Building our future: Health, education, community safety key priorities for Labor

8/5/03
The State Government's third budget reflects Labor's priorities of health, education and community safety, according to Premier Geoff Gallop.
Dr Gallop said Western Australia's growing economy would also benefit from a record $3.5billion capital works program that would generate new jobs and business investment.
The Premier said Treasurer Eric Ripper had delivered a third successive balanced Budget that continued a dramatic shift in spending into the core service areas of health, education and community safety.
"Almost 90 per cent of the additional $342million worth of spending in 2003-04 will be in the areas of health, education and law and order," Dr Gallop said.

"We promised to make the community's priorities our priorities and we have been delivering on that promise in each of our Budgets.
"Under Labor, spending in the core areas of health, education and community safety has grown by four per cent to be 63 per cent of the total Budget.
"That represents an additional $1.2billion in three years.
"We have already delivered 1,068 new nurses, teachers and police officers in our first two years, with funding for another 250 in this Budget."
The Premier said Labor had listened to the public and boosted spending in other key areas of community life that had been neglected in the past.
There will be an extra 32 officers employed in environmental regulation and pollution control, the metropolitan rail network will get an additional 40 transit guards and an extra 20 safety inspectors will be provided for our workplaces.
Child abuse prevention will also be bolstered with an additional 25 child protection workers and 14 Aboriginal counselling and support workers.

"Underscoring our commitment to job creation is the record $3.5billion capital works program that will generate new economic and social projects for the State," Dr Gallop said.
In 2003-04, 22,000 new jobs will be created with the Government on target to deliver 125,000 new jobs over five years.
The State economy is growing stronger than predicted with the Government revising economic growth upward from four per cent to 4.5 per cent.
"Responsible financial management and balanced budgets remain a hallmark of my Government and we have now delivered our third surplus in a row," the Premier said.
"The combined surpluses give the Government financial scope to respond to unforeseen events such as drought and the Bali terrorist attacks."
The surpluses also reduce the need for excess borrowings with public sector net debt revised downwards to $5.9billion. Net debt to revenue is projected to be at 42.6 per cent - well below the target of 47 per cent.
"In this year's Budget we have tried to keep the public impact of any increases in taxes and charges to a minimum," Dr Gallop said.
Total revenue growth in 2003-04 is just 2.1 per cent - well below inflation.
"The tax increases were necessary to help fund the priorities of health, education and law and order," the Premier said.
"It must be stressed that for the third year in a row, there have been no increases to public transport concession fares nor electricity prices."
The household impact of the increases in Government charges is just 2.7 per cent, which is less than the inflation rate of 3.3 per cent.
2003-04 State Funding - Community Priorities