He may have no idea how to manage the budget of a mining state but Naked Emperor Colin Barnett knows a thing or two about entitlement and rewriting history, from The Australian:
Colin Barnett has labelled fellow premiers “pathetic” and claims the rest of the nation has never understood Western Australia’s economy and its $90 billion-plus resources industry.
…“One of the errors being made nationally is when people say the mining boom is over, like it’s finished — well, look at the skyline and the names up there,” he said, pointing to company logos such as BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto on Perth’s skyscrapers.
…Mr Barnett rejects suggestions this new emphasis on the growth industries of tourism and agriculture implies that these areas were previously neglected by his government. “It does signal a recognition that there is change in our economy,” he said. “A lot of effort went into capitalising on opportunities for the resources industry and I think we succeeded — there was a doubling of iron ore production, a trebling of LNG, and a huge expansion of the economy.
“But I was also conscious that it would not last forever — you’re not going to get China growing at 10 or 12 per cent forever.”
If that were true the Naked Emperor would never have bet his budget on permanently high plateau for iron ore.
And from Bloomie, voila:
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s government promised to invest A$490 million ($370 million) in infrastructure in West Australia in the coming financial year, seeking to redress the state’s shortfall in the share it receives of the federally collected goods and services tax.
The allocation follows a similar investment last year, as the state continues to receive the lowest revenue from the tax, relative to population, according to an e-mailed statement on Sunday from the government.
West Australia’s role as the main exporter of iron ore has hurt its share of revenue from the sales tax, as the surge that took raw materials prices to historic highs continues to have an impact on the state’s share of revenue even after the steelmaking material dropped in recent years, according to the statement.
At least the money is not simply being handed to the inept.
