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Parliamentary Questions


Question Without Notice No. 243 asked in the Legislative Assembly on 17 June 2021 by Ms M.J. Hammat

Parliament: 41 Session: 1

PLAN FOR JOBS

243. Ms M.J. HAMMAT to the Premier:

I refer to the McGowan Labor government's plan for jobs and its unprecedented investment in supporting Western Australia's economic recovery. Can the Premier outline to the house how this investment is creating more jobs for Western Australians and helping to drive down unemployment, and can the Premier update the house on how this investment is supporting more Western Australians to get the skills and training they need to enter the workforce?

Mr M. McGOWAN replied:

I thank the member for Mirrabooka for the question and for having me in her electorate this morning. Today's job figures are a vindication of the work of this state Labor government. Our unemployment rate today dropped to 4.7 per cent, down from 4.9 per cent the month before. It is the lowest unemployment rate in eight years. It is the lowest unemployment rate of all the states of Australia. It is lower than the national unemployment rate, by 0.4 of one per cent. When we came to office four years ago, the unemployment rate was 6.5 per cent. It is now 4.7 per cent. Over that period, we have created 87 700 jobs all over Western Australia—in the city and in the regions. The number of unemployed people has fallen by 3 900 over the course of the last month and is the lowest number of unemployed people over the last six and a half years.

One of the key points that has contributed to that outcome has been our investment in TAFE and training, the lifeblood of activity for many industries in Western Australia. There has never been a better time to go to TAFE and study. We slashed TAFE fees for a large number of courses—180 from memory—by up to 72 per cent over our time in office. That has resulted in a 27 per cent increase in enrolments this year versus last year. We have put in place the Lower Fees, Local Skills program. There has been a huge increase in enrolments in courses such as electrical courses to become an electrician, early childhood courses and the diploma of nursing. A whole range of courses have had a massive increase in enrolments basically because the government took action to get people back into TAFE. Of course, over the course of the previous Liberal–National government TAFE fees had risen by up to 500 per cent, and for some courses it was more than that! TAFE was priced out of reach of many families, in particular working-class families around Western Australia. We have had to work hard to fix that.

Young Western Australians like the ones I met this morning in Balga are able to get into these courses; the courses are affordable and they can undertake their studies. They can get a great job that will secure their future for the rest of their lives. This builds on all our activity, and everything we have done has resulted in this extraordinarily low unemployment rate today—the lowest in Australia—the best jobs growth in Australia and the most successful economy in Australia, under this state Labor government.