Enews

In this edition

• New board appointments
• New Goldfields Regional Prison
• Regional Grants Scheme oversubscribed
• SEGRA conference 2009
• $80 million exploration boost
• Lake Raeside Bridge opening
• Ravensthorpe - Hopetoun update
• New GEDC staff member
• WA Industry and Export Awards

Welcome to the May edition of the GEDC e-newsletter.

New board appointments

The Goldfields-Esperance Development Commission would like to welcome Ron Yuryevich (local government appointment) and Suzanne Williams (community appointment) who were recently appointed to the GEDC board by the Minister for Regional Development the Hon Brendon Grylls MLA.

Ron is a successful businessman and current City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder Mayor and chairman of the Goldfields-Esperance Area Consultative Committee (GEACC). Mr Yuryevich has lived in Kalgoorlie-Boulder all his life and is committed to economic and social development in the Goldfields-Esperance Region.

Suzanne is also a successful business owner who has travelled extensively across the Goldfields-Esperance region. Ms Williams is focused on developing the region into a network of self sustainable family communities.

Graham Thomson has also been reappointed as chairman and along with existing board members Brenda Tilbrook, Tony Bright, Jon Price and Jeff Carter, the board has good representation from across the region.

A special thank you is also extended to outgoing board member Stephen Tonkin for his contribution during his term as a local government representative.

New Goldfields Regional Prison

Attorney General and Corrective Services Minister Christian Porter recently announced a new 350 bed prison will be built in Kalgoorlie-Boulder, as part of the State Government's AU$655 million custodial infrastructure program.

The Minister said the Eastern Goldfields Regional Prison would provide a replacement for the existing significantly over crowded Goldfields prison, which was in poor condition.

"The new prison will provide a net extra 250 beds in the Goldfields region and improve the overall level of custodial services, highlighting the Government's support for regional communities".

"Importantly, it will be designed to engage indigenous prisoners in culturally-appropriate programs and courses and, for the first time in the region, address female prisoners needs".

The project is due to be completed in 2013 at a cost of AU$230 million, and will create 120 new permanent non-resource based jobs for the region.

Minister Porter also announced that Warburton had been identified as a suitable site for a new AU$17 million, 30 bed minimum security facility.

The new style of camp will operate as a multifunctional correctional facility that will allow offenders from the region the opportunity to undertake both prison and community based sentences. Construction of the work camp is expected to be completed in 2011.

Regional Grants Scheme oversubscribed

The AU$40 million Regional Grants Scheme under the Royalties for Regions program closed on 25 March 2009, with each of the nine Regional Development Commissions being allocated approximately AU$3.5 million for this financial year.

Funding was available to assist infrastructure, services and community projects, including the provision of headworks, and to assist in the broad development of the community.

This included the establishment of services and programs that will support the development of resilient communities and contribute to regional areas being vibrant and interesting places in which to live.

The response to the Grants Scheme was overwhelming with the Goldfields-Esperance Development Commission (GEDC) receiving 81 applications requesting AU$13.9 million in Royalties for Regions grant funds for projects valued at AU$56 million.

GEDC CEO Robert Hicks said “the number of applications has been incredible, and the grant scheme would help attract investment, create jobs and provide essential services to the region.

The applications are currently being assessed and organisations will be notified in writing by the end of June.

SEGRA conference 2009

Having delivered the resource boom, regional Australia must now look to secure a thriving and sustainable future in the current global economic climate, with the full support of all tiers of government.

Landing this political message and regrouping regional economies will be the core theme of Sustainable Economic Growth for Regional Australia (SEGRA) conference to be held in Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Western Australia, 27-29 October – ‘exploring new frontiers’.

“Government, business and non-government sectors must work together to make sure spending delivers increased productivity in regional Australia,” said Ms Kate Charters, SEGRA convenor.

“Equitable funding arrangements must be made for regional Australia including incentives for regionally-based business investment. Regions must look at a range of new frontiers that will impact future development, such as the potential of green industries, and how to respond to a decreasing reliance on oil and the shift in agricultural patterns resulting from climate change, for example.”

Ms Charters has overseen the SEGRA conference for the past 12 years and she says it is timely the conference is held in Kalgoorlie this year.

Mayor Ron Yuryevich said “Kalgoorlie-Boulder was the ideal destination for the conference, with a proven capacity to host large scale events.”

“There is strong community support for the SEGRA conference, and the benefits it will have for Kalgoorlie-Boulder are immeasurable. Although our local economy has slowed, the diversification of our mining industry means that Kalgoorlie-Boulder is weathering the current economic situation better than many other regional centres.”

“By having this opportunity to showcase our City to a wider and more varied demographic, we can make significant inroads into changing the nation’s perception of Kalgoorlie-Boulder from an outback mining town to the thriving cosmopolitan centre that it is. We want more and more people to realise that our City is a great place to live, work and play.”

“SEGRA is the only national forum for regional development professionals, policy-makers and academics to get together, share experiences and ideas, and to send a message to governments that regions can’t be ignored.”

The GEDC and the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder worked closely to win the bid to host the conference, the first time it's been to Western Australia. The GEDC encourages regional stakeholders to register now for this important conference.

To regsister please contact Jessica Shelton 07 3210 0021 or email

$80 million exploration boost

The State Government recently launched an AU$80 million Royalties for Regions initiative to boost mineral and petroleum exploration in Western Australia and aid in the discovery of valuable new deposits.

The Exploration Incentive Scheme (EIS) will encourage exploration throughout the state, particularly in greenfields areas and frontier petroleum basins, and help maintain exploration at the levels needed for the long term sustainability of Western Australia’s resource sector.

The scheme includes programs for

• Industry–Government co-funded exploration drilling, and precompetitive geoscience drilling (AU$26.9 million)
• Geophysical and geochemical surveys (AU$32.5 million)
• 3D geological mapping (AU$13.8 million)
• Promoting strategic research with industry (AU$2.3 million)
• Building sustainable working relationships with Indigenous Communities (AU$3 million)

The EIS was launched at the official opening of the State Government’s Kalgoorlie Regional Complex by Minister for Regional Development Hon Brendon Grylls MLA, and Minister for Mines and Petroleum, Hon Norman Moore MLC.

Mr Grylls was confident the initiative would enhance the development of regional infrastructure, facilitate strategic regional projects and increase the ability to maintain and build capacity in this vital regional industry.

“The EIS is a strong example of how committed the State Government is to ensuring that residents in regional areas can continue to develop their communities with confidence and improve their quality of life,” Mr Grylls said.

“The investment by Royalties for Regions in a wide range of regional programs, infrastructure and services will help build a strong economy and see ongoing benefits flow to regional communities.”

Further information on the program can be obtained by contacting the Department of Mines and Petroleum on +61 8 9222 3333.

Lake Raeside Bridge opening

On the 21st April, 2009 the Minister for Transport, Hon Simon O’Brien MLC, officially opened the Lake Raeside Bridge Crossing, 10 kilometres south of Leonora on the Goldfields Highway.

The project, which was many years in the making, involved sealing of 8kms of road, combined with the construction of a new 6 span, 120 metre long bridge.

The road is the only sealed link between Kalgoorlie and the Northern Goldfields which includes the communities of Leonora, Laverton, Leinster, Mt Keith and Wiluna.

Minister O'Brien said "the new bridge will mean road users would no longer have to negotiate water over the road or drive on an uneven surface".

GEDC CEO Robert Hicks said "the new bridge is magnificent and said the project had been identified by the development commission in the 1990’s and it was gratifying to see the project come to fruition".

Ravensthorpe - Hopetoun update

Since BHP Billiton announced the indefinite suspension of its Ravensthorpe Nickel Operation on the 21st January 2009, the State Government has been actively providing financial and practical support for the two local communities. Within the first week the Government provided an initial assistance package of AU$5 million, allowing the Shire of Ravensthorpe to maintain local services and also providing grant assistance to local businesses, including:

• AU$180,000 for Small business ‘Professional Service’ Vouchers (AU$3000 each). The funds have been allocated for assistance to small business owners to access professional legal, accounting and financial planning advice.
• AU$100,000 Hardship Assistance Packages (up to AU$5000 per recipient) to assist eligible individuals and families.
• AU$50,000 funding support for the Ravensthorpe Regional Chamber of Commerce & Industry to enable them to continue supporting small business and industry in the region.
• AU$1.365m to reconstruct and seal a 15km section of the Jerdacuttup Road - the road will capture current through traffic and increase tourism to the area. It will also create immediate short term employment.

Further funding proposals for the remainder of the AU$5m are currently being developed for the consideration of the Premier.

The State Government’s interagency taskforce, of which the GEDC is a member, set-up by the Premier continues to coordinate the response to the mine suspension, and has also implemented the following measures to assist the communities of Ravensthorpe and Hopetoun:

• A free-call WA Worker Assist Helpline through the Department of Child Protection crisis care.
• The Small Business Development Corporation provided financial advisors and Legal Aid representatives to give financial and legal assistance and on-going support.
• Department of Education and Training (DET) staff continue to provide information on education, career and training options in Hopetoun.
• Department of Health (mental health) staff were located in Ravensthorpe and Hopetoun to provide emotional support and services where required. They continue to monitor the situation.
• Centrelink was co-located with DET in Hopetoun in the early stages to offer information to assist individuals and the facility is still readily accessed with a free phone line located at the Hopetoun telecentre.
• Landcorp removed the caveats requiring the completion of land development within specific timeframes and stopping on-sale until a home is built.
• Department of Housing assisted with housing for Government staff sent to the region.

The GEDC Manager for Southern Region, Shayne Flanagan has also been working closely with the Department for Premier and Cabinet's local coordinator, Tony Bright. Tony is also a GEDC board member, and together they are playing a major role in helping the region recover from the unfortunate closure of the mine.

New GEDC staff member

GEDC would like to welcome Michele Campbell as the new Senior Project Officer in Kalgoorlie. Michele previously worked at Curtin University as Manager for Curtin Training Solutions, and has been a long term resident in Kalgoorlie-Boulder.

Michele's projects will include managing the GEDC website, managing the Industry Development Centre, and finalising the last round of GERDS funding applications.

We also welcome back Vicki Bull who returns from long service leave. Vicki will focus on the Royalties for Regions Grants Funding Scheme, and continue to manage the grants information service.

WA Industry and Export Awards

The Western Australian Industry and Export Awards have acknowledged the hard work and enterprise of some of the State's most innovative businesses for the past 21 years.

The awards have helped open doors for emerging and established exporters and provided well earned recognition for companies that are true leaders.

The awards are open to a wide range of organisations; from small developing firms to large established corporations from manufacturing and engineering companies to consulting and service providers; from exporters to companies with solely local markets.

To obtain an application form please visit the website http://www.commerce.wa.gov.au/industryexportawards

The Regional Achievement and Community Awards have also recently been launched and are designed to encourage, acknowledge and reward valuable contributions and outstanding achievements in regional and rural areas.

The focus of the awards will be small to medium size businesses, organisations involved in promoting the community through events and tourism, individuals providing leadership, and initiative and community groups enhancing social, economic, commercial and environmental prosperity for the region.

Applications can be obtained by visiting the following website http://www.awardsaustralia.com/

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