Arabic version: ألبانيزي يتعهد بعدم تغيير اتفاق ضريبة السلع والخدمات في أستراليا الغربية

According to ABC News, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has declared Western Australia’s GST arrangements will not change while he remains prime minister. Speaking in Perth on Monday, he made the commitment during his first visit to the state since an interim Productivity Commission report recommended the 2018 GST arrangement be scrapped.

Mr Albanese said WA deserved its “fair share” and repeatedly told reporters there would be no change to the state’s GST arrangements. He said the 75 per cent floor would remain, arguing WA contributes to and helps drive the national economy. His government had endorsed and extended the Morrison-era deal to at least 2029.

The Productivity Commission’s interim report, published earlier this month, described the 2018 WA GST deal as a “costly mistake” that had benefited only Western Australia and should be removed. The report drew a strong response in the state, where Premier Roger Cook called its authors “east-coast clowns”.

Mr Albanese also addressed criticism from other states and territories, saying additional payments for WA had come from the Commonwealth rather than from them. Mr Cook said Western Australians would be relieved and pleased by the prime minister’s public assurance, while saying the state would continue to fight for its GST share before the commission delivers its final report at the end of the year.

The prime minister was in Henderson, in Perth’s south, for an announcement on the AUKUS nuclear submarine deal involving the United States and United Kingdom. He said a site in central Henderson would become a new defence precinct, calling it a major step towards a sovereign shipbuilding and maintenance hub in WA.