Election slogan was not a promise: Barnett
Colin Barnett says the "fully funded, fully costed" seal stamped on Liberal Party election documents was a campaign slogan, not a promise.
The Premier made the remarks on ABC Radio this morning while being pressed on how the MAX light rail project could be deferred for financial reasons if had been fully funded and fully costed.
“Look, you’re talking about election slogans,” he said.
“Electioneering, campaign slogans.”
Mr Barnett said he conceded MAX was the one big election commitment the Government had since “backtracked on” but denied he misled people.
“Every word that came out of my mouth during that election campaign was the truth and the commitment as I saw it then. Now circumstances have changed,” he said.
Mr Barnett said the election of Tony Abbott’s Liberals in September 2013 heralded a change of federal policy whereby the Commonwealth no longer helped to fund urban public transport projects.
He denied that the State Liberals knew when they promised MAX that Mr Abbott would not fund rail.
“We didn’t. Tony Abbott came in as Prime Minister after the State election. We did not know what they were doing,” he said.
However, Mr Barnett promised in March 2013 that MAX and the airport rail line project would go ahead regardless of Federal funding.
“I have repeatedly given my commitment that these projects will go ahead with or without Federal funding,” he said on March 27, 2013.
“However, I have no doubt that the Federal Government, whether it be a Labor or coalition government, will support these projects.”
Mr Barnett told the ABC he was confident the public considered him more trustworthy than Opposition Leader Mark McGowan.
Mr McGowan said Mr Barnett had a problem with the truth and could not run away from the ‘fully funded – fully costed’ commitment.
“Fully costed - fully funded appeared on all of their election documents, it was everywhere and what that meant was all their promises would be delivered and they are all going to be paid for and it turned out after the election it wasn’t true,” he said.
