Latest news with #LaborGovernment
The Guardian
7 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Victoria's Liberals saved John Pesutto from bankruptcy. But can they save themselves from all-out war?
As his party room imploded last year, plagued by infighting and a looming defamation trial, John Pesutto placed a blank sheet of butcher's paper in front of his colleagues. In the dying days of his tenure as opposition leader, Pesutto asked MPs what should have been simple questions to answer: What are our values? What do we stand for? His attempt to unify a deeply divided party failed spectacularly. Almost a year later, there is no consensus answer to those questions. Factional grievances have intensified, with MPs now warning of 'all-out war' and outlining 'completely brutal' schemes to gain control of the party. A bitter rift between Pesutto and fellow Liberal Moira Deeming, who successfully sued him for defamation after he falsely implied she sympathised with neo-Nazis, has left the party room, its organisational wing and dwindling membership divided. Many senior Liberals are despondent. There have been, according to some, more than two years of 'shit fights', 'constant stupidity and self-harm' that have allowed 'an inept Labor government' to evade scrutiny, despite the best efforts of a few opposition MPs. Some hope the party's decision to loan Pesutto $1.5m so he can pay Deeming's legal fees, avoiding bankruptcy, may lead to a truce. But others suggest animosity runs deep and the party will struggle to heal while both remain in the party room. On Thursday night, members of the party's administrative committee handed over their phones to an official before voting in a secret ballot. Pesutto, who had only a matter of days to raise $2.3m, outlined a last-minute loan deal using his superannuation as security, repayable with a commercial interest rate. This was, for some on the committee, the first time they had been briefed on the proposal despite reading about it in the media for several weeks. When Deeming's lawyers filed a bankruptcy notice against Pesutto, the Victorian Liberal party president, Philip Davis, began to canvass the views of his colleagues. Those strongly opposed were kept in the dark until the secret ballot. 'My position is well known,' said one admin member contacted by Davis. 'No, no, no, no, how many times can I say no.' Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email Several members of the committee were furious at the prospect of party money being spent on an internal dispute, rather than on campaigning to beat Labor. The proposal, first reported by Guardian Australia, was pushed by Pesutto's supporters as a way to avoid an expensive byelection in his seat of Hawthorn and to ensure, in their view, that moderate MPs were not pushed out of the party. Even before the meeting was called, Pesutto's supporters put pressure on the party leader, Brad Battin, to endorse the loan and give it momentum. 'We're already in a shit fight, but if Brad doesn't support a loan, it will lead to all-out war,' threatened one Liberal MP who declined to be named so they could speak freely. Another MP said Battin 'should not be the one to stand in the way of a deal that has support' from the party room and a majority of the committee. This did not go down well with some on the committee. 'All this media stuff is emotional blackmail,' said one committee member who declined to be named given the tense nature of discussions. When the deal was ultimately approved, Davis emailed party members to claim it would 'settle the matter once and for all' and allow the party to move on without further distraction. Battin, who endorsed the motion, said it would 'avoid further financial and reputational damage' and also declared the matter resolved, with the party now 'united, disciplined and determined' to focus on the future. Not everyone agrees. Before the meeting, Deeming said she was dismayed a loan deal was even being considered. She said it ran 'against the grain of everything we believe as Liberals' and claimed it would be a 'direct rebuke' of the federal court judgment. 'I assume that they will continue with their quest to try to annihilate me,' Deeming said in reference to some of her party room colleagues. Pesutto's supporters remain bitter the party only intervened at the final hour after relentless pressure to do, in their view, the right thing. Others won't forget that Deeming's legal team threatened to chase money from Pesutto's supporters should he not be able to pay. Correspondence named former Liberal premiers Jeff Kennett, Denis Napthine and Ted Baillieu, and Victorian MPs David Southwick and Georgie Crozier as people who may be held liable. 'How can those two MPs sit in the party room with someone who was willing to do that and trust her?' said one Liberal source. 'They will always be looking over their shoulder.' Deeming did not respond to that comment, but a source close to her denied any allegation that she was untrustworthy, dishonest or a bully. Her financial backer, the New South Wales property developer Hilton Grugeon, who is owed $2.3m, said he was not bothered by the damage this would have unleashed on the party. 'I supported [the Liberals] when they were unsupportable,' Grugeon said. 'But I cannot care what happens to a party that wants to look the other way while their leader beats up on a woman who did nothing wrong.' Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion Shortly before lodging defamation proceedings against Pesutto, Deeming outlined a vision of the Liberal party that is antithetical to some of her colleagues. In late May, Deeming told the podcast Club Grubbery praised the rightwing South Australian senator Alex Antic's ability to control his state branch and said 'nobody can get rid of him'. 'We need to take back ownership of the party of the centre right,' Deeming said, before speaking to its rank-and-file. 'This is your party. You own it, it's yours. Do not cede this ground.' 'We've really got to get really mercenary about it,' said Deeming, who raised the prospect of working with Antic and Liberal senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price to recruit more like-minded members. 'We've got to get completely brutal.' But many moderates, including former federal vice-president Tom Harley, warn any push to become more conservative would make the party electorally irrelevant. Harley is scathing of the party's internal divisions, describing them as being in a state of 'constant stupidity and self-harm'. 'The Liberal party in Victoria is stuck talking to a small section of itself in the corner,' Harley said. 'We must focus on the issues that matter to people, not who goes to which lavatory.' Others, including the federal Liberal MP Jason Wood, believe factionalism is tearing the state party apart, rather than being a disagreement about values. 'Hopefully all this sorts itself and everyone takes a chill pill but, sadly, people are putting their factions first,' Wood said. Many Victorian Liberals deny they have factions equivalent to the rigid blocs that divide power in the Labor party. But they don't dispute that their party is bitterly divided. On Friday morning, Pesutto said he was 'grateful and humbled' by the party's decision to save him from bankruptcy and his colleagues would 'focus all our energy on winning the next state election'. But some didn't get the memo. Within hours of the deal being approved, one unnamed conservative MP told the Herald Sun that Battin's leadership was in question and 'the conservative block will want a 'please explain''. One senior Liberal operative not authorised to speak publicly believes the party's leadership team allowed the saga to remain unresolved for too long. They argue the damage will now be difficult to contain, despite a resolution being reached. 'If there had been good leadership of the party, the John and Moira saga might have been dealt with very differently and much quicker,' the source said. 'But no one stood up. They all thought, 'oh this will be fine, it will be buried'. But it wasn't buried. And that's how we've got to this stage.' On Thursday night, just hours after the loan was secured, some members of Deeming's branch urged each other to draw a line under the scandal and focus attention on Labor. 'Let's move on now,' said one member in a WhatsApp message leaked to Guardian Australia. 'We have got an election to win.' One of Deeming's closest allies, her husband, Andrew, replied saying, 'sadly it's not that easy to just move on'. 'Personally, my kids have nightmares because of this. Moira still gets abusive messages because of this. Politically, the party just reinforced all its negative stereotypes that they are anti-woman, that they are an old boys club,' Andrew Deeming said. 'How can we convince the public that the Liberal party cares about them when the Liberal party has given effective support to an MP who defamed his own colleague?' The text messages show Moira Deeming is bitterly disappointed by the organisational wing's conduct. 'They literally sent a bulk email to brag about earning interest off ruining my life and destroying my family,' she wrote. 'Disgusting.' Deeming confirmed she sent the message and told Guardian Australia it explained her motivation for uploading an image on social media that said: 'They financially profited off her trauma. They told the world they did her a favour. This is what institutional abuse looks like.' 'Clearly, it is undeniable that there are deep wounds,' Deeming said. 'There have been wrongs done. The things I needed were full exoneration and my loan repaid. I now have those two things.' Pesutto may have been saved from bankruptcy, but the Victorian Liberals' internal battles are far from over.
The Australian
a day ago
- Business
- The Australian
David Crisafulli orders Verian, The Lab Insight and Strategy, Fifty-Five Five polling
You can now listen to The Australian's articles. Give us your feedback. You can now listen to The Australian's articles. David Crisafulli's department has quietly commissioned more than $650,000 in taxpayer-funded polling and market research in just five months, after he criticised former premier Annastacia Palaszczuk for doing the same thing. Government spending disclosures show Mr Crisafulli's Department of Premier and Cabinet ordered four tranches of 'market research' and 'concept testing' from polling and research companies The Lab Insight and Strategy, Verian Group, and Fifty-Five Five between December and April, at a total cost of $651,107. The Australian revealed ahead of the 2020 state election that Labor premier Ms Palaszczuk's department had spent $528,000 for Ipsos to do Covid-19 polling and market research. She refused to release the data. But in February last year, her successor, Labor premier Steven Miles, eventually published thousands of pages of research dating back to 2020. The Labor government ended up spending more than $1m surveying Queenslanders on issues such as youth crime, the Brisbane 2032 Olympics, the Indigenous voice to parliament and pandemic border closures. As opposition leader, Mr Crisafulli was highly critical of Ms Palaszczuk's decision to order the research and not release it. In parliament in November 2023, he accused the premier and her government of having the 'wrong priorities' and focusing on spending 'hundreds of thousands of dollars to try to secure its political future'. 'The premier always says that the only poll that matters is the one on election day. Why, then, would she spend hundreds of thousands of Queensland taxpayers' dollars to save her job today?' Mr Crisafulli said. 'Why do we have a government so focused on its own survival rather than on what Queenslanders are experiencing in their lives? 'Queenslanders are living with a health crisis, a youth crime crisis, a cost-of-living crisis and a housing crisis. This government's focus is on how it can get secret polling to try to save itself from facing its date with destiny.' During the Covid pandemic, then Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk commissioned taxpayer-funded polling and market research but refused to release it. Picture: Dan Peled When Steven Miles succeeded Ms Palaszczuk as premier, he published the taxpayer-funded polling. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen At the same time, Mr Crisafulli's LNP opposition moved a motion in parliament in an unsuccessful attempt to force Ms Palaszczuk to release the Ipsos polling. Then opposition integrity in government spokeswoman Fiona Simpson – now Mr Crisafulli's Minister for Women – said there was 'simply no justification for this secret polling to continue to be locked away from public view'. On Thursday, The Australian asked Mr Crisafulli's office to release the research, to commit to releasing any in-progress research once complete, and to detail the terms of reference for each contract, but was rebuffed. A government spokesman said 'concept development of policy campaigns and the development of their corresponding communication campaigns is a longstanding practice employed across the Queensland government, and is a vital step to ensure critical communications resonate with Queenslanders and is effective'. 'An example of this work undertaken by the Queensland government is the anti-bullying campaign, which engaged directly with parents, teachers and students to ensure anti-bullying messaging was as effective as possible in driving down bullying in schools,' he said. The spokesman did not answer questions about what methodology – such as focus groups – the market research companies were using, and declined to give a full list of what topics or policies were being canvassed with voters. In parliament in September 2021, opposition MP Laura Gerber – now Mr Crisafulli's Youth Justice Minister – called for the Palaszczuk government to release the pandemic-related polling and be 'open and accountable'. 'This is public money,' Ms Gerber said. 'At the very least, Queenslanders deserve to see what they got for their half a million dollars. Taxpayers deserve to see the results of the secret polling they paid for.' Sarah Elks Senior Reporter Sarah Elks is a senior reporter for The Australian in its Brisbane bureau, focusing on investigations into politics, business and industry. Sarah has worked for the paper for 15 years, primarily in Brisbane, but also in Sydney, and in Cairns as north Queensland correspondent. She has covered election campaigns, high-profile murder trials, and natural disasters, and was named Queensland Journalist of the Year in 2016 for a series of exclusive stories exposing the failure of Clive Palmer's Queensland Nickel business. Sarah has been nominated for four Walkley awards. @sarahelks Sarah Elks
West Australian
2 days ago
- Business
- West Australian
WA Budget 2025: Rita Saffioti's full speech on state of Western Australia economy and vision for 2025-26
Mr Speaker, I rise to present the ninth budget of our WA Labor Government. On the 8th of March the people of Western Australia overwhelmingly endorsed our vision for Western Australia: • A Western Australia that is the economic powerhouse of the nation; • A Western Australia where infrastructure has been delivered in record volumes, throughout the suburbs and regions; • A Western Australia that is providing record jobs and training opportunities; • A Western Australia that is delivering record spending in health and housing; and • A Western Australia with a sensible and experienced government, governing for all Western Australians. This Budget delivers on that vision. It is a Budget that 'cements' Western Australia as the most responsible budget manager of the nation, while investing in the economic and social infrastructure to power new jobs and new investment in this State. In a world of global instability and uncertainty, our government has a strong economic plan for this State. Over the past eight years we have worked hard to drive a positive economic agenda. Western Australia has become the envy of the nation for our financial management and economic success. This Budget reinforces these strengths. Western Australia was once likened to a fortress – Fortress WA. Western Australians are proud that we all worked together to put the interests of our community first. While not a worldwide pandemic, the global instability and volatility we now face, means we must once again stand together to repel any economic threat. This Budget reinforces the walls of fortress WA. It ensures we can withstand the global economic chaos, and shields us from becoming collateral damage of geopolitical battles. We protect our existing economic strengths but also venture to secure new jobs and new opportunities for Western Australia's future. Mr Speaker, in this Budget: • we prioritise key economic infrastructure like the pipes, poles and wires that will power new industries and deliver new jobs; • we embark on a major housing construction transformation, delivering new opportunities for affordable living, not just affordable housing; and • we invest like never before in our hospitals and health system, increasing capacity and delivering reforms to provide world class patient care into the future. Mr Speaker, it is broadly acknowledged that Western Australia is the economic powerhouse of the nation. Keeping our economy strong and making more things in Western Australia has been a hallmark of the WA Labor Government. We know that a strong economy is key to improving the lives of Western Australians. Our domestic economy has grown by almost 26 per cent over the past five years, well above the 16 per cent growth nationally. A strong economy delivers jobs for the community. We have delivered 340,000 new jobs since we came to office – the most in the State's history. Western Australia has consistently had the lowest unemployment rate and the highest average weekly earnings of all states. Spending by Western Australian households has been far more resilient than the rest of the nation. Nonetheless, it is a welcome relief that the inflation beast has been tamed, and the Reserve Bank has begun reducing interest rates. Our strong economy has attracted more people to move to Western Australia than ever before, with a population increase of more than 300,000 over the past five years. While this population growth is a vote of confidence in our State, it has also increased demand for services and housing. This Budget responds to that demand. Strong business confidence is supporting a sustained growth in business investment. Our investment in economic infrastructure and policies to streamline approvals are making it easier to do business in Western Australia. Residential investment has also been a key driver of growth. Our construction workforce has grown to record levels, and the number of new homes completed has risen to the highest level in over seven years. In addition, the rental vacancy rate is approaching more balanced conditions. Despite our strong economy, we know that global uncertainty and market volatility is high. While Western Australia's direct exposure to US tariffs is low, the risk of weaker global growth, including the impacts on our major trading partners could be significant. This is why we continue to Budget conservatively, to retain the capacity to respond to shocks as they emerge, and to maintain our focus on diversifying our economy and making more things in WA. Mr Speaker, I am pleased to announce that Western Australia remains on track to deliver a seventh consecutive operating surplus in 2024-25. We will deliver an operating surplus of $2.5 billion in this financial year, and a forecast operating surplus of $2.4 billion in 2025-26. The ongoing exposure of Western Australia's revenue base to global uncertainties continues to reinforce our conservative forecasting methodologies. It is also a constant reminder of the importance of protecting the 2018 GST reforms. It is again important to point out that despite the irrational and absurd commentary from many over east, WA will still only receive 75 per cent of our population share of GST this year. In fact Members, our Treasury officials have estimated that Western Australia's net contribution to the other States last financial year was $39 billion. That is, $13,000 that every Western Australian is contributing to the rest of the nation. Mr Speaker, with this Budget we are getting on with the job of delivering our election promises. We continue to invest in WA's future with a significant infrastructure pipeline of $38 billion across the forward estimates, including $12 billion in the budget year. We are making the important investments we need in hospitals, housing, schools, roads, wires, poles and pipes to set Western Australia up for the future. At the same time, we are maintaining our commitment to keep debt at sustainable and affordable levels. Our net debt forecast for this financial year is expected to be $33.6 billion, slightly down from the Pre-election Financial Projections statement. This is more than $10 billion below what the previous Government had forecast by June 2020, meaning WA's debt level under WA Labor is still $10 billion less than what the Liberals and Nationals would have delivered five years ago. It is also important to note, WA's net debt as a percentage of Gross State Product is expected to be 9.1 per cent at the end of the budget year – compared to an average of over 20 per cent across the other states and the Commonwealth. Mr Speaker, inflation has turned the corner, wages have strengthened, and Western Australians with mortgages have welcomed two interest rate cuts in the past four months. In this Budget we are investing a further $963 million to continue to support WA households. For a sixth consecutive year, rises in household fees and charges have been kept below inflation, in line with WA Labor's long-standing commitment. In 2025-26 the basket of household fees and charges will decrease by 0.8 per cent. This Budget also reflects an additional $177 million in energy bill relief for households and eligible small businesses, which we will deliver on behalf of the Albanese Labor Government. This will mean every WA household will receive a $150 credit on their power bill across 2025-26. In addition, for those families who need extra support, this Budget delivers a $343 Energy Assistance Payment, over and above the household electricity credit. For homeowners, we are commencing the rollout of Western Australia's residential battery rebate and no interest loan scheme. Working together with the Albanese Government, our combined policies will see tens of thousands of Western Australian families having access to cheaper batteries and therefore permanently lower energy bills. On the first of January next year, we will be rolling out our one zone flat fare across the suburbs and regional towns, saving 70,000 daily commuters hundreds of dollars each year. In addition to the Suburban Flat Fare, which caps every fare at $2.80 on an Autoload SmartRider, public transport for all school students will remain free in Western Australia. We are also right now, rolling out our WA Student Assistance Payment for a second time, delivering direct cost of living support to WA parents. For renters, we are extending our successful WA Rent Relief Program, which has already assisted more than 2,700 households. Eligible Western Australian families will also have access to KidSport Vouchers of $300, and we're excited to be rolling out our new Kids Access All Areas pass which provides families greater access to Scitech, arts and cultural events. We're expanding the School Breakfast Program to more than 670 schools and extending the program to five days a week. This Budget also includes a further $100 per annum permanent increase in the value of the Regional Pensioner Travel Card, while we are also halving the cost of Transwa fares. Plus, WA Labor's regional airfare zone cap continues to save regional residents hundreds, and in many cases, thousands of dollars each year. Mr Speaker, our strong population growth has driven significant demand for housing. This State, more than any, has introduced a raft of measures to support an increase in housing supply. We are pulling every lever. We are leaving no stone unturned. We have embarked on a generational rethink of how we deliver not only affordable housing, but affordable living. Since 2021, we've committed more than $5.8 billion into housing and homelessness. Our investments are working, with more than 20,600 homes completed in 2024, the highest level in over seven years. Building approvals have increased to 23,000, up 45 per cent, the strongest in the nation. The combination of growing housing supply and easing population growth is seeing the housing market returning to balance. The Western Australian construction workforce has also reached record levels, supported by our investments in TAFE and training. This Budget adds a further $22 million to increase the number of free TAFE courses to train more tradies, including more plumbers, bricklayers and plasterers. Additionally, our Group Training Organisation wage subsidy is supporting a thousand new apprentices in the residential construction industry. And our Build a Life in WA and Construction Visa Subsidy programs have attracted more than 1,100 tradies to WA to commence work, with hundreds more claims being processed. This Budget also delivers the first investment of the $400 million Housing Enabling Infrastructure Fund. From this Fund we will rollout water and power infrastructure across key corridors in metropolitan and regional WA to unlock around 33,000 homes. This builds on the recently announced Housing Support Program that will unlock some 28,000 future homes, and our Infrastructure Development Fund, which will deliver almost 8,600 apartments, and more than 720 homes across regional WA. Supporting home buyers In this Budget, we're delivering further stamp duty cuts supporting some 5,500 first home buyers each year, with additional support for those in the regions. We are also creating more opportunities for home ownership, with $210 million for 1,000 shared equity loans in new apartment and townhouse developments, as well as $75 million in no and low-interest loans to support affordable build-to-rent developments. Mr Speaker, we continue to expand our delivery of additional social housing. We have a program to create 5,800 social homes, and we've delivered more than 3,000 so far. We are on track to deliver a further 1,000 homes this financial year and in the next. We are delivering these homes through a range of partnerships, including a $246 million investment to deliver 548 social and affordable homes, with Community Housing Providers and the Commonwealth. This builds on our historic investment announced late last year to build more than 1,800 social and affordable homes, leveraging the Housing Australia Future Fund. In regional Western Australia, we're investing an additional $104 million to double our construction program to provide homes for key government workers, such as police and teachers. We're investing an additional $25 million through our Regional Housing Support Fund, to boost the viability of regional housing projects. And we are supporting specific housing projects right across regional WA, including in Karratha, Kalgoorlie, Kununurra and Albany. Our innovative measures to boost housing supply are working. We have converted over 680 vacant properties and short stay holiday rentals onto the long-term rental market. We are also establishing a $50 million Housing Innovation Fund to support alternative production methods, building materials, and approaches that enhance the productivity of housing delivery across the supply chain. Together these initiatives are delivering a major housing construction transformation throughout Western Australia. Mr Speaker, this Budget lays the foundations for our future growth and prosperity. We will continue to play to our strengths by ensuring we remain a global resources leader, while diversifying our economy to build resilience and create new opportunities. This Budget delivers funding to support our Made in WA Plan. Building on WA Labor's success of returning railcar manufacturing to WA, we will go further to boost local manufacturing. We will make our new electric buses here, creating a pipeline of work and building new centres of expertise. Our expanded ferry network, METRONET on Swan, will include new locally made electric ferries. The steel fabrication industry, whose capacity has been significantly expanded through work undertaken to deliver METRONET, will be tasked with making electricity transmission infrastructure that will support our energy transition. In this Budget we have committed $25 million to start expanding manufacturing facilities in Forrestfield and Picton, and to establish a Local Industry Development Fund. We are also establishing a $50 million Battery Manufacturing Program to support local businesses to make household batteries here in WA. Our efforts don't stop there. We are also building on our long history of cutting-edge medical research to establish a new biomedical precinct. This will continue to support new start-ups and innovation, clean energy projects, and ensure we turn great ideas into new industries and jobs for Western Australians. Mr Speaker, we understand that in a state as big as WA, and so rich in resources, economic infrastructure is the key to unlocking new developments. In this Budget we are investing over $2.7 billion of new investment in power, water, ports and strategic industrial areas. We are doubling our Strategic Industries Fund to $1 billion over the next 10 years. This fund will support the delivery of common user infrastructure to Strategic Industrial Areas across the State. These precincts will be the generator of future jobs for Western Australians, in industries such as green iron and new energies at Maitland and Boodarie in the Pilbara, defence industries in Kwinana, and downstream processing at Kemerton and Mungari. We are investing like never before to secure Western Australia's water supply, with a $6.3 billion program of works over the next four years. Together with the delivery of our third major desalination plant, this WA Labor Government will make a generational investment in the Goldfields pipeline to support growth in the region. The $543 million major upgrade will increase the capacity of the Goldfields and Agricultural Water Supply Scheme, delivering an additional 7.2 megalitres per day. This significant investment in our 'Golden Pipeline' is the biggest upgrade to this infrastructure in decades, highlighting the confidence our government has in the future of the Goldfields. Mr Speaker, we are also investing a massive $7 billion in energy infrastructure over the next four years. This includes a further $584 million in Clean Energy Link-North, as well as reinforcement of the Regans Ford terminal to unlock up to 1.7 gigawatts of new wind generation. We are investing a further $181 million in our ports to grow our trade capacity, including upgrades to the Utah Point Road, infrastructure to support first point of entry for Wyndham and Derby, and a further $163 million for key initiatives to deliver Westport. The combined boost to energy, water and ports infrastructure accounts for almost 40 per cent, or $15 billion, of our infrastructure pipeline over the next four years. Mr Speaker, much of our economic infrastructure will be delivered in regional WA. Our overall infrastructure investments in regional WA will total $10.3 billion over the next four years. And of course, we continue our commitment to Royalties for Regions with an additional $4 billion this Budget, with billions more in service delivery. Mr Speaker, our Agriculture sector is going from strength to strength, with record grain crops from two of the last three years. Working with industry, we are supporting upgrades to key corridors to move more freight on rail. Works will begin to increase the capacity of the Midland Main line, and the upgrades of rail sidings will continue to support more efficient loading of grain. On top of this, we are investing $63 million to both prevent and respond to biosecurity threats, and ensure all efforts are taken to protect our environment and agricultural industry. We are also investing $6 million to more than double our annual contribution to the Wine Industry Export Growth Partnership. New dedicated funds to support and market tourism in the Swan Valley and Perth Hills have also been allocated, together with another $21 million in the outdoor adventure package, bringing our total investment to $186 million. Likewise, we're investing an additional $70 million in essential infrastructure at Rottnest Island and $30 million to revitalise B Shed in Fremantle, including a new Rottnest Island Ferry terminal and visitor centre. We will also be rolling out our Small Business Growth Grants program, offering grants of up to $10,000 to support small business owners to expand their businesses. Mr Speaker, education, skills and training are integral to unlocking opportunities for our young people. In this Budget we're investing an additional $1.8 billion in education and training. In this Budget we begin work to deliver commitments we gave at the election, these include: • $29 million to pilot free full-time kindy in 10 sites across the State; • $15 million to support more schools to provide before and after school care; • $10 million to support school canteens to provide healthy and affordable lunches; • $85 million for the first tranche of upgrades to classrooms, sporting facilities and play equipment, as well as our Cool the Schools program; • $134 million for new and upgraded schools; and • $8 million to upgrade remote non-Government schools in the Kimberley. This Budget year our education infrastructure investment is expected to reach $669 million. This is almost double the investment in education when we came to office. We are funding more than $700 million to support growth in school enrolments, including a significant uplift to support students with disability. An additional $36 million is being invested to recognise and support the continued development of education assistants to support kids with special needs. We are investing a further $124 million for increased school maintenance. And we are increasing investment in the School of Isolated and Distance Education, to support more kids learning in regional WA, learning from home, and studying specialist subjects. Mr Speaker, one of our proudest achievements has been to turn around the damage the former Liberal-National government inflicted on our training sector. Under our Government we have reached a new record high of 165,000 enrolments in TAFE, while over 46,000 young Western Australians have accessed our Fee-Free TAFE in 2024. For example in 2017: • a Diploma of Enrolled Nursing cost more than $10,000; it's now free. • a Certificate III in Bricklaying cost more than $2,600; it's currently low-fee and in 2026 will be free. In this Budget specifically we have invested a further $100 million to keep the cost of TAFE courses low or free, as well as: • $34 million to ensure our TAFEs have the equipment they need to deliver the best training outcomes; • $17 million to extend and expand our Heavy Vehicle Driver Training program and facilities; • $12 million to train the hundreds of new apprentices we need to grow our defence industries to meet the historic opportunity presented by AUKUS; and • $8 million to support employers in taking on more mature-aged apprentices. Support for Aboriginal businesses and workers This Budget continues our record of delivering training and business opportunities for Aboriginal workers. We will provide an additional $20 million to expand the Aboriginal Rangers Program that empowers first nations people and organisations to manage country and protect the environment across the State. Meanwhile, we are proud to have surpassed our target for more than 3.5 million hours of the State's transport infrastructure projects work to be led by Aboriginal peoples, including new and established Aboriginal owned businesses across the State. Mr Speaker, the 2025-26 Budget doubles down on our commitment to provide accessible and quality healthcare across our State. This Budget delivers a $1.4 billion boost to our health system, including: • more funding for hospital services; • more investment in health infrastructure to unlock additional beds; and • progressing our election commitments that will enhance our health system. Since coming to office in 2017, our investment in health and mental health has been unprecedented. Specifically, we've expanded the health workforce by 42 per cent, including almost 5,600 nurses and 2,300 doctors. We will spend $14.2 billion in 2025-26 alone; up over 61 per cent since 2016-17. Our per capita spending on hospitals is among the highest in the nation, and 15 per cent above the national average. Over the past four years we have delivered around 800 new beds, with hundreds more in the pipeline, including those being delivered in the new Women and Babies Hospital. In this Budget, we are investing $829 million of additional funding to our hospital system to respond to increasing demand. We are investing $212 million in new health infrastructure, bringing our pipeline to $3.2 billion over the next four years. This includes our new our signature Women and Babies hospital, with the contract now signed, and construction commencing soon. We have also allocated $10 million to planning for the emergency department expansions at Royal Perth Hospital and St John of God Midland. We are modernising equipment in our health system, with an additional $50 million to replace medical equipment, and a further $12 million for new magnetic scanners and labs at Perth Children's Hospital, supported by a $7 million contribution from Telethon. We are investing $24 million to fit out 60 public beds at Joondalup Health Campus to unlock additional bed capacity in the northern suburbs, and $9 million to improve access to the QEII Medical Centre multi-deck car park. We continue to support and invest in new measures to take pressure off our hospitals. We are expanding the Virtual Emergency Department service and establishing three Older Adult Care Hubs, with $61 million of additional funding to provide additional care to people at or closer to their homes. We are investing $11 million to extend the Active Recovery Team Program that supports people with acute and complex mental health needs. We are investing $9 million to continue the emergency access reform program and expand the number of Time to Think beds that help long-stay patients transition out of hospital. We're rolling out an 18-month pilot of 'GP ASK', with $8 million of funding to enable GPs to communicate directly with specialists on behalf of their patients. We've also committed $39 million to partner with Ngala to deliver free access to residential parenting services that provide mental health and early intervention support to new parents. And we are investing a further $8 million to continue the RSV immunisation program for infants next year. In regional WA we are getting on with improving access to health and mental health services. This includes: • $19 million to increase the PATS Fuel Subsidy from 26 cents per kilometre to 40 cents per kilometre; • $12 million to establish a virtual mental health service for children and their families across rural and remote WA; • $14 million to establish a mental health child and adolescent Acute Care and Response Team in Bunbury; • $12 million to establish an adult alcohol and other drugs residential rehabilitation treatment service in Albany; and • $11 million for the construction and delivery of a Derby Wellness Centre, and preliminary work on a Broome Withdrawal Service. These commitments form just a small part of our annual spend of over $2.9 billion on health and mental health services in regional WA. Our rollout of regional health and mental health infrastructure continues with $944 million allocated over the next four years. We are also progressing planning to deliver key commitments, including upgrades in Albany, Broome, Geraldton, Kalgoorlie, Kalbarri and Karratha. These investments, coupled with major upgrades already underway at Bunbury, Geraldton and Peel, will unlock additional capacity for decades to come. Mr Speaker, this Budget continues our Government's track record of supporting the most vulnerable in our community and keeping our community safe. We will deliver an additional $250 million to boost frontline child protection and out-of-home care services. We are funding an additional 31 child protection workers this Budget. This means that since 2018 we have increased the number of child protection workers by 372, which represents an increase of 40 per cent. We are also delivering on our $10 million election commitment to increase the capacity of PCYCs to deliver early intervention and diversionary programs. Mr Speaker, over the past five years we have invested over $541 million in the prevention of family and domestic violence. In this Budget we double down on our effort, including: • An additional $11 million to expand Safe at Home, a program that helps women and children experiencing domestic and family violence to stay safely in their homes. This will enable the expansion of four existing domestic violence outreach services and establish three new sites of assistance; and • An additional $1.4 million to progress planning for the expansion of FDV shelters in Albany and Geraldton, as well as five additional refuges across the State that will significantly boost access to services. Mr Speaker, we continue to invest strongly in our police and justice system with an additional $695 million allocated in this Budget. Since coming to office, we have added an additional 863 police officers. We are bolstering WA Police resources by an additional $246 million, bringing our total police resourcing to more than $8 billion over the next four years. This includes an additional $43 million to support the implementation of our nation-leading firearm reforms. We are also delivering $22 million to take hoons off our roads, including additional resources and technology to catch offenders. Mr Speaker, this Budget includes $41 million of new spending on youth justice rehabilitation programs and initiatives to reduce youth crime. This brings the Government's total additional investment in youth justice to $567 million over the past four years. We are also spending an additional $119 million to support people with disability, including Western Australia's transition to the NDIS Full Scheme Agreement and supported community living. We are establishing a $4 million Veterans Facilities Fund to complement the State's $1.3 million annual contribution to the Anzac Day Trust and ensure our veterans can access the support they need. Mr Speaker, we are also investing $127 million to bolster our fire and emergency response capability, bringing total funding to $2.8 billion over the next four years. This Budget delivers commitments including: • $23 million for the new Yanchep Career Fire Rescue Service station; • $8 million for the replacement of the Bullsbrook Volunteer Fire and Emergency Services station; • $8 million for upgrades to improve emergency warning systems; • $7 million for the establishment of two aerial suppression strike teams to mitigate the threat of crop fires; and • Over $212 million in grants over four years to support fire and rescue services and volunteers across the State. Mr Speaker, in this Budget we deliver on our election commitments to provide additional resources to organisations that provide care for animals and pets, including: • $23 million to the RSPCA to provide animal care, rehabilitation and veterinary services; • $2 million to provide grants of up to $50,000 for initiatives that support the welfare of companion animals and wildlife; and • $5 million to Guide Dogs WA for breeding and training programs that assist people with disabilities in our community. Mr Speaker, METRONET has transformed our city and suburbs, making travel more affordable and accessible, taking cars off our roads, and creating new precincts for the delivery of thousands of new homes. We have delivered 61 kilometres of new track and 20 new stations, forever changing the face of WA. And in the last year alone, we have: • Opened the Yanchep Rail Extension, including Eglinton, Alkimos and Yanchep stations; • Opened the Ellenbrook Line, including the Morley, Noranda, Ballajura, Whiteman Park and Ellenbrook stations; • Opened the Thornlie-Cockburn Line with two new stations at Ranford Road and Nicholson Road, and the upgrade of three existing stations Thornlie, Cockburn and Perth Stadium; and • Opened the elevated rail from Beckenham to Victoria Park, removed six level crossings and built five new stations at Beckenham, Cannington, Queens Park, Oats Street and Carlisle, all part of the Armadale Line Transformation. The transformational METRONET continues with the Byford Rail Extension, the METRONET Long Park and the new Midland Station due to be completed in this Budget year. Mr Speaker, METRONET is now turning amphibious. We will commence the long-awaited expansion of our ferry system with $107 million to deliver METRONET on Swan. The expansion of our ferry network has been talked about for decades. We will get on, and deliver it. Back on land we will invest $18 million to deliver the new Surf CAT bus service to Scarborough beach, and $103 million for the electric transition of our bus fleet. Mr Speaker, we'll continue our significant investment in regional roads and addressing key congestion points across our network with transformational projects, these include: • a $250 million Regional Road Safety Program for safety upgrades on local government roads; • $700 million to widen and upgrade the Kwinana Freeway, helping to ease congestion and support future economic activity in the Western Trade Coast; • $450 million for the Reid Highway and Erindale Road grade separated intersection; • $36 million for upgrades along the Wanneroo Road corridor; • $25 million to improve the South Coast Highway; and • $25 million for the Northam-Pithara road to realign sections of the road and replace the ageing bridges. Mr Speaker, we also understand the need to invest in our freight rail system to support our farmers, industry and regional communities. That is why we are working to bring our freight rail network back under Government control, which will unlock greater economic opportunities. Mr Speaker, in this Budget we are making a record investment in community sporting infrastructure around the State. Building on some incredible achievements so far, we will commit a record spend in community sporting infrastructure together with new high-performance facilities. Investment in sporting infrastructure can leverage wider community, tourism and economic outcomes. Just look at the incredible success in Bunbury of the first AFL game in regional WA. We have also started the third and fourth pitches at the internationally acclaimed Sam Kerr Football Centre, a centre that is soon hosting visiting teams like the Matildas, Surabaya and AC Milan. We have committed $15 million to complete the WACA redevelopment, which along with a community hub and aquatic facility will deliver world class high performance facilities. Across the river, the $163 million rebuild of the Perth Hockey Stadium is underway. This national centre of excellence will ensure the Australian Kookaburras and Hockeyroos continue to be based in Western Australia and will be a platform to host national and international championships. We will support Western Australia's entry into the National Rugby League. We will invest $60 million over seven years, to support the establishment of an NRL team in WA. This funding will support grassroots development and see a positive economic return to the State, as we enter a national competition that will support new jobs and visitation to Western Australia. And $20 million has also been allocated to commence the new High Performance facility in Malaga as we committed at the election, which will eventually become home to Rugby League, together with many codes. But members this is just the beginning. We know that our grassroot sporting clubs are at the heart of our communities. The modern village green – where community gathers not only to participate, but to connect and feel a sense of belonging. That's why investment in community infrastructure is so important. We have allocated a record $332 million in this Budget, not only to deliver some of the high-class facilities, but to support new community sporting infrastructure. Whether it be new light towers; new pitches, ovals, fields or hardcourts; or new and upgraded changerooms to give women and girls appropriate places to change; our Government is with you. And if you love your motorsports, like hundreds of thousands of Western Australians do, we are also with you. We will upgrade the Perth Motorplex in Kwinana and spend $10 million on upgrades to community and regional motorsport facilities across WA. But our support for sports and entertainment does not stop there. We will deliver a new multi-use community, entertainment and sporting precinct at Burswood. This will create the most iconic sporting, music and events precinct in Australia, supporting new jobs and bringing activity and new vibrancy to our city. Linked with this, we are continuing to deliver on our commitment to live music and the arts in Western Australia, with commitments that include a $2.7 million Live Music Support package. WA's live music scene will also be bolstered by the $150 million redevelopment of the Perth Concert Hall that will help grow our creative industries and attract investment to Western Australia. In addition, the Perth Film Studios is scheduled to open next year with 60 per cent of construction now complete and stages and workshops now up on set. Members, with these types of investments, Western Australia has lost the 'Wait Awhile' tag and is fast becoming known as WA - 'Way Ahead'. Mr Speaker, Western Australia has a proud record of strong environmental protection and Western Australians just love our outdoors. Our incredible natural environment is a selling point for our State. Since coming into office, we have created 6.5 million hectares of new national parks, marine parks and nature reserves. We are moving to a far more sustainable forest industry, banning the logging of native forests, and spending $350 million to support the transition into plantation timber. We are injecting $5 million to the Healthy Oceans Fund to support our underwater ecosystem through seagrass bed restoration projects and research. We are investing $17 million to deliver greener, leafier and more liveable local communities through Treebates and the Urban Canopy Program. And of course, our highly successful Containers for Change has seen over 3 billion containers diverted from landfill since its launch in 2020, and we continue to prepare to extend the scheme to wine and spirit bottles. Mr Speaker, on March the 8th Western Australians emphatically endorsed WA Labor's plan for Western Australia. Our plan of growing the economy, supporting diversification, and a future made in WA. Our plan to create jobs and opportunities for our young people. Our plan to continue to support new housing supply. Our plan to continue to invest in our health system and hospitals. We are proud, that at this time of unprecedented global instability and economic uncertainty, this Budget delivers on this plan. And I am proud, that our Government has the confidence, energy and optimism to continue to forge an exciting economic future for this State. As a mother of three teenage children, I understand that our biggest role in this place, is not only to care for today – but to ensure we create a bigger and stronger WA for the next generation. This is a Budget that delivers to them. Mr Speaker, I am proud to deliver our WA Labor Government's ninth Budget and return the trust shown in us by meeting our commitments and implementing our plan that will shape our State for decades to come. Mr Speaker, I commend the Budget to the House.
ABC News
2 days ago
- Politics
- ABC News
Why Australia is shifting its language on Israel-Iran
As the situation between Israel and Iran continues to escalate, speculation is growing the US will get involved — and there's also been a notable change in the language from the Australian Government. Shifting from urging restraint and de-escalation from both parties, Foreign Minister Penny Wong has now called for Iran to return to the negotiating table. So, what's behind the change? And after returning from his whirlwind G7 trip, Anthony Albanese hasn't ruled out a heading to the NATO summit next week. He's hoping to secure a meeting with Donald Trump on the sidelines. But is that a risky move? And the Treasurer has indicated the Albanese Government will be open to "fresh ideas" on tax reform in its second term. And he's making it clear Labor's election mandate is just the "foundation", rather than the limit, of their ambitions. Patricia Karvelas and Mel Clarke are joined by Peter Hartcher, Political and International editor for the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age on The Party Room. Got a burning question? Got a burning political query? Send a short voice recording to PK and Fran for Question Time at thepartyroom@
ABC News
2 days ago
- Health
- ABC News
Childcare, early education advocates sound alarm as development census results decline
Nearly half of Australian children are not considered on track with their development, according to the latest Australian Early Development Census (AEDC). The teacher questionnaire looks at children in their first year of school, and found just 52.9 per cent were on track in all five development areas surveyed in 2024. The results are an improvement on the first census taken in 2009, but a deterioration from the last survey in 2021. The percentage of children considered to be facing "significant challenges" to their development increased marginally in all areas, between 0.2 and 1.5 per cent. Chief executive of Early Childhood Australia Samantha Page told RN Breakfast the COVID-19 pandemic had played a major role in the latest result. "Play-based learning is really important for developing social competence and emotional maturity." Both those areas are assessed in the AEDC, along with physical health and wellbeing, language and cognitive skills, and communication skills and general knowledge. Ms Page stressed it was possible for developmentally vulnerable children to catch up, but that it took "a lot of resources". She said she supported the federal government's goal of a universal early education system, but the focus must be on disadvantaged children. Children from First Nations, non-English speaking, rural and remote, and low socio-economic backgrounds recorded worse results overall in the AEDC. The Labor government has promised to build more childcare centres in areas of need, and reforms to childcare subsidies, regardless of how much parents work or study, come into effect in January. "I think a country as well off as Australia really should have more than just over half of its children developmentally on track in the first year of school, and we really would like to see a concerted effort in response to this," Ms Page said. In the regional Victorian city of Ballarat, CEO of the Eureka Community Kindergarten Association (ECKA) Jo Geurts said the AEDC results could not be explained by the pandemic. "Early childhood was one of the only services that continued to operate all the way through COVID … in our region," she said. "I think it's more than that." She pointed to long waiting lists for health services, and workforce pay and training as areas in need of more investment. "The development of the brain in children in the years before they're eight years old is dramatic … so we need really high-quality educators," she said. Ms Geurts would like to see a shift in the language around the industry. "Yes, it's about workforce participation, particularly for women, but it's also got to be very much about children in a rich learning environment." Nearly one-quarter of Australian children live in a "childcare desert" — where three or more children compete for a place. That includes parts of the Wimmera, where early childhood advocacy group By Five works to close childcare gaps, and improve health outcomes by linking families with specialists and bringing allied health workers into schools. By Five executive officer Jo Martin said support must be tailored to community needs, and should be more flexible across departments and governments. "It's really important that we don't let … borders get in the way of getting the best outcomes for children," she said. Louise Middleton is a maternal child health nurse working in north-east Victoria, and has seen firsthand the challenges for people living more than 100 kilometres from key services. She told ABC Statewide Drive that developmental delays were exacerbated by long waiting lists. "If we [maternal child health nurses] pick up any issue with the child for their school readiness, we are absolutely unable to get them assessed in a timely manner," she said. "It's taking six to eight months just to get their in-home assessment, and then it's taking another six months for them to get NDIS or any other referrals and assistance." The federal and Victorian education ministers have been contacted for comment.
