❓ Mr. Scaife asks the Premier about the Cook Labor government's plans to diversify WA's economy and create future-focused jobs. The Premier outlines support for the Kimberley Cotton Gin, defence sector expansion, and energy transition projects.
AnsweredQoN 288Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
State economy—Diversification288.Mr David Scaifeto
thePremier:Mr Speaker, before I
ask my question, on behalf of the member for Riverton, I would like to
acknowledge the students from Parkwood Primary School here in your gallery
today.I refer to the Cook
Labor government's commitment to diversifying Western Australia's economy and
creating secure future-focused local jobs.(1) Can the Premier outline to the house how the
government is supporting the development of new and emerging industries?(2) Can the Premier explain how this is helping WA
remain the strongest economy in the nation?
thePremier:Mr Speaker, before I
ask my question, on behalf of the member for Riverton, I would like to
acknowledge the students from Parkwood Primary School here in your gallery
today.I refer to the Cook
Labor government's commitment to diversifying Western Australia's economy and
creating secure future-focused local jobs.(1) Can the Premier outline to the house how the
government is supporting the development of new and emerging industries?(2) Can the Premier explain how this is helping WA
remain the strongest economy in the nation?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
12 August 2025
Response time
0 days
Mr Roger Cook replied:(1)–(2) I thank the member for the
question. It is pertinent that he acknowledged the kids from Parkwood primary
because we want to create great Western Australian jobs for them into the
future. The way we do that is to keep our economy the strongest in the nation.
The way we do that is by continuing to diversify our economy to make sure that
we are creating great Western Australian jobs.It was a proud day for the
Kimberley this week when we saw the grand opening of the brand-new Kimberley Cotton
Gin in Kununurra. Owned by local growers and traditional owners, the gin
enables WA-grown cotton to be processed and exported from Western Australia,
adding value and adding jobs. How many jobs? Over the next decade, around 1,000
jobs will be unlocked by a billion-dollar industry. We are so proud of the work
that has been done there. It will create a 3,500-kilometre shortcut for growers
who previously had to send their product to Queensland for processing. The project
is the product of years of collaboration and planning between industry,
traditional owners, the community and government.Along with the Albanese Labor
government, we are proud to have also supported Kimberley Cotton Gin. The WA
Labor government offered $9 million in support through our Investment Attraction
Fund and land allocation. Why? It is because we are focused on diversifying the
economy and creating quality local jobs. Further, our governments are also
working together to give Wyndham port its first port of entry status, which
will unlock millions of dollars of economic activity in the East Kimberley. The
upgraded port will open up further jobs for opportunities and regional
development in the Kimberley.Over the winter break, we also
saw other great job-creating developments take place. This time it was around
Western Australia's expanding role in the defence sector. The federal
government announced that the Royal Australian Navy's future fleet of general
purpose frigates will be built right here in WA. It is another feather in the
cap for the Henderson precinct, which is already a world-class shipbuilding
precinct. We know that WA will be the home dock for Australia's future nuclear-powered
submarines. We also know that it will build new landing craft for the Army at
Henderson. The work that the Minister for Defence Industries, Hon Paul Papalia,
has put in will see the creation of tens of thousands of jobs right down there
in the Henderson precinct, expanding our defence industry and expanding our
impact on global supply chains right across the world.The cotton gin industry and our
expanding role in the defence industries are proof that the economy is
diversifying, and this is emerging right across the state. Over the last couple
of months we have seen progress on the energy transition. Construction started
on the Merredin big battery, which I know themember
for Central Wheatbelt is happy about, as has the major expansion of the
Warradarge wind farmin Eneabba. Meanwhile, contracts totalling $342 million
were recently awarded to upgrade the South West grid. It is transformational
stuff. It is about our economy continuing to diversify and expand and creating
more Western Australian jobs, particularly for the kids at Parkwood Primary
School.
State economy—Diversification
question. It is pertinent that he acknowledged the kids from Parkwood primary
because we want to create great Western Australian jobs for them into the
future. The way we do that is to keep our economy the strongest in the nation.
The way we do that is by continuing to diversify our economy to make sure that
we are creating great Western Australian jobs.It was a proud day for the
Kimberley this week when we saw the grand opening of the brand-new Kimberley Cotton
Gin in Kununurra. Owned by local growers and traditional owners, the gin
enables WA-grown cotton to be processed and exported from Western Australia,
adding value and adding jobs. How many jobs? Over the next decade, around 1,000
jobs will be unlocked by a billion-dollar industry. We are so proud of the work
that has been done there. It will create a 3,500-kilometre shortcut for growers
who previously had to send their product to Queensland for processing. The project
is the product of years of collaboration and planning between industry,
traditional owners, the community and government.Along with the Albanese Labor
government, we are proud to have also supported Kimberley Cotton Gin. The WA
Labor government offered $9 million in support through our Investment Attraction
Fund and land allocation. Why? It is because we are focused on diversifying the
economy and creating quality local jobs. Further, our governments are also
working together to give Wyndham port its first port of entry status, which
will unlock millions of dollars of economic activity in the East Kimberley. The
upgraded port will open up further jobs for opportunities and regional
development in the Kimberley.Over the winter break, we also
saw other great job-creating developments take place. This time it was around
Western Australia's expanding role in the defence sector. The federal
government announced that the Royal Australian Navy's future fleet of general
purpose frigates will be built right here in WA. It is another feather in the
cap for the Henderson precinct, which is already a world-class shipbuilding
precinct. We know that WA will be the home dock for Australia's future nuclear-powered
submarines. We also know that it will build new landing craft for the Army at
Henderson. The work that the Minister for Defence Industries, Hon Paul Papalia,
has put in will see the creation of tens of thousands of jobs right down there
in the Henderson precinct, expanding our defence industry and expanding our
impact on global supply chains right across the world.The cotton gin industry and our
expanding role in the defence industries are proof that the economy is
diversifying, and this is emerging right across the state. Over the last couple
of months we have seen progress on the energy transition. Construction started
on the Merredin big battery, which I know themember
for Central Wheatbelt is happy about, as has the major expansion of the
Warradarge wind farmin Eneabba. Meanwhile, contracts totalling $342 million
were recently awarded to upgrade the South West grid. It is transformational
stuff. It is about our economy continuing to diversify and expand and creating
more Western Australian jobs, particularly for the kids at Parkwood Primary
School.
State economy—Diversification
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