Mid West Development Commission

Congratulations to the organisers of the recent Barndi Mayu (Good Kid) Community Fashion Show at Meekatharra District High School, which saw more than 120 people attend, and 30 volunteer models hit the runway. The event was designed to encourage a sense of community and cultural connectedness in youth and follows months of cultural workshops and model training with Noongar woman and model Shannon McGuire from the Kirrikin Foundation. Community members pitched together to make jewellery and clothing, and did hair and makeup on the day while music was chosen by participants to suit each collection.   The show was put together with support from Mission Australia, Youth Focus, Mid West Development Commission, Yulella, the Shire of Meekatharra, Meekatharra District High School, Australian Vanadium Limited, Newcam Minerals, Campbell Transport and the Rotary Club of Rockingham.

The Mid West is fast becoming another hub for regional railcar maintenance and manufacturing with the State Government investing more than $4 million into GHS Solutions and DIAB Engineering through it's Local Manufacturing Investment Fund (LMIF). The $2.3 million awarded to GHS Solutions will assist the business to modernise its rail wagon servicing workshop which will attract further work from Mid West and Pilbara rail operators. The upgrade includes a grit blasting room, painting and blasting equipment, modern welding equipment and a CNC lathe. DIAB Engineering will use $1.8 million awarded via the LMIF to expand its Geraldton-based rail maintenance workshop. The expansion will increase the current size of the workshop by 1,200 square metres and help position itself for winning work in the future. By providing a boost to the local rail wagon repair capability, the State Government continues to follow the recently released Western Australia: Advancing the Future of Manufacturing prospectus, which was designed to target investment based on high technology, supported by sustained demand. Full media statement https://lnkd.in/gYwNsimZ

The Commission took the opportunity to welcome Hon John Carey MLA, Minister for Planning; Lands; Housing; Homelessness to meet with some members of the Geraldton Housing Industry Working Group during his visit to Geraldton this week. The Group's purpose is to provide insight into the constraints and potential solutions for Geraldton housing supply, and advise a collective of industry and government bodies, ensuring that any planning is directly informed by those currently working in the local building and construction industry. The Minister, and Member for Geraldton Lara Dalton MLA, were able to hear first-hand about some of the challenges the local construction sector is facing, but also about the willingness of industry to work with Government to design and deliver solutions that support increased residential development in Geraldton and the broader region.

The State Government has committed $1.6 million towards the Olive Street key worker housing project in Geraldton. The $5.99 million project will deliver seven dwellings on seven freehold lots owned by the City of Greater 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, with a co-contribution from the City of Greater Geraldton and has come about thanks to strong engagement and advocacy from the Commission, who are actively working to enable increased workforce housing investment in the region. Full media statement https://lnkd.in/ghB4e5Sj

Local employers, employment agencies and support services with a focus on youth are invited to join Workforce Australia on Friday 15 November for the Empower Youth Summit, a transformative event designed to equip local youth with the skills and knowledge to excel in the job market. To participate, contact the Geraldton office https://lnkd.in/g4WdTKm3 From 10am to 2pm, this summit will provide insights and practical tools to help youth secure employment and achieve career goals, including a series of information sessions such as: Finding and maintaining your drive Building a standout resume and showing your value Mastering job applications and acing your interviews Industry experts will discuss skills to be successful in the workplace during a live panel, while Central Regional TAFE and Geraldton Universities Centre will talk about training opportunities, including fee free and half-price courses and local companies will promote jobs available now. For more event details visit https://lnkd.in/gYEP4Nbr

Last week the Commission hosted the WA Regional Development portfolio in Geraldton, including the CEOs and Chairs of the State's nine Regional Development Commissions. We were able to showcase the range of industry in the Mid West and some incredible projects that highlight the innovation, talent and potential of the region. This included tours of the Batavia Coast Maritime Institute, Geraldton Port, Bundiyarra, Geraldton Aboriginal Short Stay Accommodation project, Newhaul and Iberdrola's Walkaway Wind Farm. WA's regions are diverse and it was fantastic to demonstrate our regional competitive and comparative advantages, while sharing some challenges so that we may collaborate on place-based solutions.

The Commission was delighted to support and attend the official opening of the World's Biggest Tractor, an 11.5m tall Chamberlain 40K replica, in Carnamah last weekend. This project is a credit to the Carnamah Big Tractor committee, North Midlands Agricultural Society, North Midlands Project, Tracmach, Shire of Carnamah, community contributors and volunteers and the exceptional work of DIAB Engineering - one of the Mid West's leading manufacturing companies. We are looking forward to seeing how this attraction helps to draw visitors to Carnamah and the surrounding towns, and catalyse more activity for our region.

Twelve Mid West projects will share in $1.2 million funding under Round 7 of the State Government's Regional Economic Development Grants program. The announcement was made by Minister for Regional Development, Hon Don Punch yesterday at Central Regional TAFE's Batavia Coast Maritime Institute in Geraldton, alongside the successful recipients. The institute will collaborate with Coral Maker, an innovative start-up receiving a $48,800 RED Grant for coral reef restoration research and development. The project is developing scalable solutions for the restoration, installation, and relocation of coral reefs to enhance their resilience in the face of climate change. The first coral plots are set to be deployed in 2026, supporting local workforce development with up to seven new jobs and a partnership with the Yamatji Southern Regional Corporation Sea Rangers program. Also among the group of Round 7 recipients is: Dongara-based Ready Set Grow Child Care Centre ($250,000), to support the construction of a larger facility to meet the high demand for childcare in the region. Dongara Tourist Park ($150,000), for an additional eight ensuite cabins constructed to address ongoing, unmet demand for accommodation in the town. Midwest Aboriginal Media Association ($110,795), to develop a Regional Indigenous Broadcasting Hub in Geraldton, serving audiences in the Mid West, Murchison, and Gascoyne regions. GBSC ($100,000), to create an undercover, all-weather workspace for the construction of modular houses, enhancing their capability of modular housing manufacturing. African Reef Beach Resort ($150,000), to transform the precinct into a comprehensive resort experience with hospitality, business, health and entertainment amenities. DIAB Engineering ($100,000), to install a welding cobot. Spectrolab ($100,000), to acquire a XRF analytical instrument to expand their service offering. Finlay's Kalbarri ($82,000), to upgrade its restaurant to improve safety and accessibility, and its bar with new equipment to offer a wider selection of products including local spirits and non-acholic options. Perejori Hotel ($53,000), to expand its outdoor dining area to accommodate more patrons and live entertainment. Vac West Industrial ($50,000), to deliver its Wash Water Storage and Recycling project which will recycle industrial wash water from Geraldton Port into non-potable water for industrial use. Abrolhos Aquaculture Australia ($45,000), to transfer high quality Blacklip pearl oyster broodstock from established local pearling areas to the Albany Shellfish Hatchery. Full media statement: https://lnkd.in/gF4bHnmH

Thanks to everyone who joined us at Science in the Pub this week for an evening of scientific exploration with astronomers sharing their latest research and stories of invention. Local, national and international PhD students and postdoctoral researchers in astronomy were in the region for CSIRO's Radio School this week, learning about it’s ASKAP radio telescope and Murchison Widefield Array. We learned about quantum telescopes, how research into blackholes led to a revolution in wifi technology and the images that the SKA are capturing. It is astounding the role the Mid West region is playing to help us understand the cosmos. This event was delivered in partnership with CSIRO, the SKA Observatory, Australian SKA Regional Centre (AusSRC), and ICRAR (International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research).

We had a fantastic evening on the Geraldton Foreshore yesterday for seaside star gazing, thanks to CSIRO, Australian SKA Regional Centre (AusSRC), SKAO in Australia and ICRAR (International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research). Local, national and international PhD students and postdoctoral researchers in astronomy are in the region for CSIRO's Radio School this week, which teaches the fundamentals of radio interferometry and introduces participants to hands-on reduction of data from CSIRO’s ASKAP radio telescope and Murchison Widefield Array. This gave us the opportunity to support some additional community events and we learned that while radio astronomy and optical astronomy are quite different, these experts still generously gave their time to show over 100 attendees distant star clusters like Tuk 47, and planets like Venus and Saturn.