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Intro

The MARKYT Community Resilience Scorecard was undertaken by CATALYSE with support from LG Professionals WA and funding from the department from the 5 June to 8 July 2020.

The online scorecard was open to all residents aged 18+ across Western Australia, hard copies were also made available by some smaller and regional local governments.

Thank you to everyone who participated, 7666 community members statewide from 128 local government areas completed a scorecard.

Local residents across Western Australia have shown strength and resilience in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • Overall general health only dropped 2 index points across West Australian communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.*
  • 69% of community members feel hopeful and enthusiastic about the future.
  • Community members are happy with local government's response to COVID-19, scoring overall performance 68/100 with a 'good' average rating.

A majority of community members:

  • believe local government has demonstrated clear thinking and decision making
  • feel local government has shown empathy and compassion
  • have confidence and trust in Local Government to make good decisions
  • agree there are good health and safety practices in place at community facilities to manage COVID-19 risks.

*Compared to a health survey conducted by the Department of Health in 2018.
Source: Radomiljac A, Davies C and Landrigan T. 2019. Health and Wellbeing of Adults in Western Australia 2018, Overview and Trends. Department of Health, Western Australia.

Main recovery priorities for local government

  • 48% Economic recovery and local employment opportunities
  • 37% Community health and wellbeing sport and recreation, library, community development, etc
  • 35% Local infrastructure to improve roads, footpaths, cycleways, facilities, internet, etc
  • 35% Recovery Plan in collaboration with local business and community
  • 27% Support services for people most vulnerable to COVID-19
  • 26% Community safety and crime prevention.

The community would like local government to prioritise economic recovery and employment opportunities in the short-term (next 6 months).

Secondary priorities are community health and wellbeing initiatives, local infrastructure projects and engaging with local businesses and the community to develop a local recovery plan.

The community does not consider public health education to prevent the spread of COVID-19 to be a high priority role for local government. Instead, the focus for local government should be on providing support services for those most vulnerable to COVID-19.

With digital innovation rated the lowest priority, local governments may need to revise planned investment in smart cities initiatives during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure green-lighted projects are essential, or that these projects are enablers to help address priority areas,

Spontaneous mentions under 'other' mostly related to freezing or reducing rates (2%), or cutting unnecessary spending to focus on core business (1%).

Number of respondents by location

  • 4353 Perth Metro 
  • 3313 Regional WA 

Number of respondents by age

  • 157 18-24 years
  • 825 25-34 years
  • 1492 35-44 years
  • 1607 45-54 years
  • 1627 55-64 years
  • 1399 65-74 years
  • 559 75+ years

Top 5 concerns with COVID-19

  • 48% Family and friends getting sick
  • 46% Recovery of the local economy
  • 30% Personal financial situation
  • 29% Staying connected with others
  • 27% Work or employment opportunitiesCATALYSE, Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries, and Local Government Professionals Australia WA logos
Page reviewed 03 September 2024