❓ Dr. Honey questions the Treasurer about labour shortages impacting WA's economy, particularly in agriculture, hospitality, tourism, and mining. The Premier dismisses the criticism, highlighting the state's strong economic performance and low unemployment rate.
AnsweredQoN 619Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
STATE ECONOMY — JOBS
619. Dr D.J. HONEY to the Treasurer:
I refer to a shortage of over 50 000
workers in Western Australia, which is impacting the agriculture, hospitality,
tourism and mining sectors because of this government's failures. Can
the Premier confirm —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members! Do not interject while someone
is asking a question, thank you.
Dr D.J. HONEY : I will resume.
(1) Can the
Premier confirm that Rio Tinto has been forced to reduce forecast iron ore
exports by up to 20 million tonnes due to
labour shortages, which, based on current iron ore prices, has resulted in WA
losing up to $2.5 billion in economic activity and over $150 million in
royalty revenue?
(2) How much has
state Treasury missed out on in lost royalties and forgone payroll tax
collections across all sectors because of this ongoing skills crisis?
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Before I ask the
Premier to respond, I will ask the Minister for Water not to continually
interject. I will also ask the member for Landsdale not to interject after I have
specifically said please do not interject during the question.
619. Dr D.J. HONEY to the Treasurer:
I refer to a shortage of over 50 000
workers in Western Australia, which is impacting the agriculture, hospitality,
tourism and mining sectors because of this government's failures. Can
the Premier confirm —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members! Do not interject while someone
is asking a question, thank you.
Dr D.J. HONEY : I will resume.
(1) Can the
Premier confirm that Rio Tinto has been forced to reduce forecast iron ore
exports by up to 20 million tonnes due to
labour shortages, which, based on current iron ore prices, has resulted in WA
losing up to $2.5 billion in economic activity and over $150 million in
royalty revenue?
(2) How much has
state Treasury missed out on in lost royalties and forgone payroll tax
collections across all sectors because of this ongoing skills crisis?
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Before I ask the
Premier to respond, I will ask the Minister for Water not to continually
interject. I will also ask the member for Landsdale not to interject after I have
specifically said please do not interject during the question.
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) New members, what
this shows is an opposition bereft of ideas.
Ms M.M. Quirk interjected.
The SPEAKER : Do you have a problem
with that, member for Landsdale?
Ms M.M. Quirk : No; well done,
Speaker.
The SPEAKER : Thank you.
Mr M. McGOWAN : This shows an
opposition bereft of ideas and bereft of criticisms. The Leader of the Liberal Party's criticism, just so we understand
it, is that we have the lowest unemployment rate in the nation, the most people employed in history, the highest participation rate in the nation by miles,
more people in training than ever before, the
most affordable TAFE fees in history and a booming economy, and he says that is
bad! That is bad, according to him, because there are so many jobs out
there and such a strong economy. Because the commonwealth has closed the
international border, it is now my fault that the international border is
closed.
To
cope with the international border closure, we are training more Western Australians
than ever before. We are putting in place courses that are actually free
for people to transition from one job to another. There are 15 or 20 courses to
allow people to transition in terms of computer skills or hospitality skills or
the like to get into other occupations. We
are putting in place more than 180 courses. We have significantly reduced fees;
we have the cheapest and best TAFE system in the country—all those
things to get Western Australians into the workplace. What has been the
consequence of that? We have a participation rate approaching 70 per cent. In
Tasmania, it is around 60 per cent. New South Wales' unemployment rate
has gone down because people have given up looking for work. Hundreds of thousands
of people in New South Wales have left the workforce and not registered for a job
because they have given up. Here we have so
many jobs and such a strong economy that we have difficulty filling some of the
positions.
That is true and that is because—it
seems to be something the Liberals and Nationals do not understand—it
is difficult to attract people from overseas because we have a closed
international border. I do not control that, but I support it because all those good outcomes would be undermined if we
had a significant outbreak of COVID. If we look at what has occurred in New South Wales and Victoria, we can see
what has happened there: lockdowns, people stuck in their homes for
months on end and businesses closed for months on end, en masse, in the tens of
thousands. I do not want that. If the Leader of the Liberal Party wants to
attack me for having a strong economy, please do so. If he wants to attack me
for having the lowest unemployment rate in the nation, please continue to do
so. Our unemployment rate the other day got no attention because there were all
these national packages: ''It's all terrible, the unemployment
rate is going up et cetera''; it was all about the east coast. Our
unemployment rate went from 4.6 to 4.1 per cent, with the strongest
participation rate in the nation, and the Leader of the Liberal Party
criticises me for that. Well, keep criticising because I quite enjoy his
criticisms!
this shows is an opposition bereft of ideas.
Ms M.M. Quirk interjected.
The SPEAKER : Do you have a problem
with that, member for Landsdale?
Ms M.M. Quirk : No; well done,
Speaker.
The SPEAKER : Thank you.
Mr M. McGOWAN : This shows an
opposition bereft of ideas and bereft of criticisms. The Leader of the Liberal Party's criticism, just so we understand
it, is that we have the lowest unemployment rate in the nation, the most people employed in history, the highest participation rate in the nation by miles,
more people in training than ever before, the
most affordable TAFE fees in history and a booming economy, and he says that is
bad! That is bad, according to him, because there are so many jobs out
there and such a strong economy. Because the commonwealth has closed the
international border, it is now my fault that the international border is
closed.
To
cope with the international border closure, we are training more Western Australians
than ever before. We are putting in place courses that are actually free
for people to transition from one job to another. There are 15 or 20 courses to
allow people to transition in terms of computer skills or hospitality skills or
the like to get into other occupations. We
are putting in place more than 180 courses. We have significantly reduced fees;
we have the cheapest and best TAFE system in the country—all those
things to get Western Australians into the workplace. What has been the
consequence of that? We have a participation rate approaching 70 per cent. In
Tasmania, it is around 60 per cent. New South Wales' unemployment rate
has gone down because people have given up looking for work. Hundreds of thousands
of people in New South Wales have left the workforce and not registered for a job
because they have given up. Here we have so
many jobs and such a strong economy that we have difficulty filling some of the
positions.
That is true and that is because—it
seems to be something the Liberals and Nationals do not understand—it
is difficult to attract people from overseas because we have a closed
international border. I do not control that, but I support it because all those good outcomes would be undermined if we
had a significant outbreak of COVID. If we look at what has occurred in New South Wales and Victoria, we can see
what has happened there: lockdowns, people stuck in their homes for
months on end and businesses closed for months on end, en masse, in the tens of
thousands. I do not want that. If the Leader of the Liberal Party wants to
attack me for having a strong economy, please do so. If he wants to attack me
for having the lowest unemployment rate in the nation, please continue to do
so. Our unemployment rate the other day got no attention because there were all
these national packages: ''It's all terrible, the unemployment
rate is going up et cetera''; it was all about the east coast. Our
unemployment rate went from 4.6 to 4.1 per cent, with the strongest
participation rate in the nation, and the Leader of the Liberal Party
criticises me for that. Well, keep criticising because I quite enjoy his
criticisms!
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