WA threat to split from Canberra

PREMIER Colin Barnett says WA will split from Canberra if the Federal Government doesn't reward the state for driving the national economy.

"That's not a threat. It's reality," Mr Barnett said.

While he said a formal separation from the rest of Australia was not on the agenda, relations with Canberra would become "negligible" if revenue created in the state kept being shifted east.

And he said the ramifications would not just be for the national economy, but for the broader Australian society including sport.

"There would be very little relationship and the WA economy would be fully integrated as part of Asia," he said.

"It's a trend you may see over the next 20 years.

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