The Pilbara is economically significant, both nationally and internationally, as the region is responsible for a major portion of the production, value, exports and investments of extraction industries commodities, particularly iron ore and liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Gold, lithium, zinc and cobalt projects are currently being developed across the Pilbara and the City is the epicentre of this growth. Innovative technologies and our proximity to established operations provide opportunities for magnesium and urea processing operations in the city.

The region is rich with gold, cobalt, copper, manganese, nickel, lead and zinc and other minerals, helping create a rich and diverse local economy.
Renewable energy – the State Government has set aside $117.5 million to match Commonwealth funding to develop hubs in the Pilbara and Mid-West, putting WA at the forefront of this emerging industry.
The proposed hub would complement and build on activity already undertaken by the City and partners to establish the Pilbara Hydrogen Cluster - a group of likeminded organisations focused on building the skills, capability and viability of hydrogen opportunities in the Pilbara.
Future Tails
Future Tails will contribute knowledge to specialist areas of research, including static liquefaction, filtered and dry stacked tailing and numerical modelling for dam break studies. This knowledge will lead the practice, technology and process for the next generation of geotechnical engineers.

Matt Currie, the Vice President of BHP’s Tailings Taskforce, said there was an increasing demand for tailings expertise, and for qualified people and methods to train these new professionals. “The program will provide essential training and development to people at all levels of their career, and help reinforce the different career paths within the tailings discipline,” Mr Currie said.

The Pilbara Regiment is one of the Australian Army’s Regional Force Surveillance Units and vital to the Australian Defence Force’s defence of Australia. It is an Army reconnaissance and surveillance unit focussed on the collection of information in the northwest region of Western Australia.

With over 700 historic Indigenous archaeological sites and 1,000,000 rock engravings (Petroglyphs), many dating back some 30,000 years, the Burrup Peninsula is the perfect place to discover the unique art, history and culture of the Aboriginal people of the Pilbara.

Deep rocky canyons lead to peaceful plunge pools in the beautiful Karijini National Park. Hundreds of islands with dazzling white beaches and untouched coral gardens are yours to explore on the Dampier Archipelago and Mackerel Islands. And yet the Pilbara is also known as the engine room of Australia - home to a massive mining industry in crude oil, salt, natural gas and iron ore. An incredible juxtaposition of two very different industries.

Explore the Pilbara's colonial past in Roebourne, the oldest settlement in the North West. Cossack is a ghost town and has many beautifully restored historical buildings which offer an insight to the hardships and successes of the first settlers. There is also a perfectly positioned lookout here overlooking Jarman Island’s lighthouse built in 1888, the long white sand and sparkling blue ocean that is Settlers Beach.

The Karratha City in partnership with its waste contractor Cleanaway, helps to inform the community about waste and recycling to simplify processes, improve resource recovery and reduce the amount of waste going to landfill to help protect our natural environment.

Yara Pilbara is a producer of a chemical used in the manufacturing of industrial explosives. The 300,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate produced each year on the peninsula directly underpins the blasting activities required to operate many of the Pilbara’s economy-shaping iron ore mines.

But straddling those two production regimes is a “waste” recycling initiative that is very much taking circular economics from paddock to plate in WA.

The product at the heart of this is known as Pivot 16. It’s being used a few hundred kilometres up the Pilbara coastline by Pardoo Beef Corporation to help grow pasture for cattle being raised for sale in both domestic and international markets.

The changing climate will become an ever more powerful driver as forests and farming is impacted by continued rainfall decline, storm events become more extreme, bushfires pose greater threats and habitat is threatened.

National Tidal Centre data showed that the South West had the greatest sea level rises in Australia (+7.4mm/pa, 1990-2010) which will inevitably impact coastal infrastructure.

Regardless of what people believe is the cause, the planet is getting hotter – every year for 44 years now. Bushfires have seen issues become increasingly political and there will likely be conflict between those seeking restoration of ecosystems and those seeking technological solutions.

Innovation in food, water for food and consumer attitudes will drive change as the impact of population and climate change affects lives. This will likely form a part of the deglobalisation attitude and shift to localisation – farmers’ markets, seasonal foods and so on.

The value of the sector is difficult to calculate given that it comprises advertising, architecture, art, crafts, design, fashion, film, music, performing arts, publishing, R&D, software, toys and games, TV and radio, and video games. Further complexity is added when accounting for employment that might be a mix of tasks that include creative industries work.

Interest in the South West is based upon the regional attractor, an organised cluster, tourism industry and events that support growth in the sector. There is ad hoc evidence indicating the sector has grown in areas of digital media, design, marketing, film, television, animation and gaming technologies.

The economic contribution of the arts is well recognised in the South West. The
region features Australia’s largest film prize through CinefestOZ, Western Australia’s premier country music event at Boyup Brook, plus the Cherry Harmony Festival, Truffle Kerfuffle and Margaret River Gourmet Escape.

The Capes region features Margaret River Open Studios which attracts 25,000 visitors each year to experience art in many forms, and there are music events from the Bridgetown Blues and Boyup Brook Country Music to Busselton’s Jazz on the Bay and Bunbury’s Grooving the Moo for young audiences.

The South West is one of Western Australia’s nine recognised regions located outside the Perth metropolitan area. Fronting the Indian and Southern oceans, covering 24,000 square kilometres and including 12 local government areas, the South West is the most populous and economically diverse of WA’s regions.

Of the landmass that comprises the region, about two-thirds is made up of State Forest, National Parks and regional parks, with the southern forests being the largest component. About 25% is occupied by agricultural and rural uses, with about 8% used for industrial and urban development.

The economy benefits from the combination of the commodity rich hinterland (agriculture and mineral resources) in close proximity to a working port. Alumina refining and associated construction play a major role in economic output and employment. Agriculture, forestry and associated processing are significant sectors supplying dairy, beef, vegetables and wood/timber products for domestic consumption and increasingly for export markets.

Historically, timber production and agriculture have been the predominant land uses within the Margaret River region, which has some of the most productive agricultural land in the State. The agriculture sector is diverse and includes a variety of cropping, viticulture and wine, fruit, flower and vegetable production, olives and olive oil, pasture production and livestock - beef and dairy cattle, sheep and deer, timber and artisan cheese production.

Universities and the VET sector need to embrace change and work together. The need for reskilling will combine higher education and vocational, the key being right-time right-place education.

Learning pathways will need to be easier to navigate and flexible, offering more choice and micro credentialing options.

Australia has a skills deficit along with most other countries and collectively, we need to increase work-integrated learning and particularly increase STEM-skilled graduate numbers.

The Margaret River region is a globally recognised brand which helps attract 86% of all overseas tourist visitation to the South West.

Of the South West’s five wine sub-regions, Margaret River contributes only 2% of the national crush but remains the standout for exports ($33m) with 59% of WA’s bottled wine export value and 54% of wine sold in the top two price brackets at an average of four times the Australian export average. The quality underpins regional brand recognition and reputation for other industry sectors, particularly tourism and food.

Fisheries, particularly aquaculture, have increasingly realised potential particularly in abalone along the south coast. In respect of fishing, the recreational fishing industry has greater value than commercial operations.

The Dardanup timber precinct captures Australia’s leading particle board manufacturer, Laminex, and Wespine which produces 80% of the State’s construction timbers. Koppers produces WA’s power poles. Sustainable practices used in the South West add value to timber and its credentials as the ultimate renewable construction material.

Mining and mine processing are the South West’s most significant economic contributors. With the growth of the Greenbushes lithium mine, the highest grade and largest hard rock lithium deposit in the world, and the current development of the multi-billion-dollar Albemarle processing plant, mining and minerals processing will become ever more important.

Greenbushes is home to the world’s premium lithium ore (spodumene) resource. The operation was expanded and feeds a processing plant in Kwinana and one under construction in Kemerton, 17km from Bunbury Port.

Energy production in the region is experiencing unprecedented disruption. The days are numbered for traditional coal-fired baseload electricity generation and a local industry dating back to the 19th Century. Closures echo trends towards new energy and growth options that have seen solar and wind become the cheapest forms of power generation.

The energy landscape is changing in the face of climate change, the appetite for renewables, government policy and disruption to traditional baseload production. Homes are the new power generators and it is clear that the next two decades will look nothing like the last two. Rooftop solar take up (300MW across the state) has impacted on the grid and none more so than the South West Interconnected System (SWIS).

At the heart of the SWIS is Collie and since the 19th Century coal has been Collie’s major contribution to the State. However, that is changing as policy transitions to renewable and low emission energy production on an increasingly decentralised trading grid.

Tourism is of fundamental importance to the South West, as an employer and enhancing the regional brand at the international level. The Capes sub- region is one of Australia’s most tourism-dependent regions and a host of proposals can only heighten the South West’s standing in the world while adding value locally through employment and changed perceptions, particularly in respect of Bunbury’s waterfront.

World-beating plans to develop an internationally-recognised underwater observatory at Busselton, Australia’s first motorcycle trail hub in Manjimup, and, first class mountain biking experiences at a number of regional locations all add to brand reputation.

The 1.8km Busselton Jetty is the South West’s most visited attraction and features one of just six underwater observatories internationally. Inspired by migrating humpback whales that pass along the coastline, the new observatory is expected to pull in an extra 200,000 visitors per year once built.

Bunbury directly invests in tourism and is responsible for the management and funding of major regional tourism infrastructure and experiences including: Bunbury Visitor Centre, Bunbury Wildlife Park, Bunbury Museum and Heritage Centre, Bunbury Regional Art Gallery and the Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre. Our aim is to ensure these services form part of a broad range of quality offerings in Bunbury.

The South West Waste Precinct has the potential to meet State and Federal policy expectations by rapidly heading towards zero waste to landfill while using ‘waste’ as a resource and boosting innovation, jobs and the economy. Developing a composting facility will cut landfill by 35,000tpa while a glass crusher would utilise every bottle reducing glass to sand for use in road building and additionally addressing a shortage of fill material.

Drought does not pay attention to lines on a map and is best planned for on a regional scale based on landscape, community, economy and climate, rather than borders.

A diversity of high conservation areas are contained within the NGSR, being home to six national parks and a number of nature reserves. With the future of the NGSR’s tourism industry hinging on its highly valued natural assets and diverse landscapes, environmental protection is vital.

The Wheatbelt is so called because of its extensive agricultural industry. The region is the primary producer of cereal crops in the state and contributes other agricultural products such as canola, olives, vegetables, wine grapes, honey, citrus fruits and livestock.

Whilst agriculture remains the dominant industry, the economy of the region is also supported by mining, commerce, retail, manufacturing, fishing and tourism.

The natural and cultural attributes of the region make it extremely versatile in tourism service and product offerings.

Support for local government, business and communities is required to capitalise on the opportunities presented by the regional, state, national and international tourist sectors. A collaboration model across 42 shires is required.

A ‘Wander the Wheatbelt’ online platform is being investigated with short term opportunities to boost tourism.

There is considerable university involvement in the Wheatbelt South through the Rural Clinical School in Narrogin and the Pingelly Future Farm.

The Narrogin Rural Clinical School is one of fourteen schools across the State which is an education partnership between the medical schools at UWA and Notre Dame. The major aim of the Rural Clinical School is to attract more Doctors to rural, regional and remote practice.

The UWA Future Farm 2050, opened in 2009, is a multidisciplinary project based on a 1600-hectare farm near Pingelly, Western Australia. The mission of the farm is to develop a profitable mixed-enterprise operation at the cutting edge of practical technology for cropping, animal, environmental footprint, and ecosystem and biodiversity management.

The Wheatbelt region has traditionally focused on broadacre grain crops – wheat, barley, oats and canola, and grazing paddocks with more recent developments having diversified production into intensive agriculture.

Livestock continues to be a significant contributor to the sub-region’s food production capacity. The processing of meat for the domestic and export market is well established with Hillside abattoir in Narrogin processing up to 1,300 animals per day.

An established cut flower, nursery and turf industry will continue to flourish and complement growing horticultural production.

Rock lobster is a key export opportunity for Western Australia. The region already has significant production and has established itself as a world class exporter, with markets in Asia and the United States. The Western Rock Lobster industry is the biggest single fishery in Australia.

Mineral sands mining is a well-established activity and a significant employer in the NGSR with the raw resource being processed in Muchea before being exported from Kwinana Port. There are numerous potential projects in the region for future mining development.

Considerable reserves of high-value mineral sands, including high quality lime sand and silica sand, are a significant state resource with strong global demand. Lime sand, used to reduce soil acidity, is incredibly important for the State’s agricultural productivity. Silica sand has many industrial uses, such as glass production, construction and ceramics.

The Emu Downs and Badgingarra wind farms produce 210MW of the approximately 600 MW of wind energy produced in WA alone7. The recently announced Yandin project will produce an additional 214MW as the State’s largest wind farm that will be able to power 200,000 homes.

With natural amenity, proximity to Perth International Airport and high-profile tourist attractions such as the Pinnacles, Lesueur National Park, access to New Norcia and increasingly food trails, the Sub- region is in a key position for future tourism development.

Wave Rock is a major tourism icon for WA and by far the most popular tourist attraction in the Wheatbelt South sub-region. A natural rock formation in the shape of an ocean wave approximately 14m tall and over 100m in length is located near the town of Hyden in the Shire of Kondinin.

The Wave Rock is the largest of a number of similar, albeit smaller examples of this geological phenomenon in the sub- region. Wave Rock attracts over 140,000 visitors per year who are supported by a diverse range of local accommodation options and services. In addition to Wave Rock visitors also enjoy other attractions of the broader Hyden Wildlife Park, including Aboriginal tours and heritage attractions, wildflowers and Australian fauna.

The Dryandra Woodlands, is another unique and popular natural attraction in the Wheatbelt South. Located between the towns of Cuballing, Narrogin, Wandering and Williams, the Dryandra Woodlands covers approximately 28,000 hectares and features the largest remnant of original vegetation in the western Wheatbelt.

With increasing international trade and interstate interconnectivity, disease control and biosecurity is likely to become an even greater consideration for industry. The management of pests such as stable fly is essential in a region with animal industries producing waste products that are a food source for the flies. A threat to animal welfare, stable fly also affects human life, local fauna and industries such as tourism.

The regulation of poultry manure, post-harvest vegetable crop waste, and intensive agriculture waste products disposal may reduce stable fly numbers. Creating value from waste associated with intensive agriculture is an emerging opportunity for the NGSR. Power generation, fertiliser, gelatine and insect production, and food products from second and third grade produce and agricultural by- products present value-adding opportunities.

With the expanding population of the NGSR and surrounds, the need for appropriately managed waste facilities will only increase in importance. Shire commitments to a reduction in the per capita kilograms of waste sent to landfill and increased recycling have further highlighted the need for better waste management capacity into the future.