❓ Question regarding the WA government's support for the mining and resources sector and its impact on mineral exploration, investment, and job creation. The Minister responds with positive data on sales, production, employment, and investment attractiveness.
AnsweredQoN 141Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
MINING AND RESOURCES
SECTOR — PERFORMANCE
141. MR S.J. PRICE to the Minister for Mines and Petroleum:
On behalf of the member for
Thornlie, I acknowledge in the gallery today students from the Australian
Islamic College in Thornlie. Welcome.
Can the minister outline to the
house how this government's support for the mining and resources sector
has seen a surge in mineral exploration, has encouraged investment and is
creating jobs?
SECTOR — PERFORMANCE
141. MR S.J. PRICE to the Minister for Mines and Petroleum:
On behalf of the member for
Thornlie, I acknowledge in the gallery today students from the Australian
Islamic College in Thornlie. Welcome.
Can the minister outline to the
house how this government's support for the mining and resources sector
has seen a surge in mineral exploration, has encouraged investment and is
creating jobs?
AnswerView source ↗
What
an excellent question from the member for Forrestfield, who, as we all know,
comes from the resources sector . I think he is probably the only person
in the chamber who has actually worked on the tools in the resources sector.
Several members interjected.
Mr W.J. JOHNSTON : I forgot;
the member for Cottesloe was an executive, sitting in an office. It is not
quite the same thing as a man on the ground!
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr W.J. JOHNSTON : I am
pleased to say that 2018 was a record year for the resources industry in Western
Australia, with $127.4 billion in sales out of this state, eclipsing the
previous record set in 2013 and showing, for the second year in a row, an
increase in sales in the resources sector in Western Australia. I make the
point that we sold 212 tonnes of gold in the last calendar year—the
highest since 1998, when the member was working in the gold sector. LNG volumes
are up by 34 per cent and spodumene sales—that is lithium—are
up by 24 per cent. The number of Western Australian workers is up by eight per
cent over the previous year. I want to particularly highlight the battery
sector, because under the investment supported by this government, under the
leadership of the Premier, we have gone from fewer than 400 people employed in
the lithium and battery industry sector in December 2014 to now more than 2 600.
We know that that number will continue to grow because of the good work of this
government.
Total exploration in Western Australia
was up by a quarter to $2 billion last year, which is five per cent of business
investment in the state. Western Australia accounts for 61 per cent of
Australia's total mineral exploration—more than $1.3 billion.
With gold, we had another record of $642 million of investment in that very,
very important exploration activity, which drives future jobs growth. Even
petroleum exploration in WA went up again to $672 million.
This is all good news, and it has
even been reflected in the Fraser Institute survey. I want to make a point
about the Fraser Institute: I do not think people should pay too much attention
to it, but I know the Liberal Party does. The Fraser Institute is simply an
organisation in Canada that happens to support free-market economics. Its
investment attractiveness index for 2018 was 91.47. That is higher than we have
ever been rated before. In fact, the rating on the investment attractiveness
index was 87.35 in 2015, when the other side was in government. In the policy
perceptions index, we rated 96.68 in 2018 compared with 91.53 in 2015. Indeed,
in the best practice minerals potential index, we rated 88 in 2018 compared
with 84.56 in 2015.
We have improved on every measure of
this particular organisation, which, as I say, members can take or leave as
they choose, but it is the one that the Liberal Party keeps talking about.
Members opposite asked me a question this time last year about this; funnily
enough, they did not ask me a question about it this year, because then they
would have to admit that the rankings in the Fraser Institute that we received
this year were higher than at any time in the last four years of the Barnett
government.
an excellent question from the member for Forrestfield, who, as we all know,
comes from the resources sector . I think he is probably the only person
in the chamber who has actually worked on the tools in the resources sector.
Several members interjected.
Mr W.J. JOHNSTON : I forgot;
the member for Cottesloe was an executive, sitting in an office. It is not
quite the same thing as a man on the ground!
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr W.J. JOHNSTON : I am
pleased to say that 2018 was a record year for the resources industry in Western
Australia, with $127.4 billion in sales out of this state, eclipsing the
previous record set in 2013 and showing, for the second year in a row, an
increase in sales in the resources sector in Western Australia. I make the
point that we sold 212 tonnes of gold in the last calendar year—the
highest since 1998, when the member was working in the gold sector. LNG volumes
are up by 34 per cent and spodumene sales—that is lithium—are
up by 24 per cent. The number of Western Australian workers is up by eight per
cent over the previous year. I want to particularly highlight the battery
sector, because under the investment supported by this government, under the
leadership of the Premier, we have gone from fewer than 400 people employed in
the lithium and battery industry sector in December 2014 to now more than 2 600.
We know that that number will continue to grow because of the good work of this
government.
Total exploration in Western Australia
was up by a quarter to $2 billion last year, which is five per cent of business
investment in the state. Western Australia accounts for 61 per cent of
Australia's total mineral exploration—more than $1.3 billion.
With gold, we had another record of $642 million of investment in that very,
very important exploration activity, which drives future jobs growth. Even
petroleum exploration in WA went up again to $672 million.
This is all good news, and it has
even been reflected in the Fraser Institute survey. I want to make a point
about the Fraser Institute: I do not think people should pay too much attention
to it, but I know the Liberal Party does. The Fraser Institute is simply an
organisation in Canada that happens to support free-market economics. Its
investment attractiveness index for 2018 was 91.47. That is higher than we have
ever been rated before. In fact, the rating on the investment attractiveness
index was 87.35 in 2015, when the other side was in government. In the policy
perceptions index, we rated 96.68 in 2018 compared with 91.53 in 2015. Indeed,
in the best practice minerals potential index, we rated 88 in 2018 compared
with 84.56 in 2015.
We have improved on every measure of
this particular organisation, which, as I say, members can take or leave as
they choose, but it is the one that the Liberal Party keeps talking about.
Members opposite asked me a question this time last year about this; funnily
enough, they did not ask me a question about it this year, because then they
would have to admit that the rankings in the Fraser Institute that we received
this year were higher than at any time in the last four years of the Barnett
government.
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