❓ The Minister boasts about WA's low unemployment rate (3.1%), a 30-year low, and job creation figures, contrasting it with the national average and questioning the effectiveness and selective application of the federal WorkChoices policy.
AnsweredQoN 539Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
EMPLOYMENT FIGURES
Will the minister update the house on the state of the employment figures for Western Australia? Mr J.J.M. BOWLER
Will the minister update the house on the state of the employment figures for Western Australia? Mr J.J.M. BOWLER
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Kingsley for the question. It will come as no surprise to the member that Western Australia continues to lead the way. The unemployment rate in Western Australia is now down to 3.1 per cent, which is a 30-year low. This compares very favourably with the national average of 4.8 per cent. In July 20 100 full-time jobs were created in Western Australia. Western Australia accounts for about 10.8 per cent of the national work force, yet Western Australia created three-quarters of the new full-time jobs in Australia. In fact, if Western Australia were taken out of the equation, the national increase in full-time employment would have been 0.1 per cent. The Prime Minister claims that the success of this and the reason Western Australia has such a wonderful unemployment rate is the effect of his wonderful WorkChoices policy, yet it seems to be selective. The WorkChoices system appears to jump across the Nullarbor and Kalgoorlie and land in Western Australia. It does not go to Tasmania. The rate of unemployment in New South Wales is 5.1 per cent, yet WorkChoices comes only to WA and Queensland. If WorkChoices is such a good system, why does it not go to South Australia, Tasmania, New South Wales or Victoria? The fact is that Western Australia continues to lead the way. If WorkChoices is so good, why did John Howard establish a task force under Joe Hockey, one of his ministers? A member of that task force is Senator David Johnston, an old mate of mine from Kalgoorlie, who is in WA to sell WorkChoices to the Western Australian industry. The fact of the matter is that WorkChoices is on the nose. The opposition does not want it; employers do not want it; employees do not want it; and family people do not want it. If it were not for the Western Australian economy with 3.1 per cent unemployment, I wonder where Australia would be.
Mr J.J.M. BOWLER replied: I thank the member for Kingsley for the question. It will come as no surprise to the member that Western Australia continues to lead the way. The unemployment rate in Western Australia is now down to 3.1 per cent, which is a 30-year low. This compares very favourably with the national average of 4.8 per cent. In July 20 100 full-time jobs were created in Western Australia. Western Australia accounts for about 10.8 per cent of the national work force, yet Western Australia created three-quarters of the new full-time jobs in Australia. In fact, if Western Australia were taken out of the equation, the national increase in full-time employment would have been 0.1 per cent. The Prime Minister claims that the success of this and the reason Western Australia has such a wonderful unemployment rate is the effect of his wonderful WorkChoices policy, yet it seems to be selective. The WorkChoices system appears to jump across the Nullarbor and Kalgoorlie and land in Western Australia. It does not go to Tasmania. The rate of unemployment in New South Wales is 5.1 per cent, yet WorkChoices comes only to WA and Queensland. If WorkChoices is such a good system, why does it not go to South Australia, Tasmania, New South Wales or Victoria? The fact is that Western Australia continues to lead the way. If WorkChoices is so good, why did John Howard establish a task force under Joe Hockey, one of his ministers? A member of that task force is Senator David Johnston, an old mate of mine from Kalgoorlie, who is in WA to sell WorkChoices to the Western Australian industry. The fact of the matter is that WorkChoices is on the nose. The opposition does not want it; employers do not want it; employees do not want it; and family people do not want it. If it were not for the Western Australian economy with 3.1 per cent unemployment, I wonder where Australia would be.
I thank the member for Kingsley for the question. It will come as no surprise to the member that Western Australia continues to lead the way. The unemployment rate in Western Australia is now down to 3.1 per cent, which is a 30-year low. This compares very favourably with the national average of 4.8 per cent. In July 20 100 full-time jobs were created in Western Australia. Western Australia accounts for about 10.8 per cent of the national work force, yet Western Australia created three-quarters of the new full-time jobs in Australia. In fact, if Western Australia were taken out of the equation, the national increase in full-time employment would have been 0.1 per cent. The Prime Minister claims that the success of this and the reason Western Australia has such a wonderful unemployment rate is the effect of his wonderful WorkChoices policy, yet it seems to be selective. The WorkChoices system appears to jump across the Nullarbor and Kalgoorlie and land in Western Australia. It does not go to Tasmania. The rate of unemployment in New South Wales is 5.1 per cent, yet WorkChoices comes only to WA and Queensland. If WorkChoices is such a good system, why does it not go to South Australia, Tasmania, New South Wales or Victoria? The fact is that Western Australia continues to lead the way. If WorkChoices is so good, why did John Howard establish a task force under Joe Hockey, one of his ministers? A member of that task force is Senator David Johnston, an old mate of mine from Kalgoorlie, who is in WA to sell WorkChoices to the Western Australian industry. The fact of the matter is that WorkChoices is on the nose. The opposition does not want it; employers do not want it; employees do not want it; and family people do not want it. If it were not for the Western Australian economy with 3.1 per cent unemployment, I wonder where Australia would be.
Mr J.J.M. BOWLER replied: I thank the member for Kingsley for the question. It will come as no surprise to the member that Western Australia continues to lead the way. The unemployment rate in Western Australia is now down to 3.1 per cent, which is a 30-year low. This compares very favourably with the national average of 4.8 per cent. In July 20 100 full-time jobs were created in Western Australia. Western Australia accounts for about 10.8 per cent of the national work force, yet Western Australia created three-quarters of the new full-time jobs in Australia. In fact, if Western Australia were taken out of the equation, the national increase in full-time employment would have been 0.1 per cent. The Prime Minister claims that the success of this and the reason Western Australia has such a wonderful unemployment rate is the effect of his wonderful WorkChoices policy, yet it seems to be selective. The WorkChoices system appears to jump across the Nullarbor and Kalgoorlie and land in Western Australia. It does not go to Tasmania. The rate of unemployment in New South Wales is 5.1 per cent, yet WorkChoices comes only to WA and Queensland. If WorkChoices is such a good system, why does it not go to South Australia, Tasmania, New South Wales or Victoria? The fact is that Western Australia continues to lead the way. If WorkChoices is so good, why did John Howard establish a task force under Joe Hockey, one of his ministers? A member of that task force is Senator David Johnston, an old mate of mine from Kalgoorlie, who is in WA to sell WorkChoices to the Western Australian industry. The fact of the matter is that WorkChoices is on the nose. The opposition does not want it; employers do not want it; employees do not want it; and family people do not want it. If it were not for the Western Australian economy with 3.1 per cent unemployment, I wonder where Australia would be.
I thank the member for Kingsley for the question. It will come as no surprise to the member that Western Australia continues to lead the way. The unemployment rate in Western Australia is now down to 3.1 per cent, which is a 30-year low. This compares very favourably with the national average of 4.8 per cent. In July 20 100 full-time jobs were created in Western Australia. Western Australia accounts for about 10.8 per cent of the national work force, yet Western Australia created three-quarters of the new full-time jobs in Australia. In fact, if Western Australia were taken out of the equation, the national increase in full-time employment would have been 0.1 per cent. The Prime Minister claims that the success of this and the reason Western Australia has such a wonderful unemployment rate is the effect of his wonderful WorkChoices policy, yet it seems to be selective. The WorkChoices system appears to jump across the Nullarbor and Kalgoorlie and land in Western Australia. It does not go to Tasmania. The rate of unemployment in New South Wales is 5.1 per cent, yet WorkChoices comes only to WA and Queensland. If WorkChoices is such a good system, why does it not go to South Australia, Tasmania, New South Wales or Victoria? The fact is that Western Australia continues to lead the way. If WorkChoices is so good, why did John Howard establish a task force under Joe Hockey, one of his ministers? A member of that task force is Senator David Johnston, an old mate of mine from Kalgoorlie, who is in WA to sell WorkChoices to the Western Australian industry. The fact of the matter is that WorkChoices is on the nose. The opposition does not want it; employers do not want it; employees do not want it; and family people do not want it. If it were not for the Western Australian economy with 3.1 per cent unemployment, I wonder where Australia would be.
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