Peter Rundle MLA

Deputy Leader of The Nationals WA Peter Rundle MLA has called on the State Government to ensure its procurement policies support Western Australian manufacturing and regional jobs, by prioritising WA built buses for regional school transport services.

Mr Rundle said the Cook Government could not continue promoting its Made in WA agenda while procurement settings were driving operators toward cheaper, imported buses.

“The Premier regularly talks about supporting WA industry and local manufacturing but, when it comes to our regional school bus fleet, his Government’s procurement policies are helping imported buses replace vehicles built for Western Australian conditions,” Mr Rundle said.

“The iconic orange school buses that service our regional communities carry thousands of students every day, often across long distances and on challenging roads. If the Government is serious about backing WA industry, it should be ensuring procurement policies support buses built for the conditions they operate in and the communities they serve.”

Mr Rundle said changes to the way the Public Transport Authority awards School Bus Service contracts had placed greater emphasis on competitive tendering and upfront costs.

“Operators tell me it is becoming increasingly difficult to justify purchasing Australian-built buses when lower cost imported options provide a significant advantage during the tender process. While a cheaper purchase price may look attractive in the short term, there are legitimate questions about whether the current system properly considers durability, longevity and whole-of-life value.”

Mr Rundle said operators were concerned the procurement process was favouring the cheapest option at the expense of local manufacturing and vehicles designed for regional conditions.

“Western Australia has manufacturers capable of producing buses that meet the standards required for regional school transport and are designed to operate on the roads found throughout country WA,” he said.

“Every government procurement decision should consider not only the upfront cost, but also the economic benefits of supporting local jobs, local businesses and local manufacturing.”

Mr Rundle said the recent review of the State’s procurement framework provided the Government with an opportunity to align its actions with its rhetoric on supporting Western Australian industry.

“The Cook Government talks a lot about Made in WA. This is its chance to put those words into action,” Mr Rundle said.

“Regional school bus contracts should support Western Australian manufacturing and jobs, not encourage imported alternatives. Our iconic orange school buses should showcase local industry, yet while Perth’s green buses are locally built, country students are riding in cheaper, lower-quality buses made overseas.”

“If WA-built products are good enough for the Government’s media releases, they should be good enough for the orange school buses carrying our kids to and from school every day.”

A stronger commitment to regional water infrastructure is needed to safeguard communities and industries across Western Australia, according to Shadow Minister for Water Peter Rundle MLA.

Speaking after The Nationals WA’s 2026 State Conference, Mr Rundle welcomed the passage of a motion calling for increased funding to maintain, upgrade and replace ageing regional water infrastructure.

“Reliable water infrastructure is not a luxury for regional WA, it’s a necessity for our communities, businesses and agricultural industries,” Mr Rundle said.

“The Cook Labor Government cannot continue with a reactive approach that waits for infrastructure to fail before acting. We need a long-term commitment to maintaining and replacing ageing assets to secure regional water supplies for the future.”

The motion called on the Minister for Water, Daniel Pastorelli, to prioritise funding for replacement and improved maintenance of water infrastructure in regional Western Australia, in particular ageing water pipelines.

It also called for Minister Pastorelli to secure the Harris Dam water supply for the Great Southern Towns Water Supply Scheme (GSTWSS).

“Millions of litres of precious water are leaking into the ground across regional WA due to poor maintenance or replacement of ageing pipes, tanks and dams,” Mr Rundle said.

“The Minister for Water also needs to investigate measures to increase capacity at the Harris Dam to maintain the integrity of the GSTWSS.”

“With the Harris Dam at only 15.4 per cent capacity (as of 25 August) and with increasing need for water across the 31 towns relying on GSTWSS, the Minister must safeguard water security for the Great Southern by ensuring water is not diverted from Harris Dam to subsidise Perth,” Mr Rundle said.

Mr Rundle said while Conference motions do not automatically become Party policy, they provide a strong indication of members’ priorities and help shape future policy direction.

“This motion, put forward by the Roe Electorate Council, was one of the highest-priority issues endorsed by Conference delegates.

“Our members have sent a clear message: regional water security cannot be ignored, and the Minister for Water must act to secure reliable supplies for regional communities.”

Water security is one of the most important long-term challenges facing Western Australia, and it will only become more critical as our population, economy and industries continue to grow.

Yet after almost a decade in government, Labor’s management of the water portfolio has left Western Australia increasingly exposed to ageing infrastructure, growing demand and emerging risks to our future water supply.

As Shadow Minister for Water, I take those challenges seriously. I only wish the Cook Labor Government would demonstrate the same urgency.

The latest Cabinet reshuffle has delivered yet another Minister for Water. But changing the name on the office door will not change the problems confronting Western Australia.

Daniel Pastorelli inherits a portfolio under considerable pressure: parts of Perth’s water and sewerage network are more than 70 years old, regional pipelines continue to fail, Water Corporation workers are taking industrial action, and questions remain about whether the agencies responsible for managing our water resources have the capacity and resources needed for the task ahead.

After growing public concern about the management of the portfolio, the Government was right to recognise that a change was needed. The real test is whether the new Minister will be given the authority, resources and determination to change course — or whether Labor intends to continue with more of the same.

Water Corporation workers say they are overstretched and undervalued. Concerns have been raised about the condition and future requirements of critical infrastructure. Meanwhile, the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation is being asked to manage increasingly complex pressures around water licensing, groundwater allocations and declining water availability.

The people working in these organisations continue to do their best. The failure has been political: Labor has not delivered the long-term planning, investment and infrastructure program required to keep pace with Western Australia’s growth.

That lack of priority was evident again in the recent State Budget.

Regional water programs were cut, including funding for rural water planning, the WaterSmart Farms initiative and water carting programs. At the same time, the Government allocated just $41 million across regional Western Australia for water and wastewater infrastructure to unlock housing, and $25 million for regional water infrastructure.

For a Government entering its tenth year in office, it is simply not good enough.

Across regional Western Australia, communities continue to face water shortages, ageing pipelines and constraints on housing and economic development because basic water infrastructure has not kept pace.

Too often, Labor’s approach has been reactive — responding when pipes fail, supplies run short or development stalls — rather than investing early enough to prevent those problems occurring in the first place.

And the pressures are only increasing.

Population growth, expanding industry, greater demand on groundwater, increasing reliance on desalination and the rapid development of AI-driven data centres will all add to Western Australia’s future water requirements.

Artificial intelligence presents significant economic opportunities for our State, but those opportunities cannot come at the expense of household, agricultural or industrial water security.

Data centres can be significant users of water, particularly for cooling, and as demand for AI infrastructure grows, governments need to understand and plan for its cumulative impact on water supplies.

Yet significant questions remain about how water use by data centres will be assessed and regulated at both a State and Federal level.

The Federal Government’s National AI Plan provides insufficient guidance on the water implications of large-scale data-centre development. The question is no longer whether Western Australia will attract more of these projects, but whether the Cook Labor Government is properly planning for their impact before they arrive.

Local governments are already beginning to grapple with these issues. The City of Stirling is considering stronger planning controls for data centres, including whether they should be treated as a prohibited use in some circumstances, amid concerns about residential amenity and pressure on local resources.

Western Australia should not wait until individual communities are forced to confront these challenges development by development.

Water security must be embedded in the State’s long-term economic, industrial and land-use planning, supported by stronger policy, greater transparency and genuinely integrated management of our water resources.

Desalination will undoubtedly play an important role in Western Australia’s future, but it cannot be the only answer.

We must also expand wastewater recycling, protect groundwater resources, strengthen water licensing and compliance, and accelerate the maintenance and replacement of ageing infrastructure — particularly in regional communities where a single pipeline failure can have enormous consequences.

Most importantly, government must start planning ahead of demand rather than chasing it.

Western Australians deserve confidence that the water they rely on — for their homes, farms, businesses and communities — is being secured not just for today, but for the decades ahead.

Daniel Pastorelli has inherited the consequences of almost a decade of Labor’s management of this portfolio. He also has an opportunity to change direction.

A new Minister will only matter if there is a new approach.

The question now is whether the Cook Labor Government is finally prepared to give Western Australia’s water security the priority it deserves.

Shadow Minister for Water Peter Rundle MLA is warning that the rapid rollout of AI driven data centres could place further strain on Western Australia’s already stretched water supplies and is not confident the Cook Labor Government is prepared.

While welcoming investment and technological innovation, Mr Rundle said new data centres must form part of an integrated plan that ensures the sustainable and responsible use of water.

“Artificial intelligence presents enormous opportunities for Western Australia, but the growth of AI data centres cannot come at the expense of household water security. The Cook Labor Government needs to prepare now to protect WA water sources and mitigate potential impacts,” Mr Rundle said.

Mr Rundle said the Federal Government’s recently announced National AI Plan lacked sufficient guidance on water use, despite AI data centres being significantly larger and more resource intensive than traditional facilities.

“As AI adoption grows, so too will demand for data centres and the water required to cool them. The question is not whether Western Australia will see more of these developments, but whether the Cook Labor Government is planning properly for the impact.

“Both the Albanese and Cook Labor Governments need to safeguard our water supplies and ensure water security remains a priority as Australia’s digital economy expands.”

Mr Rundle said Western Australia faced unique challenges compared with the eastern states, with Perth increasingly reliant on groundwater and desalination.

“Water is one of WA’s most valuable resources. Every major new water user should be assessed through a water security lens, particularly in a state already investing heavily in new water sources to meet future demand.

“What matters is where the water comes from, how it is used, whether recycled water is being prioritised, and whether it impacts households, agriculture, industry or future residential development.

“Any large-scale data centre should be required to demonstrate that recycled or non potable water sources have been properly considered before relying on drinking water supplies.”

Mr Rundle said transparency should also be a requirement for future approvals.

“Western Australians deserve to know how much water major facilities are consuming and what impact they may have on local supplies. Public reporting of water use should be standard practice, and this Government needs to apply strict rules around this.”

He said the issue was particularly important in regional Western Australia, including the Pilbara, where growing demands from mining, industry, renewable energy and future economic development were already increasing pressure on available water resources.

“Western Australia cannot afford to treat water as an afterthought. Water security must be built into every data centre approval from day one.”