1304.5 - Stats Talk WA (Newsletter), May 2004  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 29/09/2004   
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Western Australian Statistical Indicators (cat. no. 1367.5)

The Construction Industry in Western Australia

The December 2003 issue of Western Australia Statistical Indicators (cat. no. 1367.5) released on 14 January 2004, includes a feature article on the construction industry in Western Australia. The article brings together a range of data on the Western Australian construction industry over the five years from 1998-99 to 2002-03, focusing on trends in construction activity, economic performance and employment. Construction is an integral part of the Western Australian Economy, particularly the engineering construction for large mining projects, and is closely linked to other industries such as manufacturing and finance.

Key facts from the article include:

  • Between 2002-02 and 2002-03, the value of engineering construction activity rose by $1.6 billion (51.3%) to account for more than half of the value of total construction activity in Western Australia.
  • The value of residential building activity increased by $0.9 billion (40.6%) from 1998 - 99 to 2002-03.
  • The value of the state's building approvals in the second half of 2002-03 rose by 27.7% from the same period in the previous year, suggesting a positive outlook for building activity in 2003-04.
  • Business investment in the construction industry declined sharply in 1999-2000 (down 40.9% to 159 million) coinciding with a significant fall in mineral exploration expenditure in that year. Since 1999-2000, business investment recovered to reach 241 million in 2002-03.
  • In 2002-03, the construction industry employed 8.1% of the state's workforce, the 5th largest employing industry in Western Australia.


Regional Wage and Salary Earners

The March 2004 issue of Western Australian Statistical Indicators (cat. no. 1367.5), released on 7 April 2004, includes a feature article on regional wage and salary earners in Western Australia. This article uses Australian Taxation Office income tax data to explore changes in the regional distribution of Western Australia's wage and salary earners and their incomes, over the period 1996-97 to 2000-01.

Major highlights from the article include:
  • In 2000-01, there were almost 723,000 wage and salary earners in Western Australia, an increase of 3.1% since 1996-97.
  • The largest growth in the number of wage and salary earners between 1996-97 and 2000-01 occurred in areas located on Perth's metropolitan fringe, such as Joondalup - North, Swan and Rockingham. The number of wage and salary earners residing in each of these areas increased by over 3,200 persons during the five year period.

The publication, Western Australian Statistical Indicators, (cat. no. 1367.5), provides information on: state accounts; prices and wages; retail turnover; finance and investment; building and engineering construction; overseas trade; the labour market; agriculture; mining and energy; tourism; population and vitals; crime; and the environment. Each issue includes analysis of recent movements in key state economic and labour market data, as well as a section on social trends, which presents information on income and housing for Western Australia.

For further information, contact Mike Thomas, phone (08) 9360 5353 or email: michael.thomas@abs.gov.au