❓ Ms. Davies questions the Premier on the regional housing crisis and its potential impact on increasing FIFO workforces due to a perceived lack of government investment. The Premier defends the government's actions, highlighting initiatives like the Regional Land Booster program and upcoming skills summit, attributing the issues to a strong economy and closed borders.
AnsweredQoN 298Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
HOUSING
AVAILABILITY — REGIONS
298. Ms M.J. DAVIES to the Premier:
I refer to the housing crisis resulting in regional towns
facing near-zero per cent vacancy rates, and a Pit Crew Management Consulting
Services report published by the Chamber of Minerals and Energy in May this
year that says the resources sector will require an extra 40 000 people to
support operations over the next two years. Does the Premier agree that the
outcome of the government's failure to invest in land, housing and
regional communities over the last four and a half years will leave industry
with no option but to increase its fly-in fly-out workforce?
AVAILABILITY — REGIONS
298. Ms M.J. DAVIES to the Premier:
I refer to the housing crisis resulting in regional towns
facing near-zero per cent vacancy rates, and a Pit Crew Management Consulting
Services report published by the Chamber of Minerals and Energy in May this
year that says the resources sector will require an extra 40 000 people to
support operations over the next two years. Does the Premier agree that the
outcome of the government's failure to invest in land, housing and
regional communities over the last four and a half years will leave industry
with no option but to increase its fly-in fly-out workforce?
AnswerView source ↗
It is an odd question. We put in place last year the Regional
Land Booster program that the Leader of the Opposition might recall with $117 million
to ensure that more regional land was made available in particular for industry
across regional WA. A whole range of projects have gone ahead as a consequence
of that initiative that we took as part of our recovery plan. We are also about
to hold a skills summit next week to work with industry about how to provide
for more skilled labour, and labour more generally, in particular in regional
WA but all over the state, because there are demands everywhere. Basically, the
state now has the lowest unemployment rate in Australia and the highest
participation rate. We are down to a 4.7 per cent unemployment rate. Our
participation rate is about two per cent above the national average. When you
put those two figures together, we have the strongest and most successful
economy in Australia—by a long, long way. That puts pressure on a range
of industries.
I today stopped at a business
at Bakers Hill on the way to Muresk, and the lady running the business said to
me that it is difficult to acquire skilled labour. I understand that is
a problem around the state, and it is because of a couple of things. First, the
state's economy, as I said, is so successful and strong. Second, we
have closed borders, which means that some
of those skills are not available, in particular some people who work in
regional WA—for instance , backpackers,
who often fill some of those retail roles in regional businesses. I cannot do
anything about that; that is a function of COVID. The idea that somehow
I could have predicted this or that this is my fault is frankly preposterous,
and it is embarrassing that the Leader of the Opposition even alleged such a thing.
We understand it is an issue. We are holding a skills summit;
we are looking for alternative solutions for the state of Western Australia.
But the good thing is that we have a strong economy. As the Chamber of Commerce
and Industry of Western Australia has indicated, it is because of the efforts
of the state government. We have a strong economy, we have successful regional
communities, we are investing wisely across the state, we have the best set of
public finances of anywhere in Australia and we have the strongest and the most
affordable training system. In fact, our training system and the cuts we put in
place to the cost of getting trained have resulted in a boom in Western Australians
undertaking training. As I outlined the other day, there is a 27 per cent
increase in the number of Western Australians undergoing training since we put
in place those measures. That is over the course of the last year. That is a remarkable
increase in Western Australians taking advantage of the opportunities across
the state. All those things are occurring. We understand that there are
pressures out there, but the state government is doing its best to address
them.
Land Booster program that the Leader of the Opposition might recall with $117 million
to ensure that more regional land was made available in particular for industry
across regional WA. A whole range of projects have gone ahead as a consequence
of that initiative that we took as part of our recovery plan. We are also about
to hold a skills summit next week to work with industry about how to provide
for more skilled labour, and labour more generally, in particular in regional
WA but all over the state, because there are demands everywhere. Basically, the
state now has the lowest unemployment rate in Australia and the highest
participation rate. We are down to a 4.7 per cent unemployment rate. Our
participation rate is about two per cent above the national average. When you
put those two figures together, we have the strongest and most successful
economy in Australia—by a long, long way. That puts pressure on a range
of industries.
I today stopped at a business
at Bakers Hill on the way to Muresk, and the lady running the business said to
me that it is difficult to acquire skilled labour. I understand that is
a problem around the state, and it is because of a couple of things. First, the
state's economy, as I said, is so successful and strong. Second, we
have closed borders, which means that some
of those skills are not available, in particular some people who work in
regional WA—for instance , backpackers,
who often fill some of those retail roles in regional businesses. I cannot do
anything about that; that is a function of COVID. The idea that somehow
I could have predicted this or that this is my fault is frankly preposterous,
and it is embarrassing that the Leader of the Opposition even alleged such a thing.
We understand it is an issue. We are holding a skills summit;
we are looking for alternative solutions for the state of Western Australia.
But the good thing is that we have a strong economy. As the Chamber of Commerce
and Industry of Western Australia has indicated, it is because of the efforts
of the state government. We have a strong economy, we have successful regional
communities, we are investing wisely across the state, we have the best set of
public finances of anywhere in Australia and we have the strongest and the most
affordable training system. In fact, our training system and the cuts we put in
place to the cost of getting trained have resulted in a boom in Western Australians
undertaking training. As I outlined the other day, there is a 27 per cent
increase in the number of Western Australians undergoing training since we put
in place those measures. That is over the course of the last year. That is a remarkable
increase in Western Australians taking advantage of the opportunities across
the state. All those things are occurring. We understand that there are
pressures out there, but the state government is doing its best to address
them.
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