Nuclear power, stamp duty on WA Libs’ agenda

WA Liberal members will mull taking a hardline stance against a state-based voice to parliament and lifting a moratorium on nuclear power.

The party will hold its state conference in late October where branches will have the chance to put motions to a vote to help form the party’s state and federal policy priorities.

The Forrest division which represents most of the South West will lead calls at the conference to lift the federal nuclear moratorium enacted in 1998 and develop policy to replace fossil fuels with nuclear power stations.

The motion falls in line with federal opposition leader Peter Dutton’s campaign this year to allow the use of small reactors to reduce emissions instead of relying on the likes of solar and wind farms.

Among key motions for WA’s business community are calls to determine the state’s capacity to restart fuel refineries, tighten the definition of local procurement, reject changes to casual employment, and a carrots and sticks approach to increase building permit approvals and residential zoning.

A push to ensure adequate cash remains in circulation and cannot be refused as payment comes from the Hasluck division, as do moves to abolish stamp duty for home buyers and allow single income households to split taxable income between partners.

The Party’s Durack division – representing one of the world’s largest electorates which stretches from Gingin to Kununurra – will call for the payroll tax threshold to be lifted to incentivise employment, and to adopt a formal decentralisation policy possibly supported by tax, energy and land use reform.

The Liberal Women’s Council will move to have the WA opposition oppose any attempt to create a state-based voice to parliament via legislation or in the constitution.

Motions carried will form the basis of party policy and may become part of the Liberals’ 2025 election platform.

The party will also discuss a model to order its upper house ticket in line with the one vote, one value system to be implemented at the next state election.

The model would see the party maintain six separate regions for identifying candidates, who would then be allocated a band on the ticket based on previous voting trends.

Whoever sits as the upper house leader would command top spot on the ticket, followed by north metropolitan, south metropolitan and east metropolitan candidates.

Number one picks from the three country regions would occupy the next three positions.