Regions of Western Australia explained

Regions of Western Australia
Territory:Western Australia
Current Number:9, excluding the metropolitan region
Government:Regional councils, State government

Western Australia (WA) is divided into regions according to a number of systems.

The most common system is the division of the state by the Government of Western Australia into regions for economic development purposes, which comprises nine defined regions excluding the Perth metropolitan region. However, there are a number of other systems, including those made for purposes of land management (such as agriculture and conservation), information gathering (such as statistical and meteorological), and election for political office.

The various different systems were defined for different purposes, and give specific boundaries, but although many of the different systems' regions have similar names, they have different boundaries; the names and boundaries of regions can and do vary between systems.

The Regional Development Commissions Act regions

The Western Australian system of regions defined by the Government of Western Australia for purposes of economic development administration, which excludes the Perth metropolitan region, is a series of nine regions.

These nine regions were established by the Regional Development Commissions Act 1993, which defined their extents and established Regional Development Commissions to promote their economic development.[1] In defining the regions, an attempt was made to capture distinct socio-economic communities. For example, the Goldfields–Esperance region of Western Australia has an economy based heavily on mining, whereas the Wheatbelt region is economically dependent on agriculture.

RegionLargest cityNumber of
Land areaMap
GascoyneCarnarvon4137938km2[2]
Goldfields–EsperanceKalgoorlie10955276km2[3]
Great SouthernAlbany1139007km2[4]
KimberleyBroome4424517km2[5]
Mid WestGeraldton16285497km2[6]
PeelMandurah56648km2[7]
PilbaraKarratha4507896km2[8]
South WestBunbury1224000km2[9]
WheatbeltNortham42154862km2[10]

Inter-regional travel restrictions during COVID-19 pandemic

During the Western Australian government response to the COVID-19 pandemic, travel between regionsother than between Perth and Peelwas restricted, with police checkpoints set up at the borders. Only essential travel was allowed.[11] At some checkpoints, police were assisted by army and State Emergency Service personnel;[12] the army did not have any authority to prosecute or arrest.[13] Remote communities and some "biosecurity areas"[14] had further travel restrictions[15] due to the lack of medical facilities and number of high risk community members. Some inter-regional restrictions were lifted on 18 May,[16] [14] and on 5 June all regional restrictions were removed except for remote Aboriginal communities.[17]

On 31 January 2021, after a quarantine hotel security guard in Perth tested positive, a five-day lockdown, from 6pm on 31 January until 6pm on 5 February was declared. Schools scheduled to resume on 1 February were to remain closed for another week. The areas affected were: "... the whole Perth metropolitan area, the Peel region and the South West region ..."[18]

Bureau of Meteorology regions

The same region names as those used by the Regional Development Commissions Act (RDCA) are incorporated into the system used by Bureau of Meteorology (BOM),[19] which uses 14 regions, so the boundaries of the two systems do not coincide. In some of the regions, the BOM designates the forecast area regions with a finer level of detail using points of the compass. Regions numbered 8 to 14 are usually known as forecast areas in the South West Land Division; coastal zones for sea forecasts are dealt with in the coastal regions of Western Australia.

BOM
map
number 		BOM
region
name 		RDCA
region
name 		BOM overlap areas RDCA overlap areas Notes
01 Kimberley South East Kimberley in BOM "NE Interior" close fit
02 Pilbara BOM North Interior in RDCA "East Pilbara"
03 Gascoyne BOM South and East Gascoyne in RDCA "Mid West"
04 Goldfields–Esperance
05 Goldfields–Esperance
06
07 Mid West
08 Perth, Peel
09 South West
10 Great Southern
11 Goldfields–Esperance
11 Goldfields–Esperance
13 Great Southern
14

South West Western Australia Fire Weather Forecast Areas

The South West Land Division has 23 fire districts.[20]

Political regions

Under Australia's three-tiered system of government, Western Australia has four political regional schemes:

Federal
State Electoral Districts for the Western Australian Legislative Assembly
Electoral Regions for the Western Australian Legislative Council
Local government Local government areas

State government departmental regions

Many government departments maintain systems of regional and district breakdowns of the state for their own internal purposes.

Department of Education[21]

See also: List of schools in rural Western Australia.

Department of Agriculture and Food[22]
Main Roads Western Australia[23]
Department of Water[24]
Department of Fisheries[25] Fisheries tends to separate the state into four main regions for the purpose of regulating recreational fishing:
Department of Mines and PetroleumThe department produces statistical data based on the Regional Development Commissions Act regionalisation schema

See also: Mineral fields of Western Australia.

Since the creation of the Department of Industry and Resources some rationalisation of mines administration has occurred, however the mineral fields and boundaries remain the same as when established.[26]

Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage / Western Australian Planning CommissionThere are three regions with regional planning schemes, covering only a small part of the state:[27]
Department of Fire and Emergency Services[28]
Department of Health[29] [30]

Natural and land management

See also

There are a number of regionalisations that attempt to provide a regionalisation based on natural features. The best known of these are the Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA) regions, and the World Wildlife Fund's Ecoregions in Australia, and the "natural regions" of John Stanley Beard, all of which are based on biogeography. Other natural regionalisations included the drainage basins and catchments of river systems, and highly specialised regionalisations dealing with such matters as geology and soil systems.

Administrative regionalisations include Landcare Districts and the Department of Agriculture's "Land-use Zones". However the Department of Agriculture publications – Technical Bulletins[31] – usually titled An inventory and condition report/survey... of a particular region are very specifically focused upon land systems that are based on natural features.

Land tenure

Western Australia is divided into approximately 90 land districts for cadastral purposes. There are five land divisions in Western Australia, as specified in Schedule 1 of the Land Administration Act 1997.

Wine regions

See main article: West Australian wine.

Western Australia covers the western third of the continent, although the winemaking regions are almost entirely situated in the south-western tip of the state. It has nine regions, and five nominated subregions for wine under the geographical indications legislation as determined by the Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation.[32] [33] [34]

Wine regions include:[35]

Coastal regions

See main article: Coastal regions of Western Australia.

Western Australia has the longest coastline of any state in Australia, at 10,194 km.[36] The regions can be determined by the underlying geology, and in the case of the Bureau of Meteorology – features such as points and capes are useful indicators of coastal water forecasts.[37]

Landgate publishes touring maps that include coastal zones including:

Census and Australian Bureau of Statistics

For the purposes of statistical geography, the Australian Bureau of Statistics uses the Australian Standard Geographical Classification, a hierarchical regionalisation that divides Western Australia into statistical divisions, then statistical subdivisions, statistical local areas, and finally, census collection districts.

Statistical divisions include:[39]

The ABS produces regional profiles for the nine ABS statistical divisions, and the ten Development Commission regions.

Cross-regional terminology

In some cases, regions have been grouped into larger areas, to describe a larger area in a single term:

See also

External links

Further reading

Maps

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Regional Development Commissions Act 1993. State Law Publisher, Government of Western Australia. 6 November 2013.
  2. Web site: Gascoyne. Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development. https://archive.today/20200618055208/http://www.drd.wa.gov.au/regions/Pages/Gascoyne.aspx. 18 June 2020. 18 June 2020. live.
  3. Web site: Our Region. Goldfields–Esperance Development Commission. https://web.archive.org/web/20230302124947/https://www.gedc.wa.gov.au/our-region. 2 March 2023. 17 March 2023. live.
  4. Web site: Great Southern. Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development. https://archive.today/20200618061350/http://www.drd.wa.gov.au/regions/Pages/Great-Southern-.aspx. 18 June 2020. 18 June 2020. live.
  5. Web site: Kimberley. Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development. https://archive.today/20200618061807/http://www.drd.wa.gov.au/regions/Pages/Kimberley.aspx. 18 June 2020. 18 June 2020. live.
  6. Web site: Mid West Region. Economy, Jobs and Business Insights. REMPLAN. 17 March 2023.
  7. Web site: Peel. Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development. https://web.archive.org/web/20220622105052/https://app.remplan.com.au/. 22 June 2022. 18 June 2020. live.
  8. Web site: Pilbara. Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development. https://archive.today/20200618062606/http://www.drd.wa.gov.au/regions/Pages/Pilbara.aspx. 18 June 2020. 18 June 2020. live.
  9. Web site: South West. Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development. https://archive.today/20200618062842/http://www.drd.wa.gov.au/regions/Pages/South-West.aspx. 18 June 2020. 18 June 2020. live.
  10. Web site: Wheatbelt. Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development. https://archive.today/20200618063048/http://www.drd.wa.gov.au/regions/Pages/Wheatbelt.aspx. 18 June 2020. 18 June 2020. live.
  11. News: New COVID-19 restrictions on travel within WA as big queues form on WA/SA border ahead of closure – ABC News . 8 May 2020 . ABC News. Australia . 24 March 2020 . en-AU.
  12. News: WA drivers confronted by army checkpoints. 7News. 1 April 2020. 16 May 2020.
  13. News: Coronavirus in Australia: Army called in to help enforce strict new quarantine rules. 7News. 28 March 2020. 16 May 2020.
  14. Web site: Remote Aboriginal Communities (COVID-19). Department of Communities. 17 May 2020.
  15. Web site: COVID-19 coronavirus: Regional travel restrictions . Government of Western Australia. 15 May 2020. 16 May 2020.
  16. Web site: COVID-19 coronavirus: WA Roadmap. Government of Western Australia. 14 May 2020. 16 May 2020.
  17. Web site: COVID-19 coronavirus: Regional travel restrictions. 5 June 2020. 6 June 2020. Government of Western Australia.
  18. News: Laschon . Eliza . COVID lockdown announced for Perth and South West after quarantine hotel worker tests positive. 31 January 2021 . ABC News. Australia . 31 January 2021 . en-AU.
  19. Web site: Western Australian Forecast Areas Map . 2008-03-01 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080302000524/http://www.bom.gov.au/weather/wa/wa-forecast-map.shtml . 2 March 2008 . – noting the changes in 2012 – http://www.bom.gov.au/NexGenFWS/wa/districts.shtml#new-districts-map
  20. http://www.bom.gov.au/wa/forecasts/sw-wa-fire-forecasts.shtml South West Western Australia Fire Weather Forecast Areas
  21. Web site: Education Department of Western Australia – Schools Online . 16 October 2011 . 14 November 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111114190022/http://www.det.wa.edu.au/schoolsonline/district.do . dead .
  22. http://www.agric.wa.gov.au/PC_93310.html?s=2048819175
  23. Web site: Our Role in the Regions – Main Roads Western Australia . 3 October 2013 . 21 October 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131021144719/https://www.mainroads.wa.gov.au/AboutMainRoads/OurRoleRegions/Pages/home.aspx . dead .
  24. Web site: Department of Water :: Water regions . 17 December 2010 . 30 November 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20101130144652/http://www.water.wa.gov.au/Water+regions/default.aspx . dead .
  25. Web site: Recreational fishing rules.
  26. (1981) Map of Western Australia showing Administrative Divisions and Principal mines and operators
  27. Web site: Region and local planning schemes. Government of Western Australia. 4 November 2013. Department of Planning. Western Australian Planning Commission. https://web.archive.org/web/20130409074047/http://www.planning.wa.gov.au/639.asp. 9 April 2013. live. 22 January 2013.
  28. Web site: Archived copy . 2 February 2015 . 2 February 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150202164546/http://www.dfes.wa.gov.au/aboutus/corporateinformation/Documents/DFES-Organisational_Structure.pdf . dead .
  29. Web site: WA Country Health Service – Overview.
  30. Web site: About us.
  31. http://www.agric.wa.gov.au/PC_93285.html?s=1392304539
  32. T. Stevenson "The Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia" pg 589 Dorling Kindersley 2005
  33. http://www.wineaustralia.com/Australia/Default.aspx?tabid=179 Australian Wine and Brandy corporation – Western Australia
  34. winepros.com.au, The Oxford Companion to Wine pg 765 Western Australia
  35. Web site: Western Australia's Wine Regions. Western Australia. 2010-11-25. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20101127123842/http://www.wineaustralia.com/australia/Default.aspx?tabid=4466. 27 November 2010.
  36. Short, Andrew D (2005)Beaches of the Western Australian Coast: Eucla to Roeback Bay . page 1
  37. http://www.bom.gov.au/weather/wa/wa-forecast-map.shtml Western Australian Forecast Areas Map
  38. "'StreetSmart Touring Map – Batavia Coast Western Australia
  39. Web site: 1216.0 – Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC), 2001. Australian Bureasu of Statistics. 28 September 2001. 17 October 2011.

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