What the State Budget means for the Pilbara
The Pilbara has once again been heralded as the 'powerhouse' of WA, with the 2025-26 State Budget outlining investments in health, housing, education and economic infrastructure for the region.
Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson addressed a crowd at the KDCCI and Pilbara Development Commission State Budget Breakfast, breaking down the State Government's key Pilbara priorities.
In healthcare, the State Budget outlined $1 million for an eight-bed Karratha Renal Dialysis Facility and Hostel and $18.5m to increase the Patient Assisted Travel Scheme (PATS) fuel subsidy from 26c per kilometre to 40c per kilometre.
Also allocated is $55m to the Tom Price and Paraburdoo hospital redevelopment projects.
'I'm very pleased to say that Paraburdoo is out for tender, and the Tom Price tender has been awarded,'Ms Sanderson said.
'The tenderer is finalising with the local government on some of the resilience required, particularly around extreme weather events, and they'll be getting on with that construction.
'One of the things that we did with the Tom Price tender is we tendered it as a region; all of the government projects, including schools, hospitals, police stations.
'So rather than just going project by project, we actually tendered as a region, and that has made those projects viable. Without the work that this government has done, these projects would not be getting off the ground.'
Pilbara housing was another hot ticket item, with $43.2m allocated to the Mulataga housing development in Karratha, $13.7m for regional staff accommodation costs to attract and retain staff (mainly across the North West) and $103.8m to double Government Regional Officer Housing (GROH).
Cost of living support for Pilbara residents was also outlined; including $250 for every secondary student and $150 for every primary and kindergarten student, a $100 top up for regional pensioner travel card holders, $337m towards the WA Residential Battery Scheme and $3.5 billion over the next four years to keep regional water and power prices in line with metropolitan prices.
The Regional Airfare Zone Cap Scheme will continue, caping airfares at $299 one way for Karratha, Port Hedland, Newman and Paraburdoo residents travelling to Perth.
The education sector will also have a share, with a handful of Pilbara primary and high schools receiving a boost along with a stake in the School Breakfast Program to provide free breakfasts five days a week.
Around $277m per annum will be invested to deliver Vocational Education and Training, career and employment advice, and TAFE support services across regional WA.
Funding will also be allocated to regional roads, with $250m over five years to expand the Regional Road Safety Program to local roads across the State, however, Ms Sanderson did not specify which Pilbara roads would see an upgrade.
'Main Roads will work with the local governments across the Pilbara to identify the pipeline of work over the next four years, and how we prioritise that,' she said.
$35 million has been allocated to progress road works at the Utah Point Bulk Handling Facility in Port Hedland and an additional $20.6m for the Onslow Seawater Desalination Plant.
The State Government is also upping the ante for regional police and security with more than $480m per annum for regional WA Police, including 123 police stations and around 1900 police officers and staff.
$2.3m has been allocated for additional CCTV across the State to help combat antisocial behaviour including additional cameras in Karratha, Newman, Port Hedland, South Hedland, Roebourne and Wickham.
$11.5m has also been put aside to expand the Safe at Home program that supports victim-survivors of family and domestic violence, including expanding the service to Karratha.
Clean energy investments are on the table, with $1.6 million towards the Pilbara Energy Transition Plan.
Pilbara sporting and recreation groups haven't been forgotten, with $22.5m towards the construction of a new aquatic facility in South Hedland, $100,000 for the Norwest Jockey Club for key infrastructure upgrades and $7.5m for the Newman Youth and Community Hub.
'We want the Pilbara to be a vibrant region in which to live, work and raise a family,' Ms Sanderson said.
'At the same time, we are investing in major infrastructure projects including common-user transmission infrastructure as part of the Pilbara Energy Transition Plan that will unlock the region's clean energy potential, help major proponents to decarbonise, and generate benefits for the entire Pilbara community.'
For the full State Budget outline, visit:
www.ourstatebudget.wa.gov.au
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