WA political parties continue to make election promises to combat antisemitism, plant more trees, ahead of state election

ABC NEWS (Australia)

There has been a flurry of state election promises today as politicians travelled WA trying to curry favour. Labor and the Nationals kept their focus on the regions, while the Liberals turned their attention to rising antisemitism.

Transcript

00:00Across the state the promises came thick and fast for Premier and Housing Minister starting

00:07the day in Broome, pledging to cut stamp duty for regional WA and establish a $25 million

00:13infrastructure support fund.

00:15Building in regional Western Australia has its challenges, there are extra costs and

00:21that's why we're creating this new special fund to assist get projects over the line.

00:28The Nationals were in Hearn Hill promising to improve level crossing safety, including

00:32by amending the law.

00:34To ensure that in Western Australia all locomotives will be required to have flashing beacons.

00:41The Liberals staying closer to the city promising $250,000 for Jewish community security as

00:47well as education on the Holocaust and antisemitism.

00:51Roger Cook has been absent when it has come to the growing threats of antisemitism in

00:57Western Australia.

00:58While the community hasn't always been happy with the Premier's language.

01:02Do you feel ignored by the government?

01:04Not at all.

01:05Not at all.

01:06We've worked closely with the Jewish community to make sure that we have the essential resourcing

01:13and policing in place to make people feel safe and that's why in WA you haven't seen

01:19the cowardly acts that you see on the east coast.

01:23Those acts, like the firebombing of a synagogue, never far from mind.

01:28Security is urgent and is needed and there's a significant support for physical security

01:34which in a sense is the last ditch of defence.

01:39But education is by far the most important.

01:42The environment also on the agenda, with the Greens hoping to push for policies to encourage

01:49the uptake of things like home batteries and electric appliances.

01:54We expect after this election that the Greens will hold the balance of power in the upper

01:57house and we're going to be using this to negotiate with government outcomes like this.

02:02Labor turned its attention to Perth's dwindling tree canopy, promising to double it by 2040,

02:08including by offering every West Australian $150 to buy and plant trees.

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