Western Australia recorded a 40.4 per cent jump in the value of engineering construction activity in the 12 months to March 2006, latest figures from Australian Bureau of Statistics show.
Treasurer Eric Ripper today said the results were the strongest recorded by the ABS since the year to September 2003.
"The heavy industry sector has contributed more than three quarters of the increase, with its nominal value up a massive 93.5 per cent in the 12 months to March 2006," Mr Ripper said.
Other engineering sectors also boasted good annual growth, with the value of work done on bridges, railways and harbours up 19.2 per cent and the value of work on electricity and pipelines up 41.8 per cent.
The Treasurer said the figures were good news for the economy but warned against complacency.
"The challenge for governments and business is to make wise investment decisions now, to ensure the good times last," he said.
"The Carpenter Government is making decisions for tomorrow, not just for today.
"Recent initiatives to drive further economic growth include tax cuts worth $1.2billion over five years, a massive $18.1billion building program over four years and new measures to further diversify our economy."
Engineering Construction Activity, Australia, Mar 2006
Engineering Construction Activity, Western Australia, March 2006Engineering
SectorsQuarterly value ($) Quarterly growth (%)*Annual growth (%)
| Roads, highways and subdivisions | 265 | 8.1 | 11.2 |
| Bridges, railways and harbours | 316 | 10.5 | 19.2 |
| Electricity and pipelines | 213 | 10.5 | 41.8 |
| Water, sewerage and drainage | 104 | 70.0 | 7.8 |
| Telecommunications | 126 | 73.8 | 29.1 |
| Heavy Industry | 1321 | 83.3 | 93.5 |
*Most recent quarter on the same quarter of the previous year.
Full data is available from the ABS website.
