Mining has been Western Australia’s jewel in the crown for well over a century, but Curtin research shows that if the state diversifies its regional industries, it could support sustained and inclusive growth throughout WA and promote a more resilient economy.
The 2019 Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre (BCEC) report Future-Proofing the WA Economy reveals that by capitalising on regions’ existing industry strengths and identifying areas for future development, the state could create 165,000 new jobs by 2025 and contribute more than A$19 billion to its economy, on top of current growth predictions.
“WA has been dominated by mining, but when the boom ended, this strong reliance on resources exposed the economy to a lot of flow-on effects. If we were more diversified, we’d have been more resilient to those changes,” says Dr Steven Bond-Smith, lead author of the report.
Read more at: University of Queensland
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