Premier in Print

IT has been fantastic to see the incredible efforts being made by so many Western Australians during the Olympics.

No matter what their results, just being selected for the Olympics is a remarkable achievement and we’ve had the thrill of seeing them competing so strongly against the world’s best.

The team will be home in a few days and Western Australians will have the chance to personally cheer them and celebrate their success at a lunch time street parade in Perth on Friday October 6.

I hope as many people as possible will join the occasion and welcome home these outstanding sportsmen and women.



THE State Government is watching closely the performance results of a new car in the Ministry of Housing’s vehicle fleet.

The Ford Falcon, which will be based at Busselton, runs only on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and is one of the options available to counter the impact of the high cost of petrol.

We are also continuing discussions with vehicle manufacturers and the suppliers of LPG to develop a comprehensive incentive program to help Western Australian motorists who want to switch their vehicles to gas.

With the sustained high prices for petrol, the Government and the private sector need to work together to offer a more economical alternative.

In the case of the LPG-only Ford Falcon, it is estimated that the initial extra $798 cost of the LPG technology can be recouped through fuel savings within the first year of average motoring.

Considering the vehicle’s lower emissions and savings in fuel costs, this makes it an attractive proposition.

In addition, gas suppliers are also telling us that the more LPG cars there are on our roads, the cheaper the price and the greater the number of outlets.

The Federal Treasurer has given me a commitment that the Commonwealth Government will not impose an excise on LPG. This means we can move forward, knowing that any scheme we introduce will not be eroded later by a new excise.



THE success of a range of programs involving the community in helping police to fight crime is highlighted by some of the latest statistics from Crime Stoppers.

The community program started in 1995 and there have been nearly 138,000 calls to Crime Stoppers since then. The program has resulted in more than 2600 arrests, almost 7300 charges being laid, $3 million of property recovered and more than $22 million of drugs being seized.

The local program also recently won 11 awards in the international Crime Stoppers Conference in Canada.



WHILE the national focus is still on the Olympic Games, there’s a small army of people gearing up behind the scenes in Western Australia ready to move the Perth Royal Show into the local spotlight.

This year’s show, which runs for nine days from Friday, September 29 to Saturday, October 7, has the theme “the all new Perth Royal Show”.

It’s an all-encompassing title highlighting extensive new developments at the show, including the new arena as well as new entertainment and new displays.