In-house maintenance job opportunities create excitement across our regions, with employment, training, and upskilling opportunities available for all Western Australians.
In April, the state government announced that we would shift from contracting out road maintenance to a new model involving the inhouse delivery of road maintenance and some minor capital works. The new arrangements will create 660 new permanent jobs within our organisation.
The announcement followed an independent financial analysis by Ernst & Young in 2021, which reviewed the future of road maintenance contracts and determined that an in-house delivery model would be value for money and enable delivery of wider objectives such as increased Aboriginal employment and regional economic growth. The move to in-house delivery of road maintenance will see:
- 490 new regional staff and 170 new staff in the Perth metropolitan area.
- Upgrades and expansion of our existing maintenance depots and acquisition of houses in the Wheatbelt, Goldfields-Esperance, Pilbara and Kimberley regions.
- Establishment of new offices/ depots in Esperance, Manjimup, Karratha and Broome.
- Establishment of new supply chains and contracts to support the arrangements.
Through the 1990s, road maintenance was contracted out and the greatest impact of this was felt in regional communities as we lost the ability to employ and train local regional people. Contracting out road maintenance also reduced our asset management capability and in-house expertise. The analysis undertaken determined that the return of road maintenance and some minor capital work inhouse will:
- Drive jobs and economic growth in the regions
- Enhance Aboriginal employment and engagement outcomes
- Improve education uptake
- Increase our capacity and capability.
It also found that in-house delivery of these works would save more than $25 million a year when fully implemented, producing major economic benefits and increased employment opportunities for regional Western Australia. This includes increasing gross regional product by up to $335 million over the next 10 years.
Each Region will transition to the new in-house delivery model as the contract period for their existing Network Contracts comes to an end. This will commence with the Wheatbelt Region in October 2022, followed by the Mid West-Gascoyne Region in November 2022 and be concluded in January 2026. Overview of the project is provided by an Inter-Agency Committee chaired by the Commissioner of Main Roads and includes members from Department of Premier and Cabinet, Department of Treasury, Public Sector Commission and the State Solicitor's Office. Regular updates are available on our website.