McGowan backs SW jobs

State Opposition Leader Mark McGowan announced a WA Labor policy he hopes will deliver more jobs in regional WA during a visit to Bunbury yesterday.

Speaking at the site of the proposed Department of Parks and Wildlife building, Mr McGowan announced the policy that he anticipates will help businesses access State Government contracts to build schools, hospitals and other projects.

Mr McGowan said the State Government's Buy Local policy needed to be amended to make sure regional businesses were better able to compete and sub-contractors had preference when a head contract was awarded to a Perth or Interstate business.

"I want to make sure that local sub-contractors and local businesses get better and easier opportunities to contracts provided by the State Government to build schools, hospitals, roads and court houses," he said.

Mr McGowan said the proposed DPaW building was an example of a State Government contract he would like to see won by a regional contractor.

"I would like to see the contract go to a regional head contractor and if it went to a head contractor in Perth then I'd like to see a regional preference applied to any sub-contracts issued by that head contractor," he said.

Mr McGowan said a WA Labor Government would ensure all tenders, contracts and job vacancies in regional areas would be advertised on the Regional Development Commission's website.