The state government just pulled a classic move: they've handed over 8.8 hectares of vacant land to the City of Greater Geraldton for the price of a chocolate bar—a single dollar. On paper, it looks like a massive win for a town crying out for accommodation. But beneath the surface, the council has been left holding the bag for a massive development project that isn't ready.
WA Housing Minister John Carey fronted the media to announce the transfer, aimed at pinning down 140 new homes specifically for key workers. These are the people keeping the lights on and the hospital running, yet they've been pushed out by a market that's gone off the rails. It sounds noble, but the state has already poured $8.7 million into the dirt to prepare it for building. Now, the local council is staring down a $2.3 million shortfall just to finish the groundwork.
This announcement came as quite a surprise for the city. It's early days and a lot of this will have to come back to council to work out which direction and what appetite council has for developing this land.
That was Mayor Jerry Clune, trying to keep his cool while the state essentially dropped a massive planning headache in his lap. Councils are used to handling the three 'Rs'—roads, rates, and rubbish. Somewhere along the line, they started morphing into property developers. It's a shift that has local leaders like the Shadow Local Government Minister, Kirrilee Warr, pointing out that regional shires are becoming a 'dumping ground' for problems the state government should solve.
The regional struggle for roofs
Geraldton isn't alone in this desperate scramble for housing. Over in the Wheatbelt, the Shire of Dowerin is crunching the numbers on four-by-two builds, hoping to rent them back to the state under the Government Regional Officer Housing program. They are trying to figure out if it's even profitable to build when construction costs are through the roof. Local shires have to calculate build costs just to keep essential staff from moving to the city, which shows how dire things have become.
Down south, the Shire of Waroona is also playing the developer game. They recently voted to slice up a block of council-owned land into eight smaller lots. The big question for them now is whether to sell the dirt to a private developer or use precious ratepayer money to build the homes themselves. It's a high-stakes gamble that could either provide much-needed housing or leave the council’s budget in tatters if the market shifts.
Why councils are stepping out of their lane
There is a real tension here between what a council is supposed to do and what it is forced to do. Kirrilee Warr has been vocal about the fact that nobody else is stepping up. If you are a doctor, a nurse, or a teacher in these parts, you aren't waiting for a philosophical debate on government roles. You just need a place to sleep that isn't a motel or an overpriced rental. Local governments are filling a vacuum, but they are doing it with the threat of financial risk hanging over their residents' heads.
The state government’s line is that all hands are needed on deck and that 'collaboration' is the magic word for fixing the housing supply. John Carey argues that this is the only way to tackle a national problem that has hit WA particularly hard. For a resident in Geraldton, this means watching their council navigate a $2.3 million funding gap while hoping the 140 homes become a reality before the workforce vanishes completely.