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.

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.

Our Local Governments play a key role in Australia's efforts to minimise waste and reduce emissions. Together we will continue to seek more sustainable solutions for our region.

In 2022-23, the GVROC Regional Climate Alliance will investigate more feasible and environmentally friendly options for regional waste solutions.

We will develop a regional strategy and promote best practice solutions in our region.

The mining sector is critical for the Goldfields. Gold and nickel mining operations define the Goldfields region and provide the foundation for many of its settlements. The exploration, extraction and processing of these resources through well-established supply links continue to underpin the prosperity of the region.

A top-tier mining jurisdiction, the Goldfields- Esperance region is one of the most resource rich areas on the planet. It is home to a suite of critical materials - lithium, cobalt, vanadium, tantalum, nickel and graphite - used to produce energy storage devices, such as lithium-ion batteries. The region also possesses non-battery minerals used in the manufacturing of electric vehicles and energy storage systems, including significant deposits of rare earths.

The Goldfields-Esperance region is already an established and expanding producer of some of the key minerals for the global lithium-ion battery supply chain. Current Goldfields-Esperance lithium mining operations include the Bald Hill project near Kambalda, the Mount Marion project near Coolgardie and Mount Cattlin in the Shire of Ravensthorpe.

A number of locations around the region have been shortlisted for possible lithium refinery.
The Mount Weld mine, near Laverton, ranks as one of the richest major rare-earth deposits in the world.

Lynas Corporation, which operates Mount Weld, has announced its intention to develop an upstream processing plant in the Goldfields in a move that will further consolidate the region’s position as one of the premier rare earths producing jurisdictions outside of China.

The Goldfields-Esperance is located in the south-eastern corner of Western Australia and is the largest region in the state with a land area of 950,449 square kilometres. The region is more than three times the size of the state of Victoria and over a third of Western Australia's total land mass. It is bounded by the Pilbara region to the north, the Mid-West and Wheatbelt region to the west, the Great Southern region to the south-west, the Southern Ocean to the south and the WA border to the east.

The region has a long, rich association with gold mining, being the premier producer for the state. Nickel also features with strong production and healthy reserves. Agriculture and gold-related tourism are also strong contributors to the region's economy, as well as fishing and aquaculture along the coastlines of Esperance and Ravensthorpe.

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.

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 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.

The Kimberley Regional Waste Management Plan focuses on capitalising on the benefits of collaboration within the region and includes an action plan, project costings, timetable for implementation and risk assessment. The action plan is aimed at increasing recycling and the operational life of the Council’s landfills.

The major food industry in the Pilbara is rangeland beef production. Irrigated agriculture and fisheries are small, but developing industries.

A high value beef product might not be the first thing people connect to the vast, dry Pilbara of WA, but Singaporean businessman Bruce Cheung has tapped into the region’s water resources as part of his vision to produce Wagyu for a global market.

By developing water infrastructure to grow year round feed and produce boxed beef, he created an alternative to the region’s traditional model of turning cattle off native pastures for live export.

The Sahara Forest Project in Karratha aims to produce fruit and vegetables using recycled sea water and salt water-cooled greenhouses, powered by the sun.

The Northern Native Seed Industry Development Initiative (NNSIDI) will support the creation of new and innovative seed production enterprises throughout the Pilbara, Goldfields-Esperance, and Kimberley regions in Western Australia. The native seed industry has the potential to be a viable alternative to the current practice of wild harvesting.

The coastal part of the Great Southern region enjoys a Mediterranean climate with typically warm summers and cool, wet winters. Rainfall decreases and temperature increases moving from the coast to inland areas. The north and east of the region is considered to be semi-arid with hot and dry conditions. Higher rainfall areas tend to support a wider range and greater diversity of industry activities.

The Geraldton Universities Centre (GUC) works in partnership with universities across Australia to support tertiary education delivery that meets Mid West student and industry needs. GUC's community-based model, the first of its kind in Australia, has drawn attention from regional communities throughout Australia with some now replicating the model.

The Durack Institute of Technology (Durack) offers more than 250 qualifications from Certificate 1 to Advanced Diploma level and was recently allocated RfR funding to develop a Centre for Training in the Resources Sector at the proposed Geraldton airport technology park, and a Health Sciences and Community Services facility and Aboriginal Learning Centre at the Fitzgerald Street campus in Geraldton.

Climate change poses a potential range of threats and opportunities for mining regions around Australia. Recent studies have suggested that mine operations as well as the related infrastructure, businesses and communities associated with mining, may be affected by flooding, drought, bushfires, storms and sea level rise.

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.

Existing regional health facilities are located at Armadale, Mandurah and Pinjarra, while no facility is currently planned, about eight hectares of land is to be retained as a potential long-term option at Karnup (East).

We deliver quality, safe and effective hospital services within a catchment area stretching 3,300 square kilometres across the southern half of Perth.

All of our hospitals work together. As a result, you may receive your health care at more than one hospital. For example, you may receive your initial surgery at a tertiary hospital and your follow-up care at another hospital closer to your home.

Peel Health Campus is a general hospital with some 206 licensed beds, bays and treatment spaces. The campus is located one hour south of Perth in Mandurah. It is the major healthcare provider for the Peel region which is one of the fastest growing areas in Australia.

Peel Health Campus provides a wide range of healthcare services with a 24 hour emergency care centre and comprehensive medical, surgical, maternity and rehabilitation services. The hospital accommodates a specialist medical centre as well as pharmacy and diagnostic services.

The tourism sector is a key component of the economy within the region. The coastline is rugged, exciting and accessible, with Misery Beach being named Australia’s best in 2022 by Tourism Australia.

Little Beach, Blossoms Beach, Greens Pool and Peaceful Bay are other Great Southern beaches recommended by the Australia’s South West Regional Tourism Organisation. The region also includes some of the oldest granite ranges in the world including the Stirling and Porongurup Ranges.

The Region includes part of the 1.5million hectare Biosphere Reserve of the Fitzgerald River National Park and is recognised as a place of environmental significance by the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). The Reserve ranks among the most important areas for plant biodiversity in the world and contains over 250 rare or geographically restricted plant and animal species, about many of which little is known. Of the 5,000 or so vascular plant species native to this area, 79% are endemic.

The Great Southern tourism experience has expanded in recent years with a four-star hotel in Albany - additional cellar doors and restaurants throughout the region, significant upgrades to regional trails, and the spectacular Bremer Bay Orca experience where the deep-sea Bremer Canyon Sub-Basin attracts Killer Whales and other unique marine life.

The Great Southern is the fifth most visited region in the State of WA, with around 740,000 overnight visitors each year. This includes 67,000 interstate visitors and 61,000 international visitors.

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 Pilbara is Western Australia's second most northern region, defined by the Indian Ocean to the west and the Northern Territory border to the east. The Kimberley Region lies to its north across the Great Sandy Desert and the Pilbara's southern reaches border the Gascoyne, Mid-West and Goldfields-Esperance regions. The region covers a total area of 507,896km (including offshore islands).

Most of the inhabitants of the Pilbara are located in the western third of the region, whereas the eastern third is largely desert with few inhabitants. The Pilbara has four local government areas - the City of Karratha, Shires of Ashburton and East Pilbara and the Town of Port Hedland. Other towns are Roebourne, Dampier, Onslow, Pannawonica, Paraburdoo, Tom Price, Wickham, Newman, Marble Bar and Nullagine.

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). In addition to the immense reserves of natural resources, tourism, agriculture, fishing and aquaculture all feature prominently in the strengths and opportunities in the Region.

This program, based around the activities of the WA Food Innovation Precinct (WAFIP) located within the Peel Business Park, will position Peel to take advantage of the opportunities relate to the substantial domestic and export market opportunities that have opened up on the back of Free Trade Agreements with most of our major trading partners in Asia.

Healthy soils, water resources are the basis of long-term food production & farm profitability. Producers can see the importance of regenerating land, landscapes to their businesses, need technical, logistical support to implement new soil & on-farm water management practices.

Broadacre agriculture (inc. 400 beef grazing ops), 70% of the Peel coastal plain, is a major contributor to the economy, amenity & environmental condition of the Peel Region.

The region currently supports grazing of cattle, horses and sheep, vegetables, fruit trees, grapes, berries, poultry, pigs and cattle feedlots.

High-performing waste and recycling systems which see materials recovered, reused and recycled can and do reduce this impact. The creation of a circular economy has the potential to harness the economic value of these materials that would otherwise be lost.

A circular economy means transitioning from the current take-make-use and dispose system to a material efficiency approach which aims to keep products, components and materials at their highest utility and value for as long as possible.

Western Australians are consciously reusing, reprocessing, recycling and avoiding waste at an increasing rate. We are generating less waste and recycling more. However, to protect our unique environment from the impacts of waste and litter, and to maximise the benefits of good waste management, more work needs to be done.

Plantation Energy Australia (PEA) is a densified biomass fuel pellet manufacturing company in Albany. The pellets are made from non-commercial timber and harvest residues from sustainably managed plantations. PEA expect to export up to 250 000 tonnes of pellets per year through the port.

Composting or having a worm farm at home is an inexpensive and natural way to reduce your waste and benefit your garden! You can recycle your vegetable scraps, fallen leaves, lawn clippings and other kitchen and garden waste into a fantastic organic material to improve your garden soil.