Parliamentary Debates (HANSARD) FORTY-FIRST PARLIAMENT FIRST SESSION 2021 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY Thursday, 13 May 2021 Legislative Assembly Thursday, 13 May 2021 THE SPEAKER (Mrs M.H. Roberts) took the chair at 9.00 am, acknowledged country and read prayers. SUPPLY BILL 2021 Remaining Stages — Standing Orders Suspension — Notice of Motion Mr D.A. Templeman (Leader of the House) gave notice that at the next sitting of the house he would move — That so much of the standing orders be suspended as is necessary to enable the Supply Bill 2021 to proceed through all remaining stages without delay between the stages. PUBLIC SECTOR APPOINTMENTS Statement by Minister for Public Sector Management MR M. McGOWAN (Rockingham — Minister for Public Sector Management) [9.03 am]: I rise today to inform the house of new leadership in a number of government departments in the Western Australian public sector. With the impending retirement of a number of directors general, the Public Sector Commissioner has taken the opportunity to renew leadership across the public sector. This renewal will ensure that government has the leadership in place to continue our world-leading response to the pandemic, help drive prosperity for our state and concentrate on service delivery. Some appointments will be on an acting basis to enable the Public Sector Commissioner, as the employer of the director general group, to undertake recruitment processes when they are required. The Public Sector Commissioner will place the departing directors general on “other functions” through her powers under the Public Sector Management Act. To ensure that we make the most of their skills and experience, each will undertake strategic projects in their ministers’ portfolios. I would like to take the opportunity to thank the departing directors general for their many years of service to the government and the people of Western Australia. The Public Sector Commissioner’s changes will be effective from Monday, 31 May 2021. WA is well served by its public sector, exemplified by its outstanding performance since the pandemic commenced in early 2020. Government departments and thousands of public sector employees responded to meet the rapidly evolving needs of the community across the state. The changes announced today are an invaluable opportunity for renewal and rejuvenation in our public sector. I now table the new director general list. [See paper 225.] TREASURY REPORTS Statement by Treasurer MR M. McGOWAN (Rockingham — Treasurer) [9.05 am]: Four financial reports prescribed by the Government Financial Responsibility Act 2000 were released between the end of sitting of the fortieth Parliament and the opening of the forty-first Parliament. Section 9(2) of the act requires that these reports be tabled in the house as soon as practicable. Accordingly, I am today tabling the September and December 2020 Quarterly financial results report, the 2020–21 Government mid-year financial projections statement and the 2020–21 Pre-election financial projections statement. The PFPS provides Treasury’s independent outlook for the state’s finances and economy. It provides the opportunity to compare the performance of the previous Liberal–National government with that of the McGowan Labor government. It shows that the McGowan Labor government has delivered on its promise to fix the financial mess left by the previous government. The 2020–21 PFPS shows that Treasury is projecting strong net operating surpluses over each of the next four years, totalling $8.7 billion. This is in stark contrast to the 2016–17 PFPS under the previous Liberal–National government, when massive operating deficits totalling almost $6 billion were projected. Under the previous government, net debt rose from $5.6 billion when it came to government and was expected to reach around $43.7 billion by June 2020. The McGowan government made the hard decisions to fix the budget and get expenditure growth under control. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, WA was the only state in which debt was expected to decline. Net debt was around $9 billion lower prior to the COVID-19 pandemic compared with the projections for 2019–20 when the previous government left office. WA’s improved financial position provided the capacity to implement an unprecedented response to the COVID-19 pandemic from a position of strength. The McGowan government has committed more than $7 billion towards the WA recovery plan and further recovery initiatives, and committed a record $28.9 billion towards infrastructure investment to support our economic recovery and create jobs. Despite these significant investments, net debt is forecast to rise to $40.2 billion by 2023–24. This growth in debt is far less than in any other state and the commonwealth. The PFPS also provides Treasury’s outlook 588 [ASSEMBLY — Thursday, 13 May 2021] for the Western Australian economy. Treasury forecasts that our economy will grow by two per cent in 2020–21, the strongest of all the states, based on recent projections. This is in contrast to the economic contraction of 1.3 per cent in 2016–17, the former Liberal–National government’s final year in office, which was the first contraction in annual gross state product on record. The unemployment rate was 6.3 per cent when the previous government left office in March 2017 and under the McGowan Labor government, unemployment was just 4.8 per cent in March 2021, the lowest of all states. The McGowan government worked hard over its first term to fix the finances, provide the capacity to respond to crises, continue to improve key service delivery, and keep Western Australians safe and our economy strong. Madam Speaker, I commend the reports to the house. [See papers 226 to 229.] ASIAN ENGAGEMENT Statement by Minister for State Development, Jobs and Trade MR R.H. COOK (Kwinana — Minister for State Development, Jobs and Trade) [9.09 am]: I would like to take this opportunity to inform the house about the important work the McGowan government is undertaking in the Asian engagement space. Members in the chamber will be aware that Asia is home to eight of our top 10 trading partners, and in 2019–20 Western Australia’s trade with Asia was worth more than $174 billion. In 2019, my friend the member for Willagee launched Western Australia’s Asian engagement strategy, which provided a framework for the state’s long-term engagement with key Asian markets. There is no doubt the past year has impeded the ability of nations worldwide to trade, maintain supply chains and work on key relationships, as the COVID-19 pandemic has ripped across the globe. However, increasing trade with and investment from Asia will always be a priority of this state government as we continue to strengthen and maintain those important trading and cultural relationships. The McGowan government continues to help our industries maximise their international potential throughout the current global challenges. The WA government is running Asia capability workshops to equip local businesses with the skills to export to Asia and work more effectively with Asian markets. We are continuing with the Access Asia business grants program, which is in its third round and provides grants of up to $25 000 to WA businesses seeking to build and maintain competitiveness in Asian markets. We are committed to enhancing our people-to-people links, which is one of the key themes of the strategy, and to building those long-term relationships that will enable Western Australia and Asian countries to develop a deeper understanding of each other and help deliver future trade and investment success. To that end, I am looking forward to meeting with as many members of the various diplomatic, business and cultural communities as possible in my role as Minister for State Development, Jobs and Trade. Next week, we are hosting an Asian engagement summit in partnership with the Australian Institute of Management, which will provide an invaluable forum for business, government and academia to come together and discuss how WA can be best prepared for the decades ahead in our region. Although these are good initiatives, there is more to do. The WA government is working hard to maximise our trade and investment opportunities within the Asia–Pacific region through initiatives like our market plan developments and the progression of key agreements with emerging economies. I look forward to building on the relationships between Western Australia and our friends across Asia as we peacefully work towards our mutual economic prosperity. HERITAGE GRANTS PROGRAM Statement by Minister for Heritage MR D.A. TEMPLEMAN (Mandurah — Minister for Heritage) [9.11 am]: I rise today to address the house about my recent announcement of funding allocations from the 2020–21 heritage grants program. In our last round of grants, we were able to assist 23 heritage places with conservation works, planning and documentation. In this round, we are offering 49 applicants funding assistance for a very diverse range of projects across the heritage sector. This is thanks to the new community heritage grants stream and lowered funding cap, allowing for a greater spread of funding across the metro area and the regions. The projects will either protect places on the state Register of Heritage Places or promote their stories throughout Western Australia. The funding this year totals more than $1.15 million and will assist in delivering an estimated $3.75 million in conservation works, interpretation and engagement projects. These projects will not only create jobs for heritage specialists overseeing the work, but also employ tradespeople, including carpenters, painters, stonemasons, hydrologists and builders with heritage skills. Madam Speaker, the new community heritage grants stream has received an overwhelmingly positive response, with 18 successful projects in this inaugural year. This new grants stream will support small local history groups, local governments and businesses in undertaking interpretation projects and events, and employing graphic designers, local historians, artists and heritage interpretation specialists.