Regional report bungles City status
Kalgoorlie-Boulder Mayor Ron Yuryevich has asked for a “please explain” from the Regional Australia Institute, after the Federal Government-funded research body failed to recognise Kalgoorlie-Boulder as a regional city.
The institute released its Talking Point report this month, identifying what it saw as the foundations of regional Australia: regional cities, connected lifestyle areas, industry and service hubs and heartland regions.
Kalgoorlie-Boulder was categorised as an industry and service hub, alongside Albany, Broome, Busselton, greater Geraldton, Karratha and Port Hedland.
The only local government areas in WA classified by the institute as regional cities were Bunbury, Capel, Harvey and Mandurah.
Mr Yuryevich, who also chairs the WA Regional Capitals Alliance, labelled Kalgoorlie-Boulder’s industry hub classification “simply ridiculous” and called for a revision and recall of the report.
He warned that the Regional Australia Institute was an organisation charged with giving a snapshot of regional Australia and as such it was “extremely important they get it right”.
“To not identify the major regional towns in Western Australia outside the Perth metropolitan area, such as Geraldton, Kalgoorlie, Broome, Albany, and Bunbury, is simply ridiculous,” Mr Yuryevich said.
“This report is obviously based upon flawed methodology developed by someone with no understanding of Western Australia.”
It is not the first time Kalgoorlie-Boulder has missed out on regional city status from the institute.
Mr Yuryevich said the City was overlooked for a regional city title 12 months ago on the basis it did not have a port.
Just weeks before the release of Talking Point, the University of Western Australia released its own report in conjunction with the WA Regional Capitals Alliance, classifying Albany, Broome, Bunbury, Busselton, Esperance, Geraldton, Kalgoorlie, Karratha, Northam and Port Hedland as regional capital entities.
Mr Yuryevich told the Kalgoorlie Miner he was worried the institute’s failure to correctly classify WA’s regional capitals could be a precursor to Kalgoorlie-Boulder missing out on future Federal Government funding, including Federal Assistance Grants.
“It’s critical that they get their information right because their reports go to the Federal Government, who use them for all sorts of purposes,” he said.
“We object to the Regional Australia Institute’s report in the strongest possible manner and have asked (the institute) for a revision and correction.
“It is vitally important that the Regional Australia Institute’s paper is challenged in this way to ensure the Government is able to develop evidence-based policy for the growth of our regions.”
The institute was contacted for comment.
