❓ Mr. Blayney asks about the latest round of Royalties for Regions funding. Minister Redman provides an update on $12.7 million allocated to 10 projects, highlighting initiatives in Albany (port efficiency) and Geraldton (aquaculture), as well as aged care support.
AnsweredQoN 200Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
ROYALTIES
FOR REGIONS — REGIONAL GRANTS SCHEME FUNDING
200. Mr I.C. BLAYNEY to the
Minister for Regional Development:
Can the minister please update the house on the latest round
of royalties for regions funding to be provided to regional areas through the
regional grants scheme?
FOR REGIONS — REGIONAL GRANTS SCHEME FUNDING
200. Mr I.C. BLAYNEY to the
Minister for Regional Development:
Can the minister please update the house on the latest round
of royalties for regions funding to be provided to regional areas through the
regional grants scheme?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Geraldton for the question and for his
interest in the regional grants scheme, which has been a royalties for regions
program since 2008. In fact, since then, about $92 million has been spent in
supporting economic growth and in trying to build key parts of regional Western
Australia as places to live, work and invest —
Mr M.P. Murray interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Collie–Preston, I call you to order for the first time.
Mr D.T. REDMAN :
The Liberal–National government is driving support for regional Western
Australia to make it an attractive place for people to live, work and invest,
and that is a good initiative and a far cry from the opposition —
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Collie–Preston, I call you to order for the
second time.
Mr D.T. REDMAN :
Cabinet recently made a decision on the latest round of grants for 10 projects,
allocating $12.7 million out of the royalties for regions fund to prioritise
attracting investment, promoting economic development, creating job
opportunities and improving quality of life for people living in the regions.
To pick out a couple of those programs, one was in the member
for Albany's electorate. In fact, he was present at the recent launch
of that project at the port. It is a three-stage project to improve the
efficiency of trains and the turnover of material coming into the port. The
first stage is a $6 million project to try to get a loop line in there.
Currently, the trains go straight in, dump their material, and come straight
back out again, which is not a very efficient way of managing a port. There is
now a plan to put a loop line in place, and the government is putting $2.5 million
towards that $6 million project. It is a fantastic initiative to improve the
efficiency of the port. It is really interesting to see the numbers,
particularly around products such as woodchips, which is one of the main
products that go through the Albany port. This initiative will save 10 minutes
per train; 10 minutes per train as a result of having a loop line rather than
an in-and-out line may not sound like very much, but it equates to 758 tonnes
per week, or 36 000 tonnes per year, so it is a relatively small investment to
substantially improve efficiency, if we are to ensure that these ports do not
become a bottleneck for commerce and trade. This government is making the
investments to support that efficiency.
Another initiative is in the member for Geraldton's
electorate, so I am pleased that he asked this question today. We are providing
$1.3 million to the second stage of a trial of yellowtail kingfish production
by an aquaculture project in the bay in Geraldton. With what is happening in
Asia in particular, we know that aquaculture opportunities will be substantial,
so the government is ensuring that we support the research necessary to have
aquaculture projects come to fruition; it is significant and important. This
project has private sector buy-in, and I know that the Minister for Fisheries, Hon Ken Baston, is looking at precincts
around the state to support aquaculture development. He, too, has a keen
interest in what we are doing in Geraldton to support that development.
One of the other themes that have come through with these 10
projects is aged care. Although we have a very strong focus on economic
development in the regions, it is important also to recognise that lifestyle
and social activities are really important. We want elderly people to be able
to stay in the regions and areas where they grew up; staying in the communities
that they have been part of for many, many years is really important. That
theme comes through in a number of initiatives in different towns that support
aged care. With the ageing demographic, it is important that that becomes a
wedge in the pie of economic development and growth in regional Western
Australia. The Liberal–National government, through its royalties for
regions program, is making a difference—a far cry from what the
opposition did during its time in government.
interest in the regional grants scheme, which has been a royalties for regions
program since 2008. In fact, since then, about $92 million has been spent in
supporting economic growth and in trying to build key parts of regional Western
Australia as places to live, work and invest —
Mr M.P. Murray interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Collie–Preston, I call you to order for the first time.
Mr D.T. REDMAN :
The Liberal–National government is driving support for regional Western
Australia to make it an attractive place for people to live, work and invest,
and that is a good initiative and a far cry from the opposition —
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Collie–Preston, I call you to order for the
second time.
Mr D.T. REDMAN :
Cabinet recently made a decision on the latest round of grants for 10 projects,
allocating $12.7 million out of the royalties for regions fund to prioritise
attracting investment, promoting economic development, creating job
opportunities and improving quality of life for people living in the regions.
To pick out a couple of those programs, one was in the member
for Albany's electorate. In fact, he was present at the recent launch
of that project at the port. It is a three-stage project to improve the
efficiency of trains and the turnover of material coming into the port. The
first stage is a $6 million project to try to get a loop line in there.
Currently, the trains go straight in, dump their material, and come straight
back out again, which is not a very efficient way of managing a port. There is
now a plan to put a loop line in place, and the government is putting $2.5 million
towards that $6 million project. It is a fantastic initiative to improve the
efficiency of the port. It is really interesting to see the numbers,
particularly around products such as woodchips, which is one of the main
products that go through the Albany port. This initiative will save 10 minutes
per train; 10 minutes per train as a result of having a loop line rather than
an in-and-out line may not sound like very much, but it equates to 758 tonnes
per week, or 36 000 tonnes per year, so it is a relatively small investment to
substantially improve efficiency, if we are to ensure that these ports do not
become a bottleneck for commerce and trade. This government is making the
investments to support that efficiency.
Another initiative is in the member for Geraldton's
electorate, so I am pleased that he asked this question today. We are providing
$1.3 million to the second stage of a trial of yellowtail kingfish production
by an aquaculture project in the bay in Geraldton. With what is happening in
Asia in particular, we know that aquaculture opportunities will be substantial,
so the government is ensuring that we support the research necessary to have
aquaculture projects come to fruition; it is significant and important. This
project has private sector buy-in, and I know that the Minister for Fisheries, Hon Ken Baston, is looking at precincts
around the state to support aquaculture development. He, too, has a keen
interest in what we are doing in Geraldton to support that development.
One of the other themes that have come through with these 10
projects is aged care. Although we have a very strong focus on economic
development in the regions, it is important also to recognise that lifestyle
and social activities are really important. We want elderly people to be able
to stay in the regions and areas where they grew up; staying in the communities
that they have been part of for many, many years is really important. That
theme comes through in a number of initiatives in different towns that support
aged care. With the ageing demographic, it is important that that becomes a
wedge in the pie of economic development and growth in regional Western
Australia. The Liberal–National government, through its royalties for
regions program, is making a difference—a far cry from what the
opposition did during its time in government.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.