WA Treasurer lashes out at PM over GST share
Updated
WA Treasurer Mike Nahan has accused Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull of breaking his promise to fix the state's share of GST.
He levelled the allegation on Sky News and suggested the Prime Minister's failure to deliver would harm the Liberals chances of winning the state election on March 11.
"He didn't come good with his promises," he said.
"Politicians must learn [to] be straight and if you promise something, deliver it and he didn't. It's a real blow."
Last August, Malcolm Turnbull received a standing ovation when he told WA Liberals he would introduce a GST floor to stop any state's share falling below an agreed level.
At the time, WA's share had fallen to 30 cents in the dollar and the Prime Minister acknowledged Western Australians had every right to feel aggrieved.
However when he visited Perth to campaign alongside the Premier last month, he refused to commit to a timeline and spoke of the challenges he would likely encounter.
"I'm the Prime Minister leading the Federal Government, I can't take the cause of one state against all the other jurisdictions," Mr Turnbull said.
A 'flawed promise'
WA's Shadow Treasurer Ben Wyatt said it was a flawed promise from the start.
"This is a final, desperate lash by the Treasurer to find somebody else to blame for what has been woeful financial management."
"It was apparent to all that it was a dodgy deal, by a dodgy Prime Minister, to try and save a dodgy Premier.
"Everybody knew it, Mike Nahan spent the money and is only now working out that it wasn't ever here."
"This is the mess he and Colin Barnett and the Liberals have created."
During his interview with Sky News, Dr Nahan gave a commitment that a re-elected Liberal government would return budget to surplus by the end of its third term.
He also said Deputy Liberal Leader Liza Harvey would replace Colin Barnett when he retired mid term.
Topics: tax, government-and-politics, perth-6000
First posted
