West is the Best.  

At least that’s my outlook for Western Australia – even if the current political situation is tough.

Over the last seven days, I’ve thought a lot about the unique culture of Western Australia, and it is a truism that “the West is the Best.”  Western Australians know that there is something particular and unique about our State that simply cannot be found elsewhere.  

Actually, we’ve known that for many decades now.

Despite being a very isolated State, we’ve been blessed with abundant natural resources that with good Government policies have allowed us to blossom and prosper like few places around the world.  As a result, families can find steady and reliable sources of income, industry has been able to develop as it best sees fit, and for a very long time, foreign investment was pouring into our State.  

So, it makes me quite sad that the McGowan-Cook Government has allowed our State to falter.

One example of what I’m referring to is the recent billion-dollar Hydrogen hub announced by Andrew Forrest in Qld, NSW and Tas.  I know that Andrew Forrest’s Fortescue Future Industries (FFI), the major future push of the multi-Billion dollar and WA-based FMG, very much wanted to make that investment and build that high skills future here in his home state of Western Australia. 

Yet, despite being the best natural option, Western Australia missed out on the opportunity to house this innovative world hydrogen hub. 

We learned days after the NSW hub was announced that Andrew Forrest wanted to set up the plant in WA, but because the McGowan-Cook government wouldn’t find a viable site for it, FFI had to opt instead for Queensland and now also New South Wales and Tasmania.  Thanks to the incompetence of the WA Labor Government, we lost out on billions in economic activity and thousands of high-paying and highly skilled jobs.

Deteriorating security and safety in our streets, homes and workplaces is another sad indictment of this WA Labor government.  Since they took power, WA has seen the highest rate of violent crime in its history.  This means that crimes against the person, such as rape, assault, murder and bashings have reached unprecedented levels in Western Australia under the McGowan-Cook Government.  I don’t know about you, but I remember when WA was known for its safety and security.  I will be working hard with my colleagues to return our State to being a safe place to live, work and play especially for families and small businesses.

The reason I mention all of this is not to be a pessimist or bring your mood down.  Rather, it’s important to remember that our State is a great one, regardless of the current mismanagement by the McGowan-Cook duo.  However bad it may seem for us now, thanks to the great men and women who make up this State, we can rebuild it to reflect the Western Australia many of us grew up in.  It’s true, we’re not at our peak, but I know in my heart that the West is truly the best.

Let’s make the West the Best Again.

Thank you for reading,

Dr David Honey MLA

WA Liberal Leader & Member for Cottesloe