'Call Western Australia home': Campaign to lure high-paid east coast workers
After Western Australia woke to another day of no new COVID-19 cases, the state’s Premier Mark McGowan announced the ramping up of elective surgeries to 50 per cent of normal levels, and a new initiative to encourage east coast fly-in, fly-out families to move permanently to WA.
Speaking in Mandurah on Friday, Mr McGowan said there were now only seven active cases of COVID-19 in the state, six in the Perth area and the other in the Goldfields. The person who had been in intensive care was still in hospital but now testing negative for the virus.
Premier Mark McGowan addresses media in the southern coastal town of Mandurah.Credit:9 News Perth
Following an agreement at the national cabinet on Friday morning, elective surgeries would now be ramped up to 50 per cent across all three categories, at first categories 1 and 2, with special attention to those who had had a long wait.
The activity and consumption of personal protective equipment would be monitored over the next fortnight, with a view to increasing the activity to 75 per cent of normal levels.
Mr McGowan also announced the results of a roundtable held last week with iron ore sector leaders, with representatives from all major producers and exporters involved.
He said the Chamber of Minerals and Energy would partner with the state on a joint campaign to encourage existing east coast workers to move to WA permanently.
About 6000 FIFO workers, many from Brisbane, largely recruited during the boom periods between 2003 and 2012, had been flying in and out every fortnight.
During the pandemic, Mr McGowan said, they had moved to WA temporarily and gone through quarantine to continue going to their jobs.
The government would now give them incentives to call the state home.
“This is a huge opportunity to get these people to come and live here with their families and keep their incomes here,” Mr McGowan said.
“A lot of the workforce have never spent significant time here, but now they have, and so have their families, and now they better understand the lifestyle and advantages of Western Australia.
“Flying across the country every fortnight is clearly bad for your family ... living in the state in which you work makes a lot of sense.
“And those large incomes are lost to the state that gives them those incomes.
“If more people with high-paying jobs come to live here that would be great.
“Obviously people nearing the end of their working life, it might be difficult, but for younger workers and new recruits, Western Australia is the place to be.”
He said companies would be looking into increasing local recruitment, instead of in the eastern states, and with Treasurer Ben Wyatt he was looking at other incentives such as encouraging those workers to buy homes here.
“Recruiting in the eastern states needs to stop and the companies would look at that,” he said.
“The treasurer and I are looking at what we can do in terms of housing incentives.
“This is about boosting our economy and having something tangible and real ... that has come out of the COVID crisis."
He did not provide further information on possible housing initiatives and how this might relate to the matter of housing vulnerable WA people when asked, repeating only that he was looking into the matter.
He said other outcomes from the meeting were that the government would investigate local manufacturing and supply chain opportunities for example, iron ore rail manufacturing.
The state was currently building a railcar building facility in Midland for the Metronet project, and this could also be potentially used by iron ore companies.
It would also look to create new training opportunities in the Pilbara.
“Businesses have been through hell ... it’s been heartbreaking to see,” Mr McGowan said.
“But hopefully as of Monday we can cautiously restart the WA economy.”