The State Government has followed Queensland's lead, with Premier Alan Carpenter launching a campaign in Melbourne today to attract skilled workers to Western Australia, at a cost of $1.2 million.
The Go West Now campaign kicked off with a full-page advertisement in a major Victorian newspaper, with plans for another in NSW tomorrow.
It will also feature outdoor billboard and radio advertising in NSW and Victoria, as well as national print and online advertising. People interested in moving to WA would be directed to register their details at the campaign web site or via the hotline.
The campaign would also feature print advertising in WA, encouraging locals to invite skilled friends and family from interstate and overseas to move to this State.
It has already attracted the support of the WA Chamber of Minerals and Energy, with acting chief executive Reg Howard-Smith saying in an announcement a boost in interstate migration to WA would help ensure the skills shortage did not weaken the State's economy.
"We need to maintain the economic momentum, and that means increasing the size of the skilled labour pool," he said.
Mr Carpenter will continue his promotion of WA in a keynote speech at the Australian Investment Conference in Sydney tomorrow.
His trip comes after Queensland Premier Peter Beattie held an expo at Sydney's Olympic Park to attract 1,500 skilled workers over the next few years.