Labor reveals plan to ‘put the shine’ on Peel | ELECTION 2017

Unveiling the “Plan for Peel” policy on Tuesday with Mandurah MP David Templeman and Labor candidate for Murray-Wellington Robyn Clarke, prominent former-MP Alannah MacTiernan said Labor would spend $10 million on the Eastern Foreshore Redevelopment project and $20 million for a multi-level car park at the train station.

“The overall focus of a McGowan Labor government will be on diversifying the economy and creating the jobs and opportunities we have lost in this state from mining,” she said.

“We think that it is a great tragedy that over the last eight and half years, very little effort has been put into serious diversification of our economy.

“In relation to the Peel, one of the most significant diversifications can be tourism.”

Ms MacTiernan said Labor would spend $425 million to rebrand and remarket Western Australia as a desirable tourist destination.

“We see Mandurah and the Peel as having special opportunities in that it is so close to the main metropolitan centre and it offers a real diversity of experiences,” she said.

“As part of this package we are committing $10 million to the rejuvenation of the Mandurah foreshore.”

Mr Templeman said the plan aimed to give the Peel region a bigger share of Royalties for Regions funding.

“Royalties for Regions is an important funding source that we have not received our fair share at all in the last eight years,” he said.

“It’s time that Peel had its turn and we’re gong to make sure that Peel shines.

“The Peel for the last eight years has received consistently the smallest amount of Royalties for Regions funding compared to all the other eight regions. That is scandalous.

“When you look at some of the projects that need to be delivered here and the fact we’ve been forgotten for too long, we have a plan that delivers Royalties for Regions funding for very important projects to the Peel.”

Ms Clarke said the plan also included funding commitments for town rejuvenation projects in Pinjarra and Dwellingup.

She said she had been talking to electors from Murray-Wellington who said they were desperate for funds in the region to improve their towns.

“I do believe it’s time for a change, I do believe that a WA Labor government is going to do some wonderful things for the Peel region and the electorate of Murray-Wellington,” she said.

“In particular the Royalties for Regions is going to be evenly distributed and it’s about time that this region gets money put back into it and gets a bit of spit and polish, because it’s well deserving of it.”

Ms MacTiernan rejected suggestions Labor was making commitments it would not be able to afford given the the state budget would be in deficit if the party took office at the March 11 election.

“The amount of fiscal disciple through our process in the Labor party really has been quite extraordinary,” she said.

“And I guess we go back and say look at our performance during the eight years we were in government, the eight surplus budgets and remember we weren't in boom when we first came in government [in 2001].

“We inherited a deficit and we were able to turn that around and have eight surplus budgets because we did have that fiscal discipline.”

She said the costings Labor would release before the election would be independently vetted.

“We're not going to turn around the economic debacle that has been Mr Barnett, the fiscal bandit, in the first year,” she said.

“But we do have a careful plan to do that over time while recognising that we’ve got record unemployment at 6.9 per cent, more down here, and that we need to engage in a certain amount of stimulus activity at the same time to grow the economic pie.”