January 24, 2019 McGowan policies leave more Western Australians unemployed Data released today shows both the unemployment rate and the number of West Australians unemployed continues to rise under the McGowan Government. Liberal Shadow Treasurer Dean Nalder said more Western Australians were now unemployed than when Premier Mark McGowan came to Government in March 2017 on a platform of job creation. “Western Australia continues to have the highest unemployment rate in the country,” Mr Nalder said. “These latest figures are a damning indictment on a Premier who came to office two years ago with a Plan for Jobs. Clearly that plan has failed.” For the month of December 2018, the unemployment rate increased on a trend basis from 6.3 per cent to 6.4 per cent. Mr Nalder said the seasonally adjusted figure had eased from 6.5 per cent to 6.3 per cent on the back of a significant fall in the participation rate, indicating many Western Australians had given up even looking for work. “These figures are a direct result of the policies of the McGowan Government that have undermined many of WA’s key employment sectors “Changes this Government made to the regional migration scheme have seen the number of foreign students coming to WA, and the tourists who visit them, plummet. “Housing starts have similarly plummeted since the McGowan Government removed the boost to the First Home Owner Grant scheme and introduced a foreign investor surcharge. “Soaring water and power prices in the face of minimal wage growth have reduced the disposable income of households, which in turn affects the retail sector. “These are just some of the ill-conceived McGowan Government policies that are impacting jobs and threatening the livelihood of thousands of WA families.” Media Contact |
