Mark McGowan ‘childish’, says Daniel Andrews

Daniel Andrews says he’s not here for ‘childish debates’ after Mark McGowan implied Victoria is squandering billions on the ‘nice to have’ Commonwealth Games.

WA Premier Mark McGowan and Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews. Picture: AAP

Daniel Andrews has refused to engage in “childish” debates with fellow Labor Premier Mark McGowan, after the West Australian Premier defended his state’s share of GST, claiming that unlike Victoria, he was not spending $2.5bn on the “nice to have” Commonwealth Games.

Mr McGowan singled out the Victorian government for spending billions of dollars on the Commonwealth Games on Wednesday as he faced questions about his state’s carve-up of revenue from the GST.

Responding to earlier comments from Mr Andrews that Victorians “don’t enjoy … building schools and hospitals, road and rail in Perth”, Mr McGowan suggested the Andrews government “should make different decisions” on budgeting.

“We decided not to go for the Commonwealth Games because I didn’t want to, in an uncertain world, go and spend $2.5bn on something that is a ‘nice to have’ while what we want to do is fund our hospitals properly, deal with important health issues, pay down debt (and) diversify the economy,” Mr McGowan said.

Probed about that wipe at his government, the Victorian Premier said he wouldn’t partake in a tussle with Mr McGowan, arguing that his government was requesting only “a fair share for Victoria.”

“I’m not here to have childish debates with the premier of any other state,” Mr Andrews said.

“Our position has always been that we don’t want more than we’re entitled to, but we won’t settle for less. We’re not the ones asking for more than we are entitled to.”

Victorian Treasurer Tim Pallas has consistently argued that the state is being cheated under the current GST set-up, Mr Andrews joining him in arguing that the distribution of funds was “unfair.”