Baulking at the hefty price tag, the state government has canned the project less than two years after it was endorsed by Western Australian Premier Roger Cook.

Stakeholders were informed on 5 November that the project won’t proceed.

In January 2024, Premier Cook announced the redevelopment of PCEC as a necessary move for Western Australia to attract business events to the state, and design renders were revealed.

The project plans also included provisions for a hotel, two residential towers, road and rail works, and office buildings.

“Our city deserves better than a shed on the river and this will right a historic wrong,” said Premier Cook at the time.

The Western Australian Government had already allocated $35.5 million to the project.

Business Events Perth (BE Perth) and the Australian Hotels Association WA (AHA WA) have acknowledged the government’s decision to discontinue work on the PCEC redevelopment.

While both organisations are disappointed with the news, they are reaffirming their commitment to Western Australia’s business events industry that is worth $2 billion annually.

“While we are disappointed by today’s news, there remain significant opportunities to grow business events, conferences and exhibitions in WA,” says Bradley Woods, chair of Business Events Perth and CEO of Australian Hotels Association WA.

“We recognise there are many factors in play and commend the significant review and planning process, which has been undertaken across public and private stakeholders during the past four years.

“We respect the WA Government’s decision and remain focused on practical options to unlock capacity while still competing at the highest level.

“BE Perth, Western Australia’s convention bureau, is actively pursuing national and global business events and has identified strong support for even more capacity and additional facilities.

“We understand planning and funding processes for major infrastructure projects evolve over time.

“Regardless of timelines, the business events industry remains committed to supporting Perth’s future growth and ensuring the state maintains world-class facilities to meet global demand.”

BE Perth and AHA WA plans to work with government, industry and community partners on practical, staged solutions that grow capacity, protect jobs and ensure Western Australia remains internationally competitive.