Critics say plan is ‘lipstick on a pig’
A plan to inject more than 500 new homes into the Western Australian Government District Officer Housing Program using money from the state’s biggest miners has been criticized as an admission that Labor has dropped the ball on regional development over the past decade.
Premier Roger Cook made the announcement at the Chamber of Mines and Energy breakfast on Tuesday, where he also announced the “Seven Cities” initiative, which aims to improve infrastructure and housing in the regional centers of Bunbury, Kalgoorlie, Karratha, Port Hedland, Broome, Geraldton and Albany.
Of the more than 500 new GROH homes, 305 will be built in Karratha and Port Hedland, 54 in Broome, 113 in Kalgoorlie, 37 in Geraldton and 26 in Albany. Bunbury won’t be able to buy a house because its proximity to Perth means it doesn’t have an established GROH programme.
Homes provided under the initiative offer subsidized rent to entice public servants, including teachers and police, to work in regional WA.
The new homes will be built over the next five years, with a budget of $419 million allocated over the next four years to start construction.
Approximately $170 million of this will come from Rio Tinto, BHP and Hancock Prospecting through the Resources Community Investment Initiative; Rio Tinto’s $100 million will also go towards homes being built near its operations in Wickham, Tom Price, Paraburdoo and Roebourne.
Despite WA’s growing population, the state’s regional housing program has remained stagnant.
There were 5,512 GROH properties in June 2016, and by June 2025 this number has decreased by nine to 5,503 properties.
Nationals leader Shane Love said he did not believe the government could deliver on its promise.
“The announcement of a series of homes to be built in politically key areas for the Labor government is more about protecting Labor than regional development,” he said.
“While I accept that this is a significant housing investment announced, we have found it regrettable that the projects and programs announced by this government over the years have not been implemented.
“I think you’ll find that the government will do what it can to put some lipstick on the pig on this issue.”
Cook dismissed the Seven Cities and GROH plan as a nice slogan for the work the government should be doing anyway.
“This is about defining a new path, a new vision for our state that goes beyond just traditional resource-based industries, agriculture and industries outside of that,” he said.
“What we are doing now is seizing the opportunity to become a renewable energy powerhouse, diversifying our economy with affordable, low-carbon, reliable energy and then moving forward with our Made in WA Plan to bring manufacturing to our state.
“The only place where this can happen at scale now is in regional WA, where you will have renewable energy, resources will be readily available and available nearby, and you will have the space to build these large industries at scale.
“These industries need a large skilled workforce and the only way we can make them available is for those people to live, work, raise a family in regional WA and continue to grow our great state.”
Rio Tinto iron ore CEO Matt Holcz said being a good partner with the community means investing in teachers, police, nurses and essential services that will help keep these towns safe.
“An important part of essential services is ensuring the right housing is in place,” he said.
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Hamish Hastie is WAtoday’s state political correspondent and the winner of five WA Media Awards, including the 2023 Beck Award for best political journalism.Connect with: X or email.
