Ord-East Kimberley Expansion Project
The Ord-East Kimberley Expansion Project is a large scale nation building endeavour that will create stronger, vibrant and sustainable regional communities in the East Kimberley. The project will include the release of 8,000 hectares of agricultural lots, in conjunction with the improvement of social, community and common-use infrastructure.
The project will provide opportunities for Indigenous people in the East Kimberley region to benefit through training, employment, business development and improved community facilities.
The $415 million investment has two components:
(1) East Kimberley Development Package (EKDP) – $195 million from the Commonwealth Government’s Nation Building stimulus package
(2) Ord Irrigation Expansion Project (OIEP) – $220 million from the Western Australian Government’s Royalties for Regions fund
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Overview
- On 12 December 2008, the Prime Minister announced the Commonwealth Government’s $4.7 billion Nation Building-Economic Stimulus Package. The investment included $195 million over 2008-09 and 2009 10 for social and common-use infrastructure to support economic development in the East Kimberley region.
- The Commonwealth’s investment in the East Kimberley region was conditional on a joint Commonwealth and Western Australian Government assessment of the most effective infrastructure projects to meet the social and economic development needs of the region. The joint assessment was guided by terms of reference agreed by the Commonwealth and Western Australian Governments on 24 December 2008.
- The Commonwealth Government’s participation in the joint assessment was led by the Hon Gary Gray AO MP, Parliamentary Secretary for Western and Northern Australia, supported by the Office of Northern Australia. The Western Australian Government’s participation was led by the Hon Brendon Grylls MLA, Minister for Regional Development, supported by the Department of State Development.
- The Joint Assessment Report identified 27 priority infrastructure projects in the health, education, housing and accommodation, transport and community sectors. The Joint Assessment report can be viewed at the following link: http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/regional/ona/files/JointAssessment_EastKimberleyDevelopmentPackage.pdf
- The Prime Minister and the Premier signed the National Partnership Agreement (NPA) for the East Kimberley Development Package (EKDP) in Kununurra on 3 July 2009. Under this Agreement the State will deliver $177.9 million of the Commonwealth Government’s $195 million Nation Building investment into the East Kimberley region (21 of the 27 projects identified in the Joint Assessment Report).
- The Department of State Development’s State Initiatives Group is coordinating these projects in conjunction with the Commonwealth Government and other Western Australian state government agencies. http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/regional/ona/EKDP.aspx
Projects Identified by the Joint Assessment
| Project | $ million |
| Health - $50 million | |
| Redevelopment of Wyndham Health Facilities | 3.4 |
| Kununurra Hospital expansion | 20.0 |
| Short stay patient accommodation |
4.0 |
| Residential rehabilitation facility | 3.2 |
| Remote aged care services |
5.0 |
| Remote clinics | 2.0 |
| Environmental health measures |
6.8 |
| Sobering Up Centres | 0.6 |
| Health service providers housing |
5.0 |
| Education and Training - $64 million | |
| Wyndham Early Learning Activities Centre |
1.6 |
| Warmun Early Learning Centre | 0.6 |
| Kununurra Primary School |
25.0 |
| Kununurra District High School upgrade | 15.0 |
| Kununurra School Community Library expansion |
5.0 |
| East Kimberley Teacher Training Facility | 3.5 |
| Kimberley TAFE upgrade |
10.0 |
| Community meeting rooms | 2.3 |
| Early Childhood Building for Jundranung Community |
1.0 |
| Housing - $50 million | |
| Social Housing |
30.0 |
| Transition Housing | 20.0 |
| Transport - $15 million | |
| Wyndham Port facility upgrade | 10.0 |
| Kununurra Airport upgrade | 5.4 |
| Community - $16 million | |
| Community Sporting facilities |
4.2 |
| Warringari Art Centre | 1.6 |
| Wyndham Picture Gardens |
0.3 |
| Wyndham Community Jetty | 5.0 |
| MG Corporation – Gelganyem Trust shared facility |
4.5 |
| Total | 195.0 |
Indigenous Workforce Strategy
The Department of State Development is also working collaboratively with the Australian Government and State agencies to develop a location-specific Indigenous workforce implementation plan to create job and training pathways for Indigenous Australians in order to address the issue of social inclusion, including responding to Indigenous disadvantage.
Ord River Expansion Project
- The Ord Irrigation Expansion Project is a State Government program to realise the full potential of available resources in the East Kimberley to create a vibrant and major regional centre. It will increase the size of the Ord irrigation area to about 22,000ha of agricultural land, which will provide major opportunities for growth and sustainability for the region’s economic and social development.
- The initiative is being lead by the Western Australian Minister for Regional Development; Lands, Hon Brendon Grylls as the Minister assisting the Minister for State Development. It is a key priority of the State Government’s Royalties for Regions initiative, recognising regional centres as the backbone of the Western Australian economy. The Department of Regional Development and Lands is administering the roll-out of the program. http://www.royaltiesforregions.wa.gov.au/
- $220 million of State Government funding for developing infrastructure works directly relates to the development of additional irrigated land associated with the OIEP.
- The Department of Regional Development and Lands has primary responsibility for the OIEP.
http://www.rdl.wa.gov.au - LandCorp is calling for Expressions of Interest from suitably qualified and experienced contractors who are interested in tendering for the construction and delivery management of infrastructure for the Weaber Plains farmlands associated with the OIEP.
http://www.landcorp.com.au/project/ordexpansionproject - The Department of Water is seeking registrations of interest from suitably qualified parties who are interested in becoming the Ord irrigation service provider.
http://www.water.wa.gov.au
