Federal Budget

The Hon. J.E. HANSON (15:07): A supplementary arising from the answer: is the Treasurer willing to confirm that, based on the current estimates which he has and what was put through the Department of Treasury and Finance in the committee, there is in fact $162 million currently allocated going forward; and, secondly, is he willing to concede therefore that there will very likely be another state election before we see any more money?

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (Treasurer) (15:07): Again, I thank the honourable member for his kind invitation to confirm that but, no, I won't, with great respect. With great respect, I won't confirm. In relation to the first part of the question, whatever the numbers the Under Treasurer gave the Budget and Finance Committee will be the best numbers that the government has available to it in terms of the actual numbers. My recollection of the transcript was the Under Treasurer read through the actual numbers straight out of the federal budget papers and placed them on the record of the Budget and Finance Committee. So, whatever those numbers added up to, they will be the numbers and will be accurate.

In relation to whether we will confirm as to whether or not there will be another election before any money is allocated, no, I won't confirm that, with great respect. I can only repeat again, and I am not sure whether the member is hard of hearing, but the Marshall government is engaged in adult, grown-up conversations with our federal colleagues in the interests of trying to bring forward some of that funding, reprofile the funding into the current forward estimates period. Certainly on my understanding, the next election is not due until March 2022. We are having adult, grown-up conversations now, so I am not going to confirm, and I can't confirm, that there will be another election before there is potentially any result to those particular conversations.