Government Office Accommodation Master Planning 2012-18
A significant number of the Government’s office leases are expiring during the next four to six years and there is an opportunity to achieve significant cost savings through good management of the office accommodation portfolio.
In June 2012, Minister Simon O’Brien announced Master Planning 2012-18 with a focus on the consolidation and decentralisation of government accommodation from the Perth CBD and CBD fringe to metropolitan centres. In July 2012, a second announcement was made declaring the extension of the program to include regional towns.
Master Planning 2012-18 in Perth
A large component of the 2012–18 Master Planning process aims to take advantage of the historically lower rental costs outside the Perth CBD. To do this, the Department of Finance’s Building Management and Works are working with agencies to develop business cases for the decentralisation of :
the head office functions of the Department of Commerce to the City of Stirling
the head office functions of Department of Housing to the City of Fremantle
the Corporate Services and Crime and State Intelligence functions of the WA Police to Murdoch.
Additional consultation is also taking place to develop a business case for relocating other agencies to Joondalup.
Master Planning 2012-18 in Regional Towns
Government agencies in regional towns are typically located across a number of small buildings, many of which do not provide appropriate office accommodation. Master Planning in regional towns will focus on the co-location of multiple agencies into suitable accommodation with a view to:
improving community access to Government agencies
promoting inter-agency collaboration
providing more efficient and effective workplaces.
In addition, this initiative has the ability to support the expansion of government services available in regional centres by providing all agencies with an opportunity to establish a presence in the identified regional towns.
Northam, Busselton and Mandurah have been identified as priorities and consultation with agencies is currently underway to determine accommodation requirements in these regional towns.
Other regional towns will be evaluated to determine future priorities and requirements.
Next Steps
The Department of Finance’s Building Management and Works will be working with agencies and other key stakeholders to prepare business cases that best reflect the aim to provide value for money office accommodation that supports government service delivery.
Additional Information
Further information on Master Planning is available below.
Media release by the Minister for Finance: Suburban centres targeted in next stage of Govt office reform
Media release by the Minister for Finance: On track for $25m office accommodation saving
Media release by the Minister for Finance: Government departments to move to Joondalup
Master Planning our future: better approach to government office accommodation
Government Office Accommodation Master Planning Strategy
Master Plan 2012-18 Frequently Asked Questions
Master Plan 2012-18 Directions 2031 and Beyond
Cathedral + Treasury Precinct: redevelopment of the Old Treasury Building and surrounds