❓ Mr Rundle questions the Premier about water supply limitations hindering housing developments in the Pilbara, particularly Port Hedland, and its impact on regional relocation. The Premier acknowledges the issue and states the Minister for Water is addressing it.
AnsweredQoN 511Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
Pilbara—Housing developments—Water supply
511. Mr Peter Rundle to
the Premier:
I refer to
correspondence from the Water Corporation to the Town of Port Hedland about the
beachfront village housing development, stating that the scheme is at effective
capacity and that no major connection requests can be accommodated until the
early 2030s.
(1) What actions is
the government taking to ensure a reliable secure water supply so that new
housing developments in the Pilbara are not sidelined or delayed for the
next decade?
(2) How does the Premier expect people to relocate
to regional areas when state government agencies themselves cannot keep pace
with development or provide basic services?
511. Mr Peter Rundle to
the Premier:
I refer to
correspondence from the Water Corporation to the Town of Port Hedland about the
beachfront village housing development, stating that the scheme is at effective
capacity and that no major connection requests can be accommodated until the
early 2030s.
(1) What actions is
the government taking to ensure a reliable secure water supply so that new
housing developments in the Pilbara are not sidelined or delayed for the
next decade?
(2) How does the Premier expect people to relocate
to regional areas when state government agencies themselves cannot keep pace
with development or provide basic services?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) We are obviously very cognisant of
the importance of power, transport and water in making sure that we can develop
all our urban areas in Western Australia, and that is no more important than in
regional areas. That is why the Minister for Water has been working on these
issues in both the East and West Pilbara. We know that water availability and
capacity is an incredibly important part of ensuring that regional communities
can grow. It is the situation in Exmouth and the West Pilbara. We have
significant challenges around a drying climate and the importance of boosting
the availability of desalinated water in that area. Port Hedland, like a lot of
areas of Western Australia, is an area where we need to continue to make sure
that we are developing the infrastructure we need so that we can see the growth
that we aspire to. That does not mean that the government is not immune to
making decisions that mean we can do these things sooner rather than on what
might be considered to be a business-as-usual trajectory for some of this
infrastructure rollout. That is work that the Minister for Water is taking on
at this very moment.
the importance of power, transport and water in making sure that we can develop
all our urban areas in Western Australia, and that is no more important than in
regional areas. That is why the Minister for Water has been working on these
issues in both the East and West Pilbara. We know that water availability and
capacity is an incredibly important part of ensuring that regional communities
can grow. It is the situation in Exmouth and the West Pilbara. We have
significant challenges around a drying climate and the importance of boosting
the availability of desalinated water in that area. Port Hedland, like a lot of
areas of Western Australia, is an area where we need to continue to make sure
that we are developing the infrastructure we need so that we can see the growth
that we aspire to. That does not mean that the government is not immune to
making decisions that mean we can do these things sooner rather than on what
might be considered to be a business-as-usual trajectory for some of this
infrastructure rollout. That is work that the Minister for Water is taking on
at this very moment.
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