Pauline Hanson vows to protect WA’s GST share while insisting Eastern States ‘need to get their act together’

Pauline Hanson has backed WA’s share of the GST and called on other States to work harder, reopen their economies and stop relying on handouts from the west.

The One Nation leader described WA as a “progressive State” and insisted it should not be punished while jurisdictions such as Victoria and Tasmania were “shutting down” industries rather than contributing.

Her firm endorsement of WA’s GST position comes as the Productivity Commission prepares to release an interim report into the Morrison-era top-up payment scheme on Friday.

The former Liberal government’s move to implement a 75 cent floor guaranteed that WA got a fairer share back after falling to a low of 30 cents for every dollar.

In a fiery TV interview on Wednesday, Senator Hanson corrected a host when she insisted that WA got “heaps more” than other States.

Senator Hanson said that in reality WA received the lowest share of GST of any State or Territory.

“I’m not pulling anything from WA,” she told News24.

“You know they’re on less than what the other States are?

“Yes, they do have the mining. They’re a progressive State. They’ve actually done business and encouraged business there, so the GST was increased.

“I’d say to the States, get your productivity up, look at your resources, get mining going, make sure that you produce the GST and stop relying on everyone else to prop you up.

“What’s Victoria doing? They’ve destroyed the whole gas industry down there, the mining sector, everything.

“It’s like in Tasmania, they shut down the timber industry and all the other industries, and yet they’re getting propped up by the GST from other States.

“These States need to get their act together. These States cannot rely on other States that prop them up.”

Senator Hanson’s firm commitment comes as the minor party rattles Labor and the Coalition with its consistent performance in opinion polls.

The party is also locked in a fierce by-election battle in WA’s State of Secret Harbour, with Labor worried that it might lose the seat held by long-time minister Paul Papalia.

More than 6000 West Aussies have signed a petition to protect the State’s share of the GST, which has been promoted by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA.

CCIWA chief economist Daniel Kiely said West Australians were worried from previously watching their “hard-earned money go east” and the survey response showed the thousands did not want it to happen again.

Prominent West Aussies including Tony Galati, Nigel Satterley, John Worsfold, Diane Smith-Gander, Michael Chaney, John Poynton, Emma Garlett and Liz Dallimore have thrown their support behind the GST campaign.

WA Treasurer Rita Saffioti this week warned her Federal counterparts not to be “stupid” and hit out at east coast commentary pushing a Sydney and Melbourne-centric view on the distribution.

She insisted that any change to WA’s GST would “destroy the national economy”.

“We’ll continue to argue that a strong WA leads to a strong national economy,” she said.

“You don’t destroy an economy that is contributing to the national economy, national bottom line.

“You don’t go out to destroy that. That would be a silly thing to do, a stupid thing to do.”

The Federal Government has consistently said it would not attack WA’s “fair share” of the GST.

While in Perth in 2024, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese even went as far as to sign a newspaper reporter’s arm with the assurance “no change to WA GST”.

During a May visit to Perth, Treasurer Jim Chalmers delivered the Federal Government’s firmest commitment yet to WA’s share of the GST.

It came after Mr Albanese was peppered with questions about his broken promises not to change negative gearing and capital gains tax in the Budget, with concern it could also amount to a shift in position on WA’s GST distribution.

When asked: “Is the current arrangement . . . WA’s ‘fair share’?”.

Dr Chalmers responded: “Yes, it is. The Prime Minister and I are huge supporters of WA getting its fair share.

“We’ve made that very clear. WA makes a massive contribution to the national economy.”