Ian Goodenough (Moore, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

We are reaching the next critical phase in the redevelopment of the marina at Ocean Reef. This represents the most significant economic development project in my electorate of Moore. The site covers a total of 57.8 hectares of land-based development and 33.6 hectares of development off the coast.

Unfortunately, to date, progress with the redevelopment of the Ocean Reef Marina has been slow. Residents have waited for more than 30 years to see any measurable progress. By contrast, the Hillarys marina to the south was constructed in the mid-1980s and has become one of Western Australia's top tourist destinations in terms of the annual number of visitors. Similarly, the Mindarie Marina to the north was developed in the early 1990s. Ocean Reef is the third marina within my electorate and has remained the only undeveloped marina despite basic infrastructure being in place for some three decades.

The project has been slow to progress through the lengthy bureaucratic planning approvals processes. In recent times, some positive advances have been made through the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the City of Joondalup and the Western Australian state government. The application has since been referred to the Western Australian Planning Commission for assessment.

My recent constituent survey indicates strong support from the local community and growing frustration at the overall delays. Repeated assurances have been given by political representatives over the years that the project is just around the corner. The overwhelming sentiment in the community is to see construction commence.

What is much needed for a project of such magnitude is a renewed approach to reinvigorate the process. Local and state governments will struggle financially to deliver a project of this size. We need innovative leadership that offers practical solutions to better project-manage this landmark redevelopment. We must carefully consider what can be done differently rather than adopting the same old tired approach.

It is evident that the stage has been reached where private sector involvement and investment in the project is required—involvement and investment by experienced marina developers with sufficient financial capacity and a proven track record of delivering marina based projects. These developers will need to have access to capital with support from major banks and superannuation and institutional funds to attract the estimated $800 million of investment required.

Government must enlist the involvement of the private sector though an open and accountable competitive tender process. Only the private sector will add a sense of urgency and really drive the process to achieve project milestones. Experience demonstrates that the private sector has a track record of delivering more efficient project management and is more performance driven and deadline focused. A greater commercial focus will accelerate delivery of the project.

Not only will private sector involvement achieve better commercial outcomes; involvement of the best marina developers in Australia, with established track records of delivering quality, liveable marina developments in locations such as Sydney and the Gold Coast, will bring architectural and design excellence to Ocean Reef. A mix of residential development combined with hospitality, tourism and recreational facilities will deliver lifestyle amenity for the community that includes the provision of some 850 boat moorings. Overall, it is reasonable to expect the transformation to have a positive impact on real estate values in surrounding suburbs.

In summary, more timely delivery of the project will yield considerable taxation and revenue benefits for all levels of government, as well as creating new jobs and promoting local employment self-sufficiency. Furthermore, diversification into tourism and hospitality will make the local economy less susceptible to economic downturns in other industries. I am a strong advocate for the private sector to be involved in the Ocean Reef Marina project sooner rather than later, as a reliable means to accelerate the delivery of this landmark asset for our local community.

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