The Nationals WA Member for Warren-Blackwood Terry Redman MLA has called on Federal MPs Rick Wilson and former State Liberal Treasurer Christian Porter to secure a fair GST return to Western Australia.
Whilst Treasurer of Western Australia, Christian Porter blamed the then Labor Federal Government for draining billions of dollars from the state budget after predicting a GST relativity share of around 30 percent. According to Hansard, on 23rd February 2012, Mr Porter stated that the ‘future of Western Australia as a growth economy lies in fixing this problem”.
Mr Redman said, “I now call on Mr Porter, in his current capacity as a Federal Member, to ‘fix the problem’ and block legislation if necessary to ensure WA’s unfair GST situation is remedied.”
Mr Redman also requested Mr Porter to clarify his position following comments by Federal Member for O’Connor Rick Wilson earlier this week that he would not put legislation at risk over a “parochial issue” for WA.
Mr Redman said the issue of the GST was far more than a “parochial interest” for Western Australia.
“It is the single biggest economic challenge for our State. It impacts every single family, business and community in Western Australia because if the State doesn’t receive a fair share of the GST then revenue needs to be raised by other means – such as increasing fees and charges or cutting government services.”
In 2011, Nationals Federal MP Tony Crook moved a Private Member’s Motion in Federal Parliament calling for a 75 per cent floor in the GST for all States and Territories. Had the motion been implemented, it would have saved WA more than $16 billion. Instead it was voted down by every single one of WA’s Federal MPs.
Mr Redman said The Nationals WA had introduced a policy to deliver a new revenue stream for the State by reforming outdated State Agreements with iron ore producers Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton.
“It is because of the historical low GST return that WA receives that The Nationals WA have had to find an alternative revenue source.”
