A petition calling on the state government to put in place a range of measures aimed at reinvigorating Armadale's central business district and helping to address social problems in the area has been presented to state parliament.
The petition, signed by more than 10,000 people, was given to opposition leader Liza Harvey yesterday by businessman Elton Swarts.
It was produced in cooperation with Examiner Newspapers and the Armadale Chamber of Commerce and urges the state government to invest in Armadale by:
- declaring a new full-time jobs target, to be achieved within three years;
- pledging to move a big state government department into the city within three years;
- offering five years of payroll tax relief to businesses which employ staff to work in the City of Armadale;
- committing to Wesport and the construction of a new harbour this year;
- building and securing funding for the operation of a TAFE college in Armadale;
- funding the construction of the Wungong Regional Recreational Reserve;
- pushing forward the METRONET Byford Extension planning and making the investment commitment within 12 months for all works within the City of Armadale;
- encouraging the City of Armadale to proactively stimulate private investment in its municipality.
Mr Swarts said the petition was an SOS to the state government to help Armadale.
"If we’re going to combat our high rates of unemployment, we need long-term local jobs. One of the most significant issues for Armadale is that we just don’t have the jobs in the CBD," he said.
Armadale’s local unemployment rate has been higher than the state’s average rate for more than a decade.
* Elton Swarts is the executive chairman of Business News
