POPULATION GROWTH
1114. Hon CHARLES SMITH to the minister representing the
Minister for Planning:
I refer to recent comments by the
New South Wales Treasurer calling for a slowdown in immigration-driven
population growth, noting that just adding people is not a sustainable economic
strategy. Given that Perth is projected to grow at a faster rate than most
other Australian cities due to high immigration, I ask the following.
(1) Does the Western
Australian state government concede that such rapid growth imposes costs on
existing residents in the form of greater housing costs, lower wages,
overcrowded infrastructure and services, a loss of urban amenity, environmental
damage and cultural dislocation?
(2) Why does the state government continue to
ignore public opinion by refusing to develop a population policy in
consultation with the Western Australian community?
Hon
STEPHEN DAWSON replied:
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question.
(1)–(2) Noting
that the Minister for Planning is not responsible for population control, the
government released the Perth and Peel@3.5million suite of documents to
accommodate anticipated growth and provide strategic guidance to agencies and
departments on planning matters, including infrastructure investment. In
addition, the government is working to deliver a strong integrated
infrastructure and urban development program through Metronet.