Western Australia has the worst trade shortage in the country, and the renovation horror stories are piling up. Wait times stretch months, quotes come in eye-watering, and experienced tradies are spread thin across a building pipeline that shows no sign of slowing.
In an opinion piece published by The West Australian, columnist Kim Macdonald argues the state government needs to go further than talking up apprenticeships, it should mandate a minimum number of apprentices on every major public infrastructure project. The argument is straightforward: if taxpayers are funding the build, the build should be funding the next generation of workers too.
It’s not a new idea. Victoria and the ACT have used similar measures, baking apprentice and trainee ratios into tender conditions on large government contracts. What makes WA’s situation different is scale. The state is running a massive infrastructure program while its population grows fast, and the existing workforce can’t absorb it all.
The shortage hits small business owners and homeowners hardest. Licensed operators who play by the rules, carrying insurance, paying award wages, keeping up with compliance, find themselves squeezed by bottlenecks they can’t control. If you’ve tried to find out what electricians charge in your area, the WA figures tell the story: scarcity drives rates up, and legitimate operators can’t compete with a labour market running on fumes. More apprentices completing their training in three to four years would ease that pressure, which is exactly when WA’s pipeline shows no sign of thinning.
Macdonald’s column stops short of nominating specific numbers or which trades should be prioritised. The WA government hasn’t publicly responded to the proposal. What’s clear is that voluntary industry efforts haven’t closed the gap, and the construction boom won’t wait for a slow fix.
Frequently asked questions
Do other Australian states mandate apprentices on government projects?
Yes. Victoria and the ACT have used similar measures, requiring apprentice and trainee ratios as conditions in large government construction contracts.
Has the WA government responded to the proposal?
Not publicly. As of the time of writing, the WA government had not responded to the push to mandate apprentice numbers on public infrastructure projects.
Sourced from The West Australian. Original article.
