The federal government has acknowledged the infrastructure strain facing Perth’s southern coastal corridor, committing to fund three studies into road access at HMAS Stirling.
The federal government has acknowledged the infrastructure strain facing Perth’s southern coastal corridor, committing to fund three studies into road access at HMAS Stirling next year.
The arrival of nuclear submarines on rotation at HMAS Stirling, off Rockingham, from 2027 is expected to generate an influx of residents and traffic to the area.
The matter has been a sore point for local governments for many years, and a perceived lack of interest from the Department of Defence in the development of support infrastructure has sounded alarm bells in the area.
In a submission to an inquiry into proposed works at HMAS Stirling in July, the Perth South West Metropolitan Alliance – comprising the cities of Fremantle, Melville, Cockburn and Kwinana and the Town of East Fremantle – lashed a lack of planning for the region.
Central to the concerns has been a lack of planning around the long-proposed Garden Island Highway, stagnation on which prompted WA Liberal Senator Linda Reynolds to warn pre-US election that Rockingham’s infrastructure was a greater threat to Aukus than Donald Trump.
Those concerns appear to have been heeded in today’s announcement of $2 million worth of studies to be carried out at Rockingham over the course of 2025.
The studies will assess options for roads, infrastructure and local transport; and assess the heritage and environmental impacts of the Garden Island Highway proposal, which abuts Lake Richmond.
They will take 10 months to complete.
“This work will inform future decisions on delivery of regional transport infrastructure solutions, to ensure that in delivering AUKUS we are also supporting the local community,” Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said.
But the clock is ticking on infrastructure in the area, with only two years until the nation’s Aukus obligations scale up and a suite of other major projects – including Westport and the consolidation of a defence manufacturing precinct at Henderson – planned nearby.
The government plans to spend $8 billion on the expansion of HMAS Stirling over the next 10 years and anticipates that work will create 3,000 direct jobs.
Local government estimates Rockingham’s population will grow by 64 per cent, to 245,000 people by 2043 – without population growth at HMAS Stirling factored in.
Resources Minister and Member for Brand Madeleine King said she was aware of the road issues in Rockingham and committed to getting the region the investment it needs.
“As a local, like everyone else, I’ve been caught in the traffic snarls; I see the effects the trucks are having on roads and residents; and I know how important Lake Richmond is to the environment and the community,” she said.
“Aukus will deliver incredible benefits to Rockingham and beyond, but we also need to ensure the local community is supported with improved roads and transport infrastructure.”
