❓ Dr. Honey questions the Premier on the progress of the Oakajee Industrial Estate. The Premier deflects, highlighting the previous government's inaction and outlining current government initiatives and investments in clean energy and industrial area activation.
AnsweredQoN 882Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
OAKAJEE INDUSTRIAL
ESTATE
882. Dr D.J. HONEY to the Premier:
Since coming to power almost eight
years ago, this government has made numerous commitments to develop the Oakajee
strategic industrial area as a green energy industrial hub. Despite these
commitments, the area remains an overgrown sheep paddock.
(1) When will
major onsite works commence to establish the Oakajee strategic industrial area
beyond the planned access road?
(2) How much
funding has been specifically allocated by this government to fully develop
that area?
ESTATE
882. Dr D.J. HONEY to the Premier:
Since coming to power almost eight
years ago, this government has made numerous commitments to develop the Oakajee
strategic industrial area as a green energy industrial hub. Despite these
commitments, the area remains an overgrown sheep paddock.
(1) When will
major onsite works commence to establish the Oakajee strategic industrial area
beyond the planned access road?
(2) How much
funding has been specifically allocated by this government to fully develop
that area?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I thank the member for the question. It enables me
the opportunity to remind the member that this was in front of the
Liberal–National Barnett government for the entire eight and a half
years that it was in government. In fact, it
was the only project that that government actually listed on Infrastructure
Australia's list nominated by
the state government. At the time, it was its key number one priority, so,
Madam Speaker , you can imagine my shock and dismay upon coming to
government to find that nothing had been done in relation to the development of the Oakajee strategic industrial area. It
was extraordinary that despite the millions—possibly billions—of
dollars spent by the previous government in developing this strategic
industrial area, nothing had actually taken place.
The progress that we have made there
is not all to my credit. Hon Alannah MacTiernan, when she was the Minister for
Hydrogen Industry, secured some funding for the access road there. I had the
opportunity to top that money up to make sure that we could get on with that;
indeed, the access road is now taking place. That is in addition to the
important work that is being undertaken by the Department of Transport to
understand the access and exit corridors that will be necessary as part of
developing the Oakajee industrial area.
Of course, one key opportunity that
is now before us in relation to Oakajee is the opportunity to realise its role in our clean energy plan—that is,
how we can utilise Oakajee as a port of entry for supplies or exports in
relation to renewable energy equipment or, indeed, renewable energy exports. Of
course, we are now steaming ahead with this.
These are difficult, complex projects engaging a whole range of different p artners.
I am very pleased to say that we have allocated I think six leases, he says,
looking towards the member for Swan Hills.
Yes—we have allocated six leases to proponents who are looking to
establish themselves in Oakajee. That
is something the previous government did not do. We now have a half a billion
dollar strategic industrial area activation fund that is providing
resources to these SIAs to make sure that we can activate them and bring this
investment to bear, which the previous government did not do. We are at an
exciting point in time. It does not matter
whether we look at Boodarie, Maitland or Oakajee or the strategic industrial areas around Kalgoorlie, Kemerton, Shotts or Coolangatta. They are all great
strategic industrial areas in which
international capital is now looking at making investments, because they want
to be part of our clean energy plan,
they want to be part of our renewable energy future and they want to be with Western
Australia working with a government that understands that we need to create
these investments now so that they can get
their projects moving forward. It is a complex project, but it is one in which
we have made significantly more gains in the short time we have been in
government than in the entire eight and a half years of the Liberal–National
government.
the opportunity to remind the member that this was in front of the
Liberal–National Barnett government for the entire eight and a half
years that it was in government. In fact, it
was the only project that that government actually listed on Infrastructure
Australia's list nominated by
the state government. At the time, it was its key number one priority, so,
Madam Speaker , you can imagine my shock and dismay upon coming to
government to find that nothing had been done in relation to the development of the Oakajee strategic industrial area. It
was extraordinary that despite the millions—possibly billions—of
dollars spent by the previous government in developing this strategic
industrial area, nothing had actually taken place.
The progress that we have made there
is not all to my credit. Hon Alannah MacTiernan, when she was the Minister for
Hydrogen Industry, secured some funding for the access road there. I had the
opportunity to top that money up to make sure that we could get on with that;
indeed, the access road is now taking place. That is in addition to the
important work that is being undertaken by the Department of Transport to
understand the access and exit corridors that will be necessary as part of
developing the Oakajee industrial area.
Of course, one key opportunity that
is now before us in relation to Oakajee is the opportunity to realise its role in our clean energy plan—that is,
how we can utilise Oakajee as a port of entry for supplies or exports in
relation to renewable energy equipment or, indeed, renewable energy exports. Of
course, we are now steaming ahead with this.
These are difficult, complex projects engaging a whole range of different p artners.
I am very pleased to say that we have allocated I think six leases, he says,
looking towards the member for Swan Hills.
Yes—we have allocated six leases to proponents who are looking to
establish themselves in Oakajee. That
is something the previous government did not do. We now have a half a billion
dollar strategic industrial area activation fund that is providing
resources to these SIAs to make sure that we can activate them and bring this
investment to bear, which the previous government did not do. We are at an
exciting point in time. It does not matter
whether we look at Boodarie, Maitland or Oakajee or the strategic industrial areas around Kalgoorlie, Kemerton, Shotts or Coolangatta. They are all great
strategic industrial areas in which
international capital is now looking at making investments, because they want
to be part of our clean energy plan,
they want to be part of our renewable energy future and they want to be with Western
Australia working with a government that understands that we need to create
these investments now so that they can get
their projects moving forward. It is a complex project, but it is one in which
we have made significantly more gains in the short time we have been in
government than in the entire eight and a half years of the Liberal–National
government.
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