Question On Notice No. 2891 asked in the Legislative Council on 2 April 2020 by Hon Martin Aldridge
Question Directed to the: Minister for Regional Development
Parliament: 40 Session: 1
Question
I refer to Hon Darren West’s contribution in the
Legislative Council on 20 February 2020 and his reference to “Only 16 per cent
of royalties for regions funding tenders were awarded to regional businesses.
That is nowhere near acceptable, and we are working on that.”, and I ask:
(a) is the Minister aware of any study or report
commissioned by the Government or any other person or organisation that can
substantiate that claim;
(b) what is the current rate of Royalties for
Regions expenditure that can be attributed to "regional businesses" under the
Labor Government;
(c) how does the Minister define a "regional
business" for the purposes of such an assessment and to substantiate such a claim
aforementioned; and
(d) if the Government is in possession of such a
study or report that can substantiate the claim, then will the Minister please table that
document or documents?
Answered on 9 June 2020
(a) I understand Mr West was referring to analysis undertaken by WA Labor in opposition and referenced in WA Labor's 2017 Plan for Jobs.
(b) -(d) Local content is a priority for the McGowan Government and a key part of the Government's Plan for Jobs.
In 2018, we established Local Content Advisers in each of the nine Regional Development Commissions to drive opportunities for regional businesses to obtain a fair share of the State Government Tenders and Contracts. This focus is on all government procurement not just Royalties for Regions.
The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, which oversees the Local Content Advisers Network, is currently finalising the Local Content Adviser Network 2018-19 Annual Report. The report will include statistics on the level of local content in the regions.
The Report will be released publically once finalised.