4.4 Transformative project highlights

Air freight and general aviation servicing opportunities at Busselton Margaret River Airport (BMRA) are available across a flat 15ha industry-zoned development area.

Growth in passenger flights with underbelly freight capability will generate opportunities, particularly in future years as key international routes open to markets demanding premium perishable products.

However, the uniquely spacious greenfield development site and Code 4C and 4E aircraft accessibility offer opportunities that are unavailable in other airports. BMRA has the space for passenger and commercial aircraft hangars with associated servicing.

The need for a relocated new, fit-for-purpose saleyards to replace the Boyanup yards is well established. Demand persists, with stakeholders indicating the efficiency of selling stock from the South West catchment through Capel rather than through facilities in the Wheatbelt or Great Southern. Maintaining sale yards close to their current location is crucial for aggregating cattle herds, supporting feedlots, aiding small producers in competitive sales, and serving as a transit point for a variety of destinations.

Establishing a new location also opens up other opportunities as appropriate buffers, biosecurity, animal welfare, access to the RAV 4 network, water availability and other systems can be put in place.

Stakeholders have indicated a variety of large businesses across several different agricultural industries that could potentially act as an anchor, including an abattoir, horticulture processing facility, and grains processing. Indeed, a modern fit-for-purpose agribusiness precinct would offer opportunities in value adding, would be technologically advanced and would promote the circular economy.

It is notable that the existing saleyards within Boyanup townsite creates land use conflicts with neighbours including odour, noise, dust and effluent disposal, as well as constraining development of fully serviced land. Relocating the yards opens the door to residential development.

A Harvey Water market-led proposal, ‘Collie to Coast’, offers to deliver a water infrastructure project designed to improve water availability and quality for the benefit of agriculture and industrial water users in the South West, particularly supporting agricultural expansion in a proposed 500ha horticulture zone – Myalup Primary Industries Reserve.

Funded by the National Water Grid, the project proposes to deliver a reduction in the salinity of water sourced from the 185GL capacity Wellington Dam, and reduce water loss in the distribution network. The potential of Wellington Dam asset is constrained by salinity levels twice the 500 mg/L total dissolved salts acceptable for potable water.

The Collie to Coast study includes stakeholder engagement and will review previous ideas as well as assessing water demand. The preliminary business case is expected to be completed in 2024 and will look at options for: the expansion of the existing Binningup desalination plant; construction of a new 20GL capacity Wellington Dam desalination plant; upgrade and extension of water networks; establishment of managed aquifer recharge; and, better utilisation of existing storages.

Reducing salinity remains a South West priority issue and boosts regional water security.

Manufacturing is undergoing a dynamic transformation globally and plays a vital role in Australia’s economy.

Manufacturers are diversifying their focus across different stages of the manufacturing process, ranging from research and development, and ethical resource acquisition to responsible processing of waste materials.

Government policy supports the benefits of expanding regional production opportunities by decoupling the over-reliance on imports, alleviating dependency on global supply chains in materials, medical technologies and other goods. Advanced manufacturing is linked with competitive advantage and requires affordable energy, with an emphasis on promoting renewable energy as having leading credentials.

An Advanced Manufacturing and Technology Hub (AMTECH) in the region will enable the adoption of new technologies, processes and practices to attract increased private sector investment and encourage high-skilled, high-value job creation for the long-term growth and prosperity of the regional economy.

New technologies produce specialised and valuable inputs linked to downstream processing, improved efficiencies in the innovation process to target and supply growing Australian export markets and support the nation’s energy transition.

Skilled and knowledgeable workforces will be a prerequisite, building strength and underpinning investment attraction.

Industry-led, government supported

AMTECH is focused on a model that is driven by industry, with the South West Development Commission (SWDC) facilitating industry stakeholder engagement to provide high level industry oversight and advice.

Business leaders, educators and industry peak bodies are working together to inform a government-funded feasibility study and business case that will provide the rationale for investment and certainty on the design of facilities and infrastructure.

Importantly, AMTECH will take manufacturing to the next level by building an innovation eco-system incorporating on-site education and training facilities, common user infrastructure and accelerator programs that drive high-value industry transformation and workforce development.

Across Australia there is a rapid scale up of investment in manufacturing innovation to support new and emerging markets. The South West is poised to play a major role in a ‘Future Made in Australia’ building on the region’s existing strengths and comparative advantages.  

Clustering brings its own economic development benefits and infrastructure such as an intermodal terminal forges transport connections, delivering competitive advantage.

Critical minerals are essential components in modern technologies, particularly in generating clean energy. The Department of Industry, Science and Resources lists 33 critical minerals: Nine are produced in the South West. They are alumina, graphite, lithium, silicon, tantalum, titanium (ilmenite and rutile) and zircon.

The Australian Government’s critical minerals strategy emphasises sovereign capability, supply chains and renewable energy development as key issues with $566m made available from 2024-25 for Geoscience to map critical mineral and rare earth deposits across the continent.

These actions and investing in a “Future Made in Australia” highlight the importance of the South West in advanced manufacturing, port expansion and a renewable energy future. The South West is approaching a watershed period in which it value adds its potential or exports materials for another region to benefit.

Supported by the WA Government, Collie is transitioning from a coal-fired power industry and turning to innovation, typically in the decarbonisation space.

International Graphite is establishing a commercial scale processing plant to produce products including battery anodes from its graphite mine in the Great Southern. Magnium Australia has moved on from research and development to a pilot plant testing commercial viability in what will be the world’s first decarbonised magnesium metal plant. Green Steel WA has secured planning approval to build Western Australia’s first steel mill. The $400m steel recycling mill will convert scrap steel into rebar for local and international consumption. The plant will be Australia’s first green steel mill. Construction of the plant is expected to commence in early 2025, with early operations beginning in 2026.

Other projects include Colliecrete’s low carbon geopolymer cement and Renergi’s waste-to-fuel pyrolysis plant which was supported by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency.

The timber and forestry industry is under-rated as an economic contributor to the region and points towards a more sustainable future; growing, harvesting and then growing more trees to store carbon.

Innovations range from replacing plastic packaging to building more energy efficient and affordable housing. Planet Ark is promoting a Wood Encouragement Policy, a call to lock up carbon and think of timber first as a building material.

A timber future also raises new opportunities in education and training, developing expertise not just in construction but architecture, design, technology and manufacturing. The aim will be to become a region of excellence and grow talent so that the South West can be an exporter of knowledge and innovation.

An integrated processing facility would add value to the sector by utilising whole logs to maximum value and reducing costs through efficiency in processing by exploiting synergies within the industry cluster. A full merchandising yard would also support an Advanced Timber Manufacturing Hub.

The timber industry is a leading prospect for private sector investment. Creating the preconditions for investment in plantations at one end of the industry and high-end manufacturing at the other would set the sector on a solid course given the UN’s prediction that demand for timber products will treble by 2050.

Blue sky thinking establishes a path that leads to the development of a CLT or LVL plant and is underpinned by expansion of the Dardanup Timber Precinct to include an industry-leading processing yard serving a variety of related customers.

A shortage of fill materials and challenging soil types on land at the future suburb of Wanju will require lightweight construction techniques.  Since the customary approach of brick and concrete on raised pads will not be an option, the opportunity for quick-build alternatives comes to the fore.

Timber construction on raised frames is the future in a suburb already being promoted as one where environmental values will dominate. That opportunity points to affordable and energy efficient homes erected in half the typical build time.

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