Major parties all talk and no action on GST motion, Crook

Members of Parliament on both sides made a stand against a fairer deal for Western Australia as The Nationals WA Federal member for O’Connor Tony Crook MP pushed the Federal Government to reverse the GST rip-off.

In Canberra today Mr Crook moved his motion to secure a 75 per cent floor on GST relativities, supported by Independent MP for Kennedy, Hon Bob Katter.

Mr Crook said he was “disappointed, but not surprised” to see both the Liberal Party and the Labor Party attempt to nullify the motion.

“It is no secret that Western Australia is being unfairly penalised through GST distributions – this has been publicly recognised by both major parties at a State and Federal level.”

Mr Crook said while both parties publicly acknowledged the GST rip-off, neither side was prepared to support the GST floor.

“While the major parties publicly lament WA’s raw deal, neither side is prepared to fix the problem - as a fair deal for WA will mean less money for the Eastern States.”

Mr Crook said he was particularly disappointed to see WA Liberal MP, Dr Mal Washer move amendments to refer the motion to the GST Review – effectively quarantining action for at least two years, if not indefinitely.

“The WA Liberals would rather bury my motion in paperwork and bureaucrats than deliver a better deal for their own State.”

Mr Crook also rebuked arguments that his motion was poorly timed in relation to the Federal Government’s GST review.

“The unnecessarily long time-frame of the GST review will mean any reform is unlikely to occur before 2014-15 – by which time WA’s GST return will have plummeted to a record low of 33 per cent.

“If something is not done to correct the GST imbalance now, WA will be faced with a very stark economic dilemma in coming years.”

Mr Crook said both major parties needed to consider the bigger picture.

“As the engine room of the nation, Western Australia needs a fair share of Federal funding to provide the infrastructure needed to support the rest of the country.”

Mr Crook said he hoped to see the support of all Western Australian Members of Parliament when the motion is voted on in coming days.

“I urge all Western Australian MPs to act in the best interests of their electors – the people of WA – and support a better deal for our State.”

Further information on WA’s GST rip-off can be found online at www.tonycrook.com.au.