Opposition Leader Eric Ripper says the state government has sent a bad signal to business by side-stepping the usual environmental assessment procedures and blocking iron ore exports from Fremantle Port.
Mr Ripper was responding to Transport Minister Troy Buswell's decision yesterday afternoon to reject a proposal from Cazaly Resources to export 1.4 million tonnes of iron ore through Fremantle's inner harbour for a year.
Fremantle MP, and Mr Buswell's girlfriend, Adele Carles, called a press conference earlier yesterday to criticise Cazaly's plan, citing concerns over dust pollution, despite Cazaly's assurances that its shiploading technology had been proven dust-free in operations in South Australia.
Premier Colin Barnett this morning rejected any notion of a conflict of interest over Mr Buswell's decision to block the exports.
"There are many inconsistencies in this government's approach and this is what happens when you get knee jerk political decision making based on political and personal considerations," Mr Ripper said.
"What you've got is something that's very concerning to business. If you've got a government that will take a knee jerk decision on a political basis for political reasons and not go through the official processes; that sends a very bad signal to business.
"What it says to business is that this is a government that you can't trust to be predictable and consistent and that's a bad message for business to receive."
Mr Ripper said he was concerned the reputation of Western Australia as an investment destination would be compromised by this type of decision making.
"How can we be confident about future decisions unless Mr Buswell can demonstrate that his relationship with Ms Carles and his political concern about her future weren't the determinants of this decision?" he asked.
"It does look like the government is trying to buttress Adele Carles into her seat, so she's become an independent liberal from the Green position that she started with.
"This is another example of the government giving special favouritism to Ms Carles in the hope that as a reliable vote for the Liberal Party that she will hold Labor out from that seat."
Enquiries to the Premier's office by WA Business News were not responded to by time of publication.
