CORONAVIRUS —
STATE ECONOMIC RECOVERY PLAN
511. Mr V.A. CATANIA to the Premier:
There is growing concern and urgency
to source skilled and unskilled workers to support critical industries in
regional Western Australia. Why has the government's $5.5 billion
recovery plan failed to address the issues and what will his government be doing
in the short term to ensure that tourism businesses can keep their doors open,
farmers can complete their harvest and shearing can be managed over the coming
months?
Mr M. McGOWAN
replied:
My goodness, Mr Speaker; we had the
same MP some time ago saying ''shut the area off''. I do not have
the stickers. I think he was putting up stickers and signs around the place. I remember
a newspaper article showing him hammering in a sign at some point, saying, ''We
don't want you; stay out.'' That is what he was doing a couple
of months ago. Now he has done a complete flip. I will tell members what we are
doing. We have a hard border in place that the Liberal Party and the Nationals
WA want to tear down. That is what we have done. That means that we are able to
get our economy up within Western Australia to a far greater degree than other
states across this nation can. If we look at the retail figures, the payroll
figures, the land and sales figures and the car sales figures, we will find
that Western Australia is doing at least as well as any other state in the
country.
Mr D.C. Nalder interjected.
The SPEAKER: Member for
Bateman.
Mr M. McGOWAN: That is
because our economy is more functional and more operational than other states
across Australia. That is because we have managed to keep rates of infection
very low—in fact, non-existent—in Western Australia at this point in time. There is always a risk, and we
say this constantly. We have a whole range of measures in place to protect the people of the state, but there is still
risk out there, as we have seen in New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia, where the virus has spread from
Victoria. We know there is still risk, but we are doing everything we can to
protect people and get our economy up. That is providing tourism businesses
with support.
I
went to various parts of the regions four or five times over the break, and
there were huge tourism numbers in the places I went to. People from Western
Australia were out there holidaying at home because of our Wander Out Yonder
campaign. We promoted the state. We had people out there holidaying all over Western
Australia. It was a good outcome for tourism businesses. Go to a tourism
business in New South Wales and Victoria and ask them how they are going. We
are not going to give in to the National Party's plans to bring people
in from overseas.
Mrs A.K. Hayden interjected.
Mr M. McGOWAN: The member
should wait and see. What we are going to do, which we have announced already,
is set up a massive training program for Western Australians. The member for
North West Central asked about the regions. I advise him that I was in Albany
the other day announcing a $17 million upgrade to the TAFE. Alannah MacTiernan was in Northam, announcing an
$8 million upgrade to the Muresk Institute. In South Hedland, $22 million
will be spent on Pundulmurra TAFE.
Ms M.J. Davies interjected.
The SPEAKER: Leader of the
National Party.
Mr M. McGOWAN: I was in
Kalgoorlie, Broome and Roebourne. Places all over Western Australia will have
major upgrades to their TAFEs—in fact, $79 million worth of upgrades to
TAFEs around the state in regional WA. There will be a major upgrade to
Mandurah TAFE, which is much appreciated by the people of the Peel region.
Ms M.J. Davies interjected.
The SPEAKER: Leader of the
National Party, you will get a chance to have a question.
Mr M. McGOWAN: On top of
that, we have dramatically cut course fees around the state.
Ms M.J. Davies interjected.
The SPEAKER: Leader of the
National Party, I call you to order for the first time.
Mr M. McGOWAN: When the
opposition was in office, it put up course fees by 500 per cent. We have cut
course fees by more than 70 per cent for multiple courses around the state, and
15 courses —
Mr V.A. Catania interjected.
The SPEAKER: Member, you
will get an opportunity for a supplementary.
Mr M. McGOWAN: I hear you
are not doing too well in your electorate, in Carnarvon. Maybe they have worked
you out. The other day some people in your
electorate told me that you were not well received. I know the Leader of
the National Party is not too happy with you.
Ms M.J. Davies: You're
not answering the question.
Mr M. McGOWAN: I am
answering the question. I am talking about cuts to fees in regional TAFEs all
over Western Australia. That is what he asked me about.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER: Members, let
the Premier finish his answer.
Mr M. McGOWAN: What is more,
as I outlined the other day, very soon we are going to launch a major campaign
to get Western Australians from the city to work in regional WA, because we
need to get people from the city out into regional communities to work. There
are jobs out there in agriculture, tourism and mining. We are doing all of that
whilst at the same time we are getting our economy more open than that in any
other state in Australia.