WEBVTT - Shadow State Treasurer Sandra Brewer on the State budget results

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<v Speaker 1>We spoke to Rita Safiotti, the States Treasurer, an hour ago.

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<v Speaker 1>Now spooking today's budget a surplus of two point four

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<v Speaker 1>billion dollars, no more electricity credits though that is done.

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<v Speaker 1>Is there enough cost of living relief in today's budget?

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<v Speaker 1>Sandra Brewer is the Shadow State Treasurer and joins me

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<v Speaker 1>live on six PR other stafftern High.

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<v Speaker 2>Sandra, Good afternoon, Oli.

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<v Speaker 1>What do you think of the budget?

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<v Speaker 2>Well, there's aspects of the budget that are very surprising

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<v Speaker 2>and there's aspects that are hard to be believed. The

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<v Speaker 2>Premier stood in front of every West Australian during the

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<v Speaker 2>election campaign and said cost of living was his number

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<v Speaker 2>one priority. But today's budget unfortunately shows that's nothing more

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<v Speaker 2>than political spin. The government is crowing about its achievements

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<v Speaker 2>in a reporting a budget surplus, but family have every

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<v Speaker 2>right to feel aggrieved because there isn't a saving for them,

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<v Speaker 2>And despite a claimed saving of fifty two dollars, what

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<v Speaker 2>families will really be facing is another four hundred dollars

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<v Speaker 2>in costs, ongoing housing supply issues, rising rents and difficulty

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<v Speaker 2>for young people to buy an affordable home.

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<v Speaker 1>So the average increase in electricity prices for example, two

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<v Speaker 1>point five percent water bills. There's the new zone one

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<v Speaker 1>for transport fares. For train fares, depending on where you leave,

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<v Speaker 1>you might save yourself a few dollars. So how do

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<v Speaker 1>we get to an extra three hundred and eighty two

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<v Speaker 1>dollars to cover fees and charge at Sandra.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, Well, what the budget reveals that people who are

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<v Speaker 2>going to have to come up with about that much

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<v Speaker 2>extra money each year, and that's at a time where

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<v Speaker 2>real wages are really struggling for people. So if you're

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<v Speaker 2>living in a house that you're renting, if you're living

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<v Speaker 2>in a country town where it's hard to find a home,

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<v Speaker 2>that means you're going to have the difficulty of coming

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<v Speaker 2>up with that. And everything costs more, water bills, cross more,

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<v Speaker 2>you're licensing your car costs more than ever, probably around

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<v Speaker 2>one thousand dollars a year now for the average person

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<v Speaker 2>to register a vehicle. So really, what the government has

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<v Speaker 2>done is chosen to use this period where it's a

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<v Speaker 2>wash with revenue, not because of sound policy, but because

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<v Speaker 2>of external good fortune, to use those rivers of cash

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<v Speaker 2>flowing into treasury from iron ore royalties and records, stamp

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<v Speaker 2>duty and elevated payroll taxes. They've squandered it. They've decided

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<v Speaker 2>let's not use that to make policy change to benefit

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<v Speaker 2>WA families. Let's just continue to use it on our

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<v Speaker 2>pet projects, on blowouts on metro net that continue and

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<v Speaker 2>also have the added implication of crowding out residential housing construction.

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<v Speaker 1>As you said, cost of living was the catch cry

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<v Speaker 1>all through the election campaign. Would you argue there is

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<v Speaker 1>a broken promise now being revealed in this budget.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, well, the budget proves one thing when it comes

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<v Speaker 2>to the cost of living. Labour says one thing and

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<v Speaker 2>does another. And I think West Australians deserve better than

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<v Speaker 2>the spin. They're getting, manipulation and this broken promise that

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<v Speaker 2>people should know. While WA Labor is congratulating itself on

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<v Speaker 2>another surplus, families are falling behind. So there really is

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<v Speaker 2>a betrayal of trust. And the Opposition will be going

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<v Speaker 2>through the budget line by line, but it's already very

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<v Speaker 2>obvious that the government has the money but not the

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<v Speaker 2>will to help struggling households.

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<v Speaker 1>Do you think the government should have continued to offer

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<v Speaker 1>electricity credits at Sandra.

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<v Speaker 2>I think they should have put all of their efforts

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<v Speaker 2>into transforming our energy system to make sure that all

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<v Speaker 2>families and businesses are supplied with cheap, affordable, reliable energy,

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<v Speaker 2>and that's what we would expect a focus on. What's

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<v Speaker 2>really hurting the budget is turbocharging of the asset Investment program,

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<v Speaker 2>all of the runaways, spending on Metro net and delivering

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<v Speaker 2>all of those projects all at once has had really

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<v Speaker 2>serious consequences. And the line that stands out is despite

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<v Speaker 2>the government being elected in twenty seventeen on a platform

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<v Speaker 2>of paying down debt, they've done the opposite and they're

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<v Speaker 2>forecasting to grow it by more than ten billion dollars.

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<v Speaker 2>So for the very first time, we have the Treasurer saying, well,

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<v Speaker 2>she's comfortable with forty billion of debts. I don't think

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<v Speaker 2>Western Australian should be comfortable with that. And now in

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<v Speaker 2>this term she's forecasting to each forty two and a

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<v Speaker 2>half billion dollars.

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<v Speaker 1>Of debt and on those infrastructure projects because he's still

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<v Speaker 1>quite ambitious. There isbviously a housing package and stimulus program.

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<v Speaker 1>I will call it a stimulus program, and outside the

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<v Speaker 1>last couple of weeks in terms of extra help for

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<v Speaker 1>people with key start rents and the key start loans

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<v Speaker 1>and the like. The Treasurer was also today quick to

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<v Speaker 1>point out the extra money being funded into education and

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<v Speaker 1>health infrastructure. And I know that you made the point yesterday,

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<v Speaker 1>Sandra that we might not have all the tradees available

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<v Speaker 1>on some of the housing projects because of the metro

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<v Speaker 1>net projects. And there's obviously still a lot of public

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<v Speaker 1>infrastructure projects. So where are we going to find the workers?

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, you're right, Ollie, and I heard your report yesterday.

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<v Speaker 2>It's definitely the case that Labor is continuing on its

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<v Speaker 2>spending ways. They have no plan to address the fundamental

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<v Speaker 2>problems in our community. We have growing elective surgery, weightless

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<v Speaker 2>record high ambulance ramping. We have more education demand from

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<v Speaker 2>our growing population and crowded classrooms. We know that policing

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<v Speaker 2>needs more attention and to keep the morale of our

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<v Speaker 2>police force. But Labor aren't focused on everyday policy and

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<v Speaker 2>good government to improve those factors. They're focused on big

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<v Speaker 2>spending projects, cutting ribbons on overspent infrastructure, and it all

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<v Speaker 2>does have a consequence. The consequence of all of this

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<v Speaker 2>overblown infrastructure program is they're building fewer homes. They're actually

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<v Speaker 2>producing eight thousand fewer homes a year. Than under Barnett

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<v Speaker 2>Liberal National governments. So they have been a disaster for

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<v Speaker 2>housing and I feel for young people who are really

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<v Speaker 2>being offered no light at the end of the rainbow.

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<v Speaker 1>Before I let you go, Sandra, just before the news

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<v Speaker 1>at four o'clock, i'd revealed the Planning Commission has voted

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<v Speaker 1>in favor for one of giving the green light to

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<v Speaker 1>those twin towers on Station Street in Coddosla, obviously in

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<v Speaker 1>your electorate. So fifteen stories thirteen stories, do you support

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<v Speaker 1>the construction of those towers?

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<v Speaker 2>Well, thanks, Ollie, and I haven't quite been across all

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<v Speaker 2>of the breaking news this afternoon. Did you say fifteen

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<v Speaker 2>and thirteen stories?

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<v Speaker 1>Seventeen and fifteen?

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<v Speaker 3>I should have said, oh sorry, I was going to

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<v Speaker 3>say the project may have changed. Look, I do support

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<v Speaker 3>the need for more high quality housing in Cottislow, and

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<v Speaker 3>the Cotterslow train station presents an outstanding opportunity to invest.

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<v Speaker 2>What I would like to see is for the government

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<v Speaker 2>to use the approval of this project as the catalyst

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<v Speaker 2>for a genuine and sophisticated plan to deliver infrastructure more

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<v Speaker 2>livable and sustainable around Cottislow. So our community has tolerated

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<v Speaker 2>archaic road infrastructure, dangerous level crossings, and with this project,

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<v Speaker 2>it's been independently reviewed and the decisions being made, it

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<v Speaker 2>should proceed. In that case, it's now up to the

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<v Speaker 2>government to make significant increases in the amenity of the area,

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<v Speaker 2>address the train station accessibility and the congested, outdated level

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<v Speaker 2>crossing geting area.

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<v Speaker 1>And when you talk of that, might this even speed

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<v Speaker 1>up the sinking of the railway line through the U

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<v Speaker 1>Western suburbs.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, well, that's the vision that you know I've been

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<v Speaker 2>calling for. Olie and many others agree that that is

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<v Speaker 2>a visionary plan to provide more homes for young people

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<v Speaker 2>and down sizes. I'd like to see a really good,

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<v Speaker 2>integrated strategic plan that possibly sinks the railway and provides

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<v Speaker 2>a beautiful green belt of parks and trees where they'd

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<v Speaker 2>be lovely, medium and low density in some places high

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<v Speaker 2>density apartments around those locations. So if this is the

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<v Speaker 2>start of it, well I call on the government. Now

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<v Speaker 2>is the time to deliver a proper strategic plan, fix

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<v Speaker 2>those intersections and old archaic train stations for the benefit

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<v Speaker 2>of all of the community.

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<v Speaker 1>Santa, Thanks you time, Thank you