December 5 2007 - Australian immigration to Western Australia not enough to meet demand

Western Australia has enjoyed the highest population growth of any state or territory of Australia this year but businesses are still calling for more skilled workers with Australian visas.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics has confirmed that there are 2.3 per cent more people living in Western Australia than there were 12 months ago. However, the state minister for planning and infrastructure says this is not sufficient to satisfy the high demand for skilled workers.

Alannah Mactiernan told ABC: "We're hopeful that with the new Rudd Labor government that we'll get a more sympathetic hearing in terms of being able to bring more people into Western Australia from overseas and help the private sector cope with this extraordinary burst in growth. We're all competing for more resources."

The resources boom is fuelling demand and attracting workers from the eastern states of Australia but the mining industry and other businesses are still suffering a severe skill shortage.

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