Resilient Regions

Building resilient regions is one of the best things we can do to support jobs, local communities and boost the economy.

For many people living in our regions, reliable and affordable access to the internet is a huge barrier to participation. Digital connectivity is essential for the efficient running of farming and land management enterprises. Developing the WA SuperNet –
an affordable broadband service for the regions – would create hundreds of jobs and allow regional communities to access services people living in the city take
for granted.

There are parts of Western Australia that are ready to transition to a low-carbon future. Collie is a great example of how communities geared towards fossil fuel extraction, can transition to sustainable industry and manufacturing. Rather than coal mines, Collie could be a renewable energy hub, manufacturing sustainable building materials, and recycling renewable energy products.

There is also powerful job creation potential in our South West forestry industry. Rather than continuing the destructive pattern of cutting down old-growth native forests, we could have a world-class timber industry that focussed on farm forestry and land care. Supporting our bee industry and nature-based tourism operators in the South West would also create thousands of jobs.

In addition to this, due to climate change, bushfires, heatwaves, floods and storms are increasing in severity and frequency, and emergency services in regional areas must be appropriately staffed, equipped and funded to support their communities when they’re needed most. We also need to make sure we have a plan to prevent and respond to catastrophic events, like bushfires, given the changing nature of our environment.