2023-24 WA Budget: Reece Whitby and Rebecca Stephens answer Great Southern community’s questions

Questions about housing, mental health, the environment, small business initiatives, and community wellbeing were front of mind at Friday’s WA Budget briefing event in Albany. The briefing was one of several hosted by State Government ministers throughout WA a day after the 2023-24 WA Budget was handed down. Environment Minister Reece Whitby, who also has the climate action, and racing and gaming portfolios, made the trip to Albany for the briefing which about 100 Great Southern community members attended. He provided a brief summary of how the Budget will benefit the region before taking questions from the floor alongside Albany MLA Rebecca Stephens for 30 minutes. In response to questions about the Government’s plans to bolster the region’s housing market, Mr Whitby pointed towards a Budget allocation that promises to build 4000 social homes across the State. “At this stage, I can’t give you a number for the Great Southern or any other region,” he said. “But with 4000 across WA, we’ve identified that there would be a fair number for Albany across the Great Southern.” Ms Stephens added she believed it was positive the Budget had not identified key projects for housing funding “because we have some incredible organisations in the Great Southern that are doing incredible work in Katanning, Kojonup and Albany”. “I think it gives flexibility to the Housing Minister (John Carey) to pull the trigger on some of the projects,” she said. “There are many that we have in the Great Southern and we have organisations that really do have good shovel-ready projects. “On a weekly basis, I have different people coming to me with innovative ideas for housing solutions.” Community members also took the opportunity to ask the minister about whether the Government would commit more funding to educate people about environmental responsibility, what it was doing to protect the region as a biodiversity hotspot, and its commitment to renewable energy. Mr Whitby said a lot of money is being spent to “decarbonise” WA while pointing towards a $3 billion investment in the Budget designed to transition the State energy supply. “We are probably the best place locality on the planet to realise the potential of renewable green energy,” he said. “We’ve got lots of sun, we’ve got lots of wind and we’ve got lots of space. “We have things most of the world don’t have to the degree with have, so we have that huge potential in renewable energy.”