❓ A question regarding the McGowan government's performance in strengthening WA's economy, job creation, and fairness, answered by the Premier highlighting job growth, budget surpluses, credit rating upgrades, and legislative achievements.
AnsweredQoN 846Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
M c GOWAN GOVERNMENT — PERFORMANCE
846. Mr Y. MUBARAKAI to the Premier:
Before I ask my question, on behalf
of the amazing member for Southern River, may I please welcome the students
from St Emilie's Catholic Primary School in Canning Vale.
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's commitment to keeping Western Australia strong. Can the
Premier update the house on how his government is delivering on this
commitment, including its efforts in supporting the economy, creating jobs and
delivering a fairer Western Australia?
846. Mr Y. MUBARAKAI to the Premier:
Before I ask my question, on behalf
of the amazing member for Southern River, may I please welcome the students
from St Emilie's Catholic Primary School in Canning Vale.
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's commitment to keeping Western Australia strong. Can the
Premier update the house on how his government is delivering on this
commitment, including its efforts in supporting the economy, creating jobs and
delivering a fairer Western Australia?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Jandakot for
the question. Obviously, today is the final day of sitting of the Assembly for
2021, so I would like to acknowledge that and acknowledge all the work of the
members here over the course of the past year. Unfortunately for our upper
house colleagues, I think they have another three weeks of sitting. I wish them
the best on their deliberations and the passing of legislation. In terms of the
members here, particularly the new members, I thank you for your contribution
over the course of the last year. Your first year in Parliament is often your most memorable. It is a time of
learning and getting used to the ways and the ebbs and flows of Parliament .
Well done to all of you.
At the election in March, we
committed to keeping Western Australia strong. I want to go through some of the things this government has done to achieve
that outcome. Firstly, since we arrived in office, 120 000 new jobs have been created in Western Australia. We now
have the lowest unemployment rate in Australia. When we arrived in office,
Western Australia had the highest unemployment rate in Australia. Our
unemployment rate is now down to 3.9 per cent. Across Australia, other state
governments are averaging around a 5.5 per cent unemployment rate. Clearly, we
have the lowest unemployment rate of all the states of Australia.
We have a record on financial
management unsurpassed in the country. We have delivered record budget
surpluses and budget surpluses across each of the forward estimates. We have
delivered this year a record $5.8 billion budget surplus, which has allowed us
to invest in a new women's and babies' hospital and a new
desalination plant, and to have a massive increase in expenditure in health and
our world-leading COVID-19 response, plus amazing climate change and social housing packages across the public sector.
Standard and Poor's has reaffirmed our AA+ credit rating and upgraded our outlook from stable to positive.
After the budget, Standard and Poor's said that Western Australia
was outperforming its domestic peers, as well as most comparable German and
Canadian peers at a state and/or provincial level.
In addition to that, we passed
important legislation. Firstly, I am very pleased to see that we have passed
legislation to ensure that the Legislative
Council of Western Australia is democratic for the first time in 130 years.
People who oppose democracy, like the Liberals and Nationals, should be
ashamed of themselves. For the first time, the vote of a person in Kalgoorlie will not be worth three and a half times the
vote of a person in Albany, the vote of a person in Northam will not be worth four times the vote of a person in
Wooroloo, and the vote of a person in Northam will not be worth three
and a half times the vote of a person in Augusta. Every person across the state
will now have 37 upper house MPs representing them and we will have a democratic
upper house for the first time ever.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please!
Mr M. McGOWAN : On other
legislation, we put in place the voluntary assisted dying laws. They are now operational as of 1 July, and that has obviously
provided some options and relief for many people dying and suffering in
pain. We passed laws for safe access zones around abortion clinics. We put in
place the security of payment legislation for subcontractors. We have now
protected the Beeliar wetlands, and the Roe 8 project is consigned to history. We are cracking down on bikie and outlaw
motorcycle gangs, legislation for which we hope will get through Parliament this year. After three decades of failed attempts, we will be
delivering our new Aboriginal Cultural Heritage
Act to ensure that Aboriginal heritage is improved and at the forefront of
considerations when projects are developed. We have reappointed the
state's best corruption fighter. John McKechnie is the head of the
Corruption and Crime Commission via legislation. On top of this, we are
stopping the logging of our native forests as of 2024. We have brought railcar
manufacturing back to Western Australia and opened a new facility in Bellevue.
We have expanded the Lower Fees, Local Skills TAFE program and we have more
people in training than at any time in recent
history. We have launched our new Plan for Plastics, amongst many other things.
It has been a year of ensuring that Western Australia is safe and strong
and continues to lead the nation and the world.
the question. Obviously, today is the final day of sitting of the Assembly for
2021, so I would like to acknowledge that and acknowledge all the work of the
members here over the course of the past year. Unfortunately for our upper
house colleagues, I think they have another three weeks of sitting. I wish them
the best on their deliberations and the passing of legislation. In terms of the
members here, particularly the new members, I thank you for your contribution
over the course of the last year. Your first year in Parliament is often your most memorable. It is a time of
learning and getting used to the ways and the ebbs and flows of Parliament .
Well done to all of you.
At the election in March, we
committed to keeping Western Australia strong. I want to go through some of the things this government has done to achieve
that outcome. Firstly, since we arrived in office, 120 000 new jobs have been created in Western Australia. We now
have the lowest unemployment rate in Australia. When we arrived in office,
Western Australia had the highest unemployment rate in Australia. Our
unemployment rate is now down to 3.9 per cent. Across Australia, other state
governments are averaging around a 5.5 per cent unemployment rate. Clearly, we
have the lowest unemployment rate of all the states of Australia.
We have a record on financial
management unsurpassed in the country. We have delivered record budget
surpluses and budget surpluses across each of the forward estimates. We have
delivered this year a record $5.8 billion budget surplus, which has allowed us
to invest in a new women's and babies' hospital and a new
desalination plant, and to have a massive increase in expenditure in health and
our world-leading COVID-19 response, plus amazing climate change and social housing packages across the public sector.
Standard and Poor's has reaffirmed our AA+ credit rating and upgraded our outlook from stable to positive.
After the budget, Standard and Poor's said that Western Australia
was outperforming its domestic peers, as well as most comparable German and
Canadian peers at a state and/or provincial level.
In addition to that, we passed
important legislation. Firstly, I am very pleased to see that we have passed
legislation to ensure that the Legislative
Council of Western Australia is democratic for the first time in 130 years.
People who oppose democracy, like the Liberals and Nationals, should be
ashamed of themselves. For the first time, the vote of a person in Kalgoorlie will not be worth three and a half times the
vote of a person in Albany, the vote of a person in Northam will not be worth four times the vote of a person in
Wooroloo, and the vote of a person in Northam will not be worth three
and a half times the vote of a person in Augusta. Every person across the state
will now have 37 upper house MPs representing them and we will have a democratic
upper house for the first time ever.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please!
Mr M. McGOWAN : On other
legislation, we put in place the voluntary assisted dying laws. They are now operational as of 1 July, and that has obviously
provided some options and relief for many people dying and suffering in
pain. We passed laws for safe access zones around abortion clinics. We put in
place the security of payment legislation for subcontractors. We have now
protected the Beeliar wetlands, and the Roe 8 project is consigned to history. We are cracking down on bikie and outlaw
motorcycle gangs, legislation for which we hope will get through Parliament this year. After three decades of failed attempts, we will be
delivering our new Aboriginal Cultural Heritage
Act to ensure that Aboriginal heritage is improved and at the forefront of
considerations when projects are developed. We have reappointed the
state's best corruption fighter. John McKechnie is the head of the
Corruption and Crime Commission via legislation. On top of this, we are
stopping the logging of our native forests as of 2024. We have brought railcar
manufacturing back to Western Australia and opened a new facility in Bellevue.
We have expanded the Lower Fees, Local Skills TAFE program and we have more
people in training than at any time in recent
history. We have launched our new Plan for Plastics, amongst many other things.
It has been a year of ensuring that Western Australia is safe and strong
and continues to lead the nation and the world.
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