Western Australia Wants You!

Over ten days in March the WA Government’s London office supported Minister Papalia’s skilled worker recruitment blitz.

Minister Papalia, along with delegates from the Western Australian Motor Traders Association, the Australian Hotels Association and the Western Australian Police force, sought to unashamedly steal skilled workers from across the UK and Ireland to fill 31,000 open jobs in Western Australia. 

Underpinned by one of the most successful government media campaigns in recent history, the mission generated an unmatched level of interest across the UK and Ireland. This massive level of interest saw around 200 prospective migrants attend three pub take over events in Edinburgh, London and Dublin.  This was in addition to the more than 800 police officers who had applied for roles in the Western Australian Police Force.

These takeovers gave attendees an opportunity to escape the dark March evenings and get a glimpse of life in WA. It also provided an opportunity to sample world class WA beer and wine as well as Australian delicacies like lamingtons. 

It was clear that most who attended these events had already made up their mind, with the question on everyone’s lips being ‘how quickly can I get there’. 

Delegates were not only able to provide insights around the often-complicated migration process but also connect some attendees with job opportunities in Perth, further accelerating the move. 

Supporting these takeover events was the team’s attendance at the Bristol Job’s Show, the region’s largest in person recruitment event.  This show presented an enticing alternative to other local job opportunities being advertised and attracted queries from all walks of life, including those who had travel up to three hours to attend the event. 

In addition to the skill attraction focus of the visit, Minister Papalia in his role as Minister for Defence Industry, took the opportunity to meet with UK defence industry and stakeholders to gain a deeper understanding of the opportunities for WA in the UK, and develop stronger connections between WA and UK defence organisations.   

These have become especially important considering the recent AUKUS announcement which committed to basing  five nuclear submarines from the United States and the United Kingdom at HMAS Stirling south for Perth from 2027.   In a boon for WA industry, the Commonwealth government has also committed to invest $8 billion in upgrading infrastructure at HMAS Stirling to support the basing and sustainment of nuclear powered submarines over the long term (read more on this below).