❓ The Minister updates the house on the success of the WA Jobs Act and WA industry participation strategy in supporting local businesses and creating jobs, particularly in regional WA, highlighting positive outcomes and future commitments.
AnsweredQoN 178Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
PLAN FOR JOBS
178. Mr D.A.E. SCAIFE to the Minister for State Development,
Jobs and Trade:
I
refer to the McGowan Labor government's efforts in creating local jobs
and providing more local content through its unprecedented plan for jobs. Can
the minister update the house on how the government's landmark Western Australian Jobs Act and the Western Australian industry participation strategy are
supporting local businesses and helping to create more local jobs, including
across regional Western Australia?
178. Mr D.A.E. SCAIFE to the Minister for State Development,
Jobs and Trade:
I
refer to the McGowan Labor government's efforts in creating local jobs
and providing more local content through its unprecedented plan for jobs. Can
the minister update the house on how the government's landmark Western Australian Jobs Act and the Western Australian industry participation strategy are
supporting local businesses and helping to create more local jobs, including
across regional Western Australia?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Cockburn for
the question and acknowledge his lifetime commitment to working Western Australians
and their lives.
As the Premier just pointed out, we
could not predict the global pandemic and the health consequences associated with that. In addition, there have been economic
consequences as a result of the global pandemic, and the McGowan government has made getting Western Australians
back into the workplace an absolute priority as we continue to navigate
a path out of the global pandemic. The McGowan government's number one
priority is jobs for Western Australians, making sure that we can continue to
provide great livelihoods and great lives for working Western Australians in
this state. That is a reason why one of our keystone commitments in the
election campaign was the WA Labor plan for jobs . That plan contains a renewed
focus on the creation of employment opportunities for Western Australians,
particularly from major government projects and the benefits that come from
them. At the core of that initiative was the introduction of the Western Australian
Jobs Act 2017 and the Western Australian industry
participation strategy, both of which were successfully enacted in the last
Parliament. That has meant that, for the first time, legislation and policy
covers all forms of government procurement across all government agencies.
When
WAIPS came into operation in 2018, the economic and business outcomes that were
subsequently unlocked were tracked through the combined use of participation
plans and reporting initiatives. I am pleased to say that between October 2018
and March 2021, the Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation has
received 486 reported projects with a
contract value of $4.1 billion. Those projects contain commitments for over 42 000
WA jobs, including 2 500
apprenticeships and traineeships, and of those jobs, 10 300, or approximately
25 per cent, are in regional Western Australia,
including 751 apprenticeships and traineeships. As part of these outcomes, Western
Australian content was averaging 91 per cent for all reported contracts.
Indeed, many of those projects exceeded that average and were built with
100 per cent local content—324 projects, in fact—which covered
27 482 Western Australian jobs. There is no
doubt that WAIPS has been incredibly successful in ensuring that all agencies
utilise their procurement strategies to the greatest effect by creating Western
Australian jobs.
In 2020, the work of the McGowan
government went even further with the enactment of the Western Australian Buy Local
policy. This policy heavily emphasises the role of regional small and
medium-sized enterprises, and supports them through stronger regional price
preference, training and increased access to information regarding future
opportunities. The Premier set a target of 3 000 jobs in the regions during the
first year of the application of the WA Buy Local policy. I am pleased to
report that that target has been exceeded, with over 4 000 jobs recorded by the
end of April 2021.
The WA government remains committed
to securing more jobs for Western Australians, whether it is through the manufacturing of Metronet railcars, the production
of wind farm components or the promotion of the local capability fund
that supports Aboriginal businesses. The McGowan Labor government is incredibly
proud of its record in and commitment to
creating WA jobs. We will continue to make sure that Western Australians
benefit most from our great Buy Local policies and our procurement
strategies, which are providing a record opportunity for WA businesses not only
in the metropolitan area, but also right across regional WA to provide a future
for working Western Australians.
the question and acknowledge his lifetime commitment to working Western Australians
and their lives.
As the Premier just pointed out, we
could not predict the global pandemic and the health consequences associated with that. In addition, there have been economic
consequences as a result of the global pandemic, and the McGowan government has made getting Western Australians
back into the workplace an absolute priority as we continue to navigate
a path out of the global pandemic. The McGowan government's number one
priority is jobs for Western Australians, making sure that we can continue to
provide great livelihoods and great lives for working Western Australians in
this state. That is a reason why one of our keystone commitments in the
election campaign was the WA Labor plan for jobs . That plan contains a renewed
focus on the creation of employment opportunities for Western Australians,
particularly from major government projects and the benefits that come from
them. At the core of that initiative was the introduction of the Western Australian
Jobs Act 2017 and the Western Australian industry
participation strategy, both of which were successfully enacted in the last
Parliament. That has meant that, for the first time, legislation and policy
covers all forms of government procurement across all government agencies.
When
WAIPS came into operation in 2018, the economic and business outcomes that were
subsequently unlocked were tracked through the combined use of participation
plans and reporting initiatives. I am pleased to say that between October 2018
and March 2021, the Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation has
received 486 reported projects with a
contract value of $4.1 billion. Those projects contain commitments for over 42 000
WA jobs, including 2 500
apprenticeships and traineeships, and of those jobs, 10 300, or approximately
25 per cent, are in regional Western Australia,
including 751 apprenticeships and traineeships. As part of these outcomes, Western
Australian content was averaging 91 per cent for all reported contracts.
Indeed, many of those projects exceeded that average and were built with
100 per cent local content—324 projects, in fact—which covered
27 482 Western Australian jobs. There is no
doubt that WAIPS has been incredibly successful in ensuring that all agencies
utilise their procurement strategies to the greatest effect by creating Western
Australian jobs.
In 2020, the work of the McGowan
government went even further with the enactment of the Western Australian Buy Local
policy. This policy heavily emphasises the role of regional small and
medium-sized enterprises, and supports them through stronger regional price
preference, training and increased access to information regarding future
opportunities. The Premier set a target of 3 000 jobs in the regions during the
first year of the application of the WA Buy Local policy. I am pleased to
report that that target has been exceeded, with over 4 000 jobs recorded by the
end of April 2021.
The WA government remains committed
to securing more jobs for Western Australians, whether it is through the manufacturing of Metronet railcars, the production
of wind farm components or the promotion of the local capability fund
that supports Aboriginal businesses. The McGowan Labor government is incredibly
proud of its record in and commitment to
creating WA jobs. We will continue to make sure that Western Australians
benefit most from our great Buy Local policies and our procurement
strategies, which are providing a record opportunity for WA businesses not only
in the metropolitan area, but also right across regional WA to provide a future
for working Western Australians.
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