After the election over this weekend, where the Liberals faced a major swing against them, and Mark McGowan was elected as our 30th Premier, it will be interesting to see what the new state government does to support innovation and entrepreneurs in WA.
Looking at some of his pre-election promises, Mark McGowan promised to;
- Introduce Western Australian Industry Participation Plans (WAIPPs) to create opportunities for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to compete for government contracts.
- Increased funding of $100,000 pa will be provided to increase services to microbusinesses
- Invest $14.5 million into a New Industries Fund to provide grants to accelerate new and emerging businesses in the Startup and gaming sectors
- Invest $4.5 million into regional Startups as part of the New Industries Fund
- Use the increased focus on Asia and existing trade relationships in USA, UK and Europe to attract foreign investment into Startup businesses
- Foster Innovation Hubs creating collaborative environments to support small and medium businesses and review relevant legislation to reform restrictive government regulations to allow for commercial development
- Promote and facilitate business investment into renewable energy technology manufacturing in WA including off-the-grid solutions and technologies
- Work with technology companies, universities, TAFE and electricity utilities in a precinct to provide opportunities for emerging battery technologies
- Promote the development of renewable industries at technology parks to be developed under the auspices of the newly created Industrial Lands Authority
- Sponsor Science Industry Fellowships to build relationships between WA companies and universities
More can be found on his Innovation Economy page.
We’ll sit back and watch – call me skeptical, however I have a healthy disregard for what is said in the lead up to an election. I worry that most, if not all, of these promises will never make it into their achievements over the next 12 months.
See the The West Australian’s great Promise Tracker for more information over the next few months.
