Premier gets hot blast on cool million

Opposition Leader Mark McGowan has accused Colin Barnett of hypocrisy over his stand on air-conditioning in Perth homes after a Government document revealed it would cost more than $1 million to keep the Premier's new offices cool.

Together with other costs for the renovation of Hale House - which is to become home of the Department of Premier and Cabinet - air-conditioning is listed at $975,000.

"It is the height of hypocrisy that he lectures ordinary families about air-conditioning and tells them it's not a necessity and implies it is a luxury yet he's spending more than $1 million of taxpayers' money on air-conditioning his own office," Mr McGowan said.

Mr Barnett, who previously said he didn't believe air-conditioners were necessary, returned from his summer holiday yesterday as the mercury approached 41.9C.

He joked with reporters that while his wife, Lyn, would like an air-conditioner he had no plans to install one in his Cottesloe home.

"What I simply said at the time, which seems to have created a lot of interest, is that air-conditioning is expensive and the use of air-conditioning, which is now common in most people's homes, is probably the major reason that we've seen household consumption of electricity increase by about 30 per cent over the past 20 years," he said.

He said it was ludicrous to suggest a government office would be left without air-conditioning.

"Hale House will be the home of the Cabinet offices for the future," Mr Barnett said. "It will be paid off in 10 years."

The Premier said he congratulated Mr McGowan on becoming the leader of the Labor Party but wouldn't accept any conditions attached to his support for changes to Sunday trading laws.

"I'm not going to be sidetracked into caveats or conditions about changing the industrial relations system," Mr Barnett said. "You either support Sunday trading, or you don't. It's not that hard."