Barnett warns against voting One Nation

If One Nation get the balance of power in WA it will make governing "very, very difficult" whether Labor or Liberal wins, says Premier Colin Barnett.

Premier Colin Barnett has cautioned people against voting for One Nation, saying it would be bad if the balance of power in WA's upper house was controlled by candidates from a minor party.

A Newspoll released last week suggested Pauline Hanson's One Nation would be the third most popular party with 13 per cent of the primary vote and some political analysts think it could get a far higher vote and have the balance of power.

"Yeah, I think that would be a problem," Mr Barnett told Sky News.

"When we've seen minor parties, sometimes with an odd assortment of candidates, it makes government very, very difficult.

"Whether it be a Liberal or Labor government, to able to actually govern and do the things that are necessary.

"One of the things that I will be saying repeatedly through this campaign will be: who do you really trust to run your school systems, your hospitals, law and order, planning, development and the environment?"

The Barnett government's eight-year reign could end at the March 11 vote, with Labor leading in most polls over the last 18 months, but the premier said while it would be tough he believed he could still win.

He defended the government against Labor's criticism over the state's record debt and deficit and suggestions it wasted the riches of the mining boom.

He said the government had used the money on worthwhile investments that were needed due to WA's population growth of 500,000 in the last eight years - bigger than Tasmania's entire population.

If WA had received the same amount of GST revenue that the other states received rather than its 30 cents in the dollar of the last couple of years the budget would be in surplus, he said.

WA was "doing the job for Australia", with only 10 per cent of the nation's population it produced 40 per cent of its exports and that would rise to 50 per cent this decade, Mr Barnett said.


Share

2 min read

Published

Source: AAP



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world