- Call for Expressions of Interest to provide government offices in Fremantle
- Focus on central location
The State Government has launched a formal process to investigate the options for moving government office accommodation to Fremantle, Premier Colin Barnett said today.
This week a call for Expressions of Interest (EOI) was advertised for the provision of up to 20,000sqm in offices in central Fremantle.
The Premier said this would establish the viability of moving State Government agency accommodation to the port city.
"The State Government remains focused on having a presence in the Fremantle area on the condition that it represents real value for money," Mr Barnett said.
"We are looking for competitive options that represent considerable cost savings as well as an improved quality of modern office accommodation.
"At this stage the Department of Housing would be the most likely to move from its old East Perth premises, which have become too old and are no longer functional.
"We would envisage around 800 to 1,000 jobs being relocated to Fremantle, which would be a huge boost for the area.
"In many instances, government departments do not need to be based in the central city. Decentralisation brings many benefits including improving community access to services, boosting local economies and helping reduce road congestion in the Perth CBD."
The Premier said establishing new government offices in Fremantle was an election commitment.
"But changes in the State's financial position and the softening of the Perth property market have made it even more important that decisions are made on sound economic grounds, including through the competitive EOI process," Mr Barnett said.
Finance Minister Bill Marmion said the EOI would provide crucial information to ensure any decentralisation reflected value-for-money outcomes and delivered long-term benefits to Western Australia.
"To better control and manage growth in accommodation expenditure, the State Government is examining opportunities to innovate and collaborate with industry to make the most of lower rents and higher incentives, which are beginning to filter out to suburban markets," Mr Marmion said.
"We've been repeatedly told there's great value-for-money in community centres such as Fremantle and if it stacks up for WA taxpayers, it will also be a great boost for Fremantle. Now is the time for proponents to sharpen their pencils.
"Fremantle is an important metropolitan centre, with many community attributes including good rail access. That is why we are focusing on potential office accommodation within walking distance of the train station."
Earlier this year the State Government announced that the headquarters for the Department of Parks and Wildlife would be relocated to Bunbury with construction of a new building due to start next year.
The EOI is the first stage of a potential two-staged procurement process and its outcomes will be presented to Government for further consideration prior to proceeding to a restricted request for proposal. The EOI will be open for four weeks, until September 1, 2015.
Fact File
- Key requirements include an A-grade building standard, with a lettable area of up to 20,000 square metres in one or multiple properties within 600 metres of Fremantle train station
- Proposals must deliver practical completion by mid-2019
- EOI information is available at http://www.acorpp.com.au/eoi
Premier's office - 6552 5000
