Mid West Development Commission

Two Mid West local governments will benefit from the State Government's latest round of Recreational Boating Facilities Scheme (RBFS) funding. The Shire of Irwin will receive $365,000 to upgrade the existing Port Denison fixed timber finger jetty to a floating pontoon, while the Shire of Coorow will receive $260,618 to demolish the existing Dee Street finger jetty at Leeman and construct a longer, wider finger jetty. Since 2021, the region has benefitted from over $1 million of State Government funding to improve boating infrastructure under the RBFS, with the Shire of Irwin previously receiving funding to undertake a planning study for a detailed design for the upgrade of its boat launching facilities and the City of Greater Geraldton upgrading the boat ramp at the Francis Street (Town Beach) boat launching facility. Recreational marine infrastructure investments encourage more people onto the water, helping to boost tourism and improve our regional quality of life. Full media statement: https://lnkd.in/gcizxwWK

The Mid West Sports Federation has recently updated its Sports Economic Impact Assessment tool, thanks to support from the Commission. The tool enables local sporting clubs and associations to quantify and highlight the economic impacts of sports tourism on our regional economy, including visitor spend, contribution to gross regional product and contribution to real incomes of regional residents. This in turn can assist with grant funding applications, event planning and reporting. The tool uses the latest ABS data and assists the region in staying at the forefront of economic modelling and data analysis, ensuring accurate and insightful assessments of future sporting events. For more information on accessing the tool, visit https://lnkd.in/g-a-htAh

This week the Commission attended the commemoration of Liontown Resources Limited’s first spodumene concentrate shipment to strategic partner LG Energy Solution in Korea, from its flagship Kathleen Valley operation. LG Energy Solution is a global leader in lithium-ion battery manufacturing, with a focus on electric vehicles and energy storage systems, and is the first company to sign a long-term offtake agreement with Liontown. We joined Liontown’s Chief Commercial Officer Grant Donald, a senior delegation from LG and local stakeholders aboard the Bunan Queen to get a birds eye view of proceedings. The 33,000 tonne shipment will leave Geraldton Port and takes about 30 days to get to China. The Port of Geraldton is one of Australia’s most diverse commodity ports, handling everything from iron ore, metal concentrates and mineral sands, to agricultural products, fuel and cruise ships. It plays a vital role in supporting the economies of Geraldton and the wider Mid West region.

In 2025, the Commission will be supporting Western Australian Alliance to End Homelessness in the appointment of a local Community Coordinator to join its Advance to Zero team (auspiced by Mission Australia). The AtoZ initiative comes from the Alliance's 2018-2028 strategy that seeks to demonstrate that ending homelessness in Australia is possible, starting with rough sleeping. The role involves collaborating with local partners, government agencies, and community organisations to create a unified approach to addressing homelessness through strategic planning and engagement. The Commission is committed to supporting the local leadership group to ensure that our housing and homelessness system is able to support more people into permanent housing than are coming into that system – not just at a point in time, but over time. If you or anyone you know is passionate about making a difference and interested in working with the AtoZ team visit https://lnkd.in/gp_748dR

The Commission is excited to support the inaugural Wave Rally World Championships next month. Held at Coronation Beach, north of Geraldton, the stretch of coastline is world-renowned as the best of its kind for windsurfing. The event was born last year when keen local Geraldton windsurfer Paul van Bellen created a concept video to introduce the Wave Rally World Championships to the windsurfing community, reimagining the classic competitions from days gone by. More than 60 competitors from across the globe will take part in an action-packed three days of wave slalom-style fun racing. Events such as this serve as catalysts for economic growth, injecting vitality into host cities through increased tourism and bolstering the local economy through hotel bookings, restaurant visits and retail sales.

Tourism Western Australia has released the Mid West Regional Tourism Development Strategy, a roadmap designed to guide decision-making, investment and capacity building for tourism over the next decade.   This strategy combines Mid West specific initiatives from the accompanying Australia's Coral Coast and Australia's Golden Outback Tourism Destination Management Plans, and outlines essential actions and projects aimed at boosting tourism development across the region.   The Commission is proud to have provided input into the development of these documents, ensuring that local opportunities and priorities remain at the forefront of tourism initiatives.   Download the Mid West Regional Tourism Development Strategy https://lnkd.in/gpmwX8FB   Find out more about Tourism Western Australia's Tourism Destination Management Plans https://lnkd.in/gDG8ewzD

Tenders are now open for the Olive Street key worker housing project in Geraldton. Once complete, the accommodation will be made available to assist in attracting and retaining essential staff for local businesses or for key workers such as teachers, healthcare professionals and police.   The project has been funded by the State Government and the City of Greater Geraldton and is a great example of the work we are doing to enable increased workforce housing investment in the region.   For detailed information on the scope of work and submission guidelines, visit https://lnkd.in/gJA4d2PS

The Commission was recently in Kalbarri to support the Youth Spaces Workshop, which gave community members an opportunity to contribute their ideas on programs and activities to improve the liveability of the town for Kalbarri's youth and families.   The workshop was run by the Kalbarri Development Association, who recognised a gap in the market for programs and recreational options for high school-aged young people (12-18 years) and wanted to emphasize the need for physical spaces and varied activities that foster belonging, with co-design by young people at its core.   The workshop was delivered in partnership with the Shire of Northampton, JK Foundation and Euphorium, and over 30 attendees contributed lots of great ideas, which will be used to develop and run a program in the near future.   The program will seek to utilise a network of existing spaces that will be designated and recognisable places where young people in Kalbarri feel they belong and can connect with one another.

The Commission is delighted to be supporting Coral Maker via the Regional Economic Development Grants. This project will deliver local workforce growth, with up to seven new jobs created, and a partnership with the Yamatji Southern Regional Corporation Sea Rangers program.

Are you ready to embrace the courage, collective spirit, and hope of changemaking? Join the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation for a two-day Changemaker Workshop to create a positive, lasting impact on our community. ✅ As a collective, delve into your region's readiness for change. ✅ Explore how change happens, practise how to adapt to change and how to overcome resistance. ✅ Become a changemaker, adapt your skills to enable your involvement in creating new and exciting things, managing setbacks and work collectively and purposefully with others. Take part in diverse community conversations: ✅ Understand the local ecosystem; undertake purposeful and inclusive engagement; step into informed and authentic conversations. ✅ Learn how to have those conversations, suspend judgement and assumptions, and build trust and transparency for connection and diverse relationships. Create momentum within your community: ✅ Unpack what forms and shapes a community. ✅ Learn how a community can be more inclusive. ✅ Considering the impacts of drought, trauma, and other events, gain the tools to better support others and balance giving and taking within a community. Contribute to and inspire your community's future: ✅ Explore ideas to shape the future you would like to see for your community. ✅ Understand the importance of language and the power of storytelling in motivating and mobilising others. ✅ Learn what makes a good story and how to connect with the hearts and minds of others. This workshop is fully subsidised with thanks to the Australian Government's Future Drought Fund. It is delivered by the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation, as part of the Helping Regional Communities Prepare for Drought Initiative. https://lnkd.in/g-Q74n4g