of wildlife. Your petitioners therefore humbly pray that you will give this matter earnest consideration and your petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray. The petition bears 777 signatures and I certify that it conforms to the Standing Orders of the Legislative Assembly. The SPEAKER: I direct that the petition be brought to the Table of the House. [See petition No 202.] PETITION - YORK DISTRICT HOSPITAL Closure or Service Reduction Concern MR TRENORDEN (Avon) [2.05 pm]: I have a petition which reads as follows - To: The Honourable the Speaker and members of the Legislative Assembly of the Parliament of Western Australia in Parliament assembled. We, the undersigned residents of York, Western Australia, wish to express our extreme concern regarding proposals to either close down or substantially reduce the service offered by the York District Hospital. [Tuesday, 4 December 1990]131 8311 To entertain such a proposal is to demonstrate a callous disregard for the well being of rural electors and the economics of a small town. The Shire of York is one of the few rural communities in Western Australia which is exhibiting positive growth patterns, such growth being based on the fertile agricultural land and the eve' growing tourist trade. The York District Hospital serves the community professionally and efficiently, being recognised as an accredited hospital and recently being awarded the Commissioner's Annual Award for excellence and innovation in health care. To reduce an essential service at a time of growth and development would appear to be an action designed to undermine such development which has been built uip through hard work and diligence. To require residents and visitors to travel to larger country centres or to the Perth metropolitan area is to deny these people an existing service and would compromise their health care. We believe the York Hospital must not be closed or have its level of service reduced and require assurances from the Government that the York Hospital will not have its services reduced or be closed. Your petitioners therefore humbly pray that you will give this mailer earnest consideration and your petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray. The petition bears 413 signatures and I certify that it conforms to the Standing Orders of the Legislative Assembly. The SPEAKER: I direct that the petition be brought to the Table of the House. [See petition No 203.] PETITION - PENSIONERS FederalPrescription Charge and Savings Deposit Assessment Reconsideration MR NICHOLLS (Mandurah) [2.07 pm]: I have a petition addressed in the following terms - To: The Honourable the Speaker and members of the Legislative Assembly of the Parliament of Western Australia in Parliament assembled. We, the undersigned, being concerned at the Federal Government's attack on pensioners in the recent Federal Budget, urge the State Government to denounce the Federal Government's impost on pensioners and urge them to reconsider the introduction of prescription charges and the assessment of pensioners savings deposits as earning 10 per cent per annum. Your petitioners therefore humbly pray that you will give this matter earnest consideration and your petitioners, as in duty bound, wiln ever pray. The petition bears 1 027 signatures and I certify that it conforms to the Standing Orders of the Legislative Assembly. The SPEAKER: I direct that the petition be brought to the Table of the House. [See petition No 204.] MATT1ER OF PUBLIC IMPORTANCE - ECONOMIC RECESSION Small Business and Farm Sector THE SPEAKER (Mr Michael Barnett): Today I received a letter from the Leader of the National Party seeking to debate as a mailer of public importance the effect of the economic recession on the small business and farm sectors. If sufficient members agree to this motion, I will allow it. [At least five members rose in their places.] The SPEAKER: In accordance with the Sessional Order, half an hour will be allocated to each side of the House for the purpose of this debate. 8312 (ASSEMBLY] MR COWAN (Merredin - Leader of the National Party) [2.10 pm]l: I move - That this House - (1) calls on the State Government to acknowledge that, as a consequence of the economic recession, a state of emergency exists in the small business and farm sectors and to take immediate action to reduce significantly the impact of State taxes and charges on those sectors: and (2) calls on the State Government to make urgent and specific representation to the Commonwealth Government to help alleviate the burden of the current recession on the farm and small business sectors. I thank my colleagues for supporting this matter of public importance. It is clear to all Australians that at long last official recognition has been given to the recession and its effect on Australia as a whole. It is equally clear to most people in this place that in this motion members of the National Parry wil refer specifically to rural areas and how they are being affected by the Federal Government's monetary policy. There is no doubt that country areas of Western Australia are witnessing a repeat of the dire conditions experienced in 1969-70 and those of 1985-86. Government members: What about 1982-83? Mr COWAN: That was the beginning of the events which led to the conditions in 1985-8 6. We saw the fall in world commodity prices and the drought conditions in 1982-83. It took until 1985-86 for the impact to be felt. Mr Taylor: A Select Committee inquiry was established in 1984 and most of its recommendations have been implemented. Mr COWAN: I will deal with that Select Committee and its activities at a later stage. It is very clear that the imnpact of a recession has already been written into the history of Western Australia. It is immaterial how that recession was created. It is. of no use for the Federal Government in Canberra or this State Government, which has supported the Federal Government, to note that in this case it could be argued that the recession has not been created just by the policies of die Federal Government. I must confess that the recession has been augmented by falling world commodity prices, particularly in the two major industries of wheat and wool. Certainly serious problems have arisen in the world markets for those comnmodities. However, this recession has been aggravated by the policies that have been applied by the Federal Treasurer and the entire Labor Government in Canberra. It is time we looked at what happened in 1969-70 and in the early 1980s. There was a massive shift of people from one industry, away from the country to the metropolitan area. It is appropriate that Governments, although they may not be able to arrest the flow completely, try to do something to keep in place the infrastructure and business associated with rural Western Australia. All I can say about this recession is that we should be very grateful that the mining industry - the other industry associated with rural areas of this State - has not been affected by the recession, except that it has been forced to pay high interest rates and has a higher level of debt to service. That industry has been buoyant because of world demand for minerals, particularly those which Western Australia is fortunate enough to be able to supply. I refer in particular to iron ore. We should be very grateful that iron ore, alumina, and mineral sands - some of the major products from this State - are very much in demand. We are fortunate that the mining industry has not suffered in the same way that agriculture and small business have. I do not want to waste the time of the House by identifying something that has already been identified by every major newspaper in this State and in the country, and which has at long last been acknowledged by the Federal Government.