WA Budget 2025: What’s in it for regional WA? Poles, pipes and ports the major talking point among farmers

Poles, pipes and ports were the main talking points of this year’s State Budget, with WA Treasurer Rita Saffioti heralding agriculture as “going from strength to strength” as she unveiled a $10.3b pipeline of regional infrastructure investment. Ms Saffioti handed down a $2.5 billion surplus — the state’s seventh in a row — on June 12, with net debt forecast at $33.b and a forecast operating surplus of $2.4b in 2025-26. The bulk of the government’s infrastructure spending — about 40 per cent, or $15.1 billion over the next four years — is being put towards a port, rail, road and transport infrastructure package set to create thousands of jobs. Included in that spend is a $10.3b pipeline of regional infrastructure investment headlined by the $543 million investment in upgrading the capacity of the historic Goldfields Water Supply Scheme, one of the world’s longest overland freshwater pipelines. It was a budget that also promised to boost local manufacturing, with WA’s powerhouse agriculture industry lauded by Ms Saffioti for its contribution to the making WA the “economic powerhouse of the nation”. “Our agriculture sector is going from strength to strength, with record grain crops for two of the last three years,” she said. “Working with industry, we are supporting key upgrades to key corridors to move more freight on rail.” The Treasurer defended rising debt levels, predicted to reach $42 billion, as necessary to “deliver the energy transition”, with the Budget’s splurge on infrastructure set to cost $38 billion over four years. During the next four years, the Government banks more than $10b in surpluses, of between $2.4 billion and $2.8 billion — including $2.4 billion in the 2025-26 financial year. ROADS The Budget included $10.7 billion of investment in transport infrastructure during the the next four years, but the lion’s share was destined to be spent in Perth. Big-ticket projects included a $700m investment to widen and upgrade the Kwinana Freeway in Perth and $450m for the Reid Highway-Erindale Road Grade Separation. The biggest regional investment was $250m for a Regional Road Safety Program to complete safety upgrades on local government roads, to enable “safety treatments” to be applied to up to 8500km of roads across regional WA. A separate $25m was set aside for to improve the 20km stretch between Cheyne Road and Kojaneerup Road along South Coast Highway, and $25m was also set aside to upgrade and replace ageing bridges along Northam-Pithara Road. Other metro-based projects included $107m to expand the Swan River ferry system, and $103m to upgrade WA’s bus service to an electric fleet, and $18m for the SufCAT bus service in Scarborough. PORTS WA Labor will deploy $204 million in “new investment” for port infrastructure during the next four years, as it aims to address major congestion and capacity constraints in Perth and regional areas. The Budget unveiled $61.3m of new spending for the next stage of detailed planning for a new container port in Kwinana, after the release of the Westport Business Case late last year. The report found failure to address constraints on trade could cost the WA economy $244b in coming decades — an average of $5 billion per year — with Fremantle Port is expected to reach its capacity of 1.4m containers per year by 2040. Fremantle Port will receive $88m to ensure the ageing Inner Harbour wharves will continue to facilitate trade ahead of the move to Kwinana, with the 100-year-old wharves requiring regular strengthening to handle the larger vessels and heavier loads. A further $20.3 million will create a new tug facility at J-Berth on the Victoria Quay side of the port, providing the home and services for the fleet of tugs that manage shipping across the port. Regional investment included $10.8m to fund a business case to upgrade the Port of Albany’s Berth 1 and 2, hoped to boost grain export and cruise ship capacity, as well as $3.5m to design new berths 8 and 9 at the Port of Geraldton. There was also $181m to boost trade capacity, including $35m to resurface Utah Point Road at Port Hedland and $14 million for the construction of First Point of Entry bio-security infrastructure at the Port of Wyndham in the Kimberley. In addition, $5m will be invested to establish a Supply Chain Resilience Fund, aimed at strengthening the state’s supply chain and shipping capability, complementary to the Federal Government and its Maritime Strategic Fleet project. TRADE The WA Government is pushing on with its trade diversification agenda, with $16m for a new Australia-India Trade and Investment Accelerator Fund, which forms part of the Roadmap for Australia’s Economic Engagement with India. HEALTH The state’s health and mental health services received a $1.4b boost in the Budget, including $829m to help ease the strain on the system and improve patient-to-nurse ratios, and more than $60m to expand WA’s virtual emergency department. But it was a $19m boost to increase the Patient Assisted Travel Scheme fuel subsidy from 26c to 40c/km that was one of the most notable announcements for many living regionally who have to travel to Perth for care. The budget included $121m of additional health and mental health investment for those in the regions, with other key announcements including $12m to establish a virtual mental health service for children and their families across rural and remote WA. There was also $14m to establish a mental health child and adolescent Acute Care and Response Team in Bunbury and $12m to establish an adult alcohol and other drugs residential rehabilitation treatment service in Albany. Bunbury Hospital’s redevelopment project also received a $20m boost to include a helipad and acute psychiatric unit, while $1m was set aside to help fund a master plan for Kalgoorlie Health Campus, $9.9m to bring the Step Up, Step Down service back into State hands, $11m for the construction and delivery of a Derby Wellness Centre, and preliminary work on a Broome Withdrawal Service. Ms Saffioti said the commitments formed “a small part” of the Government’s annual spend of more than $2.9b on health and mental health services in regional WA, with $944m allocated per year during the next four years. BIOSECURITY On the same day the State Government announced the loss of the fight against the polyphagous shot-hole borer, and additional $63 million was allocated to additional resources to prevent and respond to biosecurity threats. No other information was included in the Budget, aside from a line saying the money would be used to “ensure all efforts are taken to protect our environment and agricultural industry”. REGIONAL HOUSING The Budget included a record $1.4b to boost housing supply and affordability, including to grow the construction workforce, investing in housing enabling infrastructure to unlock a further 33,000 homes, providing stamp duty relief for first home buyers, access to shared equity loans and new modular loan products through Keystart, and boosting regional housing supply Regional investment included $104 million to double the GROH construction program, leading to 100 new builds in the regions for key workers including police officers and teachers. There was also $25m for the Regional Housing Support Fund to boost the viability of regional housing projects, $43m for the Mulataga residential development in Karratha, $3m tp expand the Housing First Support Service to Bunbury and surrounds, $20m to construct up to 40 units for seniors in Kalgoorlie and $5m to support 14 key workers homes in Kununurra. GRAIN INVESTMENT There was no new money for grain freight in the Budget, with Ms Saffioti lauding already-announced plans to upgrade a 77km section of rail and money set aside to upgrade rail sidings. Both the $67m project to upgrade the Mingenew to Carnamah rail line to enable it to take heavier trains and a $22m project to complete upgrade rail siding extensions at CBH’s Moora, Brookton, Cranbrook, and Broomehill sites were announced in 2022. “Works will begin to increase the capacity of the Midland Main line, and the upgrades of rail sidings will continue to support more efficient loading of grain,” Ms Saffioti. “We understand the need to invest in our freight rail system to support our farmers, industry and regional communities.” The upgrade will increase the track — which is located along the Midland Line — from a 16 to 19 tonne axle loading, to allow heavier trains and a 20 per cent increase in train carrying capacity. But the Budget did include $8.3m to “advance plans to bring the State’s rail freight back under Government control”, a plan announced as a pre-election promise January. It follows the $1.2m spend in 2024-25 to kickstart the process. The Budget also included $7m for two aerial strike teams to mitigate crop fire threats during grain harvest season TRANSPORT Albany Regional Airport’s aging infrastructure has clocked $11.5m in funding, with the money dedicated to improving the runway, apron and taxiway, expansion of the passenger terminal and carpark. The fresh runway will allow the airport to receive bigger planes and prepare for the region’s budding future as a tourism hotspot. A 12km section of South Coast Highway between Cheynes Road and Kojaneerup will be reconstructed, widened and fitted with audible edging thanks to a $25m allocation — but it is, notably, half of the original $50m promise made in January ahead of the election. The Regional Pensioner Travel Card will be increased by $100, bringing the total value to $775 per year, easing travel expenses for Kimberley pensioners, while the WA Labor also extended its regional airfare zone cap. WATER An ambitious plan to spend $543m upgrading CY O’Connor’s 122-year-old water pipeline from Mundaring to Kalgoorlie was the most expensive regional project in the Budget. The works formed part of what Ms Saffioti said was an historic investment in securing WA’s water supply with a $6.3b program of works during the next four years. The pipeline upgrade will increase the capacity of the Goldfields and Agricultural Water Supply Scheme by about 10 per cent and deliver an additional 7.2 megalitres per day. About 40 per cent of the original pipeline is still in use today, supplying drinking water to more than 100,000 people across WA’s Wheatbelt, Upper Great Southern and Goldfields regions. It marks the biggest upgrade to the pipeline — built in 1903 — in decades, which Ms Saffioti said highlighted the confidence the government had in the future of the Goldfields. MISCELLANEOUS There was a raft of other funding boosts contained within the Budget papers, including $8 million to help regional students save up to $500 to attend Country Week and $25 million to establish a Regional Racing Fund. There was also $30 million additional funding for the School of Isolated and Distance Education.