Arabic version: روكينغهام تطلب دعمًا للبنية التحتية قبل وصول أفراد أوكوس
According to ABC News, Rockingham is facing population and infrastructure pressures more than a year before the first Submarine Rotational Force personnel are due to arrive near HMAS Stirling.
Rockingham Mayor Lorna Buchan said the city was already growing by 14 people a day, or more than 5,000 annually, without defence personnel. About 1,200 serving personnel are expected over the next four years, with approximately half expected to have families.
A 2023 City of Rockingham report found roads around Cape Peron were already at capacity, while 70 per cent of residents leave the area for work and study because it lacks an industrial hub. Ms Buchan said growth would increase demand for council facilities, housing, health care and child care.
Warwick Carter of the Perth South West Metropolitan Alliance said six southern Perth councils had proposed a $50 million pilot fund for defence-hosting communities. He said the region was tracking about $70 billion in government-backed investment over coming decades.
WA minister Amber-Jade Sanderson said the state had provided around $20 million for sporting facilities, was upgrading local schools and was planning a mental health emergency centre and hospital redevelopment. She said a Workforce Development Plan would be released later this year, while Ms Buchan called for a Rockingham skills centre and the reopening of Murdoch University’s local campus.
