The Barnett Government was caught out misleading the WA community on Tuesday about the levels of skilled local work flowing to WA businesses from major resources projects.
 
In a media release issued on Tuesday by WA Commerce Minister Simon O’Brien, the Barnett Government celebrates the winning of a small and site-works contract by a WA firm as evidence the $43billion Gorgon Project was delivering benefits to the WA community.
 
AMWU State Secretary Steve McCartney said Colin Barnett and his Ministers were trying to deceive the WA community.
 
“We have been campaigning for months, highlighting the fact that nearly all of the design work for Gorgon was done offshore and that more than 90 per cent of the 300,000 tonnes of fabricated steel required for Gorgon was sources offshore,” he said.
 
“Instead of acknowledging this problem and doing something about it, Colin Barnett and his Minister issue the occasional media release to tell us that Gorgon has awarded small pieces of largely onsite work to local contractors.
 
“Colin Barnett and Simon O’Brien may believe their own publicity, but local businesses and their workers know that the vast majority of skilled work for Gorgon is being done offshore.
 
“When you think about it, the fact that the Barnett Government puts out a media release every time Chevron awards a contract to local firms, shows how little work is actually being performed in Western Australia.”
 
The AMWU has also called on the Barnett Government to come clean with the facts and to release information detailing the level of manufacturing and engineering that is performed in Western Australia from large resources projects.
 
‘Instead of issuing the occasional, carefully selected media release, Simon O’Brien should be coming clean on the whole story,” Mr McCartney said.
 
“How can Minister O’Brien promote figures and contracts for local onsite earthworks, yet bluntly refuse to be transparent and release information on manufacturing and engineering work?
 
“What we need is a Government that shows leadership and will stand up to large resource projects to demand that local fabricators and engineers benefit from the resources construction boom in our community.’