Julie Freeman MLC opinion: To manage population growth, regions need to stop being treated as side issue

Western Australia has just been told it will lead the nation in population growth through to 2066. On the surface, that sounds like great news — but where that growth goes is what really matters. According to the Commonwealth’s 2025 Population Statement, around 500,000 people are expected to settle in metropolitan Perth, while just 100,000 will choose to live in the bush. WA has always been built on the strength of our regions. Our mining, agriculture, energy, fisheries and tourism industries are overwhelmingly based outside Perth. However, WA is one of the most urbanised States in the country, and it is projected around 80 per cent of West Australians will continue to live in the metropolitan area. I was a city girl who moved to the country as a graduate teacher and never left. I’ve lived here for 30 years, and I wholeheartedly believe it is the best place to live, work and raise a family. It is the land of opportunity — offering a better lifestyle, a genuine sense of community, and the privilege of having nature right on your doorstep. I have often asked why, in a State as vast as WA — with abundant land and some of the best natural resources in the world — we are funnelling almost all future growth into Perth. Why are we content with a model that delivers endless suburban sprawl, heavier traffic, mounting pressure on hospitals and housing, and infrastructure stretched to breaking point, while regional towns struggle to attract the investment and population they need to thrive? Regional WA — the engine room of our economy — has been treated as an afterthought by the Cook Labor Government for the last 10 years. The Government frequently talks up regional development, but there is little evidence of the long-term, co-ordinated planning needed to drive sustained population growth outside Perth. Roads, ports, hospitals, schools, housing supply, workforce planning, industry development and community safety all influence where people choose to live and work. Without a clear and deliberate strategy to grow regional cities and towns, population growth will continue to be drawn to the metropolitan area — placing ever-increasing pressure on Perth’s infrastructure and services. Our Government should be thinking bigger. There is no reason why WA should not have multiple regional cities of 100,000 people along the coast in the Kimberley, Pilbara and Great Southern, as well as inland centres like Kalgoorlie. These are regions with world-class resources, strategic importance, and enormous potential to support diversified economies and vibrant communities. The Eastern States have understood this for decades. While their decentralisation efforts have not been perfect, they have consistently backed regional growth with infrastructure, services and long-term planning. As a result, large regional centres such as Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, Toowoomba and Townsville now offer genuine alternatives to capital city living. WA could do the same — and arguably has even greater potential. Population projections are not destiny. They are modelling exercises based on policy settings, infrastructure investment and planning decisions made today. Governments that plan, invest and lead can shift the dial. Governments that talk without acting cannot. The Nationals WA have always believed in strong, thriving regional towns and cities. It is the reason our party exists. When we were in a position to act, we delivered the transformative Royalties for Regions program — a policy that recognised the wealth generated in the regions should help build the infrastructure and services those communities needed to thrive. Royalties for Regions was not about short-term fixes. It was about turning a vision for WA into reality: better health care, better schools, stronger local economies, and more liveable regional communities. It worked because it was additional funding, not a substitute for core government responsibilities. Under the current government, Royalties for Regions has been hollowed out. Instead of adding value to the regions, it is now routinely used to prop up the core business of government. The long-term, transformative intent has been lost completely. At the same time, Premier Roger Cook’s regional ministries have proven ineffective. They are little more than window-dressing — portfolios without the authority, resources or influence needed to drive real change. If WA is serious about managing growth, improving liveability and securing our long-term prosperity, we must stop treating regional development as a side issue and start putting it at the centre of our planning. The question is not whether WA will grow — it will. The real question is where that growth will go, and whether we have the courage and leadership to shape it. With the right vision, planning and commitment, WA can lead the country — not just in population numbers, but in building strong, resilient regions where people choose to live, work and raise their families. That is a future worth backing. Julie Freeman is a Nationals MLC, and assisting the shadow minister for regional development.