CORONAVIRUS — STATE ECONOMIC RECOVERY PLAN
512. Mr
V.A. CATANIA to the Premier:
I have a supplementary question.
What is the Premier doing about small businesses in regional WA now that they
are closing their doors as they are at breaking point due to lack of workers?
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER: I call the
Minister for Tourism and the member for North West Central to order.
Mr M.
McGOWAN replied:
What I outlined to the member a moment
ago, in answer to both questions, is a $5.5 billion recovery plan, payroll tax
cuts across the state, assistance with electricity costs for small businesses
around Western Australia, the waiver of fees for those that have licence fees
from the state, the waiver of rent for those that rent from the state and
grants of $10 000 a month for Lotterywest kiosks. The state has provided all
sorts of benefits. For the first time in history, we have seen a cost reduction in the household basket of goods and
services all over Western Australia. At the same time, we have seen the
biggest shovel-ready infrastructure set of projects that anyone can remember,
including all over regional WA, improvements in TAFE colleges and
apprenticeships, plus changes to the local purchasing policy to ensure greater
preference for regional businesses all over the state. We are cutting TAFE fees
all over Western Australia to allow Western Australians to access those jobs,
plus we have opened up the economy within the state so that businesses,
particularly tourism businesses, all over Western Australia have opportunities
that those in other states of Australia do not have. We are doing all those
things, plus a major campaign to get people from the city to go to the country
and work.
I just say to people that we are in
a pandemic. It is not the most perfect of situations. The world economy is in
turmoil. Other states are in turmoil, yet Western Australia is in this
position. Although members opposite complain and whinge all the time, that is
the position that we are in, and it is a stronger position than that of other
states of Australia and a stronger position
than that of virtually anywhere else in the world at this time. We intend to continue on
this course and we intend to keep the virus out of Western Australia as best we
can by maintaining our hard border.