Regional Planning and Economic Development in the South West Region,Western Australia

Abstract

The paper examines the influence of a regional planning and development authority (the South West Development Authority) on economic growth in the South West Region of Western Australia. Employment and population changes are analysed along sectoral and spatial criteria. The findings show that between 1983 and 1989, the Authority's influence on the creation of employment opportunities was limited, being confined mostly to some gains in the public sector and to the promotion of the region and the city of Bunbury as tourist destinations. This ineffectiveness is associated with a lack of power to attract private and direct public investment to the region.