WA opposition leader Liza Harvey says it makes “no sense” to delay important transport and infrastructure projects during the pandemic as the state’s unemployment rate reaches nearly six per cent.
![Liza Harvey.](https://static.ffx.io/images/$width_300%2C$height_150/t_crop_auto/t_sharpen%2Cq_auto%2Cf_auto/33b6a464c8f844c67bbc793dfb795d4feba6490e)
Liza Harvey.Marta Pascual Juanola
At a press conference on Sunday,Ms Harvey called on the state government to release its plan for jobs and economic recovery post COVID-19,and parked METRONET and infrastructure projects needed to start as soon as possible to ease the current unemployment rate.
“We’ve got METRONET projects that haven’t started,” she said.
“We’ve got money sitting in the bank and no jobs flowing into the economy ... we need jobs,we need people to be employed so that they can spend money in our businesses and stop all of these small businesses from going to the wall because of COVID-19.
“Our economy was in a very poor state before COVID-19 hit and now it’s gotten worse.
“We need to know what’s the plan for jobs,when are the projects starting,and the government does need to explain why we’re the only state without a rental relief package for people.”
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) released data last week showing WA's unemployment rate had risen slightly to 5.4 per cent in March.
However,the data was incomplete as COVID-19 restrictions did not come into full effect until the last two weeks of the month,
Ms Harvey said the state government would also need to start considering a timeline to ease restrictions.
“Like everybody else,we believe we need to listen to the health advice,but people are becoming increasingly frustrated when we can see there’s no new cases to have our lifestyles interrupted in the way they are,” she said.
“I would implore the state government to look at the unique set of circumstances Western Australia finds ourselves in,but most importantly,get the infrastructure projects started,get the jobs flowing,people want to work.”