The Productivity Commission has condemned attacks on its integrity as "unacceptable" following a critical assessment of Western Australia's GST deal. Commissioner Angela Jackson, a co-author of the report, stated that comments from Western Australian Premier Roger Cook, who called the commission "east coast clowns" and described the report as deceitful, had "crossed a line."
Jackson noted that while the independent economic advisory body welcomes public debate and criticism, the nature of the Premier's comments was unacceptable. She linked the tone of the criticism to a broader trend in international public debate.
The commission's interim report, which reviewed 2018 legislation, found that the deal had not met its objectives, made the system less fair, and directed an additional $23bn in taxpayer money to Western Australia. Despite this, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has ruled out any changes to WA's GST arrangements, a stance Jackson described as "disappointing at this point in the process."
The Productivity Commission plans to conduct further consultations before releasing its final report by the end of the year. Jackson affirmed that this process will not be influenced by the Prime Minister's comments, asserting the commission's position as being "above politics."