EVALUATION COMPLETE
The Western Trade Coast is a nationally significant industrial precinct supporting Australia’s maritime, freight and sovereign capabilities. The Western Trade Coast enabling infrastructure – Henderson Precinct proposal seeks to support the industrial transformation of the Australian Marine Complex (AMC), ensuring the precinct can meet Australia’s long‑term industrial, export and defence needs. The proposal aligns with priorities identified in Australia’s AUKUS Submarine Industry Strategy, which calls for modernised shipbuilding, sustainment and submarine‑support infrastructure.
PROPOSAL DESCRIPTION
The proposal involves planning activities to confirm enabling infrastructure requirements for the Henderson Defence Precinct, as well as planning for the potential relocation of existing common user facilities at the AMC. Potential upgrades to enabling transport and utility infrastructure to support the transformation of the AMC and Henderson Precinct will seek to ensure the precinct can accommodate major maritime, industrial and AUKUS‑related defence projects.
INVESTMENT RECOMMENDATION
The Australian Government should consider prioritising the proposal for planning investment, to progress definition of infrastructure requirements, sequencing and staging for the transformation of the AMC and Henderson Precinct. Planning activities should occur in parallel to activities supported by the $127 million Australian Government commitment for preliminary design, feasibility studies and enabling works for the Henderson Defence Precinct.
OPPORTUNITIES AND OUTCOMES
This proposal has the potential to:
- Strengthen sovereign defence capability – enabling infrastructure would support submarine sustainment, shipbuilding activity and industrial capacity for the Henderson Precinct required under the AUKUS partnership.
- Improve national freight performance – upgraded enabling infrastructure would support efficient movement of oversized and specialised freight within a strategically important maritime precinct.
- Unlock economic diversification – infrastructure upgrades would stimulate advanced manufacturing and growth in high‑value jobs.
- Enhance long‑term productivity – coordinated upgrades would reduce bottlenecks, support relocation of common‑user facilities and enable efficient staging of major maritime works.
NEXT STEPS
Infrastructure Australia recommends the proponent adopts a place-based approach to inform proposal development that considers the interrelated infrastructure needs of the region to identify how and when enabling infrastructure should be delivered.
Proponent to develop potential investment options (Stage 2 of Infrastructure Australia’s Assessment Framework), which should include and be informed by:
- robust demand forecasting and options analysis for each infrastructure component
- enabling road, port and utility infrastructure requirements
- coordinated design development, including land‑use, access, utility augmentation and common‑user infrastructure planning
- cost, risk and staging analysis, including environmental assessment and constructability reviews.