As many Western Australians wrap up another year and prepare to head down south for summer holidays, this month’s edition of the Office Hours podcast is perfect listening material for the trip down the Forrest Highway as it highlights the significant property markets across the region.
In this episode, host Damian Stone is joined by Libby Mettam, the Member for Vasse and Shadow Minister for Transport. In the interview, Libby shares her career background and what led her to become the Member for Vasse; the challenges being a member of parliament for a regional electorate; regional development in the SW vs the mid-west and major projects, in particular development at Busselton Jetty. In her role as Shadow Minister for Transport, Libby discusses the implementation of Metronet, the Westport taskforce preliminary plans, expectations for Infrastructure WA, and other key issues in the portfolio ahead of the 2021 state election.
Following the discussion with Ms Mettam, Damian is joined by two of the south west’s leading agents, Mike Jenkins, Principal of Commercial Realty in Bunbury, and Joe White, Principal of JMW Real Estate in Dunsborough, to talk about the current state of residential and commercial property markets in the SW; working in a regional area; what non-locals struggle to understand about the SW; the challenges attracting outside investment; the local impact of Air Bnb; retail on Bunbury’s fringes (Bunbury Farmers Market/Bunbury Forum) impact on the Bunbury town centre; the importance of major projects (Lithium and Busselton Airport) as well as sharing their most interesting client experiences and advice on the best places in the SW to eat, drink and stay.
