WA premier disregards fed govt advisers

A defiant West Australian premier has defended his government's failure to submit a list of key projects to Infrastructure Australia.

WA is the only state or territory that did not submit a list of key infrastructure projects for consideration by the federal government advisory body.

The submissions were due in September.

Mr Barnett told the parliament on Tuesday he would deal directly with the prime minister, as he had in the past, rather than answer to an advisory body.

"Infrastructure Australia cannot impose a deadline on the government of Western Australia," Mr Barnett said.

"The state of WA does not answer to IA - we make our own decision about infrastructure."

Opposition Leader Mark McGowan questioned whether the government's failure to submit a list of projects would jeopardise the state's chances of receiving funding.

But Mr Barnett goaded the opposition leader in response.

"If the leader of the opposition were to ever be premier, you just got an insight into how weak he would be," Mr Barnett said.

"'Yes sir, no sir' - that's what you would have, a weak, weak leader."

Labor MP Rita Saffioti tweeted while in the parliament that the government had submitted infrastructure bids to IA in past years.

"They just weren't competent enough to submit this year," Ms Saffioti wrote.