ONE of the many pleasing results in this year’s mid-year review of the State’s finances is the money Western Australia is now saving on interest payments because of the State’s reduced debt levels.
With the State election campaign now well under way, Western Australians will soon have the opportunity to make a decision about whom they will trust to lead the State for the next four years.
It’s a choice that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Government does have a strong bearing on our daily lives and ultimately on our lifestyle.
I have no doubt this will be a close election in which every vote will count, and I encourage all Western Australians who are eligible to vote in the State election to ensure they are properly enrolled.
I also urge everyone to think carefully about their options and what they want for the future of Western Australia.
ONCE again, Western Australians have good reason to celebrate the latest monthly labour force results released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
The unemployment rate fell to 5.9 per cent in December, the lowest of all Australian States and the lowest rate in our State since November 1989.
We also set a new record of having more than one million people in jobs. This is 203,500 more jobs than when the Coalition Government came into office in February 1993.
It’s a great result and consistent with the trend in Western Australia’s job market over recent years that shows us going from strength to strength.
It’s also a result that highlights one of the major benefits – more people in jobs – that come from sound economic management.
THE need for skilled people to meet the demands of the expanding workforce also means we have to be particularly conscious of providing training for people to go into these jobs.
In line with this, we’re continuing our focus on vocational education and training and guarantee that every eligible Year 12 student who graduated in Western Australia last year and applied for TAFE, will be offered a place in 2001.
The TAFE Guarantee 2001 initiative means that about 18,000 new students will enter the vocational education and training system this year.
While we can’t guarantee that students will be placed in the specific course of their choice, last year most applicants – 80 per cent – successfully gained their first-preference places.
This year there will be even more choice in the TAFE system with 443 options, more courses than ever before.
BUSINESS is a major focus of a new website that has just been launched by the Western Australian Government’s European Office.
The Office, which is based in London, has a key role in promoting Western Australia as a competitive business environment for investment and trade, particularly as a base to service Asia.
It also provides assistance for Western Australian companies that want to develop business opportunities in Europe.
The website, www.wago.co.uk, includes information about trade and investment as well as details of events that may be of interest.
It is also planned as a site through which Western Australian companies and their European counterparts can exchange market information.
It’s a choice that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Government does have a strong bearing on our daily lives and ultimately on our lifestyle.
I have no doubt this will be a close election in which every vote will count, and I encourage all Western Australians who are eligible to vote in the State election to ensure they are properly enrolled.
I also urge everyone to think carefully about their options and what they want for the future of Western Australia.
ONCE again, Western Australians have good reason to celebrate the latest monthly labour force results released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
The unemployment rate fell to 5.9 per cent in December, the lowest of all Australian States and the lowest rate in our State since November 1989.
We also set a new record of having more than one million people in jobs. This is 203,500 more jobs than when the Coalition Government came into office in February 1993.
It’s a great result and consistent with the trend in Western Australia’s job market over recent years that shows us going from strength to strength.
It’s also a result that highlights one of the major benefits – more people in jobs – that come from sound economic management.
THE need for skilled people to meet the demands of the expanding workforce also means we have to be particularly conscious of providing training for people to go into these jobs.
In line with this, we’re continuing our focus on vocational education and training and guarantee that every eligible Year 12 student who graduated in Western Australia last year and applied for TAFE, will be offered a place in 2001.
The TAFE Guarantee 2001 initiative means that about 18,000 new students will enter the vocational education and training system this year.
While we can’t guarantee that students will be placed in the specific course of their choice, last year most applicants – 80 per cent – successfully gained their first-preference places.
This year there will be even more choice in the TAFE system with 443 options, more courses than ever before.
BUSINESS is a major focus of a new website that has just been launched by the Western Australian Government’s European Office.
The Office, which is based in London, has a key role in promoting Western Australia as a competitive business environment for investment and trade, particularly as a base to service Asia.
It also provides assistance for Western Australian companies that want to develop business opportunities in Europe.
The website, www.wago.co.uk, includes information about trade and investment as well as details of events that may be of interest.
It is also planned as a site through which Western Australian companies and their European counterparts can exchange market information.
