Lithium Valley Main Report 2018
3 Recommendations
3.1 Federal Government 3.2 Specialised Industrial Park (SIP)
Work with the State Government to establish a SIP over the entire Western Trade Coast. The SIP is a globally developed approach to attract economic development; it is a port or an area of a port in which imported goods can be held or processed free of customs duties before re- export. SIPs have become common in recent years and exist around the world (EU, Middle East, Asia) to increase activity and production within the zone. In Kwinana the main advantages will be to simplify and speed up the approvals processes while also reducing operating costs through greater economies of scale. There is significant evidence that SIPs create increased employment, particularly for higher-skilled personnel, as there is a strong emphasis on value-adding. All quarantine and customs services are provided within the secured zone. The Federal Government can work with the WA State Government to develop an SIP within the Western Trade Coast area. 3.2.1. Encourage the transition from a combustion-driven to an electric economy Enable Australia to be a leader in the global transition from a fossil fuels-driven economy to a renewable economy through a wide variety of policies, mandates, legislation and regulation. The global transition to New Energy metals and New Energy industries is driven by a business- based market and by governments through the Paris Agreement that Australia is committed to. Federal leadership in seeing the Lithium Valley opportunity in Kwinana as part of this agenda as well as an economic opportunity, can help place Australia as a world leader. This would mean integrating agendas for innovation, economic development, strategic and defence planning, as well as climate change. Apart from reducing dependency on imported fuels (mitigating fuel security issues) it would stimulate local renewable industries, generate more local jobs, reduce pollution and move Australia towards a more sustainable economy while increasing national security. 3.2.2. Support the Establishment of a New Energy Industry CRC Create a New Energy Industry CRC in Perth. As economies around the world decarbonise the globally burgeoning demand to new energy products produced with Australia’s abundant new energy material has been identified as a major and unrealised opportunity for Australian industry as well as research and innovation providers. There is a need to establish a CRC in New Energy Industry in Western Australia to provide the R&D that can link industry to new and emerging markets using Western Australian minerals. WA has some rapidly emerging innovative companies in the use of new energy batteries within cities and regions but does not have sufficient happening in the industry stages between mineral processing and battery use. CSIRO has several centres of excellence in the energy storage area, in particular the Stored Energy Integration Facility (SEIF) at the CSIRO Energy Centre in Newcastle, NSW, or the Centre for Hybrid Energy Systems (CHES) in Clayton, Victoria. University researchers in WA are also doing work in this area but need a focussed and resourced CRC that can link to industry and to such resources in the east. Facilities associated with the CRC could be established at the Western
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