Moore MP Shane Love MLA has questioned the veracity of Mark McGowan’s jobs plan, saying there was no detail on how more employment would be created in Moore.
Responding to the Premier’s announcement of a promise to create 30,000 new jobs in regional WA over the next five years Mr Love said a sure-fire way to kick-start the local economy would be for Labor to end it’s pillaging of Royalties for Regions. “You can’t grow regional jobs without investment. Gutting Royalties for Regions is the first jobs killer,” he said.
Mr Love said cuts to aged housing, road upgrades and health programs meant job opportunities in Moore were drying up.
“Moore has seen no benefits, no outcomes and certainly no investment to provide new jobs or any expansion of the required services and facilities for more people to live and work in our community,” he said
“When Labor came to power, we saw the $22 million Turquoise Coast Health Initiative tossed out and the upgrade of the Northam – Pithara Rd and aged housing projects in Moora, Toodyay and Dalwallinu all cancelled. In addition, upgrades to the Wheatbelt portion of Toodyay Road do not seem to be a priority for this government.”
The Nationals WA Leader Mia Davies said the Government had lost the faith of regional Western Australians and the rehashed jobs plan was meaningless. “Labor promised at the 2017 election to create 50,000 jobs. Two years on, they are nowhere near meeting that target,” Ms Davies said.
“This is the same Labor Government that promised to retain Royalties for Regions and continue to invest in regional Western Australia. “Instead, they have pulled workers out of regional WA through centralisation of services and departments, tried to cull Community Resource Centre funding, killed off Royalties for Regions and cut education and health funding to the bush.”
Mr Love said The Nationals WA had again called on the McGowan Government to lift the payroll tax eligibility threshold in light of WA’s worst unemployment figures in almost two decades. “Almost 100,000 West Australians are looking for work – a record amount,” he said.
“The Nationals WA have called for the Government to lift the payroll tax eligibility threshold from $850,000 to $1 million. This would provide a considerable tax break for more than 1100 WA businesses. “The Premier’s latest jobs plan is not worth the paper it is written on. A lift in the payroll tax eligibility threshold would make it look more reputable.”
