Cities Beyond Perth: Best Bets for Growth in a New Economi
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Cities Beyond Perth Best bets for growth in a new economic environment Profiles of the largest regional centres in Western Australia January 2015 Level 2, 53 Blackall Street 02 6260 3733 Barton ACT 2600 www.regionalaustralia.org.au The Regional Australia Institute Independent and informed by both research and ongoing dialogue with the community, the Regional Australia Institute (RAI) develops policy and advocates for change to build a stronger economy and better quality of life in regional Australia – for the benefit of all Australians. Disclaimer and Copyright This research report translates and analyses findings of research to enable an informed public discussion of regional issues in Australia. It is intended to assist people to think about their perspectives, assumptions and understanding of regional issues. No responsibility is accepted by the RAI, its Board or its funders for the accuracy of the advice provided or for the quality of advice or decisions made by others based on the information presented in this publication. Unless otherwise specified, the contents of this report remain the property of the Regional Australia Institute. Reproduction for non-commercial purposes with attribution of authorship is permitted. RAI Research and Policy Project researcher: Annemarie Ashton-Wyatt, Senior Researcher Project supervisor: Jack Archer, Deputy CEO Contributing to research content and review: Su McCluskey, Chief Executive Officer Jennie Dwyer, Policy Advisor Morgan Rennie, Researcher Tai Nguyen, Researcher All RAI research is informed by the expertise of the RAI Research Advisory Committee. Members in 2014/15 are: Professor Sandra Harding, James Cook University (Chair) Professor Andrew Beer, University of Adelaide Professor Graeme Hugo, University of Adelaide Professor John Tomaney, University College of London Tim Shackleton, Director, Virtual Health Cities Beyond Perth (Profiles Report), January 2015 P a g e | i Research Partnership This research has been funded through a partnership between the Regional Australia Institute and the Department of Regional Development, Western Australia. Executive Reference Group: Tim Shackleton, Regional Development Council of Western Australia Mike Rowe, Department of Regional Development Su McCluskey, Regional Australia Institute Project Steering Committee: Ken King, Pilbara Regional Development Commission (Chair) Richard Hancock, Pilbara Development Commission Bruce Manning, Great Southern Development Commission Janine Hatch, Wheatbelt Development Commission Grant Arthur, Wheatbelt Development Commission John Acres, Department of Regional Development Denis O’Donovan, Department of Regional Development Jack Archer, Regional Australia Institute Acknowledgements The RAI acknowledges the following people and organisations who have contributed feedback and ideas during the development of this report: Aboriginal Workforce Development Centre, The Busselton Chamber of Commerce and Department of Training and Workforce Industry Development City of Albany City of Busselton City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder City of Mandurah Department of Corrective Services Department of Training and Workforce Development Goldfields Esperance Development Commission Great Southern Development Commission Kimberley Development Commission FarmWorx Fiona McKenzie, Department of Planning and Gascoyne Development Commission Community Development, Victoria Goldfields-Esperance Development Commission Mid West Development Commission Peel Development Commission Pilbara Development Commission Regional Development Council, Western RDA Goldfields Esperance Australia RDA Great Southern RDA Kimberley RDA Mid West Gascoyne RDA Peel Rio Tinto RSM Bird Cameron Shaddicks Lawyers Shire of Carnarvon South West Development Commission The West Australian Regional Newspapers Wheatbelt Development Commission Workforce Education Cities Beyond Perth (Profiles Report), January 2015 Table of Contents Profiles of the Largest Regional Centres in Western Australia .......................................................... 1 Old Towns With City-Sized Opportunities ............................................................................................ 3 Albany – Growing Southern-style Sophistication ............................................................................. 3 Bunbury – Developing the Digital Future ......................................................................................... 18 Busselton – A City for All Seasons ..................................................................................................... 30 Geraldton – From Service Centre to Regional City ....................................................................... 42 Places Growing Through Connected Lifestyles ................................................................................... 52 Mandurah – The Alternative to Sprawl ............................................................................................ 52 The Proposed Avon City: New Horizons ........................................................................................... 61 Areas Well-Positioned for Accessing New Global Markets............................................................. 72 Broome – Shifting Tides and New Opportunities ........................................................................... 72 Carnarvon – Getting Ready to Grow .............................................................................................. 87 Kununurra – Diamonds, Droplets and Diversification ..................................................................... 98 Boom Towns in Transition ...................................................................................................................... 112 Kalgoorlie-Boulder – Building the Old and the New .................................................................. 112 Karratha City – The New City of the North ................................................................................. 125 Port Hedland – Becoming More Than a Work Place .................................................................. 137 Appendix C: List of Figures in the Profiles Report ........................................................................... 150 Contacts and Further Information ....................................................................................................... 153 References and Endnotes ..................................................................................................................... 154 An Executive Summary and the Analysis of the competitive and collaborative advantages of Western Australia’s largest regional centres are published separately to this report. Cities Beyond Perth (Profiles Report), January 2015 P a g e | iii Profiles of the Largest Regional Centres in Western Australia This research considers the largest population centres in each region, and where twin cities are growing, the largest two centres. The Wheatbelt is an exception, as three adjacent LGAs (Northam, York and Toodyay) from the Avon sub-region are considered as a group, based on a proposed Avon City planning concept provided by the Wheatbelt Development Commission. The Cities Beyond Perth Analysis Report (published separately) considers the macro comparison level, identifying the big issues which will help to enable sustainable population growth and economic development, both at a regional level and a State level. It explores the similarities and differences between the regions, and considers those factors which will help to promote growth, and also any issues which may create a bottleneck or disincentive to investment. The Cities Beyond Perth Profiles Report (this document) provides a profile of each of the selected locations. Each place is analysed as an individual entity, in the context of its role within the region, and in comparison to similar locations within Australia. The regional profiles are organised into the four analysis groups: 1. Old towns with city-sized opportunities Albany in the Great Southern region; Bunbury in the South West region; Busselton in the South West region; Greater Geraldton in the Mid West region; 2. Places growing through connected lifestyles Mandurah in the Peel region; The proposed Avon City: Northam, Toodyay and York in the Wheatbelt region. 3. Areas well-positioned for accessing the new global markets Broome in the Kimberley region; Carnarvon in the Gascoyne region; Kununurra in the Kimberley region; 4. Boom towns in transition Kalgoorlie-Boulder in the Goldfields-Esperance region; Karratha City in the Pilbara region; Port Hedland in the Pilbara region; Cities Beyond Perth (Profiles Report), January 2015 Page | 1 The following analysis is conducted at the LGA level unless otherwise specified. While most locations have similar names within the original Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data sources, please note that Greater Geraldton is measured using Geraldton-Greenough LGA, Karratha City is measured using Roebourne LGA and Kununurra is measured using Wyndham- East Kimberley LGA. Each location is analysed as an individual entity, in the context of its role within the region, and in comparison to similar locations within Australia. This analysis is based on a range of national quantitative data sources, including data from [In]Sight: Australia’s regional competitiveness index developed by the RAI. Expanded research notes on the theoretical perspective informing this research and methodologies used are available in Appendix A in Part One.