Monday 22 May 2023

Check against delivery…

At the 2021 State election, tens of thousands of Australians in the Peel region put their trust in Mark McGowan and Labor.

But now—I hear nothing but buyer’s remorse.

People ask why the Peel Health Campus has not been fixed.

People ask why many State Government projects are delayed, over budget and under done.

And frankly—people are tired of the endless excuses and blame-shifting.

Last week, in WA Parliament, the Member for Murray-Wellington delivered an extraordinary display of buck-passing, blame-shifting, and frankly, language unbecoming of a parliamentarian.

Let’s fact check some of her claims.

FACT CHECK 1: PEEL HEALTH CAMPUS

The Member for Murray-Wellington said, “Only Labor committed a record $160 million to transform our hospital into a truly regional hospital”.

In reality, WA Labor’s record of health delivery in WA and Canning is a disaster.

The Peel Health Campus has been named one of the worst hospitals in the nation on emergency waiting times.

In 2022, ambulance ramping hours skyrocketed to reach their worst on record.

They might have promised an upgrade, but this weekend, the WA Health Minister admitted these urgent upgrades won’t start for another year.

More excuses—and more delays.

FACT CHECK 2: LAKELANDS STATION

The Member for Murray-Wellington was also quite happy to claim credit for the opening of the Lakelands Train Station.

I first heard about this project when doorknocking in north Mandurah in 2016. People were angry that they had bought a home there, on the promise of a train station.

We started a local campaign to deliver the train station:

• Community forums;
• Phone calls;
• Social media;
• Mail outs;
• Leaflet dropping;
• Mobile offices.

With the support of the local council, we secured $2 million for a business case and $10 million for the initial build.

It was the Coalition government that delivered another $52 million for the Lakelands train station – taking our contribution to $64 million of the $80 million project.

For years, Mandurah MP David Templeman had sat across from Premier Mark McGowan at the Cabinet table without delivering a single dollar in funding for the Lakelands station.

WA State Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said funding Lakelands was ‘embarrassing’ and ‘out of tune’, while Labor front-bencher Paul Papalia called it a station "one needs".

Yet here we are: two weeks away from opening, only because we campaigned and committed the money.

Labor didn’t want it—the people of Lakelands and I fought for it—and together we delivered.

FACT CHECK 3: MANDURAH ESTUARY BRIDGE

The Member for Murray-Wellington claimed the WA Labor government is funding $110 million to duplicate the Mandurah Estuary Bridge.

This is false.

The previous Federal Coalition Government agreed to invest $55 million into the bridge duplication project in 2021 after a Liberal-led community campaign.

WA Labor only committed to match-funding for the project during the 2021 State election campaign.

And this final one might be Ms Clarke’s biggest delusion.

FACT CHECK 4: PINJARRA HEAVY HAULAGE DEVIATION

According to her version of history, WA Labor can take all the credit for the Pinjarra Heavy Haulage Deviation.

But here’s the reality.

Back in 2017, 84% of the Shire of Murray’s electors voted yes in a referendum for the deviation.

WA State Government funding for the project is only $50m of the $250m project cost.

The truth is that I secured $200m—80% of total funding—from the previous Coalition Government to build the entire eastern Pinjarra Heavy Haulage Deviation.

But last year, Labor put the project on the backburner, announcing a delay until at least 2026.

The Member for Murray-Wellington is one of three Labor MPs in the Peel region.

But the good news is that their positions will fall vacant in March 2025.

And our community can look forward to replacing them with effective MPs who can get the job done.