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| DevelopmentWA | |
|---|---|
| Name | DevelopmentWA |
| Type | Statutory authority |
| Formed | 2019 |
| Jurisdiction | Western Australia |
| Headquarters | Perth, Western Australia |
| Chief1 name | (see Structure and Governance) |
| Parent agency | State of Western Australia |
DevelopmentWA DevelopmentWA is the statutory authority responsible for large-scale land development, urban renewal, and regional project delivery in the State of Western Australia. It integrates activities formerly undertaken by multiple agencies to coordinate planning, investment attraction, and infrastructure sequencing across Perth and regional centres such as Karratha, Kalgoorlie, and Bunbury. DevelopmentWA works with entities including the Government of Western Australia, the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage (Western Australia), and local government authorities to advance state infrastructure priorities.
DevelopmentWA was created in 2019 through the merger of legacy entities that included the Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority, the Raine Square redevelopment authority-related functions, and several land and property units from the Western Australian Land Authority and other statutory bodies. The consolidation responded to reviews commissioned after statewide inquiries such as the governance reviews following the projects overseen during the administrations of premiers like Mark McGowan and predecessors including Colin Barnett. Its formation paralleled reform efforts seen in other Australian jurisdictions such as the consolidation of land corporations in New South Wales and Victoria to improve delivery of precincts like Barangaroo and Docklands, Melbourne. Early milestones included inheriting precincts such as Elizabeth Quay, Roe Highway-adjacent lands, and former industrial sites targeted for urban renewal.
DevelopmentWA is governed by a board appointed under Western Australian statute, reporting to the State Minister responsible for lands and planning, historically linked to portfolios held by ministers from administrations including those of Roger Cook and Mark McGowan. Executive leadership includes a Chief Executive Officer and heads for planning, development, legal, and finance functions. Its statutory framework aligns with comparable bodies such as the Land Development Corporation (Western Australia) predecessors and mirrors governance models used by agencies like the Urban Renewal Authority in other Australian states. Interactions occur with statutory planning instruments administered by the Western Australian Planning Commission and local councils such as the City of Perth and regional shires.
DevelopmentWA’s responsibilities encompass land assembly, precinct master planning, delivery of enabling infrastructure, and marketing of development opportunities to private sector partners including domestic firms headquartered in Perth and international investors from markets such as Singapore and Japan. It manages legacy redevelopment areas, facilitates public-private partnerships with contractors like those who have worked on projects for Fortescue Metals Group-adjacent communities, and coordinates with infrastructure agencies such as Main Roads Western Australia and utilities providers. DevelopmentWA also conducts statutory land sales, negotiates development agreements, and implements environmental remediation required under approvals by agencies including the Environmental Protection Authority (Western Australia).
Key precincts and initiatives under DevelopmentWA have included the ongoing activation of Elizabeth Quay-adjacent land, redevelopment of industrial brownfields in former port and rail precincts, and staged residential and commercial projects in regional growth centres like Joondalup and Rockingham. It has been involved in translating state strategies such as the Perth and Peel@3.5million framework into precinct-level outcomes, and coordinating infrastructure sequencing linked to transport initiatives like extensions associated with Transperth networks and projects influenced by corridors such as the Mitchell Freeway. DevelopmentWA has also progressed partnerships for tourism-related precincts tied to destinations like Rottnest Island and resource-service hubs in the Pilbara near Port Hedland.
DevelopmentWA finances project delivery through a mix of land sales, development contributions, commercial returns from joint ventures, and appropriations or equity from the State Treasury of Western Australia. It manages risk exposures associated with long-tail infrastructure delivery similar to financing practices used by development corporations such as those behind Barangaroo and relies on actuarial and commercial valuation frameworks to price land parcels marketed to institutional investors and developers from markets including China and United Kingdom. Financial oversight is subject to audits and performance reporting to the state parliament and treasury, with capital recycling strategies used to fund subsequent precincts.
Critiques of DevelopmentWA have referenced tensions familiar to large agencies, including concerns about transparency in asset disposal decisions, the balance of public benefit versus private gain, and the pace of delivery in relation to community expectations in areas such as Fremantle and inner-Perth precincts. Controversial debates have invoked comparisons with high-profile urban projects in Australia like Queens Wharf Brisbane and Barangaroo over governance, procurement, and community consultation. Project-specific disputes have included heritage and environmental arguments lodged by stakeholder groups and local MPs from electorates such as Perth (state electorate) and regional electorates.
DevelopmentWA’s program of precinct delivery and land releases aims to stimulate residential supply, commercial floorspace, and regional investment, thereby influencing indicators tracked by agencies including the Western Australian Treasury and the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Outcomes attributed to its activities include enabling medium-density housing near transit corridors, unlocking industrial land for export logistics in regions such as the Pilbara, and catalysing private sector development activity in inner-city precincts. Its role in sequencing infrastructure and coordinating public and private stakeholders contributes to broader state objectives linked to population growth scenarios and trade facilitation through ports like Fremantle Harbour and Port Hedland.
Category:Statutory authorities of Western Australia