❓ Dr. Nahan questions Premier McGowan on unemployment figures, accusing him of hypocrisy. McGowan deflects, citing national leadership issues and highlighting positive economic indicators in WA.
AnsweredQoN 112Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
STATE ECONOMY —
EMPLOYMENT — AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS
112. Dr M.D. NAHAN to the Premier:
I
have a supplementary question. In opposition, the Premier declared that an
unemployment rate of 6.5 per cent was ''the worst jobs crisis in Western
Australian history''. Will the Premier admit that the 6.8 per cent
unemployment and the 100 000 unemployed delivered by his government is the
worst jobs crisis in Western Australian history, or is he too arrogant to apply
his own standards to himself?
EMPLOYMENT — AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS
112. Dr M.D. NAHAN to the Premier:
I
have a supplementary question. In opposition, the Premier declared that an
unemployment rate of 6.5 per cent was ''the worst jobs crisis in Western
Australian history''. Will the Premier admit that the 6.8 per cent
unemployment and the 100 000 unemployed delivered by his government is the
worst jobs crisis in Western Australian history, or is he too arrogant to apply
his own standards to himself?
AnswerView source ↗
I thought I just gave a fairly
succinct —
Mr B.S. Wyatt : Comprehensive.
Mr M. McGOWAN : Succinct and
comprehensive! I thank the member. I gave a succinct and comprehensive answer
to that question. Somehow, I achieved succinctness and comprehensiveness in the
one answer.
Dr M.D. Nahan interjected.
The SPEAKER : Leader of the
Opposition, do you want to be here for the matter of public interest?
Mr M. McGOWAN : I thought I explained
to the Leader of the Opposition the situation in Western Australia. Obviously,
our focus is on creating jobs. We, and ministers, are out there every single
day seeking to do this. If I can make one point that is mildly political, I must
say, if there has been an impact on confidence in Australia, it is the constant
leadership issues at a national level. That is a statement of the bleeding
obvious. Barnaby Joyce—honestly! What is going on nationally?
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr M. McGOWAN : Barnaby Joyce
said that he is the elected Deputy Prime Minister of Australia. Seriously?
Ms L. Mettam interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Vasse, I would be more worried about going home early.
Mr M. McGOWAN : Under that
logic, I suppose I am still the elected Deputy Mayor of Rockingham and the
member for West Swan is still a prefect at Kelmscott Senior High School. We
have restored confidence in Western Australia. Business confidence is at
six-year highs. Consumer confidence is at six-year highs. Jobs growth has
happened and numerous projects are ongoing. Our participation rate is high but
we hope to improve the situation in the future.
succinct —
Mr B.S. Wyatt : Comprehensive.
Mr M. McGOWAN : Succinct and
comprehensive! I thank the member. I gave a succinct and comprehensive answer
to that question. Somehow, I achieved succinctness and comprehensiveness in the
one answer.
Dr M.D. Nahan interjected.
The SPEAKER : Leader of the
Opposition, do you want to be here for the matter of public interest?
Mr M. McGOWAN : I thought I explained
to the Leader of the Opposition the situation in Western Australia. Obviously,
our focus is on creating jobs. We, and ministers, are out there every single
day seeking to do this. If I can make one point that is mildly political, I must
say, if there has been an impact on confidence in Australia, it is the constant
leadership issues at a national level. That is a statement of the bleeding
obvious. Barnaby Joyce—honestly! What is going on nationally?
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr M. McGOWAN : Barnaby Joyce
said that he is the elected Deputy Prime Minister of Australia. Seriously?
Ms L. Mettam interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Vasse, I would be more worried about going home early.
Mr M. McGOWAN : Under that
logic, I suppose I am still the elected Deputy Mayor of Rockingham and the
member for West Swan is still a prefect at Kelmscott Senior High School. We
have restored confidence in Western Australia. Business confidence is at
six-year highs. Consumer confidence is at six-year highs. Jobs growth has
happened and numerous projects are ongoing. Our participation rate is high but
we hope to improve the situation in the future.
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.