The biggest lesson of the past twelve months is just how quickly things can shift from one year to the next.
The oil shock from the war in Iran and the threat to the Strait of Hormuz pushed up fuel prices, and many small operators in our rural and regional areas, through no fault of their own, have worn the cost in their own finances. We have weathered it for now, but we are not through the woods, and prudence is still required. Going forward both state and federal governments need to take the fuel and food security of our country as seriously as the times we live in require.
What strikes me most, though, is what the government has chosen to do with a decade of good fortune.
Since the iron ore recovery and the return of our fair share of GST, secured, it should be said, by federal Liberal colleagues who fought for the floor, this government has had windfall after windfall. It could have paid down debt. It could have made real structural reform to payroll tax or stamp duty. Instead, state debt is climbing from $34.5 billion to nearly $45 billion across the forward estimates, with interest payments heading towards $1.4 billion a year.
Some colleagues called it a lazy budget. I tend to agree.
I spent a good part of this year travelling the regions, and it changes how you see things. In the metro area we take for granted that health care is down the road. In Newman, people cannot have their babies in town. There is a beautiful, near-empty hospital, but it isn't properly serviced, so families travel to Port Hedland or Perth. Local shires are even paying for their own GPs out of rates.
Infrastructure that cannot be used for its purpose is just a white elephant.
There is a line in the budget papers, in very small font, that really troubled me. Our fertility rate has been revised down to 1.4 births per woman. That is not merely an economic problem, it is a structural and cultural one. By 2054, the ABS predicts deaths will outnumber births. It is time to speak openly and honesty about the future of our nation and our birth rate, even if it uncomfortably challenges things we currently take for granted.
I also continued my work on just reform of WA’s draconian firearms legislation, energy and the Henderson Defence Precinct pushing for evidence-based decisions and for plans, not just strategies.
This Monday marks 811 years since King John was forced to sign the Magna Carta for overtaxing, overspending, abusing property rights and neglecting the people. Today's barons aren't men and women with swords. They are ordinary Australians armed with a single vote, and they are starting to use it in large numbers. Governments on both sides would do well to listen. I, for one, want to be sure I am doing what I am here to do for the people of Western Australia.
As always, if there's an issue that matters to you, please get in touch.
