The Forum > Article Comments > Ideas and engagement: the Western Australian economic story > Comments
Ideas and engagement: the Western Australian economic story : Comments
By Andrew Leigh, published 28/2/2014Innovation is at the core of Australia's future prosperity, and Western Australia is as well placed as any part of Australia to capture its benefits.
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Andrew, this statement stands out like dogs balls as being in urgent need of response…
Yes of course congestion is bad economics. It’s just downright stuuupid! And it is rank and rapidly getting ranker around Perth.
But skimping on infrastructure is not the issue. New infrastructure is being built at a great pace…. and at enormous expense to the WA (and other Australian) taxpayer. This is money that is quite desperately needed elsewhere.
The problem of course is rapid population growth and the madness of the pursuance of never-ending expansionism.
And this is the great problem with your analysis – the lack of any comment or awareness of the fundamental need for us to live within our means. This is particularly pertinent in WA, where there are critical water-supply problems, which have led to the West becoming dependent of huge desalination plants.
Ok, so WA has great potential to do great things. Just like anywhere else in the country or the western world really.
Andrew, if there is one thing about WA, with its critical water problems, congestion, inadequate infrastructure and services, etc, it should be the imperative to STOP growing the population and to develop a sustainable society.
WA surely has as much motivation to do this as anywhere in the world!
It has had for a long time. And yet it has charged forth in a manically unsustainable manner.
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