Premier Mark McGowan has outlined a $185 million plan to reconnect Western Australia to the world once the state's borders reopen, including incentives to lure back tourists and international students.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The premier says WA remains on track to open its borders in late January or early February despite concerns about the Omicron coronavirus variant.
A firm date is set to be announced after next Friday's national cabinet meeting, with the reopening expected to align with WA achieving 90 per cent full vaccination.
Addressing a business function in Perth on Wednesday, Mr McGowan said his government would look to leverage its successful management of the pandemic in attracting skilled migrants, international students and tourists.
"The virtue of our careful and cautious approach means Western Australia now has a new brand of safety, stability and strength, and we will use that brand to market ourselves to the world," Mr McGowan told the Committee for Economic Development of Australia event.
"If you're in business, don't you want to invest in the state that safely managed the pandemic and kept the economy operating?".
Having faced strong criticism from airlines over its strict border regime, the government will spend $65 million on re-establishing pre-COVID flight routes to Perth and targeting new direct flights to Germany, India, China and Vietnam.
A $65 million marketing campaign will promote WA as a "safe and welcoming" destination, with campaigns aimed specifically at doctors, nurses and secondary teachers, backpackers and sorely-needed skilled industry workers.
Accommodation support will be offered to international students, while the government will also look to attract "blockbuster international events" to Perth.
That is expected to be cold comfort to cricket fans and administrators with Perth increasingly certain to lose hosting rights for the fifth Ashes Test in January due to border complications.
Mr McGowan said WA had grown its economy more than any other state during the pandemic and achieved the nation's lowest unemployment rate while avoiding major outbreaks.
"Our West Australian strategy has been vindicated ... on health, social and economic grounds, over and over again," he said.
Fly-in, fly-out mining workers were among those required to have received their first vaccine dose by Wednesday under wide-reaching state government mandates, along with police, prison guards, care workers and firefighters.
About 1000 people gathered outside parliament to protest the mandates, with hostility directed towards politicians and the media.
Anti-vaxxers have levelled violent threats against the premier and his staff in recent months, forcing the closure of his electorate office.
"The anti-vaxx thing that's really come up quite prominently in the last couple of months has obviously been a bit of a surprise to me," Mr McGowan said.
"People choosing to give up their jobs because they read some conspiracy theory online, they'll regret it no doubt later in their lives."
Assistant Police Commissioner Gary Dreibergs said 49 officers who had refused to get vaccinated would face a disciplinary process.
He said the officers, who face losing their jobs, had the option of getting vaccinated in coming weeks but would still be disciplined for disobeying a direct order.
Australian Associated Press
