❓ The Minister outlines government initiatives supporting regional businesses through state contracts, highlighting specific projects and contrasting their approach with the opposition's perceived lack of confidence in local manufacturing.
AnsweredQoN 792Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
JOBS — LOCAL INDUSTRIES
792. Ms D.G. D'ANNA to the Minister for Regional
Development:
I refer to the Cook Labor government's
continued support and development of local manufacturing in Western Australia
that is providing local jobs and training opportunities.
(1) Can the
minister outline to the house how this government is creating ongoing
opportunities for regional businesses through the delivery of state government
contracts?
(2) Can the
minister advise how these opportunities will support continued growth and
success for our local regional businesses?
792. Ms D.G. D'ANNA to the Minister for Regional
Development:
I refer to the Cook Labor government's
continued support and development of local manufacturing in Western Australia
that is providing local jobs and training opportunities.
(1) Can the
minister outline to the house how this government is creating ongoing
opportunities for regional businesses through the delivery of state government
contracts?
(2) Can the
minister advise how these opportunities will support continued growth and
success for our local regional businesses?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I am delighted to answer this question. I thank
the member for the question and for her strong and enduring commitment
to small and medium enterprises in the Kimberley region. I had the privilege to
visit that wonderful region recently to announce the latest round of the
regional economic development grants, with
$592 000 in funding. One of the projects, Marine Biomedical, received a grant
of $120 000 to purchase equipment used in the production of its
world-leading orthopaedic bone substitute product PearlBone, which is made from
pearl shell. It is a fantastic project. We are fostering regional development
that is not just transformative but also groundbreaking globally. It is an
excellent example of industry diversification and an ambitious value-added
program in the Kimberley region.
Another project that is very close to
my heart—I know it will be very close to the heart of the member for
Geraldton—is the announcement of the tender for the new $13.7 million
Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development vessel with Dongara
Marine in Geraldton. I would like to outline the
significance of that from a fisheries management perspective. This project will
see the state government replacing the outdated patrol vessel Walcott with a brand new state-of-the-art 24-metre patrol vessel built in Geraldton. It
will have a longer fuel range to conduct extended voyages, lower engine
emissions and improved features compared with the old vessel. It will be able
to conduct extended vessel voyages for up to 14 days, with accommodation and
food storage for 10 people. It will have the latest navigation equipment and
infrared night vision to support night-time operations. It will help in
domestic fisheries compliance, marine park management, shark incident
responses, marine safety, sea search and rescue, whale disentanglement and
illegal foreign fishing vessel interception. Given the comments made recently
by Hon Louise Kingston, it will help to protect our whales into the future.
Construction will kick off this month. When completed in late 2025, it will be
based in Broome, member for Kimberley. It is yet another example of how we are
investing in our regions. That construction will lead to a whole range of new
apprenticeships at Dongara Marine and training in the regions in shipwrighting,
engineering fabrication trades, marine craft construction and boilermaking and
welding. There are some fantastic training opportunities out in the regions.
This is where we differ considerably
from the Liberal Party and the Nationals WA. We believe in local manufacturing
on this side of the house. We believe in manufacturing in the regions. Over the
past six years, we have worked tirelessly to leverage government procurement to
maximise local opportunities. We have the Western
Australian Jobs Act 2017 and stronger Buy Local policies, but we also have our
local content adviser network, established in 2018 with the aim to drive
and support new opportunities for local businesses to supply the state
government and participate in major contracts.
We heard the Minister for Transport
talking earlier about the great outcomes from the Bunbury Outer Ring Road. That local content network of advisers
is embedded in each regional development commission . They connect local
businesses to government supply opportunities in the region and enable regional
businesses to be competitive in procurement processes. We have confidence in
regional WA's capacity to deliver manufacturing. We believe in it. But
I do not think there is a lot of confidence held by members opposite. They said that we could not build trains
in Western Australia. They exported the first version of the Matagarup Bridge. What do we have down there
now? We have a glowing symbol of Western Australian manufacturing in the
Matagarup Bridge. We have confidence in regional and metropolitan
manufacturing. Our strategies and policies are geared to maximising not only
the delivery of projects locally, but also the enabling of training, enabling
of local employment and enabling of people in the regions to build a career for
the future.
the member for the question and for her strong and enduring commitment
to small and medium enterprises in the Kimberley region. I had the privilege to
visit that wonderful region recently to announce the latest round of the
regional economic development grants, with
$592 000 in funding. One of the projects, Marine Biomedical, received a grant
of $120 000 to purchase equipment used in the production of its
world-leading orthopaedic bone substitute product PearlBone, which is made from
pearl shell. It is a fantastic project. We are fostering regional development
that is not just transformative but also groundbreaking globally. It is an
excellent example of industry diversification and an ambitious value-added
program in the Kimberley region.
Another project that is very close to
my heart—I know it will be very close to the heart of the member for
Geraldton—is the announcement of the tender for the new $13.7 million
Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development vessel with Dongara
Marine in Geraldton. I would like to outline the
significance of that from a fisheries management perspective. This project will
see the state government replacing the outdated patrol vessel Walcott with a brand new state-of-the-art 24-metre patrol vessel built in Geraldton. It
will have a longer fuel range to conduct extended voyages, lower engine
emissions and improved features compared with the old vessel. It will be able
to conduct extended vessel voyages for up to 14 days, with accommodation and
food storage for 10 people. It will have the latest navigation equipment and
infrared night vision to support night-time operations. It will help in
domestic fisheries compliance, marine park management, shark incident
responses, marine safety, sea search and rescue, whale disentanglement and
illegal foreign fishing vessel interception. Given the comments made recently
by Hon Louise Kingston, it will help to protect our whales into the future.
Construction will kick off this month. When completed in late 2025, it will be
based in Broome, member for Kimberley. It is yet another example of how we are
investing in our regions. That construction will lead to a whole range of new
apprenticeships at Dongara Marine and training in the regions in shipwrighting,
engineering fabrication trades, marine craft construction and boilermaking and
welding. There are some fantastic training opportunities out in the regions.
This is where we differ considerably
from the Liberal Party and the Nationals WA. We believe in local manufacturing
on this side of the house. We believe in manufacturing in the regions. Over the
past six years, we have worked tirelessly to leverage government procurement to
maximise local opportunities. We have the Western
Australian Jobs Act 2017 and stronger Buy Local policies, but we also have our
local content adviser network, established in 2018 with the aim to drive
and support new opportunities for local businesses to supply the state
government and participate in major contracts.
We heard the Minister for Transport
talking earlier about the great outcomes from the Bunbury Outer Ring Road. That local content network of advisers
is embedded in each regional development commission . They connect local
businesses to government supply opportunities in the region and enable regional
businesses to be competitive in procurement processes. We have confidence in
regional WA's capacity to deliver manufacturing. We believe in it. But
I do not think there is a lot of confidence held by members opposite. They said that we could not build trains
in Western Australia. They exported the first version of the Matagarup Bridge. What do we have down there
now? We have a glowing symbol of Western Australian manufacturing in the
Matagarup Bridge. We have confidence in regional and metropolitan
manufacturing. Our strategies and policies are geared to maximising not only
the delivery of projects locally, but also the enabling of training, enabling
of local employment and enabling of people in the regions to build a career for
the future.
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