West Australian Treasurer Ben Wyatt is basking in the glow of the first state budget surplus in five years but quipped his front page thunder was stolen by the new royal baby.
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Mr Wyatt unveiled a $1.2 billion turnaround in the state's fortunes for the current financial year and projections for four more consecutive surpluses on Thursday, but The West Australian newspaper was dominated by Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor.
"I've always been a republican but no more so than now of course with baby Archie stealing my thunder yesterday," the Treasurer told a business event in Perth.
"That kid is going to haunt me."
Mr Wyatt lucked out again on Friday when the newspaper's budget special edition had a Holden wrap-around.
Asked how old the royal baby would be when the debt was paid off, Mr Wyatt replied: "Hopefully Archie will be a teenager".
WA's debt is still the highest of any state, but the 2019/20 forecast is $4.1 billion lower than it was projected to be when Labor took over the reins in 2017.
Australian Associated Press
