Aboriginal Enterprises Government is investing in Aboriginal empowerment through supporting the establishment of Aboriginal enterprises. There is an opportunity for investors to partner with Aboriginal Corporations and governments to establish new initiatives and projects.
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Resources Aboriginal businesses are encouraged to register their business on the following registers: Aboriginal Business Directory WA – www.abdwa.com.au
Supply Nation’s Indigenous Business Direct – www.supplynation.org.au Industry registers e.g. Project Connect – www.projectconnect.com.au
Freight Industry has expressed demand for extension of the rail line from Mullewa to Wiluna to improve the productivity of inland mineral districts. This would also support the potential for value added processing in the region, while reducing the maintenance cost and improving the safety of regional roads. Regional areas north of Geraldton are not served by freight rail, with the exception of the proprietary iron ore rail networks in the Pilbara. As a result, most consumables are transported from Perth by truck. The cost of living and doing business in WA’s northern regions is high, as a result, inhibiting investment and growth of regional centres. The time has come to map out a strategic-level business case taking in the logistics, productivity and economic development factors that factor into a decision to invest a staged extension of the rail network north from Geraldton. This is a nation-building project that will take time to justify and a decade or more to implement, but until it occurs it is difficult to project a robust economic diversification and growth pathway for Western Australia’s northern regions. The productivity improvements and cost savings needed to bring development costs down to levels in the State’s southern regions rely on the economies of scale that rail provides. The question is not ‘If?’ but ‘When?’.
Arial view of Exmouth, Western Australia.
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