❓ The Minister for State Development provides an update on the Anketell port development, highlighting its significance for Western Australia's economy and the government's role in facilitating the project through corporate engagement, environmental approvals, and native title settlement. The project is expected to proceed quickly due to strong investment and guaranteed markets.
AnsweredQoN 664Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
ANKETELL
PORT
664. Mr J. NORBERGER to the
Minister for State Development:
Premier; Minister for State Development, I refer to this
morning's announcement by a consortium advising that it has signed an
agreement for the development of the Anketell port and associated rail
infrastructure. Could the Premier update the house on what this means for
Western Australia and the role the state government has played to facilitate
this outcome?
PORT
664. Mr J. NORBERGER to the
Minister for State Development:
Premier; Minister for State Development, I refer to this
morning's announcement by a consortium advising that it has signed an
agreement for the development of the Anketell port and associated rail
infrastructure. Could the Premier update the house on what this means for
Western Australia and the role the state government has played to facilitate
this outcome?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question.
It is good news for Western
Australia. There has been a lot of media speculation that the so-called
resources boom is over and it is all doom and gloom. I think anyone who
understands anything about the Western Australian economy understands that it
is export-orientated, volatile, cyclical and subject to external shocks and the
like. People write off Western Australia too quickly. Suddenly people talk
about ''China's quarry'' and the old economy; a year or
so ago we could not stop politicians and others from the east coast coming over
here to have their photographs taken at mine sites with billionaires. Where are
they today? Meanwhile, Western Australia continues on.
The agreement announced today at the
Australian Stock Exchange between Baosteel, Aurizon—the old QR—AMCI
and POSCO is very good news. The project involves mine development, rail
development and the development of a major port at Anketell in the Karratha
area that will initially be designed to handle around 40 million tonnes;
ultimately, potentially, it will be 350 million tonnes, and multiuser and
multiproduct. It will probably be the last major port that will be developed in
the Pilbara I would suggest—ever. That, plus the recent start of
construction on the Roy Hill project, shows, again, a lot of long-term
confidence in the industry.
The state government—principally me as Minister for
State Development—has been heavily involved in this project over the
last year, including a number of meetings here and two or three critical
meetings in China about bringing the parties together. A significant part of
that was the successful ASX takeover of Aquila by the groups I previously
mentioned. That was the catalyst that cleared the way. Independently, the state
has worked with proponents, including the former Aquila, on, essentially, the
major environmental approvals—all the preliminary environmental
approvals are in place. About two months ago at the Anketell site, I signed the
agreement for the settlement of native title, which the state has done as the
proponent, and the Ngarluma people, will get, I think, about $20 million over a
number of years. The state has played a critical role, if you like, in the
corporate activity, in winning the confidence of Baosteel and POSCO—long-term
major investors and customers of iron ore in Western Australia—and in
some of the things that happened corporately and also in environmental and
native title. I expect this project to be on a fairly fast track. Baosteel is
about to complete, probably in the next six months or so, the construction of a
major steel mill in Guangzhou Province. That is a $10 billion project in its
own right. That steel mill has been designed around using the iron ore from the
Anketell project. The project has no difficulty with funding when companies
like Baosteel and POSCO are involved. It is well advanced in all the
preparatory work, it has a guaranteed market in Baosteel and POSCO—two of
the biggest steel producers in the world—and the state has cleared
native title and a lot of the environmental issues. I expect we will see a
fairly fast track. Early discussions have begun on a state agreement, and I
hope to be able to bring that into this Parliament if not late this year early
next year. That is good news, and it should remind us all that Western Australia
has a bright and brilliant future.
It is good news for Western
Australia. There has been a lot of media speculation that the so-called
resources boom is over and it is all doom and gloom. I think anyone who
understands anything about the Western Australian economy understands that it
is export-orientated, volatile, cyclical and subject to external shocks and the
like. People write off Western Australia too quickly. Suddenly people talk
about ''China's quarry'' and the old economy; a year or
so ago we could not stop politicians and others from the east coast coming over
here to have their photographs taken at mine sites with billionaires. Where are
they today? Meanwhile, Western Australia continues on.
The agreement announced today at the
Australian Stock Exchange between Baosteel, Aurizon—the old QR—AMCI
and POSCO is very good news. The project involves mine development, rail
development and the development of a major port at Anketell in the Karratha
area that will initially be designed to handle around 40 million tonnes;
ultimately, potentially, it will be 350 million tonnes, and multiuser and
multiproduct. It will probably be the last major port that will be developed in
the Pilbara I would suggest—ever. That, plus the recent start of
construction on the Roy Hill project, shows, again, a lot of long-term
confidence in the industry.
The state government—principally me as Minister for
State Development—has been heavily involved in this project over the
last year, including a number of meetings here and two or three critical
meetings in China about bringing the parties together. A significant part of
that was the successful ASX takeover of Aquila by the groups I previously
mentioned. That was the catalyst that cleared the way. Independently, the state
has worked with proponents, including the former Aquila, on, essentially, the
major environmental approvals—all the preliminary environmental
approvals are in place. About two months ago at the Anketell site, I signed the
agreement for the settlement of native title, which the state has done as the
proponent, and the Ngarluma people, will get, I think, about $20 million over a
number of years. The state has played a critical role, if you like, in the
corporate activity, in winning the confidence of Baosteel and POSCO—long-term
major investors and customers of iron ore in Western Australia—and in
some of the things that happened corporately and also in environmental and
native title. I expect this project to be on a fairly fast track. Baosteel is
about to complete, probably in the next six months or so, the construction of a
major steel mill in Guangzhou Province. That is a $10 billion project in its
own right. That steel mill has been designed around using the iron ore from the
Anketell project. The project has no difficulty with funding when companies
like Baosteel and POSCO are involved. It is well advanced in all the
preparatory work, it has a guaranteed market in Baosteel and POSCO—two of
the biggest steel producers in the world—and the state has cleared
native title and a lot of the environmental issues. I expect we will see a
fairly fast track. Early discussions have begun on a state agreement, and I
hope to be able to bring that into this Parliament if not late this year early
next year. That is good news, and it should remind us all that Western Australia
has a bright and brilliant future.
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