❓ Minister Day provides an update on the 50th anniversary of the Metropolitan Region Scheme (MRS), highlighting its significance and ongoing relevance to Perth's development. He also addresses bushfire planning guidelines following a previous question.
AnsweredQoN 707Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
METROPOLITAN
REGION SCHEME
707. Ms E. EVANGEL to the
Minister for Planning:
I note an article in today's The West Australian about the planning of Perth. Can the minister
update the house on the fiftieth anniversary of the metropolitan region scheme?
REGION SCHEME
707. Ms E. EVANGEL to the
Minister for Planning:
I note an article in today's The West Australian about the planning of Perth. Can the minister
update the house on the fiftieth anniversary of the metropolitan region scheme?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question.
Before I address that subject, I will add to my previous answer to the member
for Girrawheen. It should not be assumed that there are no guidelines or
procedures in relation to planning in bushfire-prone areas at the moment. There
is the Western Australian Planning Commission's ''State Planning
Policy 3.4: Natural Hazards and Disasters'', and also ''Planning
for Bush Fire Protection Guidelines''. Both of these are under review at
the moment, which is something I requested towards the end of last year. They
actually have effect and these issues are taken into account in relation to
subdivision approvals at the moment. The planning system is already, and has
been for some years, addressing the issues that the member raised.
Today is the very significant
fiftieth anniversary of the metropolitan region scheme coming into effect. It
was launched in October 1963 by the then Minister for Planning, Hon Les Logan,
MLC, and the Premier of the day, Western Australia's longest-serving
Premier, Sir David Brand. I know that the origins for the preparation of the
scheme go back to the early 1950s when a development boom began to take off in
Perth and the metropolitan area started to rapidly expand. The government of
the day realised that in order to address these population growth pressures,
Perth needed a broad regional plan and the decision was made to engage a
professional planner of the highest order. Over the next two years, Professor
Gordon Stephenson and the newly appointed Western Australian Town Planning
Commissioner, Alistair Hepburn, mapped out a long-term plan for the future of
Perth and the metropolitan region scheme was born. The scheme today remains the
blueprint for land use and development in the whole of the metropolitan area of
Perth, covering the area from Singleton in the south to Two Rocks in the north,
and east to the lakes in the Shire of Mundaring.
Fifty years on, coordinated planning
for an expanding metropolitan area remains a very great need for the community
and is a major priority for the government. The demand for well-positioned
residential, commercial and industrial land that is serviced by logical
transport corridors and reserves for public open space is a continuing
challenge, and this has driven some 1 200 amendments to the metropolitan region
scheme over the past 50 years; indeed, those amendments continue.
One of the things that makes the MRS unique and the envy of
many cities across Australia and, to a large extent, internationally, is the
funding model, which gives the WA Planning Commission the ability to reserve,
acquire and consolidate land on behalf of the state for roads, railways, schools,
recreation areas and other public uses, in many cases decades ahead of the
need. The MRS is the master plan for a range of land uses. Over the past 50
years, about 25 000 hectares of land has been acquired under this acquisition
scheme in the public interest. Fifty years is a very significant milestone in
the life of —
Point of Order
Mrs
M.H. ROBERTS : If the minister is reading from an official document,
can I ask him to table it?
Mr
J.H.D. DAY : I am reading from the notes I have for this answer. I do
not think a lot would be added. To conclude, it is important to place on the
record of this Parliament what has been achieved by —
Mrs M.H. Roberts interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I formally call you to order for the
first time today. Minister, please wind this up.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Mr
J.H.D. DAY : It is worthy to record what has been achieved by all
governments over the past 50 to 60 years in the development of planning in the
Perth metropolitan area and, in particular, to acknowledge the role of former
governments, past and present employees, members of the WA Planning Commission
and its predecessors, and all those involved in the Western Australian planning
system, for the many hundreds and thousands of hours of collective work that
have given us the modern city and metropolitan area in which we are privileged
to live and work.
Before I address that subject, I will add to my previous answer to the member
for Girrawheen. It should not be assumed that there are no guidelines or
procedures in relation to planning in bushfire-prone areas at the moment. There
is the Western Australian Planning Commission's ''State Planning
Policy 3.4: Natural Hazards and Disasters'', and also ''Planning
for Bush Fire Protection Guidelines''. Both of these are under review at
the moment, which is something I requested towards the end of last year. They
actually have effect and these issues are taken into account in relation to
subdivision approvals at the moment. The planning system is already, and has
been for some years, addressing the issues that the member raised.
Today is the very significant
fiftieth anniversary of the metropolitan region scheme coming into effect. It
was launched in October 1963 by the then Minister for Planning, Hon Les Logan,
MLC, and the Premier of the day, Western Australia's longest-serving
Premier, Sir David Brand. I know that the origins for the preparation of the
scheme go back to the early 1950s when a development boom began to take off in
Perth and the metropolitan area started to rapidly expand. The government of
the day realised that in order to address these population growth pressures,
Perth needed a broad regional plan and the decision was made to engage a
professional planner of the highest order. Over the next two years, Professor
Gordon Stephenson and the newly appointed Western Australian Town Planning
Commissioner, Alistair Hepburn, mapped out a long-term plan for the future of
Perth and the metropolitan region scheme was born. The scheme today remains the
blueprint for land use and development in the whole of the metropolitan area of
Perth, covering the area from Singleton in the south to Two Rocks in the north,
and east to the lakes in the Shire of Mundaring.
Fifty years on, coordinated planning
for an expanding metropolitan area remains a very great need for the community
and is a major priority for the government. The demand for well-positioned
residential, commercial and industrial land that is serviced by logical
transport corridors and reserves for public open space is a continuing
challenge, and this has driven some 1 200 amendments to the metropolitan region
scheme over the past 50 years; indeed, those amendments continue.
One of the things that makes the MRS unique and the envy of
many cities across Australia and, to a large extent, internationally, is the
funding model, which gives the WA Planning Commission the ability to reserve,
acquire and consolidate land on behalf of the state for roads, railways, schools,
recreation areas and other public uses, in many cases decades ahead of the
need. The MRS is the master plan for a range of land uses. Over the past 50
years, about 25 000 hectares of land has been acquired under this acquisition
scheme in the public interest. Fifty years is a very significant milestone in
the life of —
Point of Order
Mrs
M.H. ROBERTS : If the minister is reading from an official document,
can I ask him to table it?
Mr
J.H.D. DAY : I am reading from the notes I have for this answer. I do
not think a lot would be added. To conclude, it is important to place on the
record of this Parliament what has been achieved by —
Mrs M.H. Roberts interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I formally call you to order for the
first time today. Minister, please wind this up.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Mr
J.H.D. DAY : It is worthy to record what has been achieved by all
governments over the past 50 to 60 years in the development of planning in the
Perth metropolitan area and, in particular, to acknowledge the role of former
governments, past and present employees, members of the WA Planning Commission
and its predecessors, and all those involved in the Western Australian planning
system, for the many hundreds and thousands of hours of collective work that
have given us the modern city and metropolitan area in which we are privileged
to live and work.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.