- New legislation to cut red tape and accelerate investment in WA economy
- Biggest reforms to State Development framework since 1952
- Approvals for strategically significant precincts and projects to be streamlined
- Bill to unlock major clean energy and defence opportunities
- Bill to create long term jobs and business opportunities for Western Australians
Bold new legislation will be introduced by the Cook Government this week to unlock strategic precincts, fast-track approvals for major strategic projects around the State and maintain Western Australia as the strongest economy in the nation.
TheState Development Bill 2025will establish a modern and agile framework and is a major part of the Cook Government's strategy to make WA a global leader in investment attraction, industry facilitation and regulation.
The Bill is a key response to discussions at the Trade and Economic Resilience roundtable convened by the Premier in May this year. It builds upon the government's recent commitment to establish a WA Productivity Commission, as well as the nation-leading planning and environmental approvals reforms delivered during the last term of government.
The Bill aims to future-proof WA's regulatory system, ensuring our high standards of protection are maintained while streamlining complex and time-sensitive processes. It will allow the Premier to declare State Development Areas and Priority Projects, supported by the Coordinator General who will be delegated statutory powers to coordinate across agencies and facilitate regulatory processes.
The Coordinator General will be provided with tools, including information notices, timeframe notices, due regard notices, joint decision notices and modification orders, all designed to ensure major strategic opportunities are delivered in an investment-friendly timeframe.
This new framework will enable a more strategic approach to State Development by increasing the certainty of end-to-end project approval timeframes, ensuring WA remains globally competitive and investment ready.
The new laws are designed to help WA secure major new economic diversification opportunities in support of the government Made in WA agenda, including:
- Getting out of coal fired power generation faster than any other Australian state, and setting the WA economy up for success in a world that is decarbonising;
- Supporting WA's major trading partners to decarbonise, with critical minerals and clean downstream products, like green iron; and
- Becoming the largest naval shipbuilding and maintenance hub in the southern hemisphere.
The Coordinator General's new role and powers will only be applied to the most significant precincts and opportunities. All other major private sector projects will continue to be driven by the Department of Energy and Economic Diversification, with the lead agency process retained. The government is also working on an additional round of general approvals reforms, which will be progressed in 2026.
Importantly, the legislation respects the independence of the Environmental Protection Authority and respects existing Aboriginal heritage protections, facilitating coordination across government while preserving the integrity of existing safeguards.
Find out more on the Office of the Coordinator General website.
As stated by Premier Roger Cook:
"Becoming a global leader in investment attraction, industry facilitation and regulation is a key part of our strategy to keep WA the strongest economy in the nation.
"Our system of State Agreements has served WA well, and developed resources projects over 70 years, but we need a modernised, more agile system if we are to secure investment in a more competitive, time sensitive global investment environment.
"The State Development Bill will give us the powers necessary to secure investment in major clean energy and defence manufacturing projects, which have the ability to transform the WA economy in the years ahead.
"We want WA to be the best place in the world to do business, and the State Development Bill will help us create the regulatory environment we need to get things done."
