WA banks its eighth surplus and shovels a billion back at the bowser

Michael West Media · AAP · Thursday 7 May 2026

WA banks its eighth surplus and shovels a billion back at the bowser

Western Australia delivers another iron-ore-fuelled surplus and parcels out more than $1 billion in cost-of-living relief, while the GST carve-up quietly does the work the Treasurer takes credit for.

Eighth surplus on the trot and WA's solution is to hand a billion back at the bowser. The iron ore price does the heavy lifting, the Treasurer takes the bow, and the rest of the federation watches its GST disappear west like a tide that forgot to come back. Cook's running a sovereign wealth fund and calling it a budget.

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