WA winners in dollar nosedive The Aussie dollar may have dropped, but economists don't believe it will be down for long. There will be more winners than losers in WA as the Australian dollar drops against the US greenback. The dollar this week slipped to a 19-month low beneath US96c. The drop will see online shopping become more expensive and filling up at the petrol bowser could cost a bit more, but visiting a regional tourist destination will be more attractive and extra investment in the state should mean more jobs. Miners will be set to enjoy a spike in earnings if the currency continues to slide too, which will be welcome news for shareholders. Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive James Pearson said many of WA's businesses that competed with imported goods, or tourism operators whose Australian customers started going overseas, would benefit. "For many businesses in WA this will probably feel like a welcome shower of rain after a long drought, but it's too early to say how much more rain will fall," he said. According to UBS research, a drop of US5c in the value of the Australian dollar could translate to a 5 per cent jump in earnings a share for resources giants BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto. And Fortescue Metals would benefit even more, with a likely boost of about 11 per cent under the same scenario. The smaller miners would be even bigger winners, with profit set to soar, according to RBC Capital Markets research. Bankwest chief economist Alan Langford said there would be more winners than losers in WA because the state was primarily export-driven. "If the dollar falls faster than the iron ore price the Government would be a net winner," he said. The iron ore price, in Australian dollars, has dropped about 17 per cent since the start of the year, while the dollar fell about 8 per cent. Mr Langford said petrol prices and imported goods would rise, with a negative impact on some industries. Treasurer Troy Buswell said each US1c decrease in the local currency added an extra $52 million a year in mining royalties to the state's bottom line. But those royalties are closely linked to prices and each time iron ore drops by $1 a tonne the State Government also loses $31 million a year. Wesfarmers chief executive Richard Goyder, whose company spans both export and import-driven industries, warned a weaker dollar would have negative side effects. "Everyone talks about the benefit of a depreciating dollar, but fuel prices will rise, and that is a big part of people's non-discretionary budget," he said. UBS strategist Andrew Lilley said the dollar had fallen quite quickly because the US was planning to ease its money printing, a sign the economy was starting to pick up, and the negative news around Australia's mining sector. "Those kind of surprises move what should have happened over the space of a year in the space of a month," he said. He said the dollar's decline against the greenback was good news for WA, with mining competitive around US90c.