The circular economy involves all areas of the economy designing out waste and pollution, and continually recovering and reusing materials from products after they have been consumed.
In 2019-20, WA generated 2,168 kilograms of waste per person. WA lags behind South Australia (85%), Australian Capital Territory (79%), New South Wales (68%) and Victoria (68%) in its rate of resource recovery (62%).
Housing has long been recognised as an issue that no state government can address on its own. Participation by federal and local governments, as well as community and not-for-profit providers and private industry, is required for a balanced system that reduces cost and maximises choice.
In 2020, 1 in 5 (200,000) households were estimated to need some form of housing assistance from the WA Government. By 2030, 45,000 additional households are likely to need assistance.
In 2017, the WA Government initiated the Sustainable Health Review to drive the next phase of public health system reform. Without bold reform, State Budget health spending is projected to increase to 38% by 2026–27, limiting funding available for other priority areas across government.
WA’s regions are highly diverse, with a range of social, environmental and economic strengths, and inequalities such as life expectancy, unemployment and digital accessibility. The regions are highly interdependent, with social and economic linkages spanning regional boundaries and global markets.
The Strategy takes a place-based approach in order to tailor infrastructure responses to the needs and opportunities of the Perth metropolitan area and the state’s 9 regional areas.
The cross-cutting themes influence WA’s infrastructure agenda, underpin the Strategy and address matters that apply to multiple infrastructure sectors and across the infrastructure lifecycle.
Looking at the relationships across multiple sectors has the potential to streamline processes, make better use of resources and identify where opportunities can result in benefits to a range of stakeholders.
This categorisation allows for the identification of themes and interdependencies common within similar infrastructure types. The primary focus of WA’s first State Infrastructure Strategy has been on infrastructure owned and delivered by state government agencies and government trading enterprises, and infrastructure that has a direct or indirect financial or policy implication for state government.
Around 1 in 3 households in WA have solar power systems on their roofs. In 2020 alone, more than 300 megawatts of residential solar power were added in WA, which is almost equivalent to the annual output of the state’s largest coal-fired power station.
Foundations for a Stronger Tomorrow outlines the state's significant infrastructure needs and priorities.