❓ Hon Peter Collier questions the Premier regarding potential fast-tracked quarantine for interstate FIFO workers and workforce shortages in the mining industry. The government denies fast-tracking quarantine and outlines plans to address workforce gaps by promoting relocation and training WA residents.
AnsweredQoN 884Legislative Council
Asked
10 September 2020
Member
Portfolio
Leader of the House representing the Premier
QuestionView source ↗
CORONAVIRUS — INTERSTATE TRAVEL
RESTRICTIONS — EXEMPTIONS
884. Hon PETER COLLIER to the Leader of the House
representing the Premier:
I refer to the article in today's The West
Australian regarding plans being developed to fast-track quarantine for
interstate fly in, fly out workers and the Premier's comment yesterday
that ''I have been very clear with the major mining and oil and gas companies
that those days are over and we need to move to a new arrangement whereby their
workforce is based here.''
(1) Is the
government currently undertaking negotiations to allow interstate FIFO workers
to fast-track quarantine protocols in Western Australia?
(2) If yes to
(1), with whom are these negotiations taking place, and what are the revised
conditions being considered?
(3) Have any
quarantine exemptions been provided for interstate FIFO workers over the past
30 days; and, if so, how many?
(4) What plans
does the government have in place to manage the looming workforce shortages in
the mining industry?
RESTRICTIONS — EXEMPTIONS
884. Hon PETER COLLIER to the Leader of the House
representing the Premier:
I refer to the article in today's The West
Australian regarding plans being developed to fast-track quarantine for
interstate fly in, fly out workers and the Premier's comment yesterday
that ''I have been very clear with the major mining and oil and gas companies
that those days are over and we need to move to a new arrangement whereby their
workforce is based here.''
(1) Is the
government currently undertaking negotiations to allow interstate FIFO workers
to fast-track quarantine protocols in Western Australia?
(2) If yes to
(1), with whom are these negotiations taking place, and what are the revised
conditions being considered?
(3) Have any
quarantine exemptions been provided for interstate FIFO workers over the past
30 days; and, if so, how many?
(4) What plans
does the government have in place to manage the looming workforce shortages in
the mining industry?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the honourable member for some notice of the
question.
(1) No. Western
Australia's Chief Health Officer and the Australian Health Protection
Principal Committee agree that 14 days of quarantine is an essential
requirement. This important health requirement will continue for the
foreseeable future.
(2) Not applicable.
(3) The
article referred to in the question does not canvass quarantine exemptions;
however, as previously outlined in answers to the member's questions
383 and 406, applications for exemptions are assessed on an individual basis
and it is not possible to break down the exact number of applications by
category.
(4) The
government has been working actively with industry to both promote the
permanent relocation of interstate workers to Western Australia, as has been
reported in the mainstream media this week, and identify training and skills
gaps to provide pathways for WA residents to access these jobs, and is working with individual companies to identify any
high-level skills gaps that will need to be covered in the short term.
question.
(1) No. Western
Australia's Chief Health Officer and the Australian Health Protection
Principal Committee agree that 14 days of quarantine is an essential
requirement. This important health requirement will continue for the
foreseeable future.
(2) Not applicable.
(3) The
article referred to in the question does not canvass quarantine exemptions;
however, as previously outlined in answers to the member's questions
383 and 406, applications for exemptions are assessed on an individual basis
and it is not possible to break down the exact number of applications by
category.
(4) The
government has been working actively with industry to both promote the
permanent relocation of interstate workers to Western Australia, as has been
reported in the mainstream media this week, and identify training and skills
gaps to provide pathways for WA residents to access these jobs, and is working with individual companies to identify any
high-level skills gaps that will need to be covered in the short term.
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.