Like many locals, I know firsthand the traffic congestion that occurs around Parkin Street and Point Peron, and I have seen the effects the heavy trucks are having on the local residents and roads.

With Rockingham at the forefront of Australia’s AUKUS pathway, work needs to be undertaken to ensure the required transport planning and local upgrades occur to meet the current and future needs of the increase Defence activities at HMAS Stirling.

The Cook and Albanese Labor Governments will invest $2 million over the next year to deliver the required studies that will inform the infrastructure and transport requirements surrounding HMAS Stirling.

Together, our governments will jointly fund three transport studies in Rockingham:

• A study of options for roads, infrastructure and local transport;
• A detailed environmental study of the Garden Island Highway Proposal, and;
• A detailed heritage study and constraint mapping exercise of the Garden Island Highway Proposal.

The studies will commence in early 2025 for a period of 10 months, with the findings to be presented to both the State and Federal governments to inform decisions around the required transport infrastructure and connectivity upgrades.

It is important that we get this right – Lake Richmond is deeply important to our local environment, and community.

I am committed to ensuring Rockingham gets the local road upgrades we need and that our community benefits from AUKUS.