Job creation and capital works projects will form the cornerstone of this year’s state budget, West Australian Premier Colin Barnett says.
The WA government on Thursday will deliver its first budget since elected last year.
“It will be responsible and I think you will see it supports maintaining jobs and supports the future development of this state,” Mr Barnett said on Wednesday.
“And you will see not only that, but a number of measures designed to maintain jobs, particularly in the small- to medium-size business sector.”
The government is under pressure to maintain a surplus after Mr Barnett’s commitment to deliver surpluses in the next two budgets.
While seeking to maintain the state’s AAA credit rating, the government is also facing demands from WA’s peak business lobby to deliver on an election promise to cut taxes by $250 million.
Mr Barnett said the state’s budget and finances would need some “rejigging” to match a $263 million federal government commitment in Wednesday’s federal budget to put the Perth rail line and bus station underground.
“Yes, we will have to have some rejigging of the state budget and finances because we originally sought 50/50 funding just to sink the rail line,” Mr Barnett said.
“The commonwealth’s taken up the point. It was an issue I discussed with the prime minister in Perth about three weeks ago and I just made the point to him quite informally that if we’re going to sink the rail line it would actually be commonsense to sink the bus station too …
“He’s obviously taken it on board so we’re going to make sure that happens.”
The federal government also pledged $339 million for a deepwater port at Oakajee, in the state’s midwest, which will boost iron ore exports in the region.
The WA government had already spent about $20 million on Oakajee and private proponents were now spending $100 million on the design of the deepwater port and rail line, he said. Continued…
All the latest NEWS from Perth 
$3billion proposal to upgrade Perth Airport
Posted in Local News, tagged $1 billion, $1.4 billion, $525 million, 10 years., 115 million, 2011, 2019, airport, airport’s, Asia-Pacific, August 10, best, Brad Geatches, budget, building, capital, car, chief executive, committed, departing, development, domestic terminal, escalators, existing, facilities, forward, funding, government sources, hotels, included, integrated, interfacing, international, intersection, Local News, major, master plan, multi-storey carparks., network, opened, outlines, parks, passengers, perth, Perth Airport, phased, plans, private, program, projected, public, public comment, region, road, seven, site, Terminal, Terminal WA, tonkin highway, upgrade, upgrades, Upstairs, works, years. on May 18, 2009| Leave a Comment »
Perth Airport is set for a $3 billion upgrade over the next 10 years to transform it into a transportation showpiece.
The capital works program, from private and government sources, is the biggest ever for the airport.
In line there is a $1 billion in terminal facilities, $525 million for road upgrades and $1.4 billion in hotels and multi-storey carparks.
Terminal WA is set to be opened in 2011, and an integrated international and domestic terminal on the site of the existing international terminal to be phased in over the next seven years.
Perth Airport chief executive Brad Geatches said yesterday that the airport would become one of the best in the Asia-Pacific region.
The master plan, which is available for public comment until August 10, outlines the airport’s plans through to 2019 and brings development forward 10 years.
The terminal upgrades, a new ring road and improvements to key intersections will be started over the next 12 months.
The escalators will be on the left of the building and will take departing passengers and the public upstairs. The existing facilities will be for arrivals only.
Major funding has also been committed to upgrade the road network around the airport.
The Budget included more than $115 million in projected major intersection works along the Tonkin Highway interfacing with Perth Airport.
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