❓ Opposition questions the government's economic plan and job creation target following the shutdown of the 'Our Priorities' website. The Premier defends the decision, citing the economic crisis and outlining alternative support measures, while criticising the opposition's stance on border closures.
AnsweredQoN 305Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
STATE ECONOMY — JOB CREATION
305. Mr D.C. NALDER to the Premier:
I note that the government's
website Our Priorities has been shut down. Can the Premier confirm that that
means that his government no longer
has an economic plan or a target of creating 150 000 jobs at a time when Western
Australia needs them the most?
305. Mr D.C. NALDER to the Premier:
I note that the government's
website Our Priorities has been shut down. Can the Premier confirm that that
means that his government no longer
has an economic plan or a target of creating 150 000 jobs at a time when Western
Australia needs them the most?
AnswerView source ↗
I made that announcement
nine weeks ago, I think. We were so open about it that we put out a press
release and put it on our website.
The Liberal Party of Western Australia did not notice that. It has taken it
nine weeks to notice it . Clearly, the
greatest economic crisis in 100 years has impacted on things in Western Australia.
We decided to make some changes to
things that were in place, so that website is now completely suspended, as I think
any right-thinking or reasonable person would expect. Over the course of
the last 10 weeks, we have announced numerous measures to cut taxes, bring
forward infrastructure and support industry and the workforce. We have worked
cooperatively with the other states and the commonwealth government to support
industry in Western Australia and to support incomes, and we are working
towards implementing further measures to support the economy over the coming
months and years. But it will be a long road out of this. It is not an easy
thing to do or an easy situation to get out of. Essentially, the Western Australian
government supported industry, in many ways, to a higher degree than any other
state did. When there were national moves to shut down certain industries, we
resisted. With the mining industry, we said
no. With other parts of industry, we said no, they are not to be shut down. We
found ways for them to continue to operate. We have supported the
economy, and the Western Australian economy, in better and more productive ways
than have the other states. One of the things we did over recent weeks was say
that we wanted to liberalise within Western Australian
borders to a higher degree than we otherwise would, and the reason we could do that is that we have a hard border with the east. We said that infected people
from New South Wales and Victoria, whoever they may be, should be kept out. We
have a different point of view from that of the Liberal Party. The Liberal
Party wants to bring down the hard border with the east. That is clear. We have
a more safety-conscious approach for Western Australians, and we also have the
view that by keeping the border in place for some months to come, we can more
easily liberalise and support economic activity within Western Australia than
we otherwise could. We think that is the right way forward for Western Australia.
It is the safer way forward. Unfortunately, the Liberal Party seems to be following the lead of the New South Wales
Premier. It is not safe and it is grossly irresponsible.
nine weeks ago, I think. We were so open about it that we put out a press
release and put it on our website.
The Liberal Party of Western Australia did not notice that. It has taken it
nine weeks to notice it . Clearly, the
greatest economic crisis in 100 years has impacted on things in Western Australia.
We decided to make some changes to
things that were in place, so that website is now completely suspended, as I think
any right-thinking or reasonable person would expect. Over the course of
the last 10 weeks, we have announced numerous measures to cut taxes, bring
forward infrastructure and support industry and the workforce. We have worked
cooperatively with the other states and the commonwealth government to support
industry in Western Australia and to support incomes, and we are working
towards implementing further measures to support the economy over the coming
months and years. But it will be a long road out of this. It is not an easy
thing to do or an easy situation to get out of. Essentially, the Western Australian
government supported industry, in many ways, to a higher degree than any other
state did. When there were national moves to shut down certain industries, we
resisted. With the mining industry, we said
no. With other parts of industry, we said no, they are not to be shut down. We
found ways for them to continue to operate. We have supported the
economy, and the Western Australian economy, in better and more productive ways
than have the other states. One of the things we did over recent weeks was say
that we wanted to liberalise within Western Australian
borders to a higher degree than we otherwise would, and the reason we could do that is that we have a hard border with the east. We said that infected people
from New South Wales and Victoria, whoever they may be, should be kept out. We
have a different point of view from that of the Liberal Party. The Liberal
Party wants to bring down the hard border with the east. That is clear. We have
a more safety-conscious approach for Western Australians, and we also have the
view that by keeping the border in place for some months to come, we can more
easily liberalise and support economic activity within Western Australia than
we otherwise could. We think that is the right way forward for Western Australia.
It is the safer way forward. Unfortunately, the Liberal Party seems to be following the lead of the New South Wales
Premier. It is not safe and it is grossly irresponsible.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.