• A Mettam Liberal Government will build on the WA Liberals’ proud history of state development with a comprehensive state development plan.

• The WA Liberal Party is committed to creating a business-friendly environment, reducing bureaucratic delays.

• Our plan will ensure WA remains a leader in trade, energy security, housing, infrastructure, environmental approvals, tourism, and regional development.

The WA Liberals have this morning laid out their vision for the future of Western Australia in a comprehensive State Development policy designed to unleash WA businesses and set our state up for the future.

Labor has presided over an exodus of industry from Western Australia through high electricity prices, arduous approvals process, Nature Positive Laws, and the Safeguard Mechanism, meaning 7,000 jobs have now been lost, because they took their eye off the ball.

WA’s success hasn’t occurred by accident.

It was successive WA Liberal Leaders who worked with industry, listened to the community, made tough decisions and laid the groundwork to let enterprise get on with creating jobs.

A future Mettam Government will build on the proud track record of previous WA Liberal leaders and lay the groundwork for future generations to enjoy the same prosperity we have enjoyed.

1. Uranium Mining

A Mettam Liberal Government will lift Labor’s non-sensical and ideological ban on uranium mining.

WA has some of the largest uranium reserves in the world, while demand is growing due to the energy transition and geopolitical tensions.

Mining this critical resource has the potential to provide an annual $1 billion industry boost to WA’s future, along with 9,000 jobs, by producing safe and reliable supplies for the global community for generations to come.

2. Environmental Approvals

Labor’s anti-business agenda means $318bn of known investment is being held up, according to the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which is killing jobs and investment

WA Labor’s own report – the Vogel-McFerran Review – contains sensible recommendations to improve the environmental approval process

Despite this, Labor has implemented just a handful of the recommendations. The WA Liberals will implement all of them.

Streamlining the environmental approvals process will boost investment, particularly in critical mineral exploration and foster job creation in WA.

3. Enhancing Energy Reliability

The Cook Labor Government is planning on ripping almost 1,000MW of baseload generation over the next six years, without enough renewable generation and storage to replace it.

This has generated significant concern from industry about rising power prices impacting the ability to do business in WA – which has already seen heavy industry shut up shop including in Kalgoorlie and Kwinana.

We will build an additional 300MW of gas generation to put downward pressure on energy prices and make it more affordable to do business in this state.

4. Keeping the lights on in Kalgoorlie

Kalgoorlie is a major regional city; it shouldn’t be living through rolling and extended blackouts that can take days to resolve

A WA Liberal Government will reverse WA Labor’s neglect of the Goldfields’ power supply, putting an end to lost stock, lost wages and shuttered small businesses.

Under a Mettam Liberal Government, Western Power will work constructively with Northern Star and the existing generation assets of other private suppliers to take excess capacity, not required by KCGM, to stabilise energy supply in the Goldfields while new generation capacity is developed.

If you can’t guarantee power supply, you can’t run a business, you can’t make investment decisions, and you can’t run a household.

A WA Liberal Government will give industry in the Goldfields the certainty they need to get on with creating jobs and exports for Western Australia.

5. Regional Housing Infrastructure

A Mettam Liberal Government will expand the Housing Infrastructure Investment Fund by $100m to fund a new Regional Housing Infrastructure Program, which will help supporting headworks and infrastructure to unlock more regional housing.

The WA Liberals will also increase investment in Government Regional Officer Housing (GROH) by $100m. GROH is a housing program which provides a residence to enable the delivery of public services to people in regional and remote WA, like teachers and police.

In regional WA, housing shortages can have an even larger impact when essential workers can’t find a place to live, and deliver the services West Australians expect.

Regional WA cannot grow if people have nowhere to live - whether they're starting a small business, joining our healthcare workforce, or moving to raise their family.

Our investment recognises the different challenges regional communities face in building new housing and will help fix Labor’s regional housing shortage.

6. Payroll Tax

Payroll tax and WA’s regulatory regime are among the biggest issues for business and are among the barriers to growth.

The Business Council of Australia ranks WA as the second worst state in the country for our tax and regulatory settings, behind only Victoria – with Queensland and NSW comfortably beating us.

That’s why Western Australian small businesses will save up to $32,000 under a Mettam Government, through a 12-month payroll tax rebate that will provide relief to WA’s small businesses currently struggling with Labor’s cost of living crisis.

At the same time, we will instruct the Economic Regulation Authority to undertake a review of the WA’s payroll tax arrangements, stamp duty, including on insurance, and retail trading hours.

This is a first step towards unleashing small businesses across WA after they have been neglected for eight-years by WA Labor.

7. Commercial Fishing

The WA cray fishing industry supports $400m in exports, and thousands of families up and down WA’s coast.

Unlike Labor, the WA Liberals will always back small business and remove red tape so businesses can grow and prosper.

That is why a Mettam Liberal Government will:

      • Fix the number of units in Individual Transferable Quota fisheries, so these units cannot be created or destroyed once a number is fixed;

      • Extend the minimum term for fishing licenses to be 5+5 in line with normal commercial arrangements, enabling commercial fishers to get on with their job unencumbered by red tape; and

      • Establish an electronic register of unit entitlements that financial institutions can rely on, to assist with sovereign risk issues.

8. Aboriginal Heritage Reforms

WA Labor’s rushed and flawed Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act was a disaster for landowners and businesses, leading to uncertainty, legal confusion, and unfair prosecutions.

While WA Labor has since backtracked, the legacy of their failure continues to harm industries across WA.

A Mettam Liberal Government will engage with Farmers, Landowners, Aboriginal people and the community to amend the Act and create clear, fair, and practical guidelines that balance heritage protection with economic development.

We will apply commonsense solutions to everyday problems.

This issue is about private property rights. Farmers and landowners should be able to undertake minor works on their properties without suffering the indignity of a prosecution.

9. Evergreen Bus Contracts

A Mettam Government will reverse the Cook Labor Government’s attack on regional school bus services, by reverting to evergreen bus contracts for regional school bus services.

Under the evergreen contract model, bus services in regional WA are operated by local small businesses who invest in their businesses, acquire new buses, hire staff, and get to know the families they serve.

By adopting evergreen contracts, we can provide more reliability for students, a better operating environment for service operators, better wages and working conditions for drivers.

10. Backing WA’s Tourism Operators

WA’s tourism sector is being held back by Labor’s overregulation and mismanagement of natural attractions.

The closure of Horizontal Falls to tourism operators is a short-sighted decision that will cost local jobs and revenue.

A WA Liberal Government will reverse this closure, ensuring that safe and sustainable access continues, preserving one of WA’s greatest natural attractions while supporting eco-tourism in the Kimberley.

We will also maintain all current visitor access, attractions, and experiences in National Parks and public land, including The Gloucester Tree, Nature’s Window, Wave Rock and Whale Shark Diving.

These natural and cultural landmarks are vital to WA’s tourism industry, and we will ensure they remain accessible to visitors, supporting local economies and jobs.

11. Trade Policy

Western Australia’s economic future depends on strong global partnerships, but WA Labor has failed to prioritise key markets, instead to maintaining expensive trade offices with little return.

The WA Liberal Party will reform WA’s trade commissioner network, reinstate in-country representation in key ASEAN nations, and modernise our trade strategy to focus on growing sectors such as critical minerals, clean energy exports, and digital innovation.

We will cut wasteful spending, prioritise high-growth markets, and ensure that every dollar spent on trade promotion delivers real benefits for WA businesses.

QUOTES ATTRIBUTABLE TO LIBBY METTAM, WA LIBERAL LEADER

Western Australia is a state of immense potential, rich in natural resources, global trade opportunities, and vibrant regional communities.

History shows Liberal Governments make the decisions which set WA up for the future and a government I lead will carry that tradition forward.

The WA Liberal Party is committed to creating a business-friendly environment, reducing bureaucratic delays, and making strategic investments in key sectors to unleash the full potential of WA.

Our plan for State Development will ensure we remain a leader in trade, energy security, housing, infrastructure, environmental approvals, tourism, and regional development.