The way we design our cities and neighbourhoods plays a critical role in our social wellbeing, environmental sustainability and economic prosperity.

But decades of underinvestment and poor planning have left WA’s urban spaces unfit for purpose. In Perth, uncontrolled growth concentrated to our urban fringes has created what is now the world’s longest city, driving issues like social inequality, car dependence, higher transport costs, limited access to essential services, and poorer quality of life.

Poor government decisions have also wreaked havoc on our environment. Over the past few decades, WA has experienced a grave loss of biodiversity – more than 70 percent of Perth’s urban bushland and 80 percent of our wetlands have been destroyed – while an increase in dangerous carbon emissions continues to exacerbate climate change.

The Greens will invest in the infrastructure and initiatives that will make Perth a truly connected, sustainable and liveable city. We have a plan to integrate transport, urban planning, green spaces, sustainable design and community initiatives to maximise social wellbeing and take the pressure off our natural environment.

The Greens will:

Light rail and trackless trams to connect Perth

Perth’s public transport system ranks among the worst in the country. Centred around expensive heavy rail infrastructure, our mass transit network is full of gaps that leave around 80 percent of people who commute to work without adequate access to public transport services and dependent on private vehicles. 

Around the world, cities and towns are embracing light rail systems as a solution to common problems caused by road and heavy rail reliance, like traffic congestion, pollution, travel time and network gaps. With a benefit-cost ratio of 2 to 1, research also shows that public transport usage increases where light rail is present, boosting economic activity and property values in adjacent areas.

But despite promising to progress a trackless tram or light rail network in its first term of government, WA Labor has done nothing to address the critical missing links in our public transport network.

The Greens will push for the construction of light rail on key routes across Perth, delivering WA’s first preliminary mid-tier public transport network.

Restore and expand WA’s freight rail system

WA’s freight rail system makes our lives possible. As the critical link between local industry, the regions and the rest of the country, freight rail is a key part of WA’s supply chain and one of the most important contributors to our economic prosperity as a state.  

But decisions by successive state governments are impacting our ability to safely and efficiently transport goods via rail. Excessive night noise, an over-reliance on road freight and the effects of privatisation have left many communities and industries either underserviced or overburdened by freight activities.

The Greens will restore and expand WA’s freight rail system. We will:

• Push for a dedicated freight rail bridge to take container freight on rail from 20 percent to 30 percent  
• Extend the life of Fremantle Port, saving billions of dollars from being spent on the unnecessary construction of Westport
• Invest in and reopen Tier 3 railway lines

Create active, connected cities

Well designed cities are prosperous cities. When our urban spaces are effectively integrated across transport, planning, green spaces, sustainable design and community initiatives, the benefits for individuals, communities, our environment and the economy are immeasurable.

But decades of uncoordinated development on Perth’s urban fringe has created what is now the world’s longest city – and growing. The consequences of this extreme urban sprawl include traffic congestion, housing scarcity and unaffordability, biodiversity loss and increased inequality. 

We know that developing our urban areas with high quality infill homes and transit is the solution to these pressing urban challenges. But despite a new infill dwelling costing $100,000 less to build than a home at an undeveloped site, the WA Labor Government has consistently failed to meet its own infill targets.

Now is the time to invest in enhancing and connecting our existing communities – not to underwrite more sprawl that undermines the quality of our urban spaces and lives.

The Greens have a plan to revive Perth’s urban centres. We will:

• Bring the urban centres of Midland, Armadale, Bayswater, Fremantle and Gosnells back to life by investing in 10,000 new medium to high-density homes within 800 metres of their respective train stations
• Incentivise local governments to invest in high-quality infill developments by offering funding for local facilities like libraries, pools, parks, bike lanes and footpaths

Bring greening and biodiversity back to WA cities and towns

Green space and tree canopy are critical to the health and wellbeing of our urban communities. Research shows vegetation can lower local land temperatures by up to 6°C on days of extreme heat – a critical consideration as we face the intensifying impacts of the climate crisis. 

But years of poor decision-making has resulted in Perth having the sparsest tree canopy of any Australian city – and declining. That’s leaving our communities vulnerable to a build-up of dangerous heat, with significant flow-on effects to public health and the economy.

The Greens will invest $50 million over the next four years to roll out an urban greening program across WA cities and towns. Working with local governments and WALGA, the program will plant a million trees and five million understorey species by 2030, focusing on plants native to WA like banksia, sheoak, tuart and jarrah.

Protect WA’s urban bushland

In an increasingly changing landscape, WA’s remnant urban bushlands, wetlands and parks play a critical role in the way we live our lives, from helping to maintain our water quality and storing carbon to providing habitats for our native fauna and adding beauty to our cities.

But despite various programs dedicated to protecting our urban bushland, successive governments in WA have overseen the loss of countless hectares of irreplaceable natural spaces and green corridors.

The Greens have a plan to protect and conserve WA’s unique urban bushland from inappropriate development and mismanagement. We will:

• Reestablish and revegetate green corridors 
• Set a 30 percent target for tree canopy in WA cities and towns by 2040
• Protect remaining biodiversity near Two Rocks by buying up land to establish the new Wilbinga Regional Park
• Enshrine the Roe 9 community wildlife corridor in future planning schemes