Sunday, September 21, 2008

Desert cities

Here's some good sense from the new Western Australia premier. Don't bring the water to the people, bring the people to the water:
He said a severe lack of services in many areas was due to the fact that most West Australians lived in Perth.

"Look at Queensland. It has 11 cities outside Brisbane and the Gold Coast area with populations of more than 50,000 people. We have one in WA - Bunbury,'' Mr Barnett said.

"Our failure to build regional cities is one of the greatest failings of modern WA history.

"We have to develop the Kimberley and improve living situations in the Pilbara.

"People go and live in places like Dubai. Talk about a harsh environment, yet thousands of people go there to live because they have a comfortable environment.

"What we have done in the Pilbara, in a harsh landscape and with a seriously hot summer, is that we have built replica suburbs of Perth.

"There is something to learn from Dubai. Maybe we need to build apartments with airconditioning and swimming pools.

"Living conditions in the Pilbara are where they were in the 1950s and '60s.

"We need to provide better health services and education. We are going backwards.''
Good to see a State Premier who is actually interested in developing his state rather then just complaining that the feds aren't giving him enough money while waiting for his pension to accumulate.

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