Western Australia’s Liberal opposition has failed to provide key details on its policy costings in a shambolic presentation two days before the state election.
Opposition Leader Zak Kirkup on Thursday released figures claiming his party’s promises would have a net cost of just $1.4 billion over the next four years.
But the Liberals were left facing more credibility concerns after Mr Kirkup’s treasury spokesman Sean L’Estrange was unable to explain shortfalls in funding for major promises or even to provide the cost of key policies.
It also emerged that accounting firm Hall Chadwick had not been asked to analyse any assumptions behind the party’s costings.
The firm was instead asked to simply tally up the figures provided to them.
Just $260 million has been attached to Mr Kirkup’s centrepiece policy promise – an ambitious clean energy plan which includes a target of reaching net zero emissions by 2030 and shutting down coal-fired power stations by 2025.
Labor claims that plan – which has been publicly denigrated by state and federal Liberals – will alone cost almost $16 billion.
Mr L’Estrange was also grilled about a $700 million funding gap in the Liberals’ promise to build the Roe 8 and 9 highway extension.
He was unable to provide the cost of promises including a major public housing investment.
“My role as the shadow treasurer is to make sure that we’ve got the funds to be able to pay for the costings that we have committed to,” he told reporters.
“If you want me to roll out the spreadsheet with every individual costing right here and now … that was not the purpose of this presentation.”
Mr L’Estrange, who has been rarely sighted during the campaign, insisted he had not been sidelined.
He declined to answer questions about the clean energy policy, instead handballing them to energy spokesman David Honey.
Treasurer Ben Wyatt said he had never seen anything like it.
“It was like watching the Three Stooges pass around a ticking time bomb – Sean L’Estrange didn’t want to talk about it, Zak Kirkup didn’t understand it and David Honey threw himself upon it,” he said.
“I have never seen anything so bad around a signature policy announced by any political party.”
Mr Honey said much of the investment required for the clean energy plan would come from the private sector.
He claimed that writing off coal-fired power plants in Collie would not have a major budget impact because they were worth “virtually nothing”.
“They’re sunk costs. They’re already in the budget, they’re already in the bottom line,” he said.
Mr Kirkup was also forced to issue a clarification after initially suggesting $248 million had been allocated to a plan to build 2600 new public homes.
That figure would equate to the construction of each home costing only $95,000.
Mr Kirkup has conceded the Liberals won’t win Saturday’s election and declared he will retire from politics if he loses his ultra-marginal seat of Dawesville.
The first-term MP admitted the campaign had taken a toll on him but insisted he would continue to fight to save Liberal seats.