The Iron-y of Karratha

Millstream Road
Tom Price to Karratha Road

I spent today in Karratha. A balmy 32C. My bones were warmed. The people there, friendly and welcoming.

But you know, it’s not the most attractive place. Housing is at a critical shortage and it seems unless you know someone and that someone has a spare room – you can’t find anywhere affordable to rent. Certainly not on a government salary.

There is one shopping mall.

There is a hospital but if you’re pregnant – forget it – you either fly to Perth or travel two hours to Port Hedland.

It takes months to see a dentist – even if you have a toothache, there is one gynaecologist, there’s even a month long waiting list to get a haircut. And if you’re car breaks down… well I hope it doesn’t.

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Because the agreements the big companies struck with the government when they first developed the area 30+ years ago are still in place, Rio Tinto, Woodside, etc pay less in local taxes than small businesses.

And because the shire gets funding based on numbers of rate-paying residents and so many of the workers in the North west are Fly-in Fly-out workers – the shire cannot afford to improve many of the services.

This town, and many others in the area are sitting on a goldmine… or rather an iron ore mine and natural gas line. The government collects millions of dollars in royalties and yet a trickle gets back to the people that live there.

So when I hear the State Government whine about WA supporting the whole of Australia at the moment – about how the Commonwealth take more than their fair share of the taxes raised – I think about how the residents of Karratha must feel watching all that money roll out of town and watching a debate over a Ferris Wheel and whether or not it should be erected on the Perth foreshore.

At least they’ve got a nice road.