WA Budget 2025: Regional projects tipped to run millions over-budget with housing the focus for Government

Millions of extra funds will be put into a range of regional infrastructure projects to see them completed, the State Budget has revealed. With the Western Australian State Budget revealed on Thursday morning, Treasurer Rita Saffioti talked up her government’s investment into the regions. Ms Saffioti was quick to point out the $543 million put in to funding the expansion of the Goldfields Pipeline by 7.2 gigalitres a day. She said the government were focused on creating housing to match the infrastructure spend. “A lot of our infrastructure spend is in regional WA, with the transmission networks, with water supply, we’re really proud of our generational investment into the Goldfields pipeline,” she said. “One of things I would say is that we’re very keen to support regional towns in getting up more housing because we know this infrastructure is going to need more housing and we’re very keen to work with regional towns and cities.” There will be $104 million spent to double the government regional officer housing fund, looking to support more than 100 new builds. Another $25 million will also be put towards the Regional Housing Support Fund to increase regional housing projects. Following the near completion of the Bunbury Outer Ring Road the duplication of the Bussell Highway has become the ire of many travelling down to the South West. The project will now run at an extra cost of $45 million due to cost overruns, sit will now cost a total of $170 million to complete with the cost split between the State and Federal Governments 20 per cent to 80 per cent respectively. The Transforming Bunbury’s Waterfront project will require a further $34.1 million, bringing up the estimated cost to $112 million. The Bunbury Regional Hospital redevelopment will also need an extra $20 million to complete. The State Government is touting $4 billion worth of funds going to the regions through the Royalties for Regions Ms Saffioti said the government was looking at ways to boost manufacturing for the region, especially around the South West. “Of course when you look at Bunbury and Picton there’s been a long held aspiration to support more manufacturing around the Bunbury region and particularly with Kemerton and the whole area. “We’re very keen to decentralise our economic investment but also to support towns as they will need support to getting the housing in place to support the new jobs.”