DEPARTMENT of Commerce and Trade figures show the WA export market was worth more than $25 billion comprising 26.1 per cent of the total national exports in 1999-2000.
Minerals, which make up the major component of WA’s exports, showed an increase of 18.8 per cent in the 1999-2000 period.
Japan remains the biggest export market for WA goods taking $6.6 billion worth of exports. Japan is also the largest market for WA crustaceans worth an estimated $90 million.
The tourism industry in WA has seen international visitors to the State increase by 8.6 per cent compared to a national increase of 2.3 per cent in 1997/98.
It’s estimated tourism-related industries in WA employ 8 per cent of the workforce or 68,000 people and are worth more than $1.9 billion in revenue or 3.7 per cent of the Gross State Product.
According to figures released by the Treasury Department of Western Australia, exports rose by 18 per cent in the three months to February 2001 compared with the same period last year. However, for the first time in over a year the quarterly growth exports were stronger nationally than in WA.
Growth in wheat, wool crude minerals and crustaceans has fallen over the period but export volumes of many commodities have increased including gold exports which increased by 14.2 per cent. This is the first increase in gold export volumes in almost a year.
