❓ Mr. Mubarakai asks the Premier about the McGowan government's job creation efforts through infrastructure investment and economic diversification. The Premier responds with positive employment figures and details initiatives in various sectors like defence, tourism, and creative industries.
AnsweredQoN 792Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
STATE ECONOMY —
EMPLOYMENT
792. Mr Y. MUBARAKAI to the Premier:
On behalf of the member for
Forrestfield, I would like to welcome the student leaders and the staff from
High Wycombe Primary School to Parliament House today.
Can the Premier update the house on
what today's jobs figures show about the McGowan Labor government's
commitment to creating jobs through its record investment in infrastructure and
its unprecedented efforts to diversify the economy?
EMPLOYMENT
792. Mr Y. MUBARAKAI to the Premier:
On behalf of the member for
Forrestfield, I would like to welcome the student leaders and the staff from
High Wycombe Primary School to Parliament House today.
Can the Premier update the house on
what today's jobs figures show about the McGowan Labor government's
commitment to creating jobs through its record investment in infrastructure and
its unprecedented efforts to diversify the economy?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Jandakot for
the question, and also welcome the students from High Wycombe Primary School. I
also welcome Antony Green, who is quite a famous Australian. I follow his very
extensive travels around the world on Twitter. He always seems to be riding
around some country in Europe. Welcome back to Australia, Antony—to the
best part of Australia!
The
figures that came out today showed very positive economic signs for Western Australia.
They show that this government's plan to create employment in Western Australia
is working. Our unemployment rate fell today. We are one of only two states in
which unemployment fell. We now have the third lowest rate of unemployment in
Australia. Of course, when we came to government, Western Australia had
the highest rate of unemployment in Australia.
Mr D.C. Nalder interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Bateman!
Mr M. McGOWAN : There goes
the shadow Treasurer. He is too afraid to ask a question!
Mr D.C. Nalder interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for Bateman!
Mr M. McGOWAN : As I said, it
is the third lowest unemployment rate of any state. We have had the strongest
quarterly growth of employment in Australia. Since the state election two and a
half years ago, 56 000 new jobs have been created in Western Australia.
Mr D.C. Nalder interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Bateman!
Mr M. McGOWAN : There are
many thousands fewer unemployed people than when we arrived in office.
Importantly, and I think this is worth acknowledging, we have the highest
participation rate in Australia of 68.5 per cent.
Mr D.C. Nalder interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Bateman, I call you to order for the first time.
Mr M. McGOWAN : I suspect
that if we had the same participation rate as the other states, our
unemployment rate would be the lowest or equal lowest in Australia.
Since we have been in office, we
have done many things to diversify the economy. Of course, we have been keeping
the mining, oil and gas parts of the economy strong. We are working very hard
in defence. The Minister for Defence Issues and I are working very hard to
secure submarine maintenance jobs for Western Australia. We hope and expect
that the federal government will act in the national interest to ensure that
full-cycle docking of the Collins-class submarines comes to where the
submarines are based, here in Western Australia. Hopefully, that work will be
undertaken in Cockburn Sound.
We have spent record amounts of
money on tourism and have seen a huge growth in tourism numbers. It is the
strongest growth ever seen in the number of tourists in Western Australia from
interstate and overseas. With Richard Court the other night, we welcomed the
first direct flight from Tokyo. The Minister for Asian Engagement recently
launched our Asian engagement strategy. We are standing up for Western Australia's
important relationship with China.
That is very important for jobs and
investment in Western Australia.
The Minister for Culture and the Arts,
the Minister for Asian Engagement and I were on the set of Mystery Road in Broome the other day. A great many people are employed in our creative
industries. We tried to secure a role on Mystery Road , but it would be
fair to say that they managed to push us off to a production role! This great
production is happening right here in Western Australia, promoting our state
and employing more than 100 crew members and 70 actors in Broome. Productions
like that are occurring across Western Australia and are all part of our
efforts to diversify the economy and create jobs. As we have seen from today's
figures, our plan is working.
Government members: Hear, hear!
the question, and also welcome the students from High Wycombe Primary School. I
also welcome Antony Green, who is quite a famous Australian. I follow his very
extensive travels around the world on Twitter. He always seems to be riding
around some country in Europe. Welcome back to Australia, Antony—to the
best part of Australia!
The
figures that came out today showed very positive economic signs for Western Australia.
They show that this government's plan to create employment in Western Australia
is working. Our unemployment rate fell today. We are one of only two states in
which unemployment fell. We now have the third lowest rate of unemployment in
Australia. Of course, when we came to government, Western Australia had
the highest rate of unemployment in Australia.
Mr D.C. Nalder interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Bateman!
Mr M. McGOWAN : There goes
the shadow Treasurer. He is too afraid to ask a question!
Mr D.C. Nalder interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for Bateman!
Mr M. McGOWAN : As I said, it
is the third lowest unemployment rate of any state. We have had the strongest
quarterly growth of employment in Australia. Since the state election two and a
half years ago, 56 000 new jobs have been created in Western Australia.
Mr D.C. Nalder interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Bateman!
Mr M. McGOWAN : There are
many thousands fewer unemployed people than when we arrived in office.
Importantly, and I think this is worth acknowledging, we have the highest
participation rate in Australia of 68.5 per cent.
Mr D.C. Nalder interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Bateman, I call you to order for the first time.
Mr M. McGOWAN : I suspect
that if we had the same participation rate as the other states, our
unemployment rate would be the lowest or equal lowest in Australia.
Since we have been in office, we
have done many things to diversify the economy. Of course, we have been keeping
the mining, oil and gas parts of the economy strong. We are working very hard
in defence. The Minister for Defence Issues and I are working very hard to
secure submarine maintenance jobs for Western Australia. We hope and expect
that the federal government will act in the national interest to ensure that
full-cycle docking of the Collins-class submarines comes to where the
submarines are based, here in Western Australia. Hopefully, that work will be
undertaken in Cockburn Sound.
We have spent record amounts of
money on tourism and have seen a huge growth in tourism numbers. It is the
strongest growth ever seen in the number of tourists in Western Australia from
interstate and overseas. With Richard Court the other night, we welcomed the
first direct flight from Tokyo. The Minister for Asian Engagement recently
launched our Asian engagement strategy. We are standing up for Western Australia's
important relationship with China.
That is very important for jobs and
investment in Western Australia.
The Minister for Culture and the Arts,
the Minister for Asian Engagement and I were on the set of Mystery Road in Broome the other day. A great many people are employed in our creative
industries. We tried to secure a role on Mystery Road , but it would be
fair to say that they managed to push us off to a production role! This great
production is happening right here in Western Australia, promoting our state
and employing more than 100 crew members and 70 actors in Broome. Productions
like that are occurring across Western Australia and are all part of our
efforts to diversify the economy and create jobs. As we have seen from today's
figures, our plan is working.
Government members: Hear, hear!
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