When I chat with people about Mandurah, they usually talk about our waterways, our beaches and the lifestyle that has made our city one of Western Australia's most desirable places to live.

What many don't realise is that Mandurah is also becoming an increasingly important part of Australia's digital future.

Our city has been selected as the Western Australian landing point for major international subsea cable systems, including Umoja and TalayLink. While most people will never see this infrastructure, its importance is significant. These cables carry the vast majority of international digital traffic and underpin everything from communications and banking to cloud services and emerging technologies.

For Mandurah, this is about more than telecommunications infrastructure. It is recognition that our city has the location, capability and long-term potential to play a larger role in connecting Australia to the world.

Like ports, highways and rail networks, digital connectivity has become critical economic infrastructure. Businesses rely on secure, reliable connections to customers, suppliers and markets around the globe, and that importance will only continue to grow as industries become increasingly digital.

At its core, this project is about connection. It creates the pathways that allow information, services and businesses to connect with the rest of the world.

There are practical reasons why projects of this scale choose particular locations. They require suitable coastal conditions, access to power and telecommunications networks, room for future growth and proximity to major economic centres. Mandurah offers that combination. Close to Perth, connected to the Peel region and with capacity to grow, our city is well positioned to support industries that depend on strong digital connectivity.

What interests me most is not the cables themselves, but what they can enable.

Around the world, access to high-quality digital infrastructure is increasingly influencing where businesses invest and where skilled workers choose to live. Companies looking to grow want locations with the right foundations already in place and connectivity is becoming one of those foundations.

For a growing city like Mandurah, that creates opportunity. Infrastructure of this scale helps create the conditions that businesses look for when making investment decisions. Strong digital connectivity supports industries that rely on secure, high-capacity data while giving regional cities a greater opportunity to compete for investment that has traditionally gravitated to larger metropolitan centres.

We are already seeing changes in how people think about work and lifestyle. More professionals have the flexibility to choose where they live, and many are looking for places that offer both economic opportunity and an exceptional quality of life. Mandurah has long been recognised for its lifestyle advantages. Strengthening our connectivity helps us build on those strengths and makes our city more attractive to businesses looking for a connected, future-focused place to invest and grow.

No single infrastructure project transforms an economy overnight, but it can help create the conditions for long-term growth. Improved connectivity supports industries such as cybersecurity, advanced digital services, defence-related technologies and other innovation-focused sectors.

Importantly, this isn’t about changing the character of our city. Our environment, waterways and strong community spirit remain at the centre of who we are. The opportunity is to build on those strengths while creating new pathways for investment, jobs and economic diversity.

For much of our history, our location has been one of our greatest assets. It helped establish Mandurah as a destination, then as a thriving community, and now it is helping position us as an emerging gateway between Western Australia and the global digital economy.

The success of projects like Umoja and TalayLink won't simply be measured in technical capacity. It will be measured in the businesses that choose to invest here, the industries that grow here and the opportunities available to future generations of Mandurah residents.

As global digital networks continue to expand, the cities connected to them become increasingly important. Mandurah now has the opportunity to play a role in that future while remaining true to the qualities that have always made our city special.

For generations, people have recognised Mandurah's potential. Today, that potential is being recognised in a new way, connecting our city not just to Perth, but to the wider world.

As our connections grow, so do the opportunities for businesses, investors and industries looking for a location that combines lifestyle, accessibility and long-term potential. We welcome conversations with businesses and investors that share Mandurah’s vision for the future. Find out more at www.mandurah.wa.gov.au/business-development-and-investment.