The City of Karratha’s 2023 Annual Community Survey is complete, with the City equalling its highest overall satisfaction score of 76.
Conducted annually since 2012, the survey invites residents to rate the performance and importance of service areas and facilities the City provides. It also asks residents to rank priorities for the following year.
City of Karratha Mayor Peter Long said the score of 76 per cent was a fantastic result for the City and showed that our efforts to make Karratha Australia’s most liveable regional city were being recognised by residents.
“Seventy-one per cent said the City is a good or excellent place to live, compared to the 63 per cent received last year”, Cr Long said.
“We received 909 completed responses this year which, while lower than previous years, still offers an accurate representation of community sentiment.
“We saw a good spread of responses from across the different suburbs and are pleased to see a diverse range of residents having their say.
Cr Long also stated “These responses assist the City in analysing and adjusting current operations, and they also provide valuable data to inform future planning.”
The results of the 2023 Annual Community Survey will be used to inform strategic planning and budget allocations for the next financial year.
The top three City services that performed above community expectations were:
- Graffiti removal
- Local history and heritage services
- Household bin collection
Service areas that require improvement were identified as:
- Mosquito Control
- Prevention of illegal dumping
- Sustainability initiatives
The top three City facilities that performed above community expectations were:
- Libraries
- Red Earth Arts Precinct
- Karratha Tourism and Visitors Centre
“The results from this year’s survey showed there was a desire from the community for the City to focus on fundamental services,” Cr Long said.
“We will be looking out how we can improve these services in our upcoming budget.”
The survey also asked residents to rate a number of liveability factors such as safety, security and policing, access to health services and cost of living.
The top three most important things for the City to focus on were identified as:
- Cost of living
- Access to health services
- Housing
“The City continues to advocate other levels of government to address community concerns and uses data from the survey around liveability issues outside the control of the City,” Cr Long said.
“These issues are crucial factors for the City to consider, as we work towards achieving our vision of becoming Australia’s most liveable Regional City.”