❓ Dr. Krishnan asks about WA's job figures and how a federal Labor government would support the state's economy. The Premier responds with positive economic data, highlighting low unemployment and full-time employment growth, while criticising the opposition's COVID-19 stance and expressing optimism for collaboration with a potential Albanese government.
AnsweredQoN 328Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
CORONAVIRUS — STATE ECONOMY —
RESPONSE
328. Dr J. KRISHNAN to the Premier:
I refer to the McGowan
Labor government's strong and stable response to the COVID-19 pandemic
and in delivering the strongest economy in the country.
(1) Can the
Premier advise the house what today's job figures show about WA's
efforts to deliver a soft landing from the COVID-19 pandemic?
(2) Can the
Premier outline to the house how an Albanese federal Labor government would
support the state government in further driving the WA economy, creating local
jobs and meeting the challenges facing Western Australia?
RESPONSE
328. Dr J. KRISHNAN to the Premier:
I refer to the McGowan
Labor government's strong and stable response to the COVID-19 pandemic
and in delivering the strongest economy in the country.
(1) Can the
Premier advise the house what today's job figures show about WA's
efforts to deliver a soft landing from the COVID-19 pandemic?
(2) Can the
Premier outline to the house how an Albanese federal Labor government would
support the state government in further driving the WA economy, creating local
jobs and meeting the challenges facing Western Australia?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Riverton for the question.
(1)–(2)
Today we have sensational economic news for Western Australia. Western Australia
is leading the nation. Our unemployment rate now has a ''2'' in
front of it. Our unemployment rate has fallen to 2.9 per cent, by far the
lowest unemployment rate in Australia; and a full percentage point lower than
the national unemployment rate of 3.9 per cent with very, very high participation
rates—way above those of any other state or territory in the
commonwealth. The last time the unemployment rate was this low was when Labor
was last in government. No other state in history has had an unemployment rate
under three per cent other than Western Australia.
When we came to government, we
committed to putting Western Australia back into its rightful position of
leading the nation—and we have. When we arrived in office in 2017,
after the eight and a half years of Liberal–National government, the
unemployment rate was 6.5 per cent; it is now 2.9 per cent. In other words, we
have more than halved the unemployment rate. Significantly, Western Australia's
youth unemployment rate is the lowest of all
the states. The figures show employment has increased by 5.8 per cent over the year to April and, very significantly, full-time employment, full-time
jobs, rose by 19 000 jobs in April. For the
first time ever, there are now one million Western Australians in full-time
work. As I said, we continue to have the highest participation rate in
the country. It is clear that our efforts to diversify the economy and ensure
we got through the COVID pandemic with our industries open with good health and
economic outcomes have worked, and we have achieved the soft landing we were
looking for. We have made some very difficult decisions—put in place
safe border controls; ensured that our population was one of, if not the most,
vaccinated in the world; kept industry open when it closed all over the world
and in other states of Australia; and avoided the extensive lockdowns that
occurred in other states of Australia that resulted in a booming internal
economy in Western Australia and a booming export economy in Western Australia. This is a credit to the hard
work and understanding of all Western Australians out there.
Of
course, none of that would have been possible if the Liberals and Nationals and
their friend Clive Palmer had succeeded in introducing the virus into Western
Australia. If they had succeeded in their quest to do so, our economic figures
would be very different, our unemployment rate would be much higher and our
health outcomes would have been far, far worse. It was terrific to have a federal
opposition leader, in Anthony Albanese, support us in what we had to do over
that period. I am sure that if Anthony Albanese is elected as Prime Minister of
Australia on Saturday, we will work cooperatively on a range of initiatives to
boost local employment even further, whether it is in local manufacturing,
particularly of buses; local health investment; the Aboriginal cultural
heritage centre; or important initiatives, such as making child care more
affordable and responding to climate change.
This
government has produced the best employment figures and the lowest unemployment
rates in Australia at the same time as driving down debt. The commonwealth has
increased debt fivefold to a trillion dollars— $1 000 billion—whereas
this government has paid off a third of the debt that was in the forward
estimates of the last Liberal–National
government and it continues to drive down debt this financial year. We can do these things at once if we have a stable,
sensible and responsible government that is focused on employment and
good health outcomes, which is exactly what this government has been.
(1)–(2)
Today we have sensational economic news for Western Australia. Western Australia
is leading the nation. Our unemployment rate now has a ''2'' in
front of it. Our unemployment rate has fallen to 2.9 per cent, by far the
lowest unemployment rate in Australia; and a full percentage point lower than
the national unemployment rate of 3.9 per cent with very, very high participation
rates—way above those of any other state or territory in the
commonwealth. The last time the unemployment rate was this low was when Labor
was last in government. No other state in history has had an unemployment rate
under three per cent other than Western Australia.
When we came to government, we
committed to putting Western Australia back into its rightful position of
leading the nation—and we have. When we arrived in office in 2017,
after the eight and a half years of Liberal–National government, the
unemployment rate was 6.5 per cent; it is now 2.9 per cent. In other words, we
have more than halved the unemployment rate. Significantly, Western Australia's
youth unemployment rate is the lowest of all
the states. The figures show employment has increased by 5.8 per cent over the year to April and, very significantly, full-time employment, full-time
jobs, rose by 19 000 jobs in April. For the
first time ever, there are now one million Western Australians in full-time
work. As I said, we continue to have the highest participation rate in
the country. It is clear that our efforts to diversify the economy and ensure
we got through the COVID pandemic with our industries open with good health and
economic outcomes have worked, and we have achieved the soft landing we were
looking for. We have made some very difficult decisions—put in place
safe border controls; ensured that our population was one of, if not the most,
vaccinated in the world; kept industry open when it closed all over the world
and in other states of Australia; and avoided the extensive lockdowns that
occurred in other states of Australia that resulted in a booming internal
economy in Western Australia and a booming export economy in Western Australia. This is a credit to the hard
work and understanding of all Western Australians out there.
Of
course, none of that would have been possible if the Liberals and Nationals and
their friend Clive Palmer had succeeded in introducing the virus into Western
Australia. If they had succeeded in their quest to do so, our economic figures
would be very different, our unemployment rate would be much higher and our
health outcomes would have been far, far worse. It was terrific to have a federal
opposition leader, in Anthony Albanese, support us in what we had to do over
that period. I am sure that if Anthony Albanese is elected as Prime Minister of
Australia on Saturday, we will work cooperatively on a range of initiatives to
boost local employment even further, whether it is in local manufacturing,
particularly of buses; local health investment; the Aboriginal cultural
heritage centre; or important initiatives, such as making child care more
affordable and responding to climate change.
This
government has produced the best employment figures and the lowest unemployment
rates in Australia at the same time as driving down debt. The commonwealth has
increased debt fivefold to a trillion dollars— $1 000 billion—whereas
this government has paid off a third of the debt that was in the forward
estimates of the last Liberal–National
government and it continues to drive down debt this financial year. We can do these things at once if we have a stable,
sensible and responsible government that is focused on employment and
good health outcomes, which is exactly what this government has been.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.