Services Minister Tom Stephens has expressed concern about the chaos in the Opposition parties following conflicting assertions about the future of the State's regional development authorities and commissions.
Mr Stephens, who is also Minister for the Gascoyne, the Mid-West and the Wheatbelt, was replying to a statement from National Party Leader Hendy Cowan that a conservative government would disband the regional development commissions and authorities.
"Mr Cowan's commitment is in direct conflict with the statements of Opposition Leader Richard Court," Mr Stephens said.
"The Opposition's 'Goldfields Policy' - launched just last week by Mr Court - suggests that the development authorities would receive a better deal from the conservatives.
"Then the Deputy Leader of the Opposition - Mr Cowan - declares he will destroy the development commissions and strip them of their powers and funds.
"Which is it? Mr Court can not have it both ways!"
Mr Stephens called on the Opposition parties to renounce Mr Cowan's claims that by abolishing the development authorities political appointees would be removed.
"Mr Cowan's claims are an insult to the boards of the development commissions and authorities throughout the State which enjoy across-the-board support in their regions.
"I have direct Ministerial responsibility for establishing two of the State's new development commissions, in the Wheatbelt and in the Gascoyne. I know how well-received these initiatives have been in these areas.
"I also have Ministerial responsibility for the Geraldton Mid-West Development Authority, and I know how successful that authority and its board has been in assisting the development of Geraldton.
"The Gascoyne Development Commission has an interim board membership of the four shire presidents of the region, chaired by Carnarvon Shire President Tom Day.
"These presidents do not fall into Mr Cowan's category 'political appointees', and each of them has thrown weight behind this exciting new initiative for the Gascoyne region.
"The list of applicants for the boards of the Gascoyne and Wheatbelt Development Commissions, which are to be appointed later in February, reads like a 'Who's Who' of these two regions: with applications from a broad cross-section of the community, from both sides of politics, and from every section of industry.
"The Pilbara Development Commission consists of very capable members - including quality representation from Newman, with Shire President Denis Hodge.
"I am confident that the membership of the new commissions will work extremely hard to develop regional initiatives for these regions."
Mr Stephens said the Opposition parties had an unhappy marriage of necessity, but it would clearly break down with this type of knee-jerk policy-making on-the-run.
"This latest fracas indicates poor planning for government and no clear picture of where WA's regional areas are heading in the 1990s."
