A new report on Perth’s Global Competiveness by researchers from University of Western Australia and the Committee for Perth shows some really interesting facts and conclusions, relevant to where we live.
For a start, 34 per cent of us were born in another country. Only 16 per cent of us are degree- educated, well below the proportion in similar cities.
Shell is moving their Australian headquarters to Perth; BHP, Chevron, Newmont and others have much of their Australian and Asian regional management located here. Very many smaller companies are based here. 41 per cent of companies on the Australian Stock Exchange have their head office in Perth. Sydney and Melbourne, on the other hand, account for only 29 per cent and 17 per cent, respectively.
We have a comparatively low proportion of children and a high ratio of aged dependants. Age plots show that lots of people arrive here aged between twenty and thirty.
While this might not be the experience in a particular local neighbourhood it is the big picture across the whole city.
Some key features that have implications for our local area are:
- an expectation for diversity of culture, accommodation and life style
- a likely shortfall of educated and skilled people
- a distinct, measured shortage of leadership skills
- significant pressures on our environment
Perth is projected to experience the highest percentage growth of any Australian capital city. Our biggest challenge is to manage this without destroying what we love.
My own view is that just doing what we have always done won’t be good enough. We must get better at being able to imagine the future, even if it is not much like our past. We will have to teach ourselves that just because we have done something for twenty, or even two thousand, years it might no longer be sustainable.
Please feel free to have your say by clicking on “Comments” below, or email me and I’ll be happy to publish your wisdom.
3 comments:
Did the study also show what was the intelligence quality was of the 16% who were "degree" educated - as I have sat in a room of 600 geologists and listened to them deny climate change! Maybe we must get better at educating our educated so we don't just continue with this mess?
Leadership is not only in short supply in Perth. What about in Canberra. I really like the Beyond Zero Emissions Report produced recently. That is the sort of leadership we need. Urban planning is lacking in Perth. We need more high density, affordable accommodation with public open space, public transport and community gardens in between. Maybe we might even learn to enjoy living like that.
We really are stupid accepting without question the cramming of 1000s of more people into Perth while the infrastructure - health, education, transport and all the utilities falls badly behind that needed. The mining 'boom' isnt good for most of us but we accept the nonsense thrown at us by the car salesmen, property developers and miners (of course) along with most of our blinkered politicians that a big Australia will be good for us all. Meanwhile the most disadvantaged in our community are further disadvantaged.
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