The City of Mandurah has renewed its calls to the state and federal government to get on board with its Transform Mandurah plan to revitalise the economy and create long-term local jobs.
This plea comes following CommSec's latest figures, showing Mandurah has the highest unemployment rate in the nation, at 18 per cent.
Mandurah mayor Rhys Williams said the City needed significant investment from the government to be able to create a stronger economy.
"A higher percentage of people in Mandurah than any other community in Australia right now are faced with the uncertain and scary reality of not knowing when their next paycheck will be coming in," he said.
"As we've been saying for some time now, we need a stronger, diverse and more resilient local economy to protect us from the inevitable impacts of such a localised economy.
"State and federal governments are working to help communities like ours in the short term with important stimulus and support programs, but it is essential that they also focus on changing the outlook for our future generations, and that's going to take significant investment and collaboration at all levels."
The City's 10-year Transform Mandurah plan is a blueprint for the city that aims to revitalise the city centre and diversify the local economy.
Read more on the Transform Mandurah plan:
The Mandurah Mail reported on the agenda, which is broken down into four key parts.
This includes the City Centre Waterfront Project to revamp the eastern and western foreshores and the Smart Street Mall, City Centre redevelopment including the relocation of a government agency and creation of a new civic square, a tourism precinct linking the Mandurah Ocean Marina to the city centre, and the activation of the Yalgorup National Park.
Mr Williams said the Transform Mandurah plan would expand the City's economy in a number of ways.
"We need to diversify our economy so we're not reliant on just hospitality, tourism, retail and construction - We need quality jobs, we need to attract investment, and we need new education pathways for our young people," he said.
"We have a plan, now we need help to make it a reality."
Mr Williams also said council was continuing to provide immediate support to local businesses and the broader community through its $5 million Restart Mandurah program, including accelerated capital works, a community grants program and waived fees and charges.
Read more:
"The reality is, COVID-19 has just stoked a fire that was already burning. Our unemployment rate has traditionally been high and our economy has always been fragile, and we need the commitment of our state and federal governments, for this to change," he said.
We need to diversify our economy so we're not reliant on just hospitality, tourism, retail and construction.
- Mandurah mayor Rhys Williams
The Mandurah Mail will continue to explore the four components of the Transform Mandurah plan in more detail over the coming weeks.
The next article will look into the second key part of the agenda - the establishment of an Australian Waterways Centre of Excellence and bringing industry, science and education together in one space.
What do you think about the plan? Email editor@mandurahmail.com.au.
