Gary Gray (Brand, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for Western and Northern Australia) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to speak of the importance of the government’s investment in the East Kimberley, in particular in the areas around Kununurra. The importance of Northern Australia to the nation, the challenges it faces and its unique circumstances cannot be underestimated. In 2008 the Prime Minister recognised that Northern Australia needs specific attention down here in Canberra. Our government’s vision is for a Northern Australia that achieves long-term sustainable economic development for the benefit of local communities. The Australian government established the Office of Northern Australia, ONA, in March 2008 to provide that specific attention. It provides advice to the government on the sustainable development of Northern Australia.

As Parliamentary Secretary for Western and Northern Australia, I have stewardship of ONA. The Office of Northern Australia has a key coordination role across the Australian government and is currently working on the implementation of the $195 million East Kimberley development investment package under a national partnership agreement signed by the Prime Minister and the WA Premier, Colin Barnett, on 3 July 2009. This investment was developed in response to the unique economic and social circumstances of the East Kimberley and will contribute to nation building, provide a stimulus to the economy and address Indigenous disadvantage. This will be achieved through targeted investment in social and common use infrastructure in that region and it will complement the Western Australian government’s investment in Ord stage 2.

There are 29 projects across the region, selected through a joint assessment process led by the Western Australian Minister for Regional Development and Lands, Brendon Grylls, and me. The executive director of the Office of Northern Australia, John Angley, and Andrew Dickson, Jennifer Burmester, Lyle O’Sullivan, Tracy Butcher and others in the ONA team participated in the joint assessment and were instrumental in setting up the national partnership agreement. I would like to thank them and acknowledge them for the work that they did in that area. The projects range from an upgrade of the Wyndham Memorial Swimming Pool to improvements in health, education and cultural facilities. It is a wide-ranging investment that relies on the involvement of local communities, local government, the Western Australian government and relevant Australian government agencies.

A key principle for all projects is maximising Indigenous engagement and employment in each of these projects. I have directed ONA staff to make this a top priority in the implementation of the investments and I will be working directly with my Western Australian counterparts to achieve this. I am pleased to advise that on 30 July I announced that work on two projects out of this investment had already started: the Wyndham swimming pool and a patient transfer facility at Kununurra airport. I expect to see the implementation of more of these projects in the very near future, and Western Australian agencies are in the process of submitting project plans for the 21 projects being implemented by the state of Western Australia. It is a cooperative arrangement and a joint investment designed to improve the social wellbeing of people in the East Kimberley and it is being done by a team at the Office of Northern Australia whose dedication and thoughtful approach to this task I applaud and thank. (Time expired)