Rockingham in Australia prepares for strain ahead of AUKUS personnel arrival
Authorities in Rockingham, Western Australia, are preparing for additional pressure on roads, housing, healthcare and childcare facilities ahead of the arrival of the first AUKUS nuclear-powered submarine and associated personnel. According to ABC News Australia, 385 days remained until then.
Rockingham Mayor Lorna Buchan said the city’s population is already growing by an average of 14 people a day, or more than 5,000 people a year. She said that over the next four years, around 1,200 US military personnel are expected to arrive in the region, about half of whom will have families.
Roads and housing
A report commissioned by the city authorities in 2023 stated that roads near Cape Peron are already operating at the limit of their capacity. Residents have begun using alternative routes to avoid traffic congestion.
According to Buchan, the situation is exacerbated by the lack of an industrial hub in the area: 70% of the population leaves the area for work or study. She also noted that defence facilities within the city are not required to pay local rates, so the municipality largely depends on revenue from residential properties.
As the population grows, the mayor estimates, demand will increase for municipal services, including swimming and sports facilities, as well as healthcare, childcare and housing.
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Fund proposal
Warwick Carter, executive director of the Perth South West Metropolitan Alliance, which represents six local councils in Perth’s southern corridor, supported the idea of creating a federal fund for communities hosting defence facilities. The alliance proposed a A$50 million pilot fund for infrastructure projects in such communities across Australia.
Carter said that about A$70 billion in government-backed investment is being tracked in the region over the coming decades, including in connection with AUKUS and other projects. According to him, the influx of defence personnel and defence industry workers will create jobs, but will also increase pressure on the community.
Western Australia’s Minister for Industry, Skills and TAFE, Amber-Jade Sanderson, said the state government has already provided about A$20 million for sports facilities, including aquatic and basketball centres. She separately mentioned upgrades to local schools, the establishment of an urgent mental health care centre at Rockingham Hospital, and the start of its redevelopment.
Buchan also called for the restoration of Murdoch University’s Rockingham campus, which has not accepted students since 2014, and the creation of a local vocational training centre. Sanderson agreed on the need for such a centre and said that the workforce development plan would cover the defence industry and other sectors.
