‘Like something from Utopia’: AUKUS taskforce findings panned as Rockingham ranks housing concerns high

Updated November 12, 2026 — 3:18pm,first published November 12, 2026 — 5:00amRockingham’s ability to absorb an influx of defence industry personnel and their families as AUKUS ramps up remains at the forefront of community concerns.That was the key takeaway from a taskforce set up by WA Labor earlier this year, which found a “consistent message emerged” as it probed four areas of focus, guided by community surveys and consultation with local organisations.Rockingham’s foreshore with HMAS Stirling on Garden Island in the background.Trevor CollensThe taskforce, which ran for four weeks and surveyed fewer than 1000 people in the area earlier this year, made 47 recommendations, but its findings have been panned as “something from Utopia”.The government released its response to the report on Thursday, with Premier Roger Cook noting the communities surrounding HMAS Stirling would be “at the forefront of this transformation”.However, the taskforce’s report has been described as a “damning admission” that the government had failed to advocate for the community’s interests, with WA Greens MP Sophie McNeill describing it as “something from [ABC sitcom] Utopia”.“It literally states ‘AUKUS will require careful planning’ and then it goes on to list all the planning failures – in health, housing and transport,” she said.“All while completely failing to explain how the state or federal governments will address these issues.“And today when the minister was in Rockingham, he announced a piddly $2 million to try and manage the dire transport issues faced by the community and that was it – and this wasn’t even new funding, it was repurposing existing Commonwealth funds.”McNeill then turned to the $8 billion in upgrades coming down the line for HMAS Stirling, as well as the announcement from Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles for another $88 million to train the AUKUS workforce.“The Rockingham community should be up in arms,” she said.“They are getting nothing but crumbs from state and federal governments to address their serious shortfalls, while billions are spent building facilities for the US military.”The first rotation under the trilateral agreement with the US and UK will begin in 2027, and will involve nuclear-powered submarines regularly docking at HMAS Stirling, on Garden Island just off the Rockingham coast.Further north, Henderson’s industrial precinct is gearing up to grow into a major shipbuilding and submarine maintenance hub.Earlier this year, it emerged that the number of defence personnel that would relocate to WA would be about 2300.The taskforce report acknowledged that number from the Australian Submarine Agency, but noted it made up a small percentage of the supply coming down the line.“The ASA has advised that the total number of incoming personnel and their families will be about 2300, living in the broader 30km region surrounding HMAS Stirling,” the report read.“This represents less than 5 per cent of the forecast dwelling supply expected to be delivered across the region over the next five years.“Of the 1200 SRF-West personnel from the US and UK, around half will be unaccompanied and live on base at HMAS Stirling.”The report noted Defence Housing Australia was prioritising expanding supply through new builds, however, it also found existing housing insecurity in the region may be “exacerbated by broader population growth and increased housing pressures”.It recommended the government explore expanding capacity for housing support and homelessness services.The report also recommended the government “prioritise short-term capacity enhancements” at Rockingham General Hospital, but noted defence growth would not be the “primary driver” of increased demand for health services.The Cook government set up the taskforce in February, with Labor’s Rockingham MLA Magenta Marshall appointed as chair.It ran over six months, collecting survey responses from 855 people and 50 local organisations.Marshall said feedback reflected the desire to ensure communities were well-placed to manage growth and benefit from AUKUS, and the report’s recommendations aimed to guide the government’s priorities.“We are already seeing positive outcomes in areas our community identified as priorities, including master planning at Rockingham General Hospital, short-term improvements to the road network accessing Garden Island, and expanded training capacity at South Metropolitan TAFE’s Rockingham campus,” she said.Cook said the taskforce had provided “valuable advice” and, while its focus had been on the communities surrounding HMAS Stirling, many issues had broader relevance in WA.“The communities surrounding HMAS Stirling will be at the forefront of this transformation,” Cook said.“It is important that we listen to local perspectives and ensure growth is supported by the infrastructure, services and workforce initiatives communities need.”Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, 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