The Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA (CCI) today welcomes the passing of the Infrastructure WA Bill 2019 through the Western Australian Parliament.

The establishment of Infrastructure WA will drive a long-term strategic approach to planning and the prioritisation of infrastructure across WA.

CCI had long called for the establishment of an independent infrastructure body, comprised of both public and private sector representatives, to progress priority projects that will create the greatest economic benefit to our State.

In the past, business cases for new infrastructure projects in WA have not always been made publicly available or been independently assessed.

We know that high quality economic infrastructure, protecting appropriately-placed suitable land and efficient planning processes are key enablers for industry growth and the attraction of business investment to WA, particularly for industries where the investment location is flexible.

Businesses need to plan their investments, manage their workforce and retain critical specialised skills within the State. The 20-year strategy developed by Infrastructure WA will help them achieve that by providing greater transparency and certainty to industry around the State’s pipeline of works and their timing.

As the body responsible for the coordination of the State’s submissions to Infrastructure Australia, this will ensure WA has a clear direction and strategy for infrastructure investment that business can plan around. It will also increase the likelihood of WA projects featuring on the Infrastructure Australia priority list, which is critical to access Federal Government infrastructure funding.

CCI looks forward to working with the State Government and the independent Infrastructure WA board as it develops its 20-year strategy to boost investment across WA and create jobs.