Tourism, education and health targeted in WA Labor’s State Election plan for Albany

More than $3 million in upgrades to the Gap, $8.5m worth of classroom additions to Albany Senior High School, and more parking at Albany Health Campus are some of the key pledges from the McGowan Government’s plan for Albany ahead of the March State election. Premier Mark McGowan stopped in Albany on Thursday to unveil his election commitments for the city during a whirlwind tour of regional WA last week. Flanked by Albany Labor candidate Rebecca Stephens and retiring MP Peter Watson, Mr McGowan said he wanted to ensure Albany received the attention it deserved as he announced a suite of promises. “We are actually doing the hard policy work, managing the Budget well and targeting the issues that create jobs and fix longstanding issues — and that is what the Government is all about,” Mr McGowan said. To boost tourism, Mr McGowan unveiled a $3.3m plan to add a kiosk, tourist entrance, toilets and an expanded carpark to the Gap. “The Gap is wonderful but we can improve the facilities there and attract even more tourists,” he said. The City of Albany’s ambitious vision to transform Mt Adelaide and Mt Clarence into an outdoor recreation and tourism precinct could be closer to reality, with $3.2m promised to fund mixed trails in the Mounts precinct. Education was also a priority, with $7.5m allocated for new English and maths classrooms and $1m for a repurposed science, technology, engineering and maths classroom at Albany Senior High School. North Albany Senior High School would also receive $1.5m for a new STEM classroom. Albany Surf Life Saving Club on Middleton Beach would receive a $1.6m upgrade. Under the plan, the McGowan Government would double capacity at the Albany Dental Clinic and employ more community paramedics in the city. Mr McGowan also promised to increase parking at the Albany Health Campus. The Premier committed to “oversee another significant investment into regional roads”. The Drummond and Lambert Street intersection in Lockyer would be upgraded with a pedestrian crossing and parking bays, he said. Parking bays would be installed on Barnesby Drive in Yakamia. The Baxter Road and Windsor Road intersection in Wellstead would also be upgraded with kerbing, street lighting and defined entry and exit to the service station. Despite the Great Southern cash splash, some major projects were left out of Mr McGowan’s plan for the region, including a residential drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre. There have been persistent calls for a residential rehabilitation centre to help people escape drug and alcohol addiction across the Great Southern, including from sector leaders at the Southern Aboriginal Corporation and Palmerston. City of Albany projects including the artificial surf reef at Middleton Beach and a 16-court $4.8m million tennis centre at Centennial Park were also left out of the funding blitz. There was also no mention of the Southern Aboriginal Corporation’s vision for an Aboriginal cultural centre on the Albany waterfront.