Australia
Roger Cook attacks dangerous GST report and labels premiers whingers
Western Australian Premier Roger Cook has launched a strong defence of his state's GST share, labelling rival state leaders as whingers.
Western Australian Premier Roger Cook has launched a sharp attack on a new report examining the distribution of the Goods and Services Tax, labelling eastern states leaders who complain about the current system as whingers.
According to reporting by The Australian, Mr Cook described the document as dangerous, signalling a renewal of the long running interstate feud over how federal tax revenues are divided.
Specific details of the report, including its authors and its precise recommendations, have not been fully detailed in initial dispatches. However, the comments from the Western Australian Premier indicate that the findings challenge the current GST distribution deal, which guarantees Western Australia a minimum return on its population share.
Under the current federal arrangements, which were amended in 2018, Western Australia is protected by a GST floor. This floor ensures the state receives at least 70 cents, rising to 75 cents, for every dollar of GST raised within its borders. Other states and territories have frequently criticised the arrangement, arguing it unfairly disadvantages their own budgets, especially during periods of high commodity prices.
Mr Cook's aggressive defence of the deal reflects the high political stakes of the GST formula in Western Australia, where any threat to the state's share of tax revenue is met with fierce bipartisan resistance. The Premier's characterisation of his interstate counterparts as whingers suggests Western Australia will not agree to any changes to the current legislated floor without a significant political fight.
It remains to be seen how the federal government and other state premiers will respond to Mr Cook's comments, or whether the controversial report will prompt a formal review of the current distribution model.
What to watch next is whether the federal government will face pressure from eastern states premiers to act on the recommendations of the report during upcoming national cabinet meetings.
This report draws on original reporting by The Australian.
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