Angela Jackson says the GST report will not be influenced by political commentary. (ABC News: Daniel Irvine)
WA Premier Roger Cook called the Productivity Commission "east coast clowns" over its interim findings on GST, with a senior federal minister casting doubt over the report's validity.
The interim report recommended changing the current GST arrangements, saying they were a "costly mistake" and the only state better off was WA.
Angela Jackson told the ABC the commission welcomed debate ahead of their final report, which she stressed would not be influenced by politics.
The Productivity Commission says the WA premier "crossed a line" with his criticisms of the body's interim report on GST, adding that political commentary from federal government ministers undermines the commission's integrity.
The report, released earlier this month, was tasked with looking at GST distribution reforms put in place in 2018. It described those arrangements as a "costly mistake" that had forced Australian taxpayers to foot the bill of almost $23 billion, and the only state better off was WA.
WA Premier Roger Cook lashed the report authors as "east coast clowns" and described the commission's proposals for change as "dodgy, deceitful, and quite frankly dumb".
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese labelled the findings as an "economic rationalist" position, while Resources Minister Madeleine King sympathised with the WA premier's comments and cast doubt on the report's methodology.
Within days of the interim report's release, Mr Albanese stood with Mr Cook in Perth, pledging not to unwind any deal for WA while he was prime minister.
Productivity commissioner and economist Angela Jackson, who co-authored the report, said the body welcomed public debate, but the WA premier's remarks went too far.
"Our view is that a line was crossed in terms of the nature of those comments," she told ABC Radio National.
"To undermine and, I guess, attack our integrity, I think, is an additional bridge too far.
"We want to call this out as being unacceptable as a result. But that said, in doing that, we welcome ongoing dialogue with Western Australia."
Mr Albanese this week distanced his party from the commission's report, pointing out the previous Morrison government commissioned it.
"This report was commissioned by the Morrison government, not us," he said.
