A new ministerial steering committee formed to oversee the development of an economic development plan for the region held its first meeting in Collie recently.
The committee, which is chaired by Regional Development Minister Alannah MacTiernan and includes Collie-Preston MLA Mick Murray and Bunbury MLA Don Punch, will explore ways to diversify industry in the region and drive job growth.
Mr Murray said it would good for the region to have Collie and Bunbury working together.
“This will ensure there that there’s a coordinated approach to building economic opportunities across the region,” he said.
“Too often we have been competing against each other but now I look forward to working together for a positive outcome.”
Bunbury MLA Don Punch said the economies of Collie and Bunbury are linked, so it is important to develop plans for the whole region.
“It is well known that when Collie sneezes, Bunbury catches a cold, so we must work together to grow jobs,” he said.
“Having the Minister for Regional Development working directly with myself and Mr Murray as local members to focus attention on securing the strongest possible jobs growth for our communities is a great step forward.”
Mr Murray said diversifying the economy of the region, and particularly in Collie, was one of the key issues the committee would be looking at.
“One of the things the Collie people will be very pleased with is that we’re looking at the alternate uses of coal. I think that is something that will be well-received by many people in the industry,” he said.
“It’s our belief that coal still has a while to go before it’s redundant… but at this stage, we must prepare ourselves for the future and that’s what we’re looking at.”
Ms MacTiernan said looking at the research around alternative uses of coal was one of the focus points of the first meeting of the committee.
“One of the bodies of work we have agreed on is we will be commissioning one of the universities to pull together all the research and technological development that has gone on around the globe [in relation to alternative uses of coal] so we can look at those that seem most prospective for us here in Western Australia,” she said.
Ms MacTiernan also said getting both the Kemerton and Shotts industrial areas into ‘a state of being very project-ready’ would be a focus for the committee, as would small grants funding.
“We’ve also settled on the terms of the small grants funding we have because we’re wanting to get businesses and people within the community coming forward with development opportunities for Collie,” she said.
“The first round of those grants will be opened in May with the view of a decision around July.”
The committee also features Murray-Wellington MLA Robyn Clarke, who was unable to attend the first meeting, and Bladivis MLA Reece Whitby and will convene for an initial term of 12 months.