Zak Kirkup and the Liberals will commit to delivering 200,000 new jobs over the next five years in a bold plan for strong economic growth in Western Australia.
Leader Zak Kirkup is excited by the Liberals’ over-arching economic blueprint which will secure a better, brighter future for all West Australians.
“Western Australia is the powerhouse of the national economy and the people of our great state deserve a bold, exciting vision for new local jobs, for small business and for strong economic growth,” Mr Kirkup said.
“Only the Liberals have a plan to deliver an even stronger, brighter future for our local economy.
“Labor have no clear plan for economic reform, which was evident yesterday when the latest economic data released revealed that Western Australia had the slowest gain of any state other than Victoria, which has been in lockdown.
“Labor have no plan beyond COVID-19. They have no vision for the future.
“West Australians deserve better after all the heavy lifting they have done during the COVID pandemic and enormous sacrifices they have made.
“The Liberals will deliver for them. We are committed to creating more local jobs and are confident we can reach the 200,000 target.
“We will deliver more local jobs than WA Labor, who promised they would create 150,000 jobs over five years but abandoned the target – and all those unemployed West Australians – under the cover of COVID-19.
“The Liberals will unlock the power of small businesses by delivering lower taxes, providing incentives to take on apprentices and introducing meaningful economic reform.”
KEY COMPONENTS
Only the Liberals have a clear economic plan, that will:
- Deliver our Lower Tax Guarantee – the Liberals commit to deliver lower taxes than WA Labor – guaranteed. This will put more money in the pockets of West Australian households and small businesses that will flow through the local economy.
- Deliver our Lower Cost of Living Guarantee – the cost of living for households will be lower with a Liberal Government than under WA Labor – guaranteed. This will be delivered through meaningful economic reforms, not one-off sugar hits. With a lower cost of living, West Australians will have more money to spend in local small businesses and in the domestic economy.
- Deliver our Local Jobs Guarantee – the Liberals commit to deliver more local jobs than WA Labor – guaranteed.
This includes:- Designing major projects so West Australian mid-tier contractors can compete;
- Redefining “local supplier” to ensure local actually means local, giving local businesses preferential treatment on State Government contracts;
- Holding government ministers and departments to account by mandating full disclosure in annual reports when West Australian businesses are not used;
- Creating a Jobs First Commissioner to oversee the policy and to provide WA small businesses with support and assistance.
- This is in contrast to WA Labor’s bungled jobs policy that defines a local supplier as any state or territory of Australia and New Zealand. Labor have also given billions of dollars of Metronet contracts to foreign companies, locking out West Australian companies.
- Deliver Fundamental Economic Reform – the Liberals will unlock strong economic growth through fundamental economic reforms, including greater competition and choice.
- Diversify our Economy and Diversify our Markets – COVID and ongoing tensions with trade partners have highlighted the need for Western Australia to have greater diversification in our supply and customer base. In addition, our economy must be diversified to build Western Australia’s resilience to economic shocks.
- Build Economically Productive Infrastructure – the Liberals will focus on building infrastructure that creates local jobs and builds the long-term productivity of the WA economy, including Roe 8/9, which will provide up to 10,000 jobs.
- Attract New Industries – the Liberals will attract and grow new industries with policies that incentivise major businesses to relocate and to grow innovative and exciting new and fledgling start-ups.
- Deliver our Apprentice Kickstarter – the Liberals will create 20,000 new apprenticeships by providing small businesses with grants up to $10,000 to take on a new apprentice and $5000 for trainees. Skilled staff are critical for supercharging our economy.
This also provides real and new job opportunities for our youth, those impacted by COVID, indigenous West Australians, women and those marginalised in our community. A real job changes lives. - No Asset Sale Guarantee – the Liberals will not sell government assets, like Western Power or Synergy – guaranteed.
This is in stark contrast to WA Labor who promised no privatisation and then sold off Warradarge Wind Farm, Greenough Solar Farm and Grasmere Wind Farm, and a range of other publicly-owned assets.