A focus on education as the catalyst for driving population and economic growth in Perth’s CBD has been welcomed by Property Council WA.
Property Council WA Executive Director Sandra Brewer said “Perth has a unique opportunity to drive economic prosperity by positioning itself as the destination for higher education in the Asian region.
“One in ten West Australians are Asian born and 60% of the World’s middle class will live in Asia by 2030. Parents in Asia will be seeking Western cities that are safe, clean and close to home for their children to study. Perth is ideally positioned to realise this opportunity.
“A City Deal focused on growing the education sector in the Perth CBD will have flow on benefits throughout the economy, especially Perth’s retail centre. This deal has the potential to be the catalyst for population and economic growth that will grow visitation and breathe new life into the city.”
Research by Property Council WA in the Great Cities report released in 2018 found that Perth has slipped down the rankings as the best in the world for students from 30th to 50th as other cities have begun to compete more effectively for a share of the higher education economy. At the same time, Perth’s appeal to millennials and cultural amenities needs to be strengthened when compared to other Global cities.
“What was evident at the City Deal roundtable with business and community stakeholders was the shared vision by participants to grow Perth and revitalise its culture, amenity and prosperity,” Ms Brewer said.
“We are encouraged the Federal and State Government have agreed that education and the CBD will be the emphasis of a Perth City Deal, but this is just the first step. As Perth grows in coming decades, we need a bolder plan to deal with the obstacles to prosperity and growth, like congestion and poor amenity. The opportunity is for the three levels of Government to use this first point of agreement as the impetus for bigger conversations about what Perth needs in the future,” concluded Ms Brewer.
