Sydney has one, so does Melbourne, even Brisbane, and it is now time for Perth to have one too – a bold, ambitious plan for our city’s long-term future!
Today marks 9,090 days – or just under 25 years – until 1 January 2050, when the population of Perth is on track to exceed 3.5 million people, and according to an overwhelming a majority of current residents, we’re not prepared for it.
Late last year, Committee for Perth released the Perth 2050 report with Scitech and accredited futurist Dr Ben Hamer. As part of the study, we surveyed over 1,400 people from a broad range of demographics about what they wanted for Perth by 2050. While 68 percent were optimistic for the future, only 22 percent thought we were ready.
It was first forecast in 2012 by Committee for Perth that our population would reach 3.5 million by 2050, providing a 38-year runway to develop a comprehensive plan for Perth’s future. 13 years later and we still don’t have a plan. 2025 is the time to draw a line in the sand, and finally establish a vision to define a future identity for Perth.
‘Without taking decisive steps now, Perth risks missing a once-in-a-generation opportunity to redefine itself and reimagine the way people live, work, invest, visit and play in this beautiful part of the world’.
– Dr Ben Hamer
Through the Perth 2050 research, three distinct themes for a future plan emerged: Decarbonisation, (Urban) Densification and (Economic) Diversification, or the 3Ds as we are calling them.
If population alone was driving a plan – the need for significantly increasing housing options is critical. The WA Government’s infill target is 47 percent, yet we continue to fall short of our densification aspiration, getting to 29 percent in 2021, and 32 percent in 2022.
Perth has the fastest growing population of any Australian capital. How are we going to accommodate this growth? Where will people live? According to the Property Council, Perth has 1.1 percent of apartments as homes, with 6 percent in Sydney and 3.8 percent in Melbourne, highlighting the opportunity for future liveability closer to amenity.
As we swelter through another summer of heatwaves, the need to decarbonise our future is now critical. Young Australians – the leaders of tomorrow – are well aware about the need to tackle climate change, and are becoming increasingly vocal about it. As a 15-year-old student said in the 2050 report, ‘Decision makers today won’t be around to really see the consequences of their actions or inaction. But we will. And so, we should be more involved in what gets done about it’.
Even Roger Cook has acknowledged the need for a future plan for Perth, telling our Premier’s Address in December, especially with regard for economic diversification, and arts and culture planning. We will see how we progress on this long-term, future-thinking after 8 March.
Developing a plan for Perth will be complex, it will require collaboration involving all sides of politics, as well as input from the wider community to guide future economic development, transport, housing and public realm investments. Perth is currently ranked 15th most liveable city in the world. With brave, future-focussed planning, we could make the top 10!
We need to start planning yesterday for the future we want tomorrow. The time is now.
Paula Rogers is CEO of Committee for Perth, a future-focussed member-based organisation, and part of the national Committee for Cities.
Published in The West Australian on 11 February 2025.
Paula Rogers