❓ The Premier responds to questions regarding the McGowan government's job creation record and efforts to address skills shortages in WA, highlighting low unemployment rates and initiatives like TAFE fee reductions and a skills summit.
AnsweredQoN 106Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
STATE ECONOMY — JOBS
106. Mrs J.M.C. STOJKOVSKI to the Premier:
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's commitment to delivering a strong economy and creating
more employment opportunities for Western Australians.
(1) Can the
Premier update the house on this government's record of driving down
unemployment and creating more jobs for Western Australians?
(2) Can the
Premier advise the house on the work underway to ensure that Western Australians
have the skills and training needed to support our economy?
106. Mrs J.M.C. STOJKOVSKI to the Premier:
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's commitment to delivering a strong economy and creating
more employment opportunities for Western Australians.
(1) Can the
Premier update the house on this government's record of driving down
unemployment and creating more jobs for Western Australians?
(2) Can the
Premier advise the house on the work underway to ensure that Western Australians
have the skills and training needed to support our economy?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) Prior
to addressing the question, on behalf of the member for Dawesville, I acknowledge
in the public gallery today the principal
and leadership students from Halls Head Primary School, which is in the member for Dawesville's electorate. Thank you for coming.
I thank the member for Kingsley for
the question and congratulate her on her outstanding result in the state election. She has now recorded a swing or
more than 30 per cent over two elections, so she is obviously doing very
well in Kingsley.
Since
we have been in office, our priority has been about creating jobs and a record
investment in infrastructure in our
budget. We have invested in training, slashed TAFE fees like never before and
brought local manufacturing back to Western
Australia. We have led the country as the only state that did not go into
recession during the COVID-19 period and our economic
recovery from the impacts of COVID-19 proceeds apace.
The
latest jobs figures came out whilst Parliament was not sitting. Western Australia's
unemployment rate is 4.9 per cent, the lowest of all the states. It is
the lowest that it has been in seven years. When we came to office, the
unemployment rate was 6.5 per cent, which was the highest in the country at
that point. We now have the lowest unemployment rate of all the states of
Australia. The female unemployment rate is even lower at 4.6 per cent and is
also the lowest in Australia. Our underemployment rate is the lowest in
Australia. We have the lowest youth unemployment rate of all the states of
Australia. Since we came to government, 87 700
jobs have been created and this is despite the biggest world crisis since 1945.
We h ave recovered all the jobs that were lost through COVID and exceeded
the number by more than 8 000.
But
it is clear that there are some issues, particularly around skills. When it
comes to TAFE, we have slashed fees
across 180 different courses—some by over 72 per cent. We have put in
place the biggest infrastructure build in TAFE colleges across the state
in the history of Western Australia.
We
have what is called a skills summit that will bring all elements of the
community and economy together in June to hear from the community, and
particularly business and unions, as to what needs to be done to ensure that we can address the skills issues that
exist across the state. It is true that with international border closures and infrastructure projects across Australia, it has been difficult to
get the right number of skilled people into Western Australia. We are working
on that. The skills summit will hopefully throw up some interesting ideas that
we can put in place to ensure that we continue our economic success into the
future.
Just in closing, obviously the
COVID-19 pandemic is not over. The economy will move around. But it is a great set of figures for Western Australia to
have the lowest unemployment rate of all the states in Australia as we
speak. We intend to continue to do our utmost to create jobs and opportunities
across our state.
to addressing the question, on behalf of the member for Dawesville, I acknowledge
in the public gallery today the principal
and leadership students from Halls Head Primary School, which is in the member for Dawesville's electorate. Thank you for coming.
I thank the member for Kingsley for
the question and congratulate her on her outstanding result in the state election. She has now recorded a swing or
more than 30 per cent over two elections, so she is obviously doing very
well in Kingsley.
Since
we have been in office, our priority has been about creating jobs and a record
investment in infrastructure in our
budget. We have invested in training, slashed TAFE fees like never before and
brought local manufacturing back to Western
Australia. We have led the country as the only state that did not go into
recession during the COVID-19 period and our economic
recovery from the impacts of COVID-19 proceeds apace.
The
latest jobs figures came out whilst Parliament was not sitting. Western Australia's
unemployment rate is 4.9 per cent, the lowest of all the states. It is
the lowest that it has been in seven years. When we came to office, the
unemployment rate was 6.5 per cent, which was the highest in the country at
that point. We now have the lowest unemployment rate of all the states of
Australia. The female unemployment rate is even lower at 4.6 per cent and is
also the lowest in Australia. Our underemployment rate is the lowest in
Australia. We have the lowest youth unemployment rate of all the states of
Australia. Since we came to government, 87 700
jobs have been created and this is despite the biggest world crisis since 1945.
We h ave recovered all the jobs that were lost through COVID and exceeded
the number by more than 8 000.
But
it is clear that there are some issues, particularly around skills. When it
comes to TAFE, we have slashed fees
across 180 different courses—some by over 72 per cent. We have put in
place the biggest infrastructure build in TAFE colleges across the state
in the history of Western Australia.
We
have what is called a skills summit that will bring all elements of the
community and economy together in June to hear from the community, and
particularly business and unions, as to what needs to be done to ensure that we can address the skills issues that
exist across the state. It is true that with international border closures and infrastructure projects across Australia, it has been difficult to
get the right number of skilled people into Western Australia. We are working
on that. The skills summit will hopefully throw up some interesting ideas that
we can put in place to ensure that we continue our economic success into the
future.
Just in closing, obviously the
COVID-19 pandemic is not over. The economy will move around. But it is a great set of figures for Western Australia to
have the lowest unemployment rate of all the states in Australia as we
speak. We intend to continue to do our utmost to create jobs and opportunities
across our state.
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