The McGowan government’s second budget has revealed a $124.2 million investment in job-creating infrastructure in the Peel region.
Handed down on Thursday afternoon, WA treasurer Ben Wyatt announced that the funding injection would be a boost for employment and services in the region.
Those projects tipped for job-creation in the Peel region included car parking upgrades at the Mandurah Train Station and Peel Health Campus.
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In total, $4.4 million was announced to support the Peel Health Campus upgrades, that will also fund improvements to the hospital’s security system.
A further $16.1 million has been allocated to construct a multistorey car park at the train station, but will only be secured if the federal government come to the party with matching funding.
The commitment to improve the transport hub’s parking facilities isn’t fresh news to Mandurah locals.
The official commitment was initially announced as part of the 2017-18 budget and has since been carried over.
The other job-creating infrastructure projects referred to in the budget were either ongoing or not region specific commitments, such as $70 million for improving regional roads, $20.5 million for boosting early intervention for young offenders through the Target 120 program and $80 million to enhance rural bushfire capacity.
A fresh injection of $25.2 million announced for the ongoing Transform Peel project has been the most the initiative has received since it was created.
The $49.3 million project, developed and delivered by the Peel Development Commission, was founded to entice investment and business to the region.
The government also reiterated the employment opportunities that are expected to be created from projects already underway in the region including:
- $10 million for the Mandurah Eastern foreshore redevelopment
- $5 million for the Peel Youth Medical Service Hub
- $1.8 million for the protection of the Peel-Harvey Estuary
- $5.8 million to establish and operate a new women's refuge in the Peel region, as part of the Government's Stopping Family and Domestic Violence commitment
- $45 million investment towards the Peel Business Park, Nambeelup
- $399,000 towards the 3 Tier Youth Mental Health Program
Premier Mark McGowan said his government was creating jobs for people in the Peel and “turning the state's finances around”.
"The state budget strikes the right balance between fixing the mess of the Liberal-National government, while focusing on the things that matter to people in the Peel region – jobs, health, education and community services," he said.
Regional Development Minister Alannah MacTiernan echoed the Premier’s comments and added that the government was “working hard” to strengthen and diversify the Peel region's economy.
“Our continued investment in the Transform Peel project will open up new opportunities for agribusiness to create new jobs for the region,” she said.
