❓ PERTH WATERFRONT PROJECT 182. Mr P.T. MILES to the Minister for Planning: I was pleased to see a recent announcement of the real work being done to advance the Perth Waterfront project. Such an import
AnsweredQoN 182Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
PERTH WATERFRONT
PROJECT
182. Mr P.T. MILES to the Minister for Planning:
I was pleased to see a recent announcement of the real work
being done to advance the Perth Waterfront project. Such an important city
development has been a long time coming for Perth and I am proud to be part of
a government that is actually progressing this project. Can the minister please
—
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Joondalup, I formally call you to order for the
first time today. If members in this place insist on interjecting on people who
are asking questions, they will be formally called to order, no matter what the
form the interjection might take, member for Cannington.
Mr P.T. MILES :
Such an important city development has been a long time coming for Perth and I
am proud to be part of a government that is actually progressing this project.
Can the minister please —
Mr P.B. Watson interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Albany, I formally call you to order for the first time today.
Members in this place like to ask questions and I am sure they like to ask them
without being interjected upon. It is a fairly simple request from me that you
cease interjecting on people when they are asking questions. It is a matter of
respect also.
Mr P.B. Watson interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Albany, I formally call you to order for the second time today.
Mr P.T. MILES :
Such an important city development has been a long time coming for Perth and I
am proud to be part of a government that is actually progressing this project.
Can the minister please update the house —
Dr A.D. Buti interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Armadale, I formally call you to order for the third time today. Let
us try to get through the question.
Mr P.T. MILES :
Such an important city development has been a long time coming for Perth and I
am proud to be part of a government that is actually progressing this project.
Can the minister please update the house on the recent announcements?
Mr P. Papalia :
That was the longest contribution we have seen from you all year.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Warnbro, you are not helping this process at all. I formally call
you to order for the second time today.
PROJECT
182. Mr P.T. MILES to the Minister for Planning:
I was pleased to see a recent announcement of the real work
being done to advance the Perth Waterfront project. Such an important city
development has been a long time coming for Perth and I am proud to be part of
a government that is actually progressing this project. Can the minister please
—
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Joondalup, I formally call you to order for the
first time today. If members in this place insist on interjecting on people who
are asking questions, they will be formally called to order, no matter what the
form the interjection might take, member for Cannington.
Mr P.T. MILES :
Such an important city development has been a long time coming for Perth and I
am proud to be part of a government that is actually progressing this project.
Can the minister please —
Mr P.B. Watson interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Albany, I formally call you to order for the first time today.
Members in this place like to ask questions and I am sure they like to ask them
without being interjected upon. It is a fairly simple request from me that you
cease interjecting on people when they are asking questions. It is a matter of
respect also.
Mr P.B. Watson interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Albany, I formally call you to order for the second time today.
Mr P.T. MILES :
Such an important city development has been a long time coming for Perth and I
am proud to be part of a government that is actually progressing this project.
Can the minister please update the house —
Dr A.D. Buti interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Armadale, I formally call you to order for the third time today. Let
us try to get through the question.
Mr P.T. MILES :
Such an important city development has been a long time coming for Perth and I
am proud to be part of a government that is actually progressing this project.
Can the minister please update the house on the recent announcements?
Mr P. Papalia :
That was the longest contribution we have seen from you all year.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Warnbro, you are not helping this process at all. I formally call
you to order for the second time today.
AnswerView source ↗
I am very pleased to provide some information on the Perth
Waterfront project. As was indicated in the question, it has been a long time
coming. Over the past 20 or 30 years there has been debate on this project, and
various concept plans have been developed to undertake a project that much
better connects the Perth CBD with the iconic Swan River and encourages human
interaction activity and the ability for people to visit the area to recreate,
enjoy themselves and engage with the river much more effectively than is
currently the case. It was a great pleasure to be with the Premier last
Thursday morning to commence the construction works. Finally, after 20 or 30 years
of debate and 12 concept plans since 1988, this project is now actually
underway. The previous government had its Dubai-on-the-Swan plan, which would
have involved much taller high-rises right on the riverfront itself. We have
scaled back the project to a certain extent but it will still be a very
substantial project that will provide for 1 700 residential or short-stay
accommodation apartments, 150 000 square metres of commercial space and close
to 40 000 square metres of retail space. Most importantly, there will be
extensive public areas, including parks, boardwalks, promenades, the island
that is to be created, cycleways and a ferry terminal, and the development will
allow boats to come into the area. The public spaces that will be created in
this project are the most important aspect of it. As I said, the project
commenced last Thursday, and anyone who has —
Mr C.J. Barnett :
They look really pleased, don't they!
Mr J.H.D. DAY : The
opposition, as the Premier said, really does not like hearing about this
because it has been talked about for so long. It was talked about when it was
in government. Since we have been in government the opposition has been all
over the place on the project. The member for Perth has lined up with the City
Gatekeepers group to oppose it. That is the member for Perth's
position, is it not? Three years ago the Leader of the Opposition was
criticising us for making it a boring project, as he saw it, because it was
being scaled down slightly. He is now much more ambivalent about whether or not
it should happen. It would be nice to hear a position from the Leader of the
Opposition about whether or not the opposition actually supports the project.
The brains trust of the opposition, the shadow spokesperson for transport, Hon
Ken Travers, said last Thursday that we should be rethinking the project and
looking for another design. The opposition has been all over the place.
The reality is that the government is actually getting on
with the project. The funding has been allocated and a $50 million forward
works contract has been awarded to the Georgiou Group. Over the next few months
everyone will see the roadworks getting underway. The construction of a two-way
road between William Street and the Narrows Bridge, or the roundabout just west
of the Narrows Bridge, will make access quicker from the west to the east into
the CBD. William Street will be made into a two-way street over the next year
or so. People will see the initial excavations and many other aspects of the
work. As a result of the determination of this government, very much led by the
Premier, this project is now becoming a reality. In three years members of the
public will be able to visit the area and see the massive benefits that will
flow from it.
Waterfront project. As was indicated in the question, it has been a long time
coming. Over the past 20 or 30 years there has been debate on this project, and
various concept plans have been developed to undertake a project that much
better connects the Perth CBD with the iconic Swan River and encourages human
interaction activity and the ability for people to visit the area to recreate,
enjoy themselves and engage with the river much more effectively than is
currently the case. It was a great pleasure to be with the Premier last
Thursday morning to commence the construction works. Finally, after 20 or 30 years
of debate and 12 concept plans since 1988, this project is now actually
underway. The previous government had its Dubai-on-the-Swan plan, which would
have involved much taller high-rises right on the riverfront itself. We have
scaled back the project to a certain extent but it will still be a very
substantial project that will provide for 1 700 residential or short-stay
accommodation apartments, 150 000 square metres of commercial space and close
to 40 000 square metres of retail space. Most importantly, there will be
extensive public areas, including parks, boardwalks, promenades, the island
that is to be created, cycleways and a ferry terminal, and the development will
allow boats to come into the area. The public spaces that will be created in
this project are the most important aspect of it. As I said, the project
commenced last Thursday, and anyone who has —
Mr C.J. Barnett :
They look really pleased, don't they!
Mr J.H.D. DAY : The
opposition, as the Premier said, really does not like hearing about this
because it has been talked about for so long. It was talked about when it was
in government. Since we have been in government the opposition has been all
over the place on the project. The member for Perth has lined up with the City
Gatekeepers group to oppose it. That is the member for Perth's
position, is it not? Three years ago the Leader of the Opposition was
criticising us for making it a boring project, as he saw it, because it was
being scaled down slightly. He is now much more ambivalent about whether or not
it should happen. It would be nice to hear a position from the Leader of the
Opposition about whether or not the opposition actually supports the project.
The brains trust of the opposition, the shadow spokesperson for transport, Hon
Ken Travers, said last Thursday that we should be rethinking the project and
looking for another design. The opposition has been all over the place.
The reality is that the government is actually getting on
with the project. The funding has been allocated and a $50 million forward
works contract has been awarded to the Georgiou Group. Over the next few months
everyone will see the roadworks getting underway. The construction of a two-way
road between William Street and the Narrows Bridge, or the roundabout just west
of the Narrows Bridge, will make access quicker from the west to the east into
the CBD. William Street will be made into a two-way street over the next year
or so. People will see the initial excavations and many other aspects of the
work. As a result of the determination of this government, very much led by the
Premier, this project is now becoming a reality. In three years members of the
public will be able to visit the area and see the massive benefits that will
flow from it.
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