2026-05-05
Fuel crisis, housing accountability, and keeping up the pressure
By Hon Brad Pettitt, MLC
April was dominated by the escalating fuel crisis and the WA Labor Government's inadequate response.
When Parliament was recalled for an Emergency Sitting on 14 April, the Greens moved to suspend standing orders so the crisis could be properly debated. The motion was defeated, but we used the opportunity to put forward the practical measures the Government should have adopted from the start: free public transport, directing fuel to the regional communities that need it most, and a serious plan to accelerate WA's shift to electric vehicles and active transport.
Instead, the Government pointed to "record diesel reserves." We looked at the numbers. It amounts to less than two days of Perth's normal consumption.
The crisis has also underlined how badly Perth needs a better transport network. Bike sales rose by 30 to 40 per cent as people looked for alternatives, yet our cycling infrastructure remains patchy and underfunded. We kept calling on the Government to work with local councils to deliver safe, connected cycling routes and genuine transport choice.
On 29 April I joined Fraser Maywood from Sustainable Energy Now and local climate heroes Paula and Peter Samson at the Melville Ecohub for Electrify Your Home ‒ a community event on how to transition away from fossil fuels, cut household costs, and go all-electric. The interest in the room made clear that plenty of Perth households are already well ahead of the Government on this.
Housing and planning accountability were a major focus this month too. Tim Clifford and I continued our series on the gap between WA Labor's housing announcements and what is actually being delivered on the ground. At Hamilton Hill, a DevelopmentWA townhouse project intended to showcase sustainable and ecologically sensitive housing has sat unfinished for months, with demolition now reportedly being considered. In the middle of a housing crisis, Western Australians deserve better than stalled projects and media releases.
I also pushed back on claims that local communities are the main barrier to density in Perth. Major development approvals now sit with the State Government through DAPs and the Significant Development Pathway. If quality density near jobs, transport and services isn't being delivered, the Government needs to own that.
The Select Committee into Land Development and Planning continued its hearings throughout April. I also received briefings from YACWA on youth services, the MUA on the Westport Bill, and stakeholders on the review of the Biodiversity Conservation Act.
On 19 April I joined the No More: National Rally Against Violence, organised by First Nations and women-led organisation What Were You Wearing. Stopping men's violence against women and children requires sustained effort and funding from governments, institutions and the broader community ‒ and with the budget approaching, we'll keep pushing for appropriate investment in prevention and crisis support services.
It was a busy month across the electorate too ‒ the ReWild Festival, the GoodFund Freo launch, Perth Design Week events, and an Oxfam forum on global shifts and local impacts.
Our office continues to operate as a DV Safe Phone drop-off point, a Breastfeeding is Welcome Everywhere space, and a recycling collection point through TerraCycle, Close the Loop and ReSmart.
Cost-of-living pressures are growing, housing is out of reach for too many people, and the climate isn't waiting. We'll keep pushing.
Header photo: Brad and Tim at the stalled Hamilton Hill townhouse site.