Executive Summary

This website blends existing industry strengths with new opportunities in the renewable space and advanced manufacturing. Neither can be separated from community and environment, one acknowledging the importance of liveability and the other underpinning what South West residents love most about their region.

It is clear that everything is connected. Sustainable energy and a healthy natural environment underline integrity in industry and the necessary green credentials required in a new era. The South West brand is one of clean, green productivity and liveability, leveraging tourism visitation product value, particularly in the food and wine sector.

Support infrastructure is an economic enabler. Roads, rail, development of the region’s port and key airport are all important along with energy, water security in a drying climate and digital capability.

South West Regional Futures flags the looming need for energy security as the region transitions from coal-fired electricity generation to renewables. The need to pivot to a decarbonised economy is a given. That the community will unite and embrace the manner of change is not. Understanding all the moving parts and options will be key to minimising division and moving forward in an informed way.

In addition to energy disruption, other enabling infrastructure will work through investment to support trade capacity and efficiencies through Bunbury Port. A longer term piece of the puzzle is the development of an intermodal terminal that connects South West roads, rail, maritime traffic and industry at Kemerton to Perth, the world’s most isolated major city.

Another cornerstone is planning to develop an advanced manufacturing hub. That vision marries opportunity with land availability, resources, skills training and global trends. There is alignment with policy to decouple from an over reliance on overseas supply chains, to utilise green energy and enhance the region’s market access through high quality transport networks including digital connectivity.

Mining and mine processing are the South West’s most significant economic contributors. With the growth of the Greenbushes lithium mine, the highest grade and largest hard rock lithium deposit in the world, and the multi-billion-dollar Albemarle processing plant, mining and minerals processing will become ever more important.

The South West is well placed to pursue opportunities in innovation and technology with Bunbury poised to underline its status as Western Australia’s second city. The plantation and timber industry is highlighted as a fully functioning and collaborative cluster supplying export markets and creating products at a state and national scale. Opportunities abound in capturing carbon through a greater use of timber and expanding the plantation estate in suitable locations.

Tourism is of fundamental importance to the South West, as an employer and enhancing the regional brand at the international level. The Capes subregion is one of Australia’s most tourism-dependent regions and a host of proposals can only heighten the South West’s standing in the world while adding value locally through employment and changed perceptions, particularly in respect of Bunbury’s waterfront. International cycling in Nannup, Busselton’s performing arts and convention centre, Australia’s first motorcycle trail hub in Manjimup, and first class mountain biking experiences at a number of regional locations all add to brand reputation.

In transforming the community, the South West Regional Waste Group looks to further boost the regional brand by moving towards circular economy principles and waste handling solutions that will add value across business, manufacturing, jobs and environment. Future plans at Stanley Road will elevate the region to sectoral leadership, establishing new standards in the waste industry and achieving State and Commonwealth policy goals.

Liveability remains a key regional advantage. From the 20-minute city to magnificent geo-landscapes, the South West can be a drawcard for long-term decentralisation across both the public and private sectors.

However, the region is not immune from national challenges. Accommodation shortages create hurdles for existing business and opportunities. There are housing shortages for critical mineral workers, those in tourism, agriculture and barriers for recruiting medical professionals.

Attention must be also drawn to water supply limitations, and furthermore, there needs to be greater endogenous growth in training and skilling, more investment in the ageing population – active ageing, social housing and aged health. There needs to be more innovative thinking, and first Australians must be brought on a shared journey towards enjoying better standards of living for all.

There is no lack of ideas and lists of projects to be funded, from rebuilding old sports pavilions and imagining trackless trams to re-routing roads and creating new berths at the port. While ambitions and innovative ideas are boundless, funding opportunities are not.

South West Regional Futures features a range of projects of differing scale, cost and impact. In particular, the document suggests a framework of consideration towards the back of the book, and highlights those projects that are genuinely transformative in their nature.