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CEO Update | Fear of Heights |
Thinkers in Residence | Youth in Focus |
AI For Good | School Projections |
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Good morning,
It’s been a wonderful time to be in Perth with Perth Festival and Design Week activating our region over the last two months. Now that they have wrapped up, I have to admit – I am looking forward to a few more nights at home!
Speaking of festivals, the Boorloo Heritage Festival begins today with 113 events across April to celebrate Perth’s unique heritage and cultural places, spaces and conversations. |
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Last month, I travelled to Adelaide to meet with the CEOs of Committees for Capital Cities – Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney. Sadly, Greater Hobart could not attend. Over two days, we shared insights on our collective challenges and explored opportunities for collaboration. All Committees are grappling with housing and population planning issues, and we will be heading to Canberra later this year to advocate for our cities on a national level, as we plan towards an ambitious future for Australia. While in Adelaide, we also visited the impressive Lot Fourteen and the Australian Space Agency and had productive meetings with Minister Don Farrell and Senator Anne Rushton. We even squeezed in a visit to Chihuly's Garden Cycle at the botanical gardens!
A big thank you to Committee for Adelaide CEO, Sam Dighton, for being the most gracious host and giving us the ins and outs on Adelaide. Adelaide Fringe was in full swing while I was there, and I was interested to see how deeply the Festival is entrenched into the city’s cultural fabric. It consumes much of the City and I found it to be family-focused. Even South Australian Premier The Hon Peter Malinauskas was walking through The Garden of Unearthly Delights with his family, connecting with the community. Many streets are pedestrianised, restaurants flowing out on to the streets, and humming with activity. How can we further embrace our own wonderful Fringe festival in 2026 to create an even more immersive experience in Perth?
Back home, the Committee for Perth team are delighted to announce the launch of Perth 2050 working groups, open to members and some non-members. There are 3 themes we will focus on: Decarbonisation, Densification and (economic) Diversification. If you’re ready to roll up your sleeves and help shape Perth’s future – this is your moment. Please click here to find out more and register your interest.
Now that April is here, and with the State Election behind us, I am excited to see how we can work with Premier Roger Cook and his new leadership team to advance a plan for Perth. As an independent, future-focused organisation, we are committed to ensuring the Perth region has a clear roadmap to 2050 and beyond. As I highlighted in my recent Opinion Piece, we need a plan that outlines exactly how we’ll get there. The clock is ticking toward 2050 – so keep your ideas coming and stay engaged!
Until next time, Paula Rogers Chief Executive Officer Committee for Perth |
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Artwork by Dr Richard Walley OAM |
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- 1-30 April: The Town of Victoria Park’s Arts Season is underway – and runs until 30 April
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4-27 April: Step back in time with Close Encounters at the Perth Mint, which was recently named one of seven global referees by the foremost precious metals authority – and the only one in the southern hemisphere.
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4-21 April: Missing Sculptures by the Sea this year? Bathers Beach in Fremantle will be showcasing unique sculptures from many amazing WA artists. Or head to Rotto for Sculptures at Wadjemup for the Yoowarl Koorl Djinang / Come Look See Exhibition – and stay the night at one of Time Magazine’s World Greatest Places of 2025, The Lodge Wadjemup.
- 5 April: Leave the car at home and be served by Perth’s top bartenders with the Urban Cocktail Trail
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10-17 April: Lots happening across Perth for Youth Week WA 2025, including the Neon Festival in Manning run by City of South Perth.
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12 April - 10 May: WA Tree Festival runs for the next month – reminding us we need to protect and improve our tree canopy in Perth – the lowest in Australia.
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25 April: We will remember them. With Anzac Day services planned across Perth starting with the Dawn Service at the State War Memorial from 5.45am. You can also pay your respects this month at the WA Maritime Museum with the moving new exhibition, remembering the men of HMAS Perth.
- 1-28 April: If you haven’t had a chance to see Kimberley Wilderness yet, head to the WA Museum before it ends!
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Adequate and affordable housing supply is essential to the future liveability of Perth, as well as ensuring a broad mix of options to meet different lifestyles and budgets. Apartment living has been something of a taboo topic in Perth, which was recently ranked among the world’s worst for high rise accommodation. During the recent Perth Design Week 2025, local developer Tim Willing and H-U development director Corey Scidone looked at the positives to Perth adopting an apartment lifestyle.
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A new benchmark has been set for intellectual and academic collaboration in WA. The Thinkers in Residence program was recently launched by member Forrest Research Foundation, designed to spark new ideas and transformative thinking. Unlike traditional academic residencies that are confined to a single university, this new program is a cross-institutional partnership across WA’s five universities. The program’s first ‘Thinkers in Residence’ will be celebrated literary critic Professor Merve Emre and the first Future Generations Commissioner for Wales, Sophie Howe, who Committee for Perth hosted last year, and look forward to again hosting in collaboration with the Foundation during her residency. Don't miss our Future Ready Forum with Sophie Howe discussing Future Generations Planning on Thursday, 17 April – register here.
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65% of students in primary school today will work in jobs that don’t currently exists. This forecast from the World Economic Forum has been reflected in Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre’s new Focus on the States report: Youth in Focus. It found Australia’s labour market is navigating an unprecedented transition and businesses will need to offer young people benefits that extend beyond pay and promotions, to include flexible conditions and an employee focused culture. However, the current experience of 18-24 year olds is very different. They are typically in precarious employment and have limited access flexible options. The report calls for targeted economic policies to support young Australians. Closer to home, No Place For Poverty was recently launched in Perth to advocate for a more equitable system.
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Fostering investment in an innovation ecosystem in Perth and WA is paying off. WA’s innovation strategy aims to transform the state into a global leader in research and inventiveness over the next 10 years – and it’s already gaining international attention. Perth just hosted the first ever Australian round of the UN’s AI For Good Innovation Factory contest. This international start-up competition searches for AI solutions to the UN’s sustainability goals. Five WA-based innovators made it to the final, with the winner now having the chance to pitch their idea at the Global Summit in Geneva in July.
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Committee for Perth isn’t alone in calling for the need for a long-term plan for Perth. Demography company Informed Decisions has forecast WA will have an extra 65,000 school students in 20 years. University of Western Australia’s Professor Amanda Davis said “there is an urgent need for a unified strategy for investment and updating of educational facilities. “It is concerning there has been limited planning and investment into updating and expanding facilities in [inner-city] suburbs absorbing growth”. While newer suburbs in the outer metropolitan area can be waiting years for adequate services.
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| Hosted at The Perth Mint Thursday, 3 April 2025 | 6.00pm to 8.00pm
ENQUIRE // Gold Member-only event |
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| An update from Jason Waters // Perth Airport Thursday, 1 May 2025 | 12.00pm to 2.00pm JOIN WAITLIST // Gold and Silver Member-only event |
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Planning for Future Generations with Sophie Howe Thursday, 17 April 2025 | 12.00pm to 2.00pm
ENQUIRE // Member-only event |
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| EXECUTIVE WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP FORUM |
A conversation with Rebecca Tomkinson Thursday, 15 May 2025 | 5.00pm to 7.00pm ENQUIRE // Member-only event |
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With thanks to all our members for their ongoing contribution to promoting innovation and creativity to deliver a brighter future for Perth. View all of our members. |
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Committee for Perth conducts its work on Whadjuk Noongar Boodjar. We recognise their peoples' ongoing connection to land, culture and community and in doing so, pay our respects to Elders past and present. |
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