Shorten shows true colours over WA GST carve up

Media Release January 9, 2018

WA Senator Peter Georgiou has slammed the Federal Opposition over the revelation that it won’t support any change for a fairer share of the GST distribution.

Right now Western Australians receive the lowest amount of the Goods and Services Tax carve-up, at just 37 cents in the dollar.

In South Australia today, Labor’s Deputy Leader Tanya Plibersek backed away from any suggestions at changing the equalisation proposal to enable WA a better slice of the pie.

“Tanya Plibersek said she and a future Labor Government would not support ‘ripping money out of South Australia or any other state, to give it to WA….adding ‘not at the expense of other states.”

“I find it hypocritical that Bill Shorten and Federal Labor have committed to a $1.6 billion dollar annual “top-up fund” but in the same breath won’t support for a better and fairer GST equalisation model” Senator Georgiou said.

He went on to add: “if there wasn’t a GST issue in WA, why are they propping up the state with money that could go to other states in the first place?” “Ms Plibersek said she would not be prepared to sacrifice funding for schools, Tafes and Universities and so on in other states at the expense of WA. So what about the cost cutting measures WA is finding itself in now, with drastic cuts to regional education (School of the Air) which could be avoided if WA had more access to GST funding” the Senator added.

“Under a revised scheme Western Australia could generate a windfall amounting to hundreds of millions, if not billions of dollars but neither major party is seemingly willing to do the fair thing.

“The only party standing up for Western Australians is Pauline Hanson’s One Nation and all ‘sandgropers’ need to know how they’re being treated before they head to the polls at the next Federal Election.

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