❓ Ms. Davies asks about the Premier's plan to relocate interstate FIFO workers to WA, including targets and regional prioritisation. The Premier's response lacks specific targets but expresses a desire to attract as many workers as possible to regional WA.
AnsweredQoN 308Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
FLY IN, FLY OUT WORKERS — INTERSTATE —
PERMANENT WA RESIDENTS
308. Ms M.J. DAVIES to the Premier:
I refer to the Premier's
announcement on Friday in which he said that the state government would launch
a joint campaign with industry to relocate thousands of interstate fly in, fly
out workers permanently to WA.
(1) What target
has he set for the relocation exercise and what time frame does he hope to
achieve it in?
(2) Will he
prioritise the relocation of those willing to come to WA permanently to
regional areas that service our mining and resource sector?
PERMANENT WA RESIDENTS
308. Ms M.J. DAVIES to the Premier:
I refer to the Premier's
announcement on Friday in which he said that the state government would launch
a joint campaign with industry to relocate thousands of interstate fly in, fly
out workers permanently to WA.
(1) What target
has he set for the relocation exercise and what time frame does he hope to
achieve it in?
(2) Will he
prioritise the relocation of those willing to come to WA permanently to
regional areas that service our mining and resource sector?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) On
Friday after the national cabinet and the State Disaster Council, I went to
Mandurah where I held a press conference on the foreshore with the member for
Mandurah, and then we had a great walk around Halls Head Central shopping
centre. It was very good and —
Several members interjected.
Mr M. McGOWAN : We got to talk
to lots of locals and to hear their concerns. It was very informative. I enjoyed
very much visiting Dawesville and Halls Head. I expect I will visit there many
more times over coming months.
In
answer to the specific questions, I had a roundtable meeting with the iron ore
industry Thursday or Friday a week ago. Each of the major iron ore miners was
there. Five miners were represented with basically the CEOs of each as part of
it to discuss what things we can get out of what has happened. What is there
that Western Australia can secure out of what has happened to better strengthen
and better support WA? It is a terrible time, but we have to take and look for
any opportunities that might arise. Clearly, the mining industry, as have the
oil and gas and other industries, has moved lots of staff members with their
families from the east basically to live here. There are people who fly in, fly
out from the city here. Some have moved into regional towns and some have moved
into Hedland, Karratha or Kalgoorlie rather than FIFO from Melbourne, Sydney or
Brisbane. It struck me that railcar manufacturing, reinstating flights when the
time is right—as we know, a lot of flights are supported by the mining
industry—and getting some of those FIFO workers who fly out of
Melbourne, Sydney or Brisbane to live permanently in Western Australia is an
opportunity. That is why I convened the meeting. The Treasurer and the Minister
for Mines and Petroleum were there, and it was a very productive meeting. We
all agreed that it would be a great opportunity. This event has shown that
supervening events can cause trouble for industry, particularly when staff
members and employees have to travel 4 000 kilometres to Perth and another 1 500
kilometres or so to work. It can interrupt their operations. We talked about
the opportunity of FIFO workers coming here. I would love it if they came and
lived in regional communities—to Hedland, Karratha, Newman, Kalgoorlie
or wherever it may be. That would be wonderful as part of this.
In terms of time frame, the
opportunity to work on this is now, so industry and government is working on
this as we speak. In terms of exact targets, thousands of people—I have
heard various figures; one figure I heard was 6
000 people—are FIFO-ing out of the east. Making sure we secure as many
of those people to live in Western Australia would be great for the
state. We have had a huge net decline in migration to Western Australia. Not
having the migration levels we used to have is having a big impact on home
building. It is impacting home building in a way that that none of us could
have foreseen and that none of us are in control of. Clearly, if we get people
moving from the east who live here for a period
and experience the lifestyle, it can partly make up for that loss of
international migration. It means also that people with large incomes
generated in Western Australia keep those incomes here. I have answered the
member's question as best I can. When those people come here with their
families, I would certainly love to see them living in regional WA.
Friday after the national cabinet and the State Disaster Council, I went to
Mandurah where I held a press conference on the foreshore with the member for
Mandurah, and then we had a great walk around Halls Head Central shopping
centre. It was very good and —
Several members interjected.
Mr M. McGOWAN : We got to talk
to lots of locals and to hear their concerns. It was very informative. I enjoyed
very much visiting Dawesville and Halls Head. I expect I will visit there many
more times over coming months.
In
answer to the specific questions, I had a roundtable meeting with the iron ore
industry Thursday or Friday a week ago. Each of the major iron ore miners was
there. Five miners were represented with basically the CEOs of each as part of
it to discuss what things we can get out of what has happened. What is there
that Western Australia can secure out of what has happened to better strengthen
and better support WA? It is a terrible time, but we have to take and look for
any opportunities that might arise. Clearly, the mining industry, as have the
oil and gas and other industries, has moved lots of staff members with their
families from the east basically to live here. There are people who fly in, fly
out from the city here. Some have moved into regional towns and some have moved
into Hedland, Karratha or Kalgoorlie rather than FIFO from Melbourne, Sydney or
Brisbane. It struck me that railcar manufacturing, reinstating flights when the
time is right—as we know, a lot of flights are supported by the mining
industry—and getting some of those FIFO workers who fly out of
Melbourne, Sydney or Brisbane to live permanently in Western Australia is an
opportunity. That is why I convened the meeting. The Treasurer and the Minister
for Mines and Petroleum were there, and it was a very productive meeting. We
all agreed that it would be a great opportunity. This event has shown that
supervening events can cause trouble for industry, particularly when staff
members and employees have to travel 4 000 kilometres to Perth and another 1 500
kilometres or so to work. It can interrupt their operations. We talked about
the opportunity of FIFO workers coming here. I would love it if they came and
lived in regional communities—to Hedland, Karratha, Newman, Kalgoorlie
or wherever it may be. That would be wonderful as part of this.
In terms of time frame, the
opportunity to work on this is now, so industry and government is working on
this as we speak. In terms of exact targets, thousands of people—I have
heard various figures; one figure I heard was 6
000 people—are FIFO-ing out of the east. Making sure we secure as many
of those people to live in Western Australia would be great for the
state. We have had a huge net decline in migration to Western Australia. Not
having the migration levels we used to have is having a big impact on home
building. It is impacting home building in a way that that none of us could
have foreseen and that none of us are in control of. Clearly, if we get people
moving from the east who live here for a period
and experience the lifestyle, it can partly make up for that loss of
international migration. It means also that people with large incomes
generated in Western Australia keep those incomes here. I have answered the
member's question as best I can. When those people come here with their
families, I would certainly love to see them living in regional WA.
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