Resources Minister King weighs in on WA GST furore
The federal minister called an interim report that recommended cutting WA's share of the GST as "clearly incorrect" and said the resource-rich state had the prime minister's backing.
Federal Resources Minister Madeleine King has assured Western Australians that the government will maintain the GST deal, following a critical report by the Productivity Commission. The commission recommended reducing Western Australia's share of the tax, a move the minister dismissed as "unbalanced, highly speculative and clearly incorrect."
Premier Roger Cook had previously called the report an "attack on Western Australians" and labeled its authors "east-coast clowns." King, speaking a day after the report's release, told Labor to officially launch its campaign for the suburban seat of Secret Harbour. She reiterated the government's commitment to ensuring Western Australia receives its fair share of the GST and supports the state's ambitions as the resources capital.
The Productivity Commission's interim report suggested scrapping 2018 changes to the GST distribution, claiming Western Australia was the only state benefiting from it and that it was a "costly mistake." Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who has endorsed the deal until at least 2029, has stated that Western Australia will get "its fair share" of GST but will wait for the final report to comment further.
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