❓ Mr Grylls questions the Minister for Regional Development on how Royalties for Regions supports the Woodie Woodie irrigated agriculture project and broader Pilbara economic diversification. The Minister details the Pilbara Hinterland Agriculture Development Initiative (PHADI) and other investments in small business and tourism.
AnsweredQoN 805Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
ROYALTIES
FOR REGIONS — WOODIE WOODIE IRRIGATED AGRICULTURE PROJECT
805. Mr B.J. GRYLLS to the
Minister for Regional Development:
I note that the first crops have been sown in the Woodie
Woodie irrigated agriculture project in the Pilbara. Can the minister explain
how royalties for regions is supporting this?
Several members interjected.
Mr
B.J. GRYLLS : I think they are growing—the minister is about to tell
us what they are growing.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Cannington, I call you to order for the first time. I heard a lot
about rice, but can the member please repeat the question?
Mr B.J. GRYLLS : I
would hope that we are not far from trialling some rice at Woodie Woodie. That
would be very interesting. Can the minister please explain how this and other
projects will help to diversify the Pilbara economy?
FOR REGIONS — WOODIE WOODIE IRRIGATED AGRICULTURE PROJECT
805. Mr B.J. GRYLLS to the
Minister for Regional Development:
I note that the first crops have been sown in the Woodie
Woodie irrigated agriculture project in the Pilbara. Can the minister explain
how royalties for regions is supporting this?
Several members interjected.
Mr
B.J. GRYLLS : I think they are growing—the minister is about to tell
us what they are growing.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Cannington, I call you to order for the first time. I heard a lot
about rice, but can the member please repeat the question?
Mr B.J. GRYLLS : I
would hope that we are not far from trialling some rice at Woodie Woodie. That
would be very interesting. Can the minister please explain how this and other
projects will help to diversify the Pilbara economy?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Pilbara for the question. It is an
excellent question that demonstrates what this government is doing to try to
diversify the economy in Western Australia. The project that the member for
Pilbara talks about is one that he was involved with as the former Minister for
Regional Development. The Woodie Woodie mine in the Pilbara is some 200 kilometres
east of Marble Bar. It is a manganese mine and, from memory—I might
have this figure wrong—something like 20 gigalitres a year of water is
dewatered out of that mine and literally goes out onto the ground.
One of the things that the government has been focused on is
seeing what agricultural opportunities and agricultural potential exists in and
around mine dewatering. The Pilbara Hinterland Agriculture Development
Initiative—PHADI—is a $12.5 million project. One of its
projects is this particular project. We have centre pivot irrigators in place;
some 38 hectares of land is irrigated under the centre pivot. A number of crops
are being grown, including lucerne, sorghum, Rhodes grass and some other
legumes. It is a fantastic trial that demonstrates what this government is
trying to do to unlock the full potential of the Pilbara region. That
complements the good work being done by the Minister for Agriculture and Food,
and the Minister for Water next to me under the Water for Food project. As we
move forward with the rangelands diversification, we will also have an
opportunity to unlock the potential of the rangelands in Western Australia,
trying to diversify the economy.
Mr Pilbara—Mr Speaker; it is getting to me!—there
are another couple of initiatives that I think are worth mentioning in support
of the diversification of the economy. One is the small business sector,
particularly in the Pilbara, where things such as service worker accommodation
mean that people are not priced out of the market by having accommodation for
people to work in that industry. The small business sector is integral to our
economy and it is very important to make sure that it survives in areas such as
the Pilbara. We have made a significant investment to support that. Tourism is
another significant area of our economy. It was great to see the recognition at
the recent Tourism Council Western Australia functions, which the Minister for
Tourism and I attended, for the good work that this government is doing in the
tourism sector. Also, the Minister for Environment and I spoke at a forum
yesterday morning and highlighted the work we are doing in the tourism sector,
particularly in the north. We are actually trying to revitalise some of those
communities—Karratha, Port Hedland, South Hedland, Tom Price and Newman—which
means they will be much more attractive to the tourism sector. A focus on
diversifying the economy is something that opposition members continually call
on us to do, although they have not been reading about it, seeing it or
visiting what we are doing because it is all happening out there. The Pelago
development in Karratha, with the good work we are doing to revitalise that
community, is interesting —
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Members!
Mr
D.T. REDMAN : We found it interesting where the Leader of the Opposition had
a meeting when he visited Karratha. Where did he have it? He had it in the
Blanche Bar at the bottom of the Pelago development! That is where he had his
meeting because he knew that was the place to go to if he was going to bring a
team together and say, ''Let's have a talk about what we're
going to do in the Pilbara.'' We know what the opposition is going to do
in the Pilbara; it will offer lip-service. Not this government; we are focusing
on diversifying the economy and we are making significant investments, not the
least of which is what the Minister for Finance is talking about. A lot of
these investments are in regional Western Australia. This government is about jobs
and about focusing on what is important.
excellent question that demonstrates what this government is doing to try to
diversify the economy in Western Australia. The project that the member for
Pilbara talks about is one that he was involved with as the former Minister for
Regional Development. The Woodie Woodie mine in the Pilbara is some 200 kilometres
east of Marble Bar. It is a manganese mine and, from memory—I might
have this figure wrong—something like 20 gigalitres a year of water is
dewatered out of that mine and literally goes out onto the ground.
One of the things that the government has been focused on is
seeing what agricultural opportunities and agricultural potential exists in and
around mine dewatering. The Pilbara Hinterland Agriculture Development
Initiative—PHADI—is a $12.5 million project. One of its
projects is this particular project. We have centre pivot irrigators in place;
some 38 hectares of land is irrigated under the centre pivot. A number of crops
are being grown, including lucerne, sorghum, Rhodes grass and some other
legumes. It is a fantastic trial that demonstrates what this government is
trying to do to unlock the full potential of the Pilbara region. That
complements the good work being done by the Minister for Agriculture and Food,
and the Minister for Water next to me under the Water for Food project. As we
move forward with the rangelands diversification, we will also have an
opportunity to unlock the potential of the rangelands in Western Australia,
trying to diversify the economy.
Mr Pilbara—Mr Speaker; it is getting to me!—there
are another couple of initiatives that I think are worth mentioning in support
of the diversification of the economy. One is the small business sector,
particularly in the Pilbara, where things such as service worker accommodation
mean that people are not priced out of the market by having accommodation for
people to work in that industry. The small business sector is integral to our
economy and it is very important to make sure that it survives in areas such as
the Pilbara. We have made a significant investment to support that. Tourism is
another significant area of our economy. It was great to see the recognition at
the recent Tourism Council Western Australia functions, which the Minister for
Tourism and I attended, for the good work that this government is doing in the
tourism sector. Also, the Minister for Environment and I spoke at a forum
yesterday morning and highlighted the work we are doing in the tourism sector,
particularly in the north. We are actually trying to revitalise some of those
communities—Karratha, Port Hedland, South Hedland, Tom Price and Newman—which
means they will be much more attractive to the tourism sector. A focus on
diversifying the economy is something that opposition members continually call
on us to do, although they have not been reading about it, seeing it or
visiting what we are doing because it is all happening out there. The Pelago
development in Karratha, with the good work we are doing to revitalise that
community, is interesting —
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Members!
Mr
D.T. REDMAN : We found it interesting where the Leader of the Opposition had
a meeting when he visited Karratha. Where did he have it? He had it in the
Blanche Bar at the bottom of the Pelago development! That is where he had his
meeting because he knew that was the place to go to if he was going to bring a
team together and say, ''Let's have a talk about what we're
going to do in the Pilbara.'' We know what the opposition is going to do
in the Pilbara; it will offer lip-service. Not this government; we are focusing
on diversifying the economy and we are making significant investments, not the
least of which is what the Minister for Finance is talking about. A lot of
these investments are in regional Western Australia. This government is about jobs
and about focusing on what is important.
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