Motions
State economy—Diversification
Motion
Hon Andrew O'Donnell (11:27 pm) without notice: I move:
That this house:
(a) Recognises the opportunities presented in the ongoing diversification of the Western Australian economy.
(b) Acknowledges the opportunities afforded to Western Australia due to our location, our natural landscapes, and our natural resources.
(c) Commends the Cook Labor government on its work to enhance opportunities in tourism, creative industries, defence industries and local manufacturing.
Thank you, President, for the opportunity today to move this motion to recognise the importance of diversifying the Western Australian economy and talk about some of the hard work that has been done by the Cook Labor government. It is important to note our starting point. Western Australia has the strongest economy in the nation. Because of our government's strong economic management, there is no better place to get a quality job and we have more opportunities to invest. WA is a resource-rich state, and our natural resources give us great opportunities, but we need to make sure those opportunities are shared. By diversifying our economy, we can make resilient future challenges. I want to highlight the importance the Premier places on this. In fact, it is the first priority and is listed quite eloquently in the Premier's priority booklet, which I happen to have with me today. I will cover a few areas, but first I want to lay out today that this government did not notice these opportunities by chance; it was not an accident. It has been a mindset since first getting elected in 2017. This government set along a deliberate pathway of creating and seeking out opportunities to support local industries and create local jobs.
When I talk about this motion and the opportunities being presented in our natural landscapes, I cannot go past the Plan for Our Parks initiative delivered by the Cook Labor government. In 2019, we set out to create 5 million hectares of conservation area, and Plan for Our Parks has delivered six and a half million hectares. It is a very large area. For context, it is just shy of the size of Tasmania. I want to recognise the hard work of the minister, Hon Matthew Swinbourn, and the former minister, Hon Reece Whitby, in this area. It is an astonishing achievement that represents a 28% increase in conservation areas since 2019. It has also had a significant economic and employment impact on local communities, with joint management arrangements creating over 280 jobs for traditional owners, largely in regional WA, as well as allowing Aboriginal-run businesses to invest in nature-based and adventure-based tourism opportunities. To date, the government has committed a total of $479 million under the Plan for Our Parks initiative, from its inception through to the end of the forward estimates.
I am delighted to note—I hope to hear some more on this today—the recent announcements by the Premier and ministers Swinbourn, Jarvis and Beazley, of the intention to establish a new marine park spanning the Exmouth Gulf. The gulf is an important habitat for nursing humpback whales and their calves; one of the world's largest populations of dugongs; Australian humpback dolphins; four species of marine turtles and—this is one I had no idea about—unique subterranean fauna that is found nowhere else in the world.
Hon Matthew Swinbourn: What about the sea snakes?
Hon Andrew O'Donnell: Well, there are also sea snakes, but it is a diverse motion and I have to talk about some other things as well, but I am glad the minister worked sea snakes into my contribution!
In planning the marine park, the government will adopt a zoning scheme that provides some strong environmental protection while supporting the gulf's ongoing social and economic use. I think the conservation value alone in the Plan for Our Parks and the forthcoming marine park at Exmouth is worthy enough of this fantastic work, but I am also pleased to recognise the economic opportunities that this work brings.
I also want to briefly mention the Aboriginal ranger program, because diversification of the economy means nothing if it does not deliver for people. I am really pleased to say that the Labor government has funded the Aboriginal ranger program, which supports the Aboriginal organisations that lead ranger programs. This Labor government has invested $103 million into the Aboriginal ranger program, creating more than 1,400 jobs for Aboriginal people from 2017 through to today. A further $69.5 million has been committed to continue the program into phase 3, which will be rolled out through to 2030. This is meaningful investment, leading to meaningful employment on country, and it is a cornerstone of this Labor government's commitment to working with traditional owners.
I will speak briefly now on the $165 million that the Cook Labor government has committed as part of the outdoor adventure tourism package. It will upgrade boating facilities, campgrounds, trails and tourist attractions, and encourage more local visitors to regional tourism destinations to support local businesses and diversify those regional economies. This is a really good use of the Plan for Our Parks initiative.
I am going to move on to tourism, because—
Hon Dr Steve Thomas: Have you read the paper today?
Hon Andrew O'Donnell: I have read the paper today. In fact, I read it last night. I have some comments on that, if the member wants to go there.
Turning to tourism, it is a growth industry that contributes disproportionately to our economy. In the five years leading up to 2024, we had a 28% growth in visitor spend, contributing $17.2 million to WA's economy. Importantly, that is not just in Perth: $7.6 billion of that visitor spend was spent in our regions, which is important. Our location as Western Australia's gateway continues to grow, boosting tourism as well as trade, with direct flight connections to 20 global cities. We remain the only Australian state with nonstop flights to Europe, with direct routes from Perth to Rome, Paris and London. I note that the Rome service will be expanding shortly, with an extra 10,000 additional inbound seats next year.
I suspect that the opposition member may pick up on our always-on calendar of events, and I do not think we should be apologetic about that.
Hon Dr Steve Thomas: You'll be surprised if it's the only thing I pick up on!
Hon Andrew O'Donnell: I do not think we should be apologetic about it, because that always-on calendar of events attracted more than 140,000 out-of-state visitors to WA for events and generated roughly $187 million in economic impact. We attracted Matildas games, we have hosted the NRL State of Origin, and we even brought Coldplay to WA. There were 40,000 tickets purchased from outside WA for Coldplay alone, generating a massive $43.4 million in economic impact. I also note the historic return of the AFL State of Origin match, the first in 26 years. It is sure to be a fantastic match between Western Australia and Victoria and, importantly for our economy, the event is sure to draw thousands of interstate visitors.
Those who know me know that one of my passions is cricket—watching cricket, not playing cricket! My personal favourite event of the summer calendar is coming up: the now-annual West Test. I am really thrilled that this year Perth will not just host the first test of the summer; we will also get to host the first test of the Ashes. It is set to be a massive, massive match, and I know that the ticket sales corroborate that. I am sure that during the match the Barmy Army will do their same old whingey Poms thing, but I absolutely recognise the benefit to our economy of having them here, and I welcome them on that basis. Added to that, a first match win will be all the sweeter with the salty tears of the Barmy Army flowing as they move on to the second match at the Gabba! I want to recognise the efforts of the Premier, the Deputy Premier and the Minister for Tourism in attracting all these high-profile events. There are many more events I could mention and, indeed, I suspect other members may expand on those.
I was going to talk about cruise tourism as well. Some outstanding work is being done in that space. I am going to skip past that, but I will note that the government has been very active in that space because it is an undervalued area of tourism, and one where we can have a big impact. The spike in cruise tourism that has been promoted by this government is going to have a big impact on regional economies—particularly cruise ships returning to Geraldton.
I do not have enough time remaining to do justice to the creative industries, either, but I will single out the government's investment in Perth Film Studios. It is over halfway completed, and that is a clear signal to the industry that the Cook Labor government is here to support it to grow and expand.
I will turn now to defence industries and give that a bit more time. The government identified defence industries as a priority sector with significant growth opportunities, creating both economic and job security for future generations. It has been bandied about that defence is likely to become the third-biggest industry in Western Australia. Going back to what I said at the outset, this trajectory did not happen overnight and did not happen by accident. It has been a road purposefully walked down since 2017, when Labor came to government and established a dedicated defence industry portfolio. We have maintained it ever since. We also established Defence West within the Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation. I want to pay tribute to the outstanding advocacy efforts in this space of the Minister for Defence Industries, Hon Paul Papalia. He has done a stellar job of ensuring that Western Australia is recognised not only for our strategic location, but also for our ability to maintain and produce defence assets.
Over the weekend the federal Albanese government announced that it will invest $12 billion towards delivering a defence precinct in Henderson—something I think we can all celebrate, because it will deliver continuous naval shipbuilding here in Western Australia. This is a generational opportunity that is going to create literally thousands of jobs for a generation of people. As I spoke about a number of weeks ago, we are also working to train people for those future needs in that workforce to best take advantage of the opportunities that that sector will bring.
In the last couple of minutes, I want to turn to local manufacturing. I will mention a press release dating back a little while, so some honourable members may not remember it. On 2 April 2017, the then Premier, Hon Mark McGowan, and Hon Rita Saffioti put out a press release entitled "McGowan Government to push for local jobs on stadium bridge project". I note that this was just 22 days after the election of the McGowan government. Only 22 days after being elected, this Labor government moved to fix a situation with this project being far behind schedule by delivering it locally. We are all familiar with the end result. The Matagarup Bridge was opened in the middle of 2018. It was capably built here in Western Australia by Western Australian workers. That project supported about 200 jobs, mostly down in Henderson.
This commitment to local content has continued. It would be remiss of me if I did not mention railcar manufacturing, which I know Hon Dr Steve Thomas is very excited about. I know that he often talks about the percentage of local content, but when we compare this with the B series, I think we can agree that it is a job well done and that local manufacturing is actually back. Metronet C series railcars are the first passenger trains to be locally built and manufactured in more than 30 years. The new railcar manufacturing facility in Bellevue employs around 150 people to make C series railcars, with more than 15 local businesses playing a key role in manufacturing parts for those trains.
I again want to remind members that this does not happen simply by accident; these are purposeful decisions by the government to deliberately support local jobs and employment through regular government expenditure. This was not a casual flirtation with local content. As I think I have demonstrated, we have made a long-term commitment to supporting the local industry. I am thrilled that the Cook Labor government is backing this in further with $83 million in this year's budget to produce electric buses and ferries in WA, building on the success of railcar manufacturing.
To sum up in the last couple of seconds, I reiterate that diversification is more than a label; it is a mindset. It is a mindset that this government brought in when it was first elected. It is a mindset that has supported local businesses and created local jobs for Western Australians. It did not happen by accident; it was a purposeful plan of a strong government that proactively sought out these opportunities, backed by strong financial management.
Hon Dr Steve Thomas (11:42 am): It must be a Thursday morning! Here we are debating fake meat and fraudulent diversification motions, so it just feels like Thursday, doesn't it!
I listened very carefully to Hon Andrew O'Donnell's contribution and made a note of a couple of things. Members have to realise that when the Labor government has nothing of real importance to talk about, it does two things. First, it moves a motion to condemn the opposition, and usually the opposition of two or three Parliaments ago for something that it did all those years ago.
Hon Andrew O'Donnell interjected.
Hon Dr Steve Thomas: Hon Andrew O'Donnell might take this is a compliment; he is the new Hon Dr Sally Talbot in the Labor Party at the moment. Well done, you!
The first thing the government does is to move a motion of condemnation. The second thing it does is to move a motion of self-congratulation. This is the expertise of the Labor Party—self-congratulation. The government is very good at self-congratulation by announcing nothing! It reannounces things that it has done 10 times before and congratulates itself for it. It is not done just in the Legislative Council, just in case honourable members were unsure about what was going on; the government also does this in press releases and press conferences. It did it today when it announced the South West Interconnected System transmission plan and reannounced things that it had already announced, with no more funding in it. The government has all these Clean Energy Links. It announced funding for the Clean Energy Link–North. That was announced months ago, but it reannounced it today. Well done; jolly good show, everybody! That is what we are talking about; the government reannounces things all over again.
By the way, there were a couple of great bits in today's announcement. The government has glossy brochures for everything. Well done, Hon Dan Caddy! If you wave a glossy brochure, you do not have to have any substance. This is the new philosophy of government. There are lots of bits that are hilarious in today's announcement, but one bit of today's great announcement was that the government has worked out that it has strategic industrial areas that are important and need power. Hallelujah! Well done, Labor Party; you have done a great job. Strategic industrial parks need energy. It has only taken the government two budgets and 18 months to work that out. Congratulations! I am surprised we are not debating that. Well done! The government has announced that it has worked that out. It has not worked out how it is exactly going to work, but they need power. The government announced that today as well. Well done, everybody; congratulations for working that out. That is a big step for the Labor Party. We are still waiting for a whole-of-system plan, but it has gone that far. Congratulations! Its entire transition plan is two years behind schedule, but well done. It reannounced that again today as well.
What the government has done with this motion today is that it has reannounced the issue that the Labor Party likes to reannounce in this chamber regularly; that is, that it believes in diversification. I listened carefully to Hon Andrew O'Donnell, and I got one quote down exactly; the other one I am not so sure about. He said, I believe, that this government did not notice these opportunities by chance. That was in relation to diversification. I did not get the other one down exactly, but he said a couple of times something along the lines of the government having been working on this since 2017, when it got elected to government. How diversified is the economy, Hon Andrew O'Donnell? How successful has the government been, or does it just talk about it? Does it talk about diversification and reannounce it is talking about diversification, and then it reannounces a reannouncement of talking about diversification and note these little, tiny minor achievements? Another glossy brochure; thank you very much. I should sit down because Hon Dan Caddy can wave that at me. I am convinced by that glossy brochure! That works really well.
Several members interjected.
The Acting President (Hon Dr Brian Walker): Order! I am delighted to see that Thursday morning normality has returned, but I would like a little bit more peace and quiet.
Hon Dr Steve Thomas: Thank you very much for your protection, Acting President. How effective has the government's diversification plan really been? It has introduced trains, and that is good; we like the train sets. It creates jobs; well done. They are assembly jobs. The government is not actually manufacturing trains; it is bringing them here and assembling them. As Hon Steve—which Steve are you? I get very confused—Martin says, squeegees are still needed to get the mist off the front, and they are made in China. Well done! Congratulations! We love to see this local production.
Hon Dan Caddy: Look at you two. You're just like those Muppets.
Hon Dr Steve Thomas: It is unparliamentary to call you "Statler", but we might get there eventually Hon Dan Caddy. Well done; the government has done that little bit.
I love the tourism component. On the day that a story came out saying that the only state in Australia that saw a decrease in tourism, both in visitor numbers and spend, was Western Australia, Hon Andrew O'Donnell stood up and told us what a good job the government was doing in tourism!
Hon Steve Martin: We need another brochure!
Hon Dr Steve Thomas: Yes, get a brochure for that! Wave that one around at us. The government has done some great tourism programs. Do members remember Wander Out Yonder? We could never work out who was wandering out there. They could not get workers out yonder, so it had to be Work and Wander out Yonder. If tourists did turn up, they could not actually get served a cup of coffee, so the government had to go to Work and Wander out Yonder. The work bit did not really work. We kept asking questions in Parliament about how many jobs had been created through that process and the answer was almost none. The government has kicked an own goal by putting out that media release this morning on energy and then moving this motion on diversification. I have not had a happier day for ages, Mr Acting President!
Hon Dan Caddy: You're easy to please, honourable member.
Hon Dr Steve Thomas: I am very easily pleased. I am waiting for some government activity on diversification. If the government actually develops a significant amount of it, I will be very pleased. But in reality, what does the economics of the state do? The government has been "Lucky" Phil.
Several members interjected.
Hon Dr Steve Thomas: The mining sector has underpinned this massive growth in income. What has the government done? Sure, it built Metronet. Well done. Cash was paid most of the way along. Congratulations. I am not sure that Metronet has diversified the economy all that much. It did a good job in creating jobs in the construction industry, in direct competition with all the rest of the construction going on. Well done on that, but apart from Metronet, which did not really diversify the economy—if it did, it was temporary, because the government shifted workers from one area to another—how much actual diversity in the economic situation in Western Australia has the government delivered? The answer is next to none. I am an optimist, though. I am the eternal and overbearing optimist, and I like to see some positivity come through. The honourable member mentioned AUKUS. It is looking reasonably optimistic. I think that is good.
Hon Andrew O'Donnell: For good reason!
Hon Dr Steve Thomas: Absolutely. Which federal government started down the AUKUS path?
Hon Steve Martin: That would have been ours.
Hon Dr Steve Thomas: Which federal government introduced AUKUS?
Hon Dan Caddy interjected.
Hon Dr Steve Thomas: Let me think.
Hon Andrew O'Donnell interjected.
Hon Dr Steve Thomas: Would it have been the same federal government that underpinned the GST arrangement?
Several members interjected.
The Acting President (Hon Dr Brian Walker): Order, members! Interjections are always considered disorderly but permitted. I would like this to be a little bit calmer in the interjections.
Hon Dr Steve Thomas: Thank you, Acting President. They do not like being tweaked and they do not like being held to account; they never have!
It was the same government that gave the state government the GST windfall that also underpinned the economy. AUKUS—thank you, federal coalition; GST—thank you, federal coalition. AUKUS is looking a bit promising, but we have to ask a question around AUKUS: What is the split? Before government members claim AUKUS as a major diversification, I point out that it might just be the only significant diversification made by this government in eight and a half years because apparently it did not notice these opportunities by chance and has been working on them since 2017. The only thing that it might deliver with real diversification—putting aside the energy stuff, which is falling apart—is AUKUS, for which the government should be incredibly grateful to the federal governments, depending on how it looks like in the end.
Hon Andrew O'Donnell interjected.
Hon Dr Steve Thomas: I thought it was great; $12 billion from the federal government for AUKUS committed to do all of these wonderful things. We all went, "Yes, that's really good." How much is the state government putting in by comparison? Crickets!
Hon Andrew O'Donnell interjected.
Hon Dr Steve Thomas: Crickets! How much is the Cook Labor government putting into AUKUS? How much is in the budget for it? There is $12 billion from Hon Anthony Albanese; how much from you guys? I am waiting.
Hon Matthew Swinbourn: Sunday—that was announced by the Albanese government.
Hon Dr Steve Thomas: Yes, Sunday. I am waiting. How much? Where is it? Diversification is great. We are still waiting for it. Stop talking about it and start doing it!
Hon Klasey Hirst (11:59 am): I thank Hon Andrew O'Donnell for bringing this motion today, which I am pleased to make a contribution to. The motion recognises the opportunities from diversifying our economy and the advantages in our state of its location, its landscapes and natural resources. The member spoke about the Plan for Our Parks and Aboriginal Ranger programs, which are extremely close to my heart, having worked in the environment minister's office between 2023 and 2025. I want to touch on them again. I thank the member for bringing them to us.
As he mentioned, it was announced in 2019, and we had a target of five million hectares of new conservation estate. This is the largest conservation effort of any Western Australian government. That was delivered last year in December 2024. I had the absolute honour of working for the Minister for Environment when that was delivered. We did not just achieve our target—we smashed it, with 6.5 million hectares achieved. We created new national parks, marine parks and reserve. Really importantly, under joint management, there are more than 20 Indigenous land use agreements with traditional owners for these areas. It is the most extensive native title agreement–making process for conservation in Australia's history. Through this there have been over 280 new full-time positions with Aboriginal Rangers, trainees, marine park staff and joint management coordinators, and tourism leases and visitor infrastructure in these new parks also provide direct opportunities for Aboriginal cultural tourism.
At a personal level, some of these conservation areas were very special when delivered at our office and to me. One of those is the Bunuba National Park in the Kimberley, which is 220,000 hectares. It is part of the Fitzroy River National Park project. Mount Augustus, which is 800,000 hectares, has an ILUA with the Wajarri Yamaji people and 16 ranger positions. The Kalbarri National Park expansion has Nanda joint management. I also refer to the Matuwa Kurrara Kurrara National Park. They are just some examples of the amazing national parks that we created through that process.
I do not have a lot of time but I want to acknowledge on the record the really hardworking Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions staff all across Western Australia—from the senior leaders through to planners, scientists, regional officers and lawyers. Their years of hard work made this achievement possible. I also acknowledge the hard work of one of my colleagues in particular, Joseph Quick, who lived and breathed this project in our office. I recall looking over at him at the event we held to celebrate its delivery and there were a few tears in his eye. It was like he had had another child; it meant so much to him. I just want to acknowledge the hard work that he put into that. Plan for Our Parks is a clear example of diversification, using our unique landscape and cultures as the foundations for jobs, Aboriginal tourism and regional development.
The member also talked about the Aboriginal Ranger program. Again, I had the chance to see that project up close. When I travelled with the minister, I met rangers on the ground. I cannot describe that feeling of what it was like to hear what was happening on the ground. We heard directly from them what that employment meant—the pride of sharing their culture and passing on their knowledge. In particular, I got to visit the Peel region and Albany with the minister last year. It was one of the most amazing experiences I had working in that office. As we have heard, the program started in 2017 and we have delivered about $100 million since its inception. Nearly 1,400 Aboriginal people have been employed, and, really importantly, 45% of those positions are held by women. They do things like manage culture, protect cultural sites, biodiversity research, weed and fire management, tourism, guiding and passing on traditional knowledge. I also want to acknowledge traditional owners across Western Australia. This program works only because of their leadership, their knowledge and their willingness to share it. As I said, from mapping country, managing fire and the weeds and animals to guiding visitors, this rests on generations of knowledge. The program is immensely popular and has very strong demand across Western Australia. It has tangible outcomes for jobs, skills and keeping people on country. There we are again: turning cultural and natural resources into real economic diversification.
I know we talked a bit about tourism; I want to talk a little about ecotourism. That is allowing Western Australians to enjoy and appreciate nature. As we know, tourism is one of the government's nine priorities in investing in diversifying our economy. Ecotourism is about encouraging people to get out and enjoy our beautiful state. This has seen significant government investment. We saw that through the WA Recovery Plan. We saw things like the Great Southern adventure trails and the Valley of the Giants trail network. Karijini National Park has new car parks and Weano Gorge, Eco Retreat and Dales Gorge have sealed roads. I have spent a lot of time in Karijini; it is one of my favourite places on earth. Those roads are really tough at times so seeing them sealed is really important to facilitate people getting out there. Of course, there is also the cantilevered steel lookout over Knox Gorge.
In the Collie region we have the adventure trails and tourism readiness. There are more trails in Pemberton, Peel, and Kalamunda. There are new campgrounds coming in Yanchep, Purnululu and Fitzroy River. There are also coastal or marine upgrades at the Houtman Abrolhos Islands and the Kalbarri foreshore project, and the iconic trees, the Gloucester Tree and the Dave Evans Bicentennial Tree. These expand ways to experience Western Australia through family camping—thus, opening it up to everybody. It creates regional jobs, especially for traditional owners.
At a more local level, I am really pleased to see the upgrades happening at John Forrest National Park—WA's first national park. It has about 130,000 visitors annually and it is currently undergoing a $17 million redevelopment with a new day-use area, upgraded trails, better parking with a visitor hub and a bridge across Glen Brook are coming too. I acknowledge the hard work and advocacy of the previous local member, Matthew Hughes; this legacy from him will be left for the community up there.
Just on that matter, if members are not aware, next weekend the first WanderFest event is happening up in the Perth hills. I was able to attend its launch in Kalamunda a few weeks ago and took part in a mini walk. I look forward to going again next weekend. There are five guided tours, which are at the FR Berry Reserve in Gidgegannup; Lake Leschenaultia in Chidlow; Piesse Brook, Rocky Pool, in Kalamunda; Settlers Common in Bedfordale; and, of course, Kitty's Gorge, which is an absolute favourite of so many out in Jarrahdale. Other events include the night tour at Perth Observatory and sunset and stargazing out in the Shire of Serpentine Jarrahdale. I encourage members to head up to the hills and take part in one of the walks or go along to one of the supporting events.
Hon Andrew O'Donnell touched very briefly on the creative industries. That is something that I also care about. I had the opportunity to attend one of WA's leading creative regional events last weekend, the Margaret River Regional Open Studios. I had the opportunity to attend the media launch in July on behalf of the Minister for Tourism, Hon Reece Whitby, and also the artist launch in Busselton. It was great to get down to the opening last weekend. That is the largest event of its type in the Southern Hemisphere. In 2023, it had over 12,000 visitors over the 16 days. This year there are 150-plus artists. The event is funded through our regional events program. Like I said, I attended last weekend and had the opportunity to visit nine studios. There were so many highlights, but some of my absolute favourites were Christian Fletcher, who, of course, is the iconic WA landscape photographer, and Mel Jarman and Susie French. It was Susie's first time participating. She recently moved from the Kimberley and her artworks of the Kimberley landscapes are simply inspiring. This is an award-winning program. It took the silver award for best event last year at the Qantas Australian Tourism Awards and won the gold award at the 2022 and 2024 WA Tourism Awards. It is free to go. I encourage visitors to stay longer and visit the wineries and cafes. I acknowledge the hard work of the chair, Jim Davies, and the entire board, especially Jacquie Happ, for welcoming me to all the events that I have been to in the past few months. I really do feel like part of the family. Again, that diversifies our economy and adds cultural tourism to WA's regional brand.
While I am on art, I will give another plug to the Mundaring Hills Open Studios event coming up next month. That will involve 81 artists this year, including 30 studios over four venues. The studios spread from Swan View up to Greenmount and into Chidlow and Gidgegannup. I had the opportunity to attend the A Taste of MHOS exhibition this week, which runs until next Friday at 111 St Georges Terrace. There are 23 artists on display. I encourage members to pop down and have a look and hopefully come up to the hills again in October and have a good look. The Kalamunda Open Studios event is also coming up. That is held twice yearly, in spring and autumn. These events support artists and small businesses and bring people to the communities. Again, I want to thank Hon Andrew O'Donnell for bringing this important motion to the house.
Hon Matthew Swinbourn (Minister for the Environment) (12:03 pm): I rise to give the government's response to this excellent motion by Hon Andrew O'Donnell. It is always good when we can bring a motion into this chamber to talk about our forward-thinking economic diversification. This is a really important topic, about which those opposite seem to have very little aptitude for advancing any credible argument.
A member interjected.
Hon Matthew Swinbourn: The opposition is not even a one-trick pony. It might be a half-trick pony with how it deals with policy in this area.
Hon Dr Steve Thomas interjected.
Hon Matthew Swinbourn: We are talking about a different motion now, member. We not talking about artificial or cultured products anymore.
Why is it important to talk about diversification and to do something about it?
Hon Dr Steve Thomas interjected.
Hon Matthew Swinbourn: Member, I very respectfully did not interject on you, even though every other member in the chamber may have! Although I plan to be particularly harsh on the member and his comments, I would ask that he listen to them quietly and respectfully.
Hon Dr Steve Thomas interjected.
Hon Matthew Swinbourn: I will try. To be fair to Hon Dr Steve Thomas, who is a good friend of mine and whose contributions I appreciate. I support his efforts this morning for recycling, which is the argument he puts forward every Thursday morning—it is a recycling of the argument! As Minister for the Environment, who is responsible for the circular economy, I say keep your recycling up, member; it is really great!
This is an excellent motion to talk about diversification because it is really important. We cannot just rely on the traditional industries that we have relied upon for most of this state's history, being mining and agriculture. Those two industries are incredibly important and make a great contribution. The Deputy President might agree with me that agriculture is often not given the prominence it deserves in discussions about the contribution it makes to the Western Australian economy, which is incredibly significant. It is a well-developed and diverse industry in and of itself. Farmers have adapted to the changing climate and improved their applications. Part of the government's efforts to diversify the economy are to produce not only primary products but also the secondary and other products down the food chain. I know that my colleague Hon Jackie Jarvis, the Minister for Agriculture and Food, supports that further downstream work. Obviously, the government is focused on diversifying other areas of our economy away from those two traditional industries. That is not at the expense of those industries, by the way. That is not what we are trying to do. We are ensuring that when the mining industry in particular goes into a down cycle or, ultimately, the ore bodies are mined out, which is an inevitability in some sense, that future generations of Western Australians will have an economy, activities and industries that allow them to maintain a standard of living that we are all comfortable with. That is why our diversification is not limited simply to manufacturing; it is also focused on other areas like the arts and culture. That is why building a film studio in Malaga is an expansion of that. That industry is expanding across the globe. The demand for content on platforms, whether it is streaming or social media platforms, is very high and Western Australia needs to get its piece of pie. We can do that only if we have infrastructure in place like the film studio up there. That will do a range of things. I do not know whether Hon Tim Clifford will get an opportunity to speak on this motion, but he is particularly passionate about programming and the opportunities that exist for us, particularly for our younger people who are engaged in those areas. The government supports those kinds of activities and expanding into that field. Programming is also connected to the film and creative industries area because the development of video special effects, I think it used to be called, is a really big industry. Western Australia is not in the same position as Melbourne, but we have opportunities for our young people to get into those sorts of industries. This government is supporting that at a number of different levels in those areas.
As I said, manufacturing is a really important area and there are things that we can do. I heard part of Hon Amber-Jade Sanderson's speech on the radio this morning at an event at which she said she will be directing the three government trading enterprises within her area—Synergy, Horizon and Western Power—to give preference to local manufacturing. I do not know whether I am doing that a disservice, but, essentially, it will ensure that when local manufacturers can provide those services for the energy transition, they are given the best opportunities to do so. If, for whatever reason, those GTEs do not use a local provider, they must have a very good and solid explanation for why that is in the best interests of the state. I think that is a really positive outcome that will give a lot of assurance to local manufacturers and those who are thinking about investing in the Western Australian economy because they will have certainty that there will be a strong line of work coming through, which will provide jobs all over the state. I am a member who has come from the outer metropolitan area. We tend to have our light and heavy industrial areas within the metropolitan area. Obviously, we are also supporting other strategic industrial areas.
I want to go through a list of some of the key budget measures that are connected to our Made in WA policy. We are very proud to be putting Made in WA front and centre as a policy and a focus of this government. The Premier in particular repeats that mantra. It is really important, because it keeps bringing up the importance of the diversification of our economy through using those three words.
We have $83 million to produce electric buses and ferries in WA, which builds on our success in railcar manufacturing. I know that the member has said that it is assembly, but I will quibble with him; I think it is manufacturing. "Manufacture" and "assemble" are synonyms; they are interchangeable. The point is that workers out there are engaged in productive work for this state. It is happening here in Western Australia, not somewhere else. That is the really key point: that is being done here.
There is $50 million for the Housing Innovation Fund and $50 million to establish the Perth biomedical precinct to support the co-location of world-leading medical manufacturers. I know that the Minister for Medical Research, Hon Stephen Dawson, has been particularly supportive of the opportunities that exist here. We created the Future Health Research and Innovation Fund in our first term of government, which has provided a steady stream of investment into both medical research and innovation. Again, that is something that has boundless opportunities to help us, as a knowledge state and as a state that sits on the Indian Ocean rim, to engage with others. It is a fantastic opportunity. As I say, there is $50 million to establish the biomedical precinct to support co-location. It is a bit like in Field of Dreams: "If you build it, he will come." That is essentially what some of that is for.
There is $50 million towards the local battery manufacturing program; a $40 million boost to the new industries and innovation fund; $30 million for a further round of funding for new energy industries through the Investment Attraction Fund; $25 million towards our commitment to manufacture transmission towers and components in Forrestfield and Picton and establish a local industry development fund; $8.9 million to support the Exploration Incentive Scheme; $500 million in additional investment in the Strategic Industries Fund, taking it to over $1 billion over 10 years; a $584 million investment in the Clean Energy Link–North project; $543 million to increase the capacity of the Goldfields pipeline by 7.2 gigalitres a day; a $349 million investment in our ports to grow our economy and export capacity around WA; and $107 million to expand and activate the Hope Valley and Postans industrial areas in Kwinana.
The point is that when it comes to getting the rubber to the road on manufacturing, we are backing our local manufacturers, and we have a plan to continue to support them on this.
I have just noticed that I have run out of time. Once again, I congratulate the member for bringing the motion to the house and for the opportunity to debate it today.
Hon Dr Parwinder Kaur (12:13 pm): We hear about the lucky state a lot, but I have been hearing in my life that chance or luck only favours a prepared mind. I am very proud to say that WA has shown that preparedness. I thank Hon Andrew O'Donnell so much for bringing this excellent motion to the house.
Hon Dr Steve Thomas interjected.
Hon Dr Parwinder Kaur: Honourable member, I would please request no interjections. I very respectfully listened to the member.
I thought we should look at where we are standing at this moment. We are literally sleepwalking into the future. We do not know how to tell our kids or the next generation what sorts of jobs they will be doing in the next five years. It is something that really worries me and I think about it a lot. It is one of the key reasons that I stand here and have become part of this amazing team that is delivering not just a future for WA but a future that is Made in WA. That is something that I would like to be part of, and I would like to put my best foot forward to make that the future that we all want to see for our kids.
While I am talking about future jobs, last week I was invited to the St Catherine's College scholars' dinner at Curtin University. I go to the scholars' dinner every year. This time I happened to meet the keynote speaker, who is known to be the world's number one futurist. I did not know jobs like that existed in today's world. I was really impressed by the keynote speech given by Mark van Rijmenam, which was about the book that he has written. Something really profound that I learnt that day is that whatever the jobs of the future look like, we need to prepare for them today.
As a country, we stand in the bottom one-third of the nations listed in Harvard University's The Atlas of Economic Complexity. We have recently slipped behind Botswana, with a ranking of 105 out of the 145 countries listed in The Atlas of Economic Complexity. I am really proud to say that the Western Australian Government has taken a step forward and is the very first state government to be going into the future with a plan. We are talking about not just a 10-year science and technology plan, which we are the only state to have, but also a future that builds on our strategic strengths, which is not a lucky thing to do but a very clever thing to do. To have nine priority sectors as the state's strategic strengths takes away the anxiety and puts us into action to deliver that future. As we navigate this space, we do not have many shots. We have this one really amazing opportunity in a time window in which we can deliver that future of abundance, and we can co-create it together starting right from this chamber.
The key diversification sector of the resources industry is the renewables and critical minerals industry, which has been one of the greatest trends in our state. Some really brilliant data shows the improvement. Western Australia's gross state product grew cumulatively by 6.8% across three years to 2023–24 and the non-mining sector recorded solid growth in 2023–24, indicating that Western Australia is becoming less reliant on the mining industry to generate growth. Non-mining investment of $36 billion in 2023–24 was achieved. The Diversify WA plan gave confidence to the rest of the world to invest in our state. Employment also grew by 1.6 million. Employment grew by 3.2% in 2022–23 and by a further 3.8% in 2023–24. More Western Australians are employed than ever before. That is progress. That tells us that we are going in the right direction. According to the Diversify WA update, we made significant contributions that accounted for 47% of Australia's total goods exports in 2023–24 and 48% of total Australian merchandise exports in March 2025. We are a very fortunate state because we have a Aaa credit rating. That does not come automatically; it comes from responsible economic management.
When we talk about renewable energy in the strategic industrial areas that we are developing, it is not just about the investment. There has been a lot of progress, including with hydrogen hubs. Over $270 million in combined investment from the Western Australian and Australian Governments supports three hydrogen hubs in the Pilbara, Mid West and Kwinana. It is not about growth in city postcodes only; it takes into account other regions as well. Our studies suggest that developing carbon capture hubs could boost gross state product by $55 billion between 2030 and 2050. Our lithium exports grew by 20 times between 2020–21 and 2021–22, with the state producing around half the world's lithium.
That is also what leads us to battery and critical minerals processing investment. Since 2015, almost $9 billion has been invested into projects manufacturing battery chemicals and separated rare earth oxides in Western Australia. This is all happening here in Western Australia. It is not something that can be achieved overnight, but can be achieved with strategy and building on our strengths, which we are doing very effectively at this moment.
I come to tourism. I am very excited to share some interesting findings that I made recently with my parliamentary research student, who started a project looking at science tourism in Western Australia and how our landscape, location and the amazing country that we all enjoy can look into getting better STEM opportunities and engagement in our state. Josephine is a student who I am co-supervising with Professor Amanda Davies from the University of Western Australia. She is doing a parliamentary research project on "Science meets the outback: unlocking the potential of science tourism in Western Australia". I look forward to sharing the findings with all members in November once she wraps up her project. I will tell members that the Cook government had already laid the groundwork for us to do a project like this by investments in tourism, manufacturing, defence and clean energy. We have not fully gone into science tourism, but it is something that I look forward to seeing grow in Western Australia. Given that we have the best dark skies and the best reef in the world at the same time as having the largest supercomputers—we are building the biggest telescope in the world—who would be better placed than us to explore those aspects of tourism?
We do not just have natural advantages. In 2023–24, 11.8 million international and domestic visitors came to or travelled in WA, spending a record $18.3 billion, with 45% of that being spent in the regions. This is a record high for Western Australia and 36% ahead of 2019 levels. Creative industries were touched on by my colleagues, but I like to mention international education, which has also added record investments into our state. It is estimated that the contribution to WA's economy by international students is $2.9 billion. All I would like to say is that this is something we should continue to do. It is something that we have an opportunity to co-create for WA. I commend my colleague Hon Andrew O'Donnell for bringing this excellent motion to the house.
Hon Ayor Makur Chuot (12:23 pm): I have few minutes to speak. I thank my colleague Hon Andrew O'Donnell for this fantastic, important motion moved in our house today.
I am really pleased to support this fantastic motion, which was slightly criticised by my colleague Hon Dr Steve Thomas when he spoke about Metronet. As someone who lives in Ellenbrook, I have seen the benefit of our young people getting out of Ellenbrook because, as members know, Ellenbrook does not have a lot of opportunities for our young people. They have to travel to go to TAFE, work or other opportunities and for many other reasons, so I wanted to get up today to say that this is a fantastic motion. It is a very important motion that rightly recognises the opportunities presented for the ongoing diversification of Western Australia's economy.
We know that our state has long powered the world's resources sector. Our government is ensuring that our economy is diverse, resilient and ready to meet the challenges of tomorrow's future. Western Australia is uniquely placed to capitalise on our location, with our natural landscapes and abundant natural resources. More than that, we are investing in our people, as I mentioned to my colleague, our industries and infrastructure to ensure that the jobs of the future are created right here in Western Australia.
I will speak briefly on local manufacturing. We are putting manufacturing at the heart of Western Australia's economy through our Made in WA plan. This year's budget delivered a further $2.7 billion investment into our economic infrastructure, which includes $50 million for the Housing Innovation Fund, $50 million for a local battery manufacturing program, $25 million for new transmission tower manufacturing in Forrestfield and Bicton, and a $5 million boost to the Strategic Industry Fund, taking it to $1 billion over the next 10 years. We are also making a record investment in clean energy, which is much needed in our current life. Investing in industry, land, ports, water security and local manufacturing means creating more jobs here in WA, keeping the supply chain secure and ensuring that pride returns to the words "Made in WA", which is our focus as a government.
In my next minute I will quickly touch on tourism. The tourism and creative industries are also thriving in our state. Tourism is WA's fifth-largest employer, supporting more than 120,000 jobs and contributing nearly $16 billion to our economy. We have set an ambitious target of $25 billion in visitor spend by 2033 and are well on our way to achieve this. International visitor spend in our wonderful state grew to $2.6 billion in 2024, with visitors from China, Singapore, the United Kingdom and New Zealand leading the way. New aviation links and discount airfare programs are helping more visitors discover our beautiful regions. Our major events are putting Perth and WA on the world stage. Our local events include the Kings Park Lightscape and Broome's Shinju Matsuri Festival.
Motion lapsed, pursuant to standing orders.
