Rita Saffioti: Big weekend ahead for WA with Thornlie-Cockburn line opening and headline sporting events

1. A momentous weekend ahead for people in our southeastern suburbs, with the Metronet Thornlie-Cockburn Line officially opening on Sunday. This is our first east-west line, linking the Mandurah and Armadale lines. And it means better resilience of our train network and new direct connection to Optus Stadium from the Mandurah line. 2. Thornlie, Nicholson Road and Ranford Road stations will have family-friendly activities, free food, live entertainment and community stalls between 8.30am and 1.30pm. You can enjoy the real experience with special event trains running before official operations start on Monday. And remember, travel is free for all SmartRider holders on a Sunday! Just remember to tap on and off 3. If the opening of a new train line wasn’t enough, we’ve got a massive few days of sport lined up in WA. That starts tonight, with more than 50,000 people set to pack out Optus Stadium in the biggest and most important international football match our State has ever hosted — a crucial FIFA Men’s World Cup 2026 qualifier between our Socceroos and Japan. 4. From Friday, drivers will hit the track at Wanneroo Raceway for a huge three days of fast-paced racing action with the Supercars Perth Super 440. And then on Sunday, WA will host its first ever in-season AFL game outside Perth, with West Coast and North Melbourne facing off at Hands Oval in Bunbury. 5. We’ve allocated nearly half a billion dollars in the upcoming State Budget across several critical road projects to target congestion. That includes an initial $460 million to widen the Kwinana Freeway between Roe Highway and Mortimer Road. This is a key pinch point on our freeway. 6. If there’s something that really makes my blood boil, it’s hearing east coast economists and politicians complain about the “unfairness” of the GST carve up. No other State has experienced anything like the lows we’ve had to deal with because of the GST formula. 7. These are the facts on GST. WA has received less than our population share for 17 of the 25 years it’s been operating. In that time, we have sent $45 billion to other States. And even with the current arrangement, we’re still gifting $2.5 billion to other States this financial year by receiving less than our population share. 8. If you didn’t see it late last week, our housing market continues to grow. More than 23,000 new homes were approved in the past 12 months and WA continues to far outpace the rest of the country, with the strongest growth in new home builds in the country. 9. We’ve teamed up with the Albanese Labor Government to expand WA’s first-ever battery rebate scheme, meaning about 100,000 households will now benefit from both the State and Federal election commitments. The subsidy scheme will save households who install a battery and solar panels up to $1500 on their power bills every year, while creating local jobs and ensuring we have a cleaner and more reliable network. 10. Anyone that knows me knows I’m incredibly passionate about my Italian heritage. Deeply, deeply humbled to have received the insignia of the Order of the Star of Italy last week as part of the 79th Italian National Day celebrations. I will always champion the incredible contributions Italians have made to WA.