Western Australia has reopened, with Mark McGowan using his first in-person meeting in the national cabinet to tell East Coast families to move to WA for a “better life”.
But in Up Late, Ben Harvey has questioned the timing, with a housing crisis in Perth.
Ahead of Friday’s meeting of state leaders in Canberra, the prime minister believed that a combination of cheaper housing, higher wages and an enviable lifestyle made moving west “a matter of course”.
Recruitment campaigns are already underway on the East Coast to try to attract people to WA, which has been hit harder than anywhere else by the shortage of skilled workers across the country.
Camera icon The first Mark McGowan. Credit: Michael Wilson / The West Australian
But McGowan intends to take advantage of Friday’s meeting to point out differences in living standards and the economies of WA and the East Coast, describing it as “a two-country story.”
“We have the longest unemployment rate (2.9 per cent) long and the highest participation rate, so (labor shortage) is more acute here,” McGowan told The West Australian.
“One of the things I will point out is that we have the cheapest housing in comparison, the highest average weekly income, a good lifestyle and a secure job.
“When I was in Sydney last week I saw a lot of people who have very paid jobs, but the average price of a house is $ 1.2 million; I don’t understand how people live.
“They could move here and have a much better and more affordable life, own their own home and save money. It’s obvious to me. “
What he didn’t mention was the vacancy rate.
“The Prime Minister is making his request to go to rest at a time when REIWA has warned that by the end of May there were 12 suburbs in Perth with only ONE rental property available … And less than 2,500 houses to rent all over the city, “Harvey said.
Speaking about the “affordability” of buying a home in WA compared to the East Coast, Harvey said, “Good luck finding one and $ 3 a brick, good luck building one.”
“If you’re seeing this in Sydney and McGowan convinced you to move around Nullarbor, make sure you keep your packing boxes, you could end up living there.”