The Opposition has warned a battle is looming over WA’s fair GST share and has lashed Premier Roger Cook for placing blind trust in an unreliable Commonwealth Government.
Opposition Leader Shane Love MLA warned that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese could not be trusted upon to protect WA’s GST share if push comes to shove.
“The Prime Minister gave his word that he would not change the Stage Three Tax Cuts, but he broke that promise, and in doing so he not just opened the door for further tax reform, he has blown it off its hinges,” Mr Love said.
“WA’s fair GST share has now become the prime target for everyone from unhappy Eastern States MPs – who vastly outnumber WA MPs in Federal Parliament – to greedy, financially irresponsible Premiers, and economists desperate for relevancy.”
“Prime Minister Albanese now faces immense pressure to break his GST promise to WA, and it’s clear that his promises mean nothing in the face of pressure from the Eastern States.
“If it comes down to Albanese keeping his job as Prime Minister or protecting WA’s GST deal, how do you expect he will respond?”
Mr Love said contradictions between Premier Roger Cook and Treasurer Rita Saffioti had exposed fresh cracks in WA’s supposedly ironclad GST arrangements.
“While Premier Cook claims he is fighting to keep our fair share of the GST, the Treasurer claims she has full confidence in the Prime Minister to honour his commitment.
“If the Treasurer truly has confidence in the PM, why does she retain a specialised taskforce of GST fairness fighters, solely established to protect our GST deal?”
Mr Love said it was naïve to presume the Federal Labor Government cared about retaining a handful of Federal seats in WA.
“From their decision to shut down WA’s live export industry, slash more than $300 million in critical infrastructure projects, or their senseless cuts to WA’s skilled migration intake, it’s clear Labor has written off WA at a Federal level.”
“Economists claim WA’s GST deal is worth over $40 billion for our State. It underpins our entire State Budget from new hospital developments, critical transport infrastructure upgrades, or salaries for our teachers, nurses and police.
“WA’s economic prosperity, which provides Australia’s economic prosperity, is too important for the Premier and Treasurer to naively take the GST deal for granted,” Mr Love said.
