The 2026-27 state budget has been labelled as reckless by the West Australian opposition, who have claimed it showed inflation was “made in WA” and strategies to address rising living costs were unsophisticated.
Shadow Treasurer Sandra Brewer gave the opposition’s official response to the 2026-27 state budget in parliament on Tuesday afternoon.
She said the budget had set WA up for three things – reckless spending, no reform and a poorer future.
“Our national capital is abuzz with speculation and anticipation of the federal budget – the expectations have been set high,” Brewer said.
“By contrast, anyone with high expectations in WA will have been utterly underwhelmed by our treasurer’s 2026-27 state budget.
“Claimed to be delivering for WA, it is a budget with no reform, no planned pay down of debt and no solutions.
“It continues the intergenerational breach of trust with regards to homeownership, tax disincentives, low productivity and painfully high inflation in WA.”
Brewer said Treasurer Rita Saffioti’s “wholly unsophisticated approach” failed to respond to the current economic moment, and that she was “burying her head in the sand instead of confronting the future challenges of this state”.
“The bulk of our inflation problem is not being driven by foreign conflicts. It is made in WA,” she said.
“This budget will only fuel uncertainty.”
Brewer also said she “couldn’t be more disappointed by her performance”, when discussing Saffioti’s response to interest rate hikes.
“By definition, if we are increasing interest rates, what we are trying to do is slow growth in demand,” she said.
“Meanwhile, our treasurer took aim at the RBA independent decision-making. She said: ‘I didn’t like their interest rate increases – the reason we have got inflation isn’t because everyone is spending too much’, and then she proceeds to deliver a big spending budget.
“The treasurer correctly recognises our great economic uncertainty, but she neglects the role she’s played in it.
“This budget locks in the worst set of finances our state will have seen.”
Treasurer Rita Saffioti said the statement by Brewer that inflation was “made in WA” was “absolutely false”.
“I dispute that 100 per cent and the other point is that they’re the opposition that said we should have free public transport, that we should cut stamp duty by 20 per cent and now somehow believe that our spending is contributing to inflation,” she said.
“The shadow treasurer thinks homes just appear. That we shouldn’t be spending any money on infrastructure or any of the roads or public transport – that homes just pop up because the shadow treasure is arguing that we shouldn’t be spending.
“I think they’re contradicting themselves every day. Spend more, spend less. Spend more, spend less. They don’t have a consistent thing. They don’t have a consistent idea. They don’t have any policies.
“The inflation story is an international story. It’s a national story.”
Saffioti said she was also unsure whether the opposition were supportive of the $100 payments to be handed out to every WA driver licence holder, after Brewer made the comment that she believed everyone would be taking up the offer.
“I think they’re supporting it, but then they’re not supporting, I’m not quite sure,” she said.
Brewer said the state budget had received criticism not only from the opposition, but from economists and industry groups, as well as the public.
“The criticism this state budget has received from all quarters is deserved,” she said.
“Rarely have we seen a state budget so roundly condemned for its recklessness and irresponsibility.”
Holly Thompson is a journalist with WAtoday, specialising in education and the environment.Connect via X or email.
