The Liberal-National Government has used the first sitting day of the new Parliament to get straight down to business, with moves to introduce important legislation for the State's future.
Premier Colin Barnett said the Bills to ensure Royal Perth Hospital remained open, to enable surrogacy and to provide payment for medical expenses for police officers forced to leave after being injured during the course of duty were first steps in the State Government's legislative reform for Western Australia.
More new legislation would be introduced during the first full sitting week of Parliament which begins on Tuesday, November 11.
Mr Barnett said he was pleased that just 44 days after forming government, the Liberal-National Government had returned to Parliament. This compared with almost a three month wait for resumption after the 2001 change of government.
"The Liberal-National Government has taken the first steps toward getting WA back on track after eight years of neglect, mismanagement and missed opportunity by squandering our economic boom time," the Premier said.
"The early resumption of Parliament, combined with our achievements over the past six weeks, illustrates we are a government which gets down to business and makes decisions in the best interests of the State.
"The Liberal-National Government has made excellent progress on many issues, including a lot of business either unfinished or ignored by the previous government.
"We have come close to resolving the long-running teacher's pay dispute. We have resolved the bus drivers pay dispute, the medical workers pay dispute, announced a pay rise for TAFE lecturers and announced potential sites for an LNG precinct in WA's North-West. These are all issues the previous government let founder for more than two years in some cases.
"On our Government's first day in Parliament we are re-introducing the Surrogacy Bill which, in one of the most selfish acts I have ever seen, the previous government threw out by calling an early election. We are looking to finally give police officers support for medical expenses stemming from injury sustained while working and we are moving to protect Royal Perth Hospital from closure.
"There will be much more to come in the Liberal-National Government's legislative reform but these are important first steps."
Since the election, the Liberal-National Government has, among its accomplishments, made decisions or significant progress on issues including, but not limited to:
· reaching agreement with the executive of the State School Teachers' Union on a $1.067billion pay offer - $120million over and above Labor's offer
· establishing the Public Sector Commission and position of Public Sector Commissioner
· appointing WA's first Mental Health Minister
· implementing cuts to Land Tax
· announcing a re-structure of the Department of Industry and Resources to provide clarity and efficiency to mining industry and business
· allocating an extra $70million to help first homebuyers through the First Start Shared Equity Scheme - a scheme which Labor let run out of money
· announcing a permanent Director General of Health after the Fong era under Labor
· releasing all possible documentation in relation to the Varanus Island gas explosion, with a further commitment for a more substantive inquiry than set up by Labor
· appointing an economic review committee to identify government waste to enable that funding to be directed into frontline services where it is most needed
· giving TAFE lecturers an immediate six per cent pay rise after they had been left without one for more than two years under Labor
· clinched the Red Bull air race for a further three years
· funding the Busselton Jetty
· establishing the Royal Perth Precinct Committee to oversee the future redevelopment plans for Royal Perth Hospital and its surrounding precinct and
· outlining four potential sites for an LNG precinct in WA's North-West.
Premier's office: 9222 9475
