Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s commitment to keep Western Australia’s GST share is an important step forward for the WA community and the future of our economy.
WA’s GST share had been under threat after a Productivity Commission interim report recommended the amount that flows into WA be reduced.
That could have left a $6 billion black hole in WA’s finances every year, undermining investment in public services and infrastructure.
More than 16,000 people have signed CCIWA’s petition to keep WA’s GST share.
CCIWA Chief Economist, Dr Daniel Kiely, said the Prime Minister’s commitment is warmly welcomed, but does not finalise the GST debate.
“The Prime Minister has locked in WA’s GST share which gives us some comfort moving forward,” he said.
“However, the battle to protect WA’s GST is not over.
“CCIWA will be making a strong case to the Productivity Commission that it got it wrong in its interim report, and we will continue to advocate strongly for WA’s GST share to be protected in the long term.
“The Prime Minister’s commitment appears to be rock solid, but we must remain vigilant about the potential for change in the future.”
Dr Kiely said the 2018 deal that gave WA a 75c floor in its GST revenue was vital for our state’s economic security.
“The 2018 GST deal came about because the old system was broken. The Productivity Commission itself came to this conclusion, which it has now walked away from.
“The deal gives certainty to all states and protects everyone across the nation from boom-and-bust cycles.”
To support the campaign to keep WA’s GST share, sign the petition at keepingwastrong.com.au/gst
