Town of Port Hedland unveils whopping $817m, 15-year capital works plan to address housing, childcare crisis

A whopping $817 million plan to transform Hedland has been announced by the local government, with child care and housing the focal point of the 15-year plan.

Adopted at the September ordinary council meeting, the Town of Port Hedland will seek contributions from State Government and industry to implement its $817m long-term financial plan.

Tackling two key issues of child care and the housing crisis affecting the community, Port Hedland Mayor Peter Carter said the new investment would help alleviate these problems for families.

“Addressing these challenges will take a partnership approach across Government and industry,” Mr Carter said.

“The Town of Port Hedland is committed to helping overcome these challenges — as a result, we’ve allocated $50m to help find solutions to housing and childcare.”

Within the plan, $10m will be allocated to help find solutions for the town’s dire childcare shortage, while $40m will be allocated to address housing challenges.

“This investment signals our commitment to making Hedland a place that people want to call home. It is dependent on seeking contributions from State Government and industry,” Mr Carter said.

Mr Carter told the North West Telegraph he would like to see Town funds matched dollar-for-dollar, equating to a $408.5m splurge from the local government over the 15-year-period.

“Now is the crucial time to invest to ensure Hedland’s future sustainability,” he said.

The budget will also fund a range of projects including recreation, arts, and culture facilities.

“A big part of where people choose to live is access to leisure and arts and culture facilities, as well as whether the environment looks nice,” Mr Carter said.“We’re investing to meet this expectation and hope that industry and State and Federal Government will partner with us to make Hedland all the more attractive to potential community members.“Our position as the economic powerhouse of Western Australia should be noted by our partners that have a great opportunity to be involved in an exciting period of change in Hedland.”

The mayor noted Port Hedland’s population is growing and that investment into the community is crucial to “service that larger population”.

“With that in mind, the council chose to include an additional 0.5 per cent annual rates increase to ensure we have the funds necessary to achieve our goals, taking the annual rates increase to 3.5 per cent,” he said.

The plan is based on an annual 3.5 per cent increase in rates to allow for CPI adjustments and funding to invest in critical infrastructure.