Western Australian Regional Cities Alliance Report
The Cities of Albany, Bunbury, Geraldton-Greenough and Kalgoorlie-Boulder outline the case for a strategic approach to regional development within Western Australia. While making the case for decentralisation of future population growth away from the Perth Metropolitan Area, their priority is strategic investment in the infrastructure of regional cities.
The report explores the economic contribution of regional Western Australia; the existing projections for population growth in the State; and, the likely distribution of that population in the absence of decisive policy interventions. It is considered highly likely that the projected growth of the Perth Metropolitan area will have serious adverse effects. The lack of a concerted approach to regional development and distribution of population growth to regional cities is viewed as a major strategic risk to the State's future prosperity.
The report outlines concerns with recent State Government initiatives in the planning and approval processes for significant infrastructure developments and proposes a
framework for ongoing engagement between participating Cities and both the State and Commonwealth Governments. The Cities propose Memorandums of Understanding between themselves and both the State and Commonwealth Governments as the foundation for a strategic dialogue on the state planning process. The process giving rise to the two draft Memorandums is outlined and copies are provided as appendices.
