Infrastructure WA

21. Improve the effectiveness and efficiency of regional social services and infrastructure by developing regional social services and infrastructure models that are more responsive to the changing needs of communities across regional WA, including those caused by population growth and decline, by:

1. applying integrated, place-based approaches that allow social service state agencies such as health, education, justice, policing, housing and emergency services to better coordinate and co-locate services and infrastructure and ensure the service mix is tailored to changing community needs
2. investigating the application of a hub-and-spoke approach aligned to WA’s settlement network to coordinate social services and infrastructure
3. piloting potential regional social service and infrastructure models in a remote Aboriginal community, a small town and a regional centre
4. undertaking a social services and infrastructure needs assessment to understand how needs will change in response to long-term population growth and decline and demographic change.

The WA Government responded to Foundation for a stronger tomorrow in February 2023. Recommendation 21 is partially supported. For further information please refer to the response document.

To ensure the timely and optimised delivery of infrastructure, review the effectiveness of existing and proposed infrastructure facilitation and coordination models within 5 years of operation and consider if alternate models should be established.

WA Government response

The WA Government responded to Foundation for a stronger tomorrow in February 2023. Recommendation 22 is fully supported. For further information please refer to the response document.

23. Improve the navigation of project approval processes by establishing a single digital government approvals system, including:

1. providing a single access platform that offers standardised, consistent and transparent information covering all WA Government infrastructure approvals processes, time frames, roles and responsibilities and supporting information required from the proponent

    

2. staging updates to the platform to create a single lodgement portal for all WA Government infrastructure approval applications that allows users to track progress, enables transparent reporting and facilitates sharing of consistent information across state agencies.

WA Government response

The WA Government responded to Foundation for a stronger tomorrow in February 2023. Recommendation 23 is partially supported. For further information please refer to the response document.

Streamline project approvals processes and reduce regulatory burdens by implementing a program to review and modernise relevant infrastructure approvals legislation and progress targeted amendments at least every 5 years.

WA Government response

The WA Government responded to Foundation for a stronger tomorrow in February 2023. Recommendation 24 is partially supported. For further information please refer to the response document.

25. Make best use of existing and planned urban infrastructure by preparing and implementing an urban consolidation action program, including:

1. identifying significant barriers to increasing urban consolidation and developing a clear roadmap that outlines intended outcomes, responsibilities and time frames
2. reviewing and adjusting policy settings to support infill locations, including liveability and amenity improvements, with particular focus on refining policy settings for public open space, public realm improvements, schools, utilities and public transport and the associated development contribution requirements
3. planning incentives that support infill development, encourage land assembly and create a stronger pipeline of development sites
4. implementing purchaser support where appropriate to facilitate increased infill development, such as further extension of the Off the Plan Duty Rebate Scheme for apartments and place-based approaches to building bonus grants and Keystart lending requirements
5. providing funding and support for development of precinct plans for key infill locations
6. identifying and prioritising infrastructure capacity upgrades and coordination needed to support infill development
7. transparently reporting progress (at least every 2 years) towards achieving infill targets set in Perth and Peel @ 3.5 million by local government area, taking into account relevant contextual factors.

WA Government response

The WA Government responded to Foundation for a stronger tomorrow in February 2023. Recommendation 25 is partially supported. For further information please refer to the response document.

26. Ensure adequate information on infrastructure servicing and operational costs informs decisions by embedding rigorous infrastructure appraisal in the planning decision-making framework, including:

1. underpinning future reviews of Perth and Peel @ 3.5 million and development of integrated regional plans with a thorough analysis of the capital and operational costs of infrastructure provision and the extent to which this is likely to be carried by the state government, including understanding the cumulative impact of demand that may stimulate major new investment, to inform the staging of greenfield development fronts and consideration of new development areas
2. staging and prioritising development fronts and identifying a clear implementation strategy in land-use plans, which is adhered to in decision-making, to ensure infrastructure is programmed, funded and delivered in the most efficient and effective manner
3. preparing costed and scheduled infrastructure servicing plans, where proponents seek to depart from staging plans, or are outside land identified for future development in the frameworks, to provide decision-makers with an understanding of the real costs (capital and operational) to state government to allow implications to be considered in land-use planning decision-making
4. ensuring rezoning proposals for greenfield land are considered in the context of land supply and demand.

WA Government response

The WA Government responded to Foundation for a stronger tomorrow in February 2023. Recommendation 26 is fully supported. For further information please refer to the response document.

27. Transform the Perth CBD and immediate surrounds (including locations adjacent to the Swan River such as Burswood and South Perth) by preparing a city opportunity plan that sets an agreed strategic framework, including:

1. developing a clear and compelling long-term vision for the city
2. identifying major precincts, other significant redevelopments and infrastructure that will contribute to city growth and activation, and consider: 
   • desired outcomes for initiatives and the synergies between them
   • interface opportunities and issues
   • staging
   • implementation requirements and responsibilities.

WA Government response

The WA Government responded to Foundation for a stronger tomorrow in February 2023. Recommendation 27 is fully supported. For further information please refer to the response document.

Establish the land use, infrastructure and environmental needs of each region by progressively preparing, in order of priority, 20-year integrated regional plans. The plans should be:

• modelled on Perth and Peel @ 3.5 million
• supported by a robust regional development framework (see Recommendation 19 in the Regional development chapter), along with evidence-based identification of strategic infrastructure needs to serve and support population change and economic growth
• refreshed at least every 10 years. 

WA Government response

The WA Government responded to Foundation for a stronger tomorrow in February 2023. Recommendation 28 is partially supported. For further information please refer to the response document.

29. Ensure a focus on state-significant precincts through greater government infrastructure coordination and investment, tailored governance models and land-use planning intervention by establishing and implementing state priority areas, including:  

1. developing and publishing a prioritisation framework, in conjunction with key stakeholders, to ensure consistency of approach and application to areas of greatest strategic need or opportunity
2. endorsing the framework and state priority area locations at a whole of government level to ensure sufficient carriage by state agencies and government trading enterprises
3. extending the redevelopment functions and powers of the Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority Act 2011 to non-metropolitan areas during the Machinery of Government legislative review process to enable an additional method for urban, industrial and economic land project planning and delivery in regional state priority areas.

WA Government response

The WA Government responded to Foundation for a stronger tomorrow in February 2023. Recommendation 29 is not supported. For further information please refer to the response document.

30. Ensure the protection of strategic industrial land uses, infrastructure and resource inputs by: 

1. finalising and gazetting the draft State Planning Policy 4.1 - Industrial interface
2. reviewing the Environmental Protection Authority’s Guidance Statement 3 – Separation distances between industrial and sensitive land uses, to ensure alignment with the finalised State Planning Policy 4.1. – Industrial interface
3. protecting, preserving and maintaining flexible uses in key industrial sites, particularly inner-metropolitan areas
4. reviewing the effectiveness of State Planning Policy 2.4 – Basic raw materials and the updated State Planning Policy 4.1 – Industrial interface, after they have been operational for 5 years
5. updating and maintaining basic raw materials resource mapping to understand the impacts of extraction, changing land-use patterns and environmental restrictions.

WA Government response

The WA Government responded to Foundation for a stronger tomorrow in February 2023. Recommendation 30 (a,b,c,e) is fully supported; (d) is not supported. For further information please refer to the response document.