Indicators of Regional Development in Western Australia

Prepared by URS Australia Pty Ltd for the Department of Local Government and Regional Development Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Page 2 Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Foreword

The Indicators of Regional Development in WA report has been prepared for the State Government to provide a comprehensive overview of what is happening in regional Western Australia. The report was prepared by consultants URS Australia, under the leadership and direction of the Department of Local Government and Regional Development.

Over 100 indicators have been assembled and analysed, covering the three main areas of regional development: economic, social and environmental. The indicators were selected in consultation with each of the nine regions, particularly through the Regional Development Commissions.

Much of the information has not been available before in a public document, at least not in the form presented. This fact, together with the sheer breadth and depth of information presented, Page 3 makes this a unique document which will be of interest and importance to residents and organisations throughout the State for years to come.

The report will inform regional communities about their region, and how they compare with other parts of the State, particularly Perth. Metropolitan communities will be better informed about regional areas of the State.

Individual indicators generally compare the performance of regions with Perth, wherever this is possible. This benchmarking of regions’ status against Perth will be of great assistance to Government in developing policy and making resource allocation decisions.

There are many sectors of the report which tell a positive story about the performance of regions compared to Perth. They clearly demonstrate that a lot more can be done to promote the quality of life enjoyed by regional residents and in doing so redress misconceptions of many city people. At the same time there are some indicators where the relative performance of regions overall is not as good as Perth. These are the areas and sectors the Government will continue to concentrate on to close any gaps between the city and the country.

The indicators in this report will also be drawn on to assist the Government in preparing its Regional Policy Statement, to be released in final form later in 2003.

I invite all Western Australians to have a close look at the Indicators report. I am sure you will find it interesting and informative.

HON DR GEOFF GALLOP MLA PREMIER Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Table of Contents

Foreword

1 Introduction 9 1.1 About this Report 9

2 Background 10 2.1 Government initiatives in sustainable development 10 2.2 Regional development in Western Australia 10 2.3 Current and best practice in indicators of regional development 14

Page 4 3 The purpose of the Report 17 3.1 Project objectives 17 3.2 How the Report will be used 17

4 Methodology 18 4.1 Project governance 18 4.2 Framework and indicator development 19 4.3 Data collection and analysis 24 4.4 Report preparation and review 24 4.5 Regional boundaries 25

5 Regional performance – summary indicators 27 5.1 Accessibility / Remoteness Index of Australia 27 5.2 Population dynamics 28 5.3 Gross regional product 33 5.4 Terms of trade for the principal industries 34 5.5 Life expectancy in the regions 36 5.6 Social Capital score 37 5.7 Landscape health 39 5.8 Management of land for nature conservation outcomes 41

6 Regional performance – economic 45 6.1 Background 45 6.2 Economic goal for the regions 45 6.3 Key result areas 45 6.4 A framework for indicators of economic performance 45 6.5 Regional economic indicators 48 Indicators of Regional Development in WA

7 Regional performance – social 99 7.1 Background 99 7.2 Social goal for the regions 99 7.3 Key result areas 99 7.4 A framework for indicator development 99 7.5 Regional social indicators 101

8 Regional performance – environment 187 8.1 Background 187 8.2 Environmental goal for regions 188 8.3 Key result areas 188 Page 5 8.4 A framework for indicator development 189 8.5 Regional environmental indicators 190

9 Acknowledgments and Sources 237 9.1 Acknowledgments 237 9.2 Sources 237

List of Annexes A. Regional Profiles i B. School Education District Boundaries xlvii C. Description of Western Australia’s Biogeographic Regions xlix D. Local Government Areas by Region lv E. Australian Standard Geographical Classification Areas and lix Corresponding Regional Development Commission Regions Indicators of Regional Development in WA

List of Tables Table 1: Key result areas for social, economic and environmental themes 20 Table 2: A hierarchy of regional reporting 24 Table 3: ARIA values and selected towns by region 28 Table 4: Population by region, 2001 29 Table 5: Population projections 2006 to 2031 32 Table 6: Gross Regional Product, 2000-2001 33 Table 7: Industry contribution to total factor income (2001-2002) 35 Table 8: Indigenous life expectancy, 1998 37 Table 9: Landscape stress of Bioregions 40 Table 10: Adequacy of Bioregion conservation in each RDC Region 42 Table 11: Key result areas in the economic theme 45 Table 12: Framework for economic indicators 46 Table 13: Gross Regional Product, 2000-2001 48 Table 14: Type of employed person, 1996 50 Page 6 Table 15: Employment by industry, 2001 52 Table 16: Quarterly unemployment by region, 2001/02 53 Table 17: Percentage unemployment by age group, 2001 55 Table 18: Participation rate for Perth, Southern WA and the remainder, 2002 56 Table 19: Status of non-English speaking labour force, 1996 57 Table 20: Regional Price Index, November 2000 59 Table 21: Average taxable income 60 Table 22: Weekly individual income by region 63 Table 23: Estimated Retail turnover 1998/99 to 2000/01 64 Table 24: Project investment in the region at June 2002 Quarter 65 Table 25: Total length of roads in kilometres, by type and region 66 Table 26: Major investments in road construction as at June 2001 67 Table 27: Road traffic counts 1998/99 67 Table 28: Port activity (tonnes exported), 1998/99 to 2001/02 68 Table 29: Median sale price and number sold for single & multi residential 69 dwellings, March 2001 to February 2002 Table 30: Tenure arrangements, 2001 71 Table 31: Indigenous housing tenure, 2001 72 Table 32: Non-residential building approvals, Dec 1999 – Mar 2001 74 Table 33: Water Corporation infrastructure and value, regional areas, 2002 75 Table 34: Regional breakdown of water demand (1999-2000) 76 Table 35: Customer service performance, Water Corporation 77 Table 36: Water Corporation accounts – regional areas 78 Table 37: Number and capacity of power throughout Western Australia, May 2002 79 Table 38: Source of power for power stations in Western Australia, May 2002 80 Table 39: Western Power’s service standards and targets, 2000 – 2001 81 Table 40: Renewable remote power generation programme 83 Table 41: Renewable energy electricity generation stations over 20 kW, May 2002 84 Table 42: Value of economic activity 1999/00 85 Table 43: Gross Regional Product by sectors, 2001 88 Table 44: Indigenous participation 90 Table 45: Planning activities in the regions, 2000/01 92 Table 46: Capital works ‘highlights’, 2001 to 2002 94 Table 47: Key State and Commonwealth Government initiatives available 96 for region specific adjustment Table 48: Key result areas in the social theme 99 Table 49: Examples of service and status indicators 100 Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Table 50: Number of isolated and distance education students, 2001 102 Table 51: Student numbers by district 102 Table 52: Student numbers in higher education - 2001 104 Table 53: Number of TAFE enrolments in the regions 106 Table 54: Proportion of Government school students who achieved national literacy 110 and numeracy benchmarks, 2001 Table 55: Proportion of Indigenous Government school students who achieved 111 national literacy and numeracy benchmarks, 2001 Table 56: Occupation profile of the workforce in the regions 112 Table 57: Professional care outlets in Western Australia 113 Table 58: Provision of recreational facilities and programs 115 Table 59: Quality of sport and recreation facilities 116 Table 60: Activities of the Culture and Arts Portfolio Agencies, 2002 117 Table 61: Provision of cultural facilities and programs, 2002 118 Table 62: Prevalence of chronic disease, 18 years aged and over, 2001 120 Table 63: Risk factors for disease, 2001 123 Page 7 Table 64: Proportion of people reporting psychological distress, 2001 125 Table 65: Prevalence of mental health problems, 2001 126 Table 66: Traumatic related work fatalities 127 Table 67: Causes of death higher / lower than the State rate, males 2001 129 Table 68: Causes of death higher / lower than the State rate, females 2001 130 Table 69: Indigenous life expectancy, 1998 133 Table 70: Level of resources, Police services 2002 134 Table 71: Annual rate of reported offences per 1,000 persons, 1996 to 1998 135 Table 72: Reported offences against the person and property per 1,000 persons, 2001 137 Table 73: Number of aged and community care places, 1996 146 Table 74: Examples of organisations and services for CALD minorities in the regions 149 Table 75: Active Youth organisations, 2002 152 Table 76: Availability of women’s related facilities in regional WA 154 Table 77: Examples of CALD organisations in the regions 158 Table 78: Youth suicide rates, 1991 to 2000 162 Table 79: Youth unemployment rates 164 Table 80: Percentage of females in the workforce across different 167 industries in Western Australia, 2001 Table 81: Male and female average weekly earnings, 1999 168 Table 82: Some examples of community management of state and local agencies in the region 170 Table 83: Weekly personal income distribution 175 Table 84: Public Internet access and providers in the regions, 1999 178 Table 85: Internet subscribers and data downloaded per subscriber, June Quarter 2001 184 Table 86: Professionals per 1,000 workers, 1996 186 Table 87: Key result areas for environmental management 188 Table 88: Estimated area of mined lands 190 Table 89: Agricultural and pastoral land use 193 Table 90: Area of land cleared 1998-2001 194 Table 91: Estimated areas of land threatened by shallow water tables, 2000 197 Table 92: Impacts of soil acidity, 2002 198 Table 93: Percentage of farmers who use selected sustainable land management practices 199 Table 94: Range condition in Western Australia 201 Table 95: Percentage of pastoral leaseholders who use selected sustainable land 203 management practices Table 96: South West WA - Wood supplies and trends to 2013 204 Table 97: Hardwood production from the regions (1999/00) 205 Table 98: Eucalypt plantation areas 205 Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Table 99: Indicative surface water development 208 Table 100: Water resources, flows and yields, 2000 209 Table 101: Groundwater yields, use and sustainability, 2000 210 Table 102: Pressure on rivers, 2000 213 Table 103: Nutrient loads and sedimentation 214 Table 104: Probable extent of river modification, 2002 215 Table 105: Water resource management, 2002 216 Table 106: Stock exploitation status and catch ranges for major commercial fisheries – 2000 219 Table 107: Fish and fish habitat protection 222 Table 108: Renewable energy electricity generation stations over 20 kW, May 2002 226 Table 109: Proportion of energy use from renewable sources 227 Table 110: Native vegetation fragmentation 228 Table 111: Invasive fauna 229 Table 112: Condition of Bioregions 230 Table 113: Land managed by government for nature conservation 232 Page 8 Table 114: Management Plans for land managed for nature conservation 233 Table 115: Adequacy of Bioregion conservation in each Region 236

List of Figures Figure 1: Selecting the focus for evaluation 15 Figure 2: Regional Development Commission boundaries and offices 25 Figure 3: Proportion of population born outside Australia, 2001 30 Figure 4: Annual Growth Rate, 2000 –2001 30 Figure 5: Terms of trade for Australia 34 Figure 6: Life expectancy, 2001 36 Figure 7: Mean Social Capital by gender and location 38 Figure 8: Mean Social Capital scores by physical and mental health status indicators 38 Figure 9: Mean net individual tax collected, 1995-96 62 Figure 10: Median sale price and number sold, March 2001 to February 2002 70 Figure 11: Proportion of unoccupied private dwellings, 2001 72 Figure 12: Percentage of school age children attending school in their own region 101 Figure 13: School participation rates – Indigenous children, 1996 103 Figure 14: Higher education participation rates, 1997 – 2001 104 Figure 15: Apparent retention rates to Year 12, 2001 108 Figure 16: Life expectancy, 2001 132 Figure 17: Feeling of safety within the community 139 Figure 18: Mean Social Capital by gender and location 140 Figure 19: Mean Social Capital scores by physical and mental health status indicators 141 Figure 20: Perceived community spirit 142 Figure 21: Percentage of the population as seniors (60+ years), 2001 155 Figure 22: Age distributions across the regions, 2001 156 Figure 23: Percentage of the population as youth (15-24 years), 2001 160 Figure 24: Average annual male and female salaries, 2001 169 Figure 25: Ratio of DSS payments to personal disposable income, 1998 172 Figure 26: Regional household lower income distribution, 2001 174 Figure 27: Gini coefficients, 2001 175 Figure 28: Internet usage, 2001 183 Figure 29: Environmental components 188 Figure 30: Current water use as a percentage of sustainable yield, surface water, 2000 210 Figure 31: Current water use as a percentage of sustainable yield, groundwater, 2000 211 Figure 32: Western Australia greenhouse gas emissions, 1990 and 1995 224 Introduction

Introduction1 The Western Australian Government is committed to the development of strong and vibrant regions.

Indicators of Regional Development in Western Australia (hereafter also termed the Regional Indicators Report) presents a picture of regional Western Australia in 2002, within a framework that considers the Government’s strategic approach to regional and sustainable development. The indicators in the Report measure the contribution made by governments, the private economic sector and communities to regional development, and the status of the regions in terms of economic, social and environmental outcomes. It tells the story of what is happening in the regions through examining a range of qualitative and quantitative indicators and makes comparison with State and Perth metropolitan data and information where appropriate. Page 9

The methodology and presentation has also been informed by national and international examples of the use of indicators to track performance in outputs and outcomes that impact human welfare and environmental quality.

The production of the Report has been managed by the Department of Local Government and Regional Development through a Working Group, assisted by the nine Regional Development Commissions and a Reference Group comprised of representatives from agencies with key roles in regional development. URS Australia Pty Ltd was engaged to work with these groups in producing this report.

1.1 About this Report

Section 2 provides the context for the development and use of indicators of regional development. It presents the Government’s structures and strategies for regional development. It also defines the regions of Western Australia, and the role of the Regional Development Commissions. Section 3 presents the project objectives and intended use of the Report. Section 4 presents the methodology and also reviews key national and international literature, before presenting a reporting framework.

Section 5 summarises the state of the regions using selected ‘key’ indicators, Sections 6, 7 and 8 present indicators for regional economic, social and environmental criteria, including relevant governance measures. Section 9 provides acknowledgments and a bibliography.

Annex A presents separate Summary Reports for each of the nine regions, with other supporting information in Annexes B to E. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Background2 2.1 Government initiatives in sustainable development

The State Government is committed to implementing the principles of sustainability across the

State. The Cabinet Standing Committee for Regional Policy chaired by the Premier has expressed support for the development of a future which is based on sustainable development and which reports progress in a ‘triple bottom line’ format. The commitment recognises that sustainable development has environmental, economic and social outcomes. The Government has established a Sustainability Policy Unit within the Department of Premier and Cabinet. This Unit released Focus on the Future: The Western Australian State Sustainability Strategy: Consultation Draft in September 2002. This strategy is very important for regional WA and will be the basis for long- term local plans. It has indicators and targets across economic, social and environmental domains. Page 10

2.1.1 Underpinning principles for Government in Western Australia The following principles are guiding Government in its strategic decision-making processes: • Honest, accountable and inclusive government. • Sound financial management. • A growing and diversified economy. • Strong and vibrant regions. • Safe, healthy and supportive communities. • An educated and skilled future for all Western Australians. • A valued and protected environment. • A just relationship with Indigenous Western Australians. • Intergenerational equity.

Strong and vibrant regions, although it stands as a separate principle, can only be achieved if considered in the context of all the above principles.

2.2 Regional development in Western Australia

Regional Western Australia encompasses over 90 per cent of Western Australia’s land area, and supports a population of more than 500,000, being 27 per cent of the State’s population. The regions provide 20 per cent of the Nation’s and 83 per cent of the State’s exports, most of this originating from primary and resource industries.

The Government appreciates the contribution that regional Western Australia makes to the National and State welfare and has a strong commitment to providing the services and infrastructure that will ensure sustainable regional development that delivers economic, social and environmental outcomes. Background

2.2.1 Government structures Cabinet Standing Committee on Regional Policy The Government has established a Cabinet Standing Committee on Regional Policy. The Committee is comprised of the Premier as Chairperson, and the four Ministers having responsibility for regional development through the nine Regional Development Commissions.

The Hon Tom Stephens MLC is responsible for the Gascoyne, Pilbara and Kimberley regions; the Hon Kim Chance MLC is responsible for the Midwest, Wheatbelt and Great-Southern regions; the Hon Nick Griffiths MLC is responsible for the Goldfields-Esperance region, and the Hon Jim McGinty MLA is responsible for the Peel and South West regions. In addition, the Hon Tom Stephens MLC, Minister for Local Government and Regional Development has a cross-regional responsibility for regional development.

Regional Development Commissions Page 11 The Regional Development Commissions (RDCs), are crucial and central components in regional development in WA. They play a key role in facilitating networks and partnerships across agencies operating in the regions. They have a strong commitment to improving the quality of services in their regions and the contribution those services make to better environments for their communities.

Objectives for the Regional Development Commissions The specific objectives of the Commissions are spelled out in the Regional Development Commissions Act 1993. The Act states the following …. ‘The objects of a Commission are to – (a) maximise job creation and improve career opportunities in the region; (b) develop and broaden the economic base of the region; (c) identify infrastructure services to promote economic and social development within the region; (d) provide information and advice to promote business development within the region; (e) seek to ensure that the general standard of government services and access to those services in the region is comparable to that which applies in the metropolitan area; and (f) generally take steps to encourage, promote, facilitate and monitor the economic development in the region.

For the purposes of achieving those objects a commission is to – (a) promote the region; (b) facilitate coordination between relevant statutory bodies and State government agencies; (c) cooperate with representatives of industry and commerce, employer and employee organisations, education and training institutions and other sections of the community within the region; (d) identify the opportunities for investment in the region and encourage that investment; (e) identify the infrastructure needs of the region, and encourage the provision of that infrastructure in the region; and (f) cooperate with — (i) departments of the Public Service of the State and the Commonwealth, and other agencies, instrumentalities and statutory bodies of the State and the Commonwealth; and (ii) local governments, in order to promote equitable delivery of services within the region.’ Indicators of Regional Development in WA

There are nine Regional Development Commissions (RDCs), covering the Gascoyne, Goldfields- Esperance, Great Southern, Kimberley, Mid West, Peel, Pilbara, South West and Wheatbelt regions. Each Commission comprises Board members with an interest in the region, supported by executive and project staff.

The boundaries of the nine Regional Development Commission regions provide the basis for reporting in this document. Given that not all agencies are using these boundaries for their regional data collection and reporting, there have been some compromises made in the reporting of indicators at regional scale that are explained in the text of this report.

Regional Development Council The Chairpersons of the nine RDCs, and two representatives from local government and an independent chairperson, collectively make up the Regional Development Council. It provides Page 12 advice on regional development to government through the Cabinet Standing Committee on Regional Policy, provides advocacy for regional development and promotes local government partnerships.

The Department of Local Government and Regional Development The Department of Local Government and Regional Development is headquartered in Perth and provides the following services to the Regional Development Commissions and the Council. • Regional Development Council Secretariat. • Program and project support. • Liaison on Federal regional development matters. • Training, professional development and capacity building. • Coordination of regional responses. • Information and analysis. • Regional investment tours.

2.2.2 The Draft Regional Policy Statement The State Government’s Draft Regional Policy Statement was released for public comment in November 2002 and will be finalised in 2003. The Statement supports one of the Government’s major principles – ‘strong and vibrant regions’ and sets out how the Government will work with regions and regional communities in providing services to help them progress sustainable development across economic, social and environmental domains.

The State Government’s approach to regional development emphasises regional service delivery, particularly in the social areas of health, education, policing and safer communities. Initiatives already in place include $75 million Regional Investment Fund, regional investment tours, the restoration of uniform electricity tariffs, and the strengthening of Government regional purchasing arrangements. Background

Under the Government’s pledge to Regional Western Australia, it is committed to the following principles and approaches to support strong and vibrant regions. It will: • identify and enable fair and just outcomes for regions; • maximise community consultation so that Government can understand and appropriately respond to regional needs; • facilitate effective partnerships between Government and regional communities; • recognise, respect and work with the diversity of regional communities; • improve the living standards of Indigenous people in regional areas; • invest in regional infrastructure to build and enhance regional strengths; • support creative solutions to regional needs based on quality research and development; • value and protect the environment, and • measure and report on progress of regional development.

The Vision for Regional Development Page 13 (Draft Regional Policy Statement, November 2002)

Western Australian regional communities will be healthy, safe and enjoyable places to live, offering expanded educational and employment opportunities for their residents and a high standard of services.

Regions will have robust, vibrant economies based on the sustainable use of economic, social and environmental resources and a strong partnership approach within and between regional communities, industry and Government.

Goals and outcomes (Draft Regional Policy Statement, November 2002)

Understanding, partnering and delivering better outcomes for regions • Government decision-making is based on a thorough understanding of regional issues. • Planning in partnership for a sustainable future. • Effective Government service delivery to regions.

Growing a diversified economy • Skilled communities. • Improved regional infrastructure. • Diversified regional economies. • Enhanced regional investment. • Fair pricing for regional residents and businesses. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Educated, healthy, safe and supportive communities • Life long learning in the regions. • Effective health service delivery. • Safe regional communities. • Enhanced quality of regional lifestyles. • Cohesive communities.

Valuing and protecting the environment • Improved environmental management. • Sustainable natural resource management. • Protection of our natural heritage and conservation of biodiversity.

2.3 Current and best practice in indicators of regional Page 14 development

2.3.1 International experience International experience in reporting on environmental, economic and social indicators is extensive. The USA, Canada, and Britain are well advanced in the development of national and regional reporting frameworks and methodologies. This work is of significance to the Regional Indicators Project, and provides some useful templates and learning experiences. Three of these projects are profiled below.

• ‘Quality of Life Counts: Indicators for a strategy for sustainable development for the United Kingdom- a baseline assessment’. In 1999 the United Kingdom published “A Better Quality of Life - A strategy for sustainable development in the UK”. In order to measure progress towards meeting the goals of this strategy, 15 headline indicators were developed to provide a broad overview of trends. In addition to this, 150 indicators were developed to focus on specific issues and areas for action. Each of these were reported on in 2000 with the baseline report “Quality of Life Counts: Indicators for a strategy for sustainable development for the United Kingdom- a baseline assessment”. • ‘Alberta Sustainability Trends 2000’ In 2001, the Albertan Government released the report “Alberta Sustainability Trends 2000”. The report was completed in close collaboration with the Pembina Institute for Appropriate Development and represents the first significant effort by a government to incorporate the concept of ‘genuine progress’ into traditional accounting frameworks. • ‘Minnesota Milestones’ and ‘Achieving the Oregon Shines Vision: The 2001 benchmark performance report’ The US has been working on sustainability reporting and the concept of genuine progress for some time now. This is taking place at a government level with the Presidents Council on Sustainable Development and with various regionally based initiatives in states such as Oregon and Minnesota. There has also been a good deal of work completed by non-profit research and policy organisations such as Redefining Progress. Background

2.3.2 National experience There are three important reference points at a national scale for the Regional Indicators Project. The first of these is the Commonwealth Department of Finance which has established protocols and indicators for evaluating the effectiveness and efficiency of service delivery by Commonwealth Government agencies.

The evaluation methodologies designed by the Department of Finance are used to compare actual outputs and outcomes from the implementation of programs with objectives or expected outputs and outcomes. This information is useful for management and preparation of subsequent investments. The focus is on outcomes (the most important criteria for allocating resources and evaluating effectiveness) and outputs (often leading indicators of outcomes) rather than inputs (which don’t necessarily result in change). The schematic presented in Figure 1 summarises the evaluation choices available to Government as a service provider.

Page 15 There are four types of evaluation identified in Figure 1: • Appropriateness-the extent to which Government objectives/desired outcomes align with defined regional requirements. • Effectiveness-the extent to which Government services are able to deliver actual outcomes that align with objectives. • Cost-effectiveness-the relationship between inputs and outcomes expressed in dollar terms. • Efficiency-the extent to which service inputs are minimised for a given level of outputs, or to which outputs are maximised for a given level of inputs.

Figure 1: Selecting the focus for evaluation

Appropriateness Cost-Effectiveness

Stakeholder Objectives or desired Actual Inputs Outputs needs outcomes outcomes

Efficiency

Effectiveness

The second area is the work done by other Commonwealth Government agencies, such as the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARE), the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), the Bureau of Rural Sciences (BRS), and the Productivity Commission, which have collectively generated a large number of relative reports on the economic, environmental and social trends in Australia. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

The third reference point is the work of the Australia Institute, which has resulted in the development of a National Genuine Progress Indicator for Australia1 .

2.3.3 State agency experience All agencies are required to report against performance requirements specified by the Auditor- General. Some agencies have gone further than this already made considerable progress in developing indicators. Examples include Regional Social Indicators for Aboriginal people in Western Australia2 (Department of Indigenous Affairs) and Future Perth3 (Western Australian Planning Commission). The Regional Development agencies have developed a series of status reports for the regions, particularly the Economic Perspectives (factors affecting economic performance).

The nine Development Commissions have also been active in documenting the physical and human resources in their regions and in developing and implementing strategies to achieve progress. Page 16 These sources of indicators and the data to measure them were an important consideration for the project.

2.3.4 Local government experience Some local governments are developing mechanisms to report on the state of and trends in their jurisdictions. Until now, most effort appears to have been made in the area of environment, with a number of local governments working on implementing Agenda 21 issues (e.g. Nedlands). In this context some Councils are publishing ‘State of the Environment’ reports, for example Armadale. In eastern Australia, the City of Newcastle has published Indicators of a Sustainable Community (2000).

2.3.5 Corporate sector experience Conventional corporate reporting has been governed by legislative requirements which focuses on financial performance. In the last decade, there has been a world-wide move to public reporting of corporate performance in environmental management. Australian pioneers included WMC Resources Ltd and BHP Billiton Proprietary Ltd. In recent years, this has extended to reporting contributions to health, safety, environmental and community outcomes, which is beginning to be wrapped up under the banner of ‘sustainability reporting’. The Global Reporting Initiative has also developed Sustainability Reporting Guidelines on Economic, Environmental, and Social Performance4 , which will provide an international context to corporate reporting.

1 Hamilton, C and Denniss, R (2000) Tracking well being in Australia - The Genuine Progress Indicator 2000. The Australia Institute Ltd. 2 Indigenous Affairs (2000). Regional Social Indicators for Aboriginal People in Western Australia. Government of WA. 3 Western Australian Planning Commission (1999). Future Perth Indicators. Ministry for Planning, Government of Western Australia. 4 Global Reporting Initiative (2000) Sustainability Reporting Guidelines on Economic, Environmental, and Social Performance. The purpose of the Report

The purpose3 of the Report The Regional Indicators Report is a Report to Government from the Department for Local Government and Regional Development and the Regional Development Council and will be distributed widely to regional development stakeholders.

3.1 Project objectives

The objective of the project was to develop and use indicators that are able to report trends in regional development across the nine regions in WA. Specific tasks were as follows. • Development of an appropriate framework for the Regional Indicators Report, set within the context of Government objectives for regional development. • Development of a comprehensive range of quantitative and qualitative indicators that Page 17 address the Government’s three outcome areas for regional development – ‘economic’, ‘social’ and ‘environmental’. • Compilation and analysis of available regional data sets that address the indicators and with comparison of the levels of these indicators between the regions and the Perth metropolitan area. • Preparation and submission of a complete draft Regional Indicators Report of a quality acceptable to the Working Group (see Section 4) and the Regional Development Council. • Recommendations for new indicators to be included and data collection requirements to measure performance against these new indicators. • Recommendations on potential improvements to methodology for future reporting, and to the quality and relevance of future Regional Indicator Reports.

3.2 How the Report will be used

The Regional Indicators Report will have the following main uses. • Informing regional communities about their region. • Informing metropolitan communities about the regions and their people. • Enhancing the accessibility of key statistics on the regions. • Benchmarking the regions’ status against the Perth metropolitan area. • Measuring change over time in selected indicators of regional development. • Contributing to the evaluation of the commitments made in the Draft Regional Policy Statement. • Influencing government policy and strategy in relation to regional areas. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Methodology

The Consultant Team and the Department4 of Local Government and Regional Development used the following methodology in scoping the project, developing a framework, indicators and data, and in presenting the Report.

4.1 Project governance

4.1.1 Working Group At the outset of the project, the Department established a Working Group to manage the project. The Working Group comprised Ross Mannion and Stephen Yule (Department of Local Government and Regional Development), Jennifer Duffecy (Department of Premier and Cabinet), Page 18 David Singe (Wheatbelt Development Commission), Don Punch (South West Development Commission), Jeff Gooding (Kimberley Development Commission) and Wayne Scheggia (Western Australian Local Government Association). The Working Group was assisted by John Lim (Department of Local Government and Regional Development) in an executive officer capacity. The Consultant Team from URS Australia Ltd whom worked with the Working Group comprised Dr Don Burnside, Dr Fionnuala Frost, Geoff Moyle, Andrew Thomson and Shane Boladeras.

Working Group roles and responsibilities. • Project management on behalf of the Department. • Provision of advice to the consultants about methodology and process; • Provision of advice and feedback about the reporting framework and indicator selection; • Final approval of report structure and the indicator set; • Assistance with data collection and interpretation, and • Review and final acceptance of the Report on behalf of the Department.

4.1.2 Reference group A Regional Indicators Reference Group (RIRG) composed of nominated representatives of relevant Government Departments who provided input, ideas and advice about desirable indicators and will also arrange for assistance with data sources for the indicators. The agencies on the RIRG are listed below. Department of Agriculture Department of Industry and Technology Department for Community Development Department of Justice Department of Conservation Department of Local Government and Department of Consumer and Regional Development* Employment Protection Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources Department of Culture and the Arts Department of Premier and Cabinet* Department of Education Department of Planning and Infrastructure Department of Fisheries Department of Racing, Gaming and Liquor Department of Health Department of Sport and Recreation Department of Housing and Works Department of Training Department of Indigenous Affairs Department of Treasury and Finance Methodology

Disabilities and Services Commission Tourism Department Forest Products Commission Water and Rivers Commission Gas Access Regulation Water Corporation Department of Indigenous Affairs Western Australian Police Service Office of Economic Regulator Western Australian Tourism Commission Office of Energy Regional Development Commissions* * Working Group Members, which also includes WALGA

Note: Department titles as at time of Reference Group establishment.

Reference Group roles and responsibilities. • Advocacy for the project and the Regional Indicators Report through existing agency networks. Page 19 • Assistance to the Working Group and project team with the provision of data for specific indicators available in agency data bases and reporting systems. • Expert advice to the Working Group on the Report framework and indicators. • Critical review of the First Draft of the Regional Indicators Report for quality of context, interpretation and conclusions.

4.2 Framework and indicator development

4.2.1 Literature review The Consultant Team reviewed an extensive array of state, national and international literature concerned with establishing and using indicators of performance at regional, state and national scale. Learnings from this review, along with feedback from the Working Group and a consideration of Government objectives and strategies in regional development was used by the Team in designing a preferred framework.

4.2.2 Scoping paper A Scoping Paper was prepared by the Consultant Team that considered the context, background and objectives for the project. It was used to determine the place and role of the project in both regional development and in the work being done by Government in establishing headline indicators for sustainable development – the ‘true measures of progress’. The Scoping Paper was used as a basis for discussions with the Working Group in refining project objectives and the framework for development of the indicators and Report structure.

4.2.3 Report structure and indicator framework The development of a Report structure and indicator framework was guided by Government principles and policies relevant in the regions. The nine Regional Development Commissions, the Working Group and members of the Reference Group also contributed to indicator development. A combination of these influences led to the development of the Key Result Areas (KRAs) for the three themes, as shown in Table 1 (Page 21). Indicators of Regional Development in WA

A fundamental decision related to the overall thrust of the Report. There were two obvious alternatives. • Reporting could be concerned mainly with the impacts of government services in a region. In this case, use of the model relating inputs, outputs and outcomes in Figure 1 (Page 18) would provide an appropriate framework. • Reporting would ignore government services per se, and simply report the status and trends for major social, economic and environmental indicators, and the drivers for the trends in the regions, regardless of whether they are a result of deliberate government action.

The Working Group, supported by the Reference Group, resolved that both alternatives warranted comment in the Report. While government support for regional development is important to recognise, indicators that are able to measure the drivers on regional activities that are not within the direct influence of government such as commodity prices, levels of private sector investment, and human behavioural aspects also need to be reported. Ultimately, it was decided that the Page 20 Report should ‘tell a region’s story’ in a manner that allows a region’s residents to determine why their region looks and behaves as it does.

Key result areas for reporting Separate models for the three themes were then used to provide frameworks for relating the Key Result Areas to the respective economic, social and environmental goal areas, as presented in the Draft Regional Policy Statement. Outcomes in the other goal area in the Draft Statement – ‘Government’, are addressed within the three themes.

The KRA frameworks were then used to inform indicator development. The KRAs and their context are shown in Table 1.

Table 1: Key result areas for social, economic and environmental themes

Economic goal – ‘Growing a diversified economy’

Key Result Area Context

Economic performance Traditional measures of economic performance eg. GRP, participation in the workforce, unemployment, Regional price index, terms of trade for commodities, and savings/debt levels. Re-distribution of taxes from the regions, retail turnover, net investment into the region.

Infrastructure Transport, housing, water, energy, land access, planning, public infrastructure. Capital and maintenance levels, use: capacity ratios, cost to providers compared to consumers.

Goods and services Production, exports from the region, business performance.

Economic resilience Economic ‘depth’ in the region, Indigenous participation, research & development, government support, business and industry dynamics, adjustment processes. Methodology

Social goal –‘ Educated, healthy, safe and supportive communities’

Key Result Area Context

Education and training Access to and levels of achievement in primary, secondary, tertiary and vocational education. Qualification profiles by region

Health and well-being Access to medical facilities, and health promotion, recreational and cultural facilities. Healthy life expectancy, involvement in health enhancing behaviours, industrial impacts, mortality and morbidity.

Community safety Crime rates and reported offences, evaluation of policing and policing resources, levels of investment to protect households (including insurance), community feelings over safety, costs of crime, and crime as a function of demographics.

Social capital Social cohesion and generalised reciprocity, generalised trust, community identity.

CALD, gender, youth, seniors Access to CALD service and CALD participation in the community, gender equity issues, youth aspirations, employment and facilities. Aged care facilities and level of retention in the region. Page 21

Community involvement in Government investment in consultation procedures, level of decision decision making making regional autonomy, evels of discretionary funding at regional scale, regional input to state level decisions.

Personal financial Investment in social security, percentage of people below the independence poverty line, homelessness.

Equity in communication and Quality and cost of electronic services, level of use of services, professional services access to regionally based professional services, use of local services.

Environmental goal - ‘Valuing and protecting the environment’

Key Result Area Context

Land • Natural resource use (pressure) - On-site and off-site Water environmental burdens and impacts resulting from use of Marine natural resources for agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining, Air energy etc. Biodiversity • Natural capital stocks (state) - Current condition of the land, water resources, ocean environments, atmosphere, biodiversity. • Mechanisms and management (response) - Environmental governance - investment in ameliorative activities, new technology, quality of reserve systems, and management plans.

The goals and outcomes for economic, social and environmental domains, and service delivery in the Draft Regional Policy Statement (see Section 2.2.2) provided essential guidance for the development of Key Result Areas for reporting in this Regional Indicators Report. However, it is important to note that there is not necessarily a strict alignment between the outcomes and targets in the Draft Regional Policy Statement and the KRAs selected. Firstly, the processes for developing both documents were separate. Secondly, the Regional Indicators Report is not intended to measure performance against the commitments in the Policy Statement per se. Instead this Report has a wider purpose of informing regional communities and other interested parties about the regions’ status as stand-alone entities, and how they compare to other areas in the State. Subsequent Reports will provide trends over time. The organisation of the KRAs and their attendant indicators reflect this wider purpose. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

4.2.4 Perth as a benchmark for regional development Western Australia’s unusual character, where 73 per cent of the people live in the Perth region, and 27 per cent live in the remainder of this very large state provides an important context for the Regional Indicators Project. In effect, levels of outcomes in economic, environmental and social criteria in the Perth region will form the benchmark against which the status of the regions will be measured. More importantly, Government service delivery and accessibility of those services in the Perth region provides a benchmark for a relative comparison of the quality of servicing in the regions (a measure of regional government ‘capability’).

4.2.5 Indicator selection The advice from the Working Group was that capturing the region’s story should be achievable with the use of about 100 indicators. For the economic and social themes, the Consultant Team workshopped most of the indicators from a zero-base, using the key result areas, and the frameworks Page 22 shown in Sections 6 and 7 following as a point of departure. Additional advice was sought from some key agencies about appropriate indicators. The initial list was refined with reference to existing indicators used internationally and nationally and in state agency reporting. The objective was to align the list as much as possible with existing indicators. For the environmental indicators reported in Section 8, most indicators were taken straight from the State of the Environment Report 1998.

The original list had over 250 indicators. The first stage in focusing and contracting this list was to evaluate each for the quality of its contribution to the whole picture. Indicators will have value if they meet certain specific criteria. Evaluating suggested indicators against suitable criteria was an important filtering process in generating the minimum number of high quality indicators that address the requirements. Evaluating an indicator against criteria can be done on either a ‘yes/no’ basis, or by scaling the level of criterion satisfaction.

The list below is drawn from criteria used in assessing sustainability indicators in a range of reporting formats5 .6 • Validity* – Does the indicator logically measure the ‘item of interest’? • Value and relevance* – Is the indicator likely to be relevant and valuable to the regional community, its activities and the outcomes? • Predictive* – Is the indicator likely to give an early warning about a dangerous or irreversible problem? • Goal driven* – Is the indicator likely to really measure progress to achieving the goal? • Future-oriented – Is the indicator likely to provide decision makers with information about the future? • Sustainable – Does the item of interest being measured have a long-term dimension? • Trend – Is the indicator able to show trends over time? • Scope – Does the indicator deal with an issue relevant to the whole community or only to a small part? • Understandable – Is the intent and meaning of the indicator readily apparent to regional residents? • Presentation – Can the indicator be presented in pictorial, graphical or spatial ways?

5 Australia Institute and City of Newcastle (2000). Indicators of a sustainable community. Australia Institute, Discussion Paper No. 28. 6 City of Onkaparinga (2000). Monitoring outcomes: achieving goals City of Onkaparinga, Noarlunga. Methodology

• Measurable* – Can the indicator be easily and cheaply measured? • Reliability* – Can the indicator be measured reliably? • Accessible – Is information about the indicator readily available? • Timely – Can the indicator provide timely feedback to decision-makers? • Responsive – Can changes in the item of interest be readily detected in the measurements? • Compatible – Does the indicator align in a clear way with the general thrust of others in the suite?

Those criteria marked with an asterisk were selected as the focus of the evaluation. Putting the original indicator list through the evaluation process reduced the list to 190. A further process of amalgamation and consideration of advice from the Regional Development Commissions reduced the number of indicators to 140. Lack of availability of data resulted in further deletions, resulting in a final list of 94 reported indicators.

4.2.6 Regional review Page 23 All nine Regional Development Commissions (RDCs) were visited by members of the project team prior to the finalisation of framework and indicator set. The purpose of the visits was to ensure that the project as informed by regional issues and priorities. The Scoping Paper and draft indicator list were sent to all RDCs before the visit. The process adopted for the meetings was as follows. • Discussion of the project – its context, relationship to regional development and other government activities in indicator development. • Getting the ‘region’s story’ - its essential characteristics, issues, objectives, programs and activities and how they need to be represented in the Report. • Review of the initial Draft list of indicators from the standpoint of region-specific needs in the Report. Information was sought about changes to the indicators, those that should be deleted and others that should be included. • Obtaining feedback about how the Report should be presented and used and how regional indicator reporting should occur in the future.

4.2.7 Finalisation of report structure and indicator set A draft report structure and the indicator set were workshopped with the Working Group before being presented to the Reference Group. This Group provided comments that were considered by the Working Group prior to finalising the Report structure and indicator set.

4.2.8 Reporting regionally In many cases, desirable data were not available at the regional scale, as defined in the boundaries for the nine Regional Development Commissions. Separate government agencies have their own regional definitions for reporting, and in the case of environmental reporting, the Bioregions used by State of the Environment reporting provide an important point of departure. In some cases, data were only available at state, or regional WA scale. A hierarchy of reporting was used to decide whether to proceed with an indicator as shown in Table 2. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Table 2: A hierarchy of regional reporting

Position in hierarchy Commentary Examples

1. Data available at Regional Normally data collected by the Population statistics, Gross Regional Development Commission Department of Local Government Product. (RDC) regional scale. and Regional Development.

2. Data available at regional scale Many agencies use their own Education statistics, health statistics. within approximate RDC regional reporting boundaries. boundaries.

3. Data available at some regional Useful when looking at broad Farming and grazing practices, scale. differences. policing services.

4. Data available at Perth Provides some indication of Social Capital scores. metropolitan versus regional gross variations. Western Australia.

5. Data only available at state or Reported only for general Greenhouse gas emissions. national scale. interest across the state. Page 24

4.3 Data collection and analysis

The array of social, economic and environmental data is large. Information was accessed from multiple sources. The principal sources only are listed in the Sources (Section 9.2). Specific data sources are listed throughout the Report against individual indicators.

4.4 Report preparation and review

The indicators and their region-by-region measures have been presented in three formats. In the first format, summary ‘key’ indicators are presented for all regions in Section 5. In the second format, shown in Sections 6, 7 and 8, measures and commentary are provided for each indicator across all regions. The second format presents separate reports for each region which provide measurements and commentary for all indicators relevant to that region. In both formats, performance in the Perth region will be provided as the benchmark.

The Report content was reviewed by both the Working Group, the Regional Development Commissions and the Reference Group before approval by the Department of Local Government and Regional Development. Methodology

4.5 Regional boundaries

The nine Regional Development Commission regions and their boundaries are shown in Figure 2 and the local government areas by region are shown in Annex D. Statistics and findings represented in tabular or graphical form describe these boundaries unless stated otherwise. School education district boundaries are contained within Annex B and are used in reporting some of the educational indicators when stated.

Figure 2: Regional Development Commission boundaries and offices

Kununurra

Derby Broome Page 25 KIMBERLEY

Port Hedland Karratha

Exmouth PILBARA

GASCOYNE Carnarvon MID WEST

Mt Magnet Leonora

Geraldton GOLDFIELDS-ESPERANCE

Moora WHEATBELT Kalgoorlie-Boulder Merredin Perth Northam PEEL Mandurah Collie Narrogin Bunbury Katanning Esperance Manjimup Albany SOUTH WEST GREAT SOUTHERN

Source: Department of Local Government and Regional Development (2002) Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Page 26 Regional performance - summary indicators

Regional performance – summary5 indicators

Eight indicators were selected to summarise the status of the regions across the three themes.

5.1 Accessibility / Remoteness Index of Australia

The Accessibility / Remoteness Index of Australia (ARIA) is a standard approach to measuring remoteness and uses distances to population centres as the basis for quantifying service access and hence remoteness. The remoteness index was developed by the National Centre for Social Applications of Geographic Information Systems (GISCA) on behalf of the (then) Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care (1999), and a number of other Commonwealth agencies. The index uses GIS technology to combine road distance to population centres of various sizes as Page 27 a measure of service access, in developing a standard measure of remoteness. The ARIA is categorised in the following way:

• Highly Accessible (HA: ARIA score less than 1.84) – relatively unrestricted accessibility to a wide range of goods and services and opportunities for social interaction; • Accessible (A: ARIA score 1.84 to 3.51) – some restrictions to accessibility of some goods, services and opportunities for social interaction; • Moderately Accessible (MA: ARIA score 3.52 to 5.80) – significantly restricted accessibility of goods, services and opportunities for social interaction; • Remote (R: ARIA score 5.81 to 9.08) – very restricted accessibility of goods, services and opportunities for social interaction; and • Very Remote (VR: ARIA score 9.08 or more) – locally disadvantaged, with very little accessibility of goods, services and opportunities for social interaction.

Sample ARIA scores across the regions are shown in Table 3. Accessibility is obviously a relative rather than an absolute measure, with the scores being used to display a region’s and a town’s remoteness compared to its peers. The scores show the very large range of accessibility across the regions. For example, 100 per cent of the Peel Region, located immediately south of the Metropolitan area and centred on the large urban community of Mandurah is rated as highly accessible. Conversely, the three most northern regions, Kimberley, Pilbara and Gascoyne all have over 90 per cent of their areas classed as very remote.

Within these regional scores lie the major regional communities which, viewed in isolation are less remote than the region surrounding them. Thus Port Hedland and Broome, with scores of nine are much less affected by remoteness than are smaller outback towns such as Gascoyne Junction and Meekatharra. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Table 3: ARIA values and selected towns by region

Region ARIA Values as a ARIA for selected towns percentage of a region’s area

Gascoyne 92% VR, 8% R Exmouth (12), Carnarvon (8.16), Gascoyne Junction (10.18)

Goldfields-Esperance 80% VR, 15% R, 5% MA Laverton (10.17), Kalgoorlie-Boulder (3.87), Esperance (7.21)

Great Southern 87% MA, 13% A Katanning (4.76), Albany (2.69), Cranbrook (3.76)

Kimberley 99% VR, 1% R Kununurra (12), Derby (11.41), Broome (9)

Mid West 75% VR, 8% R, Meekatharra (10.79), Geraldton (2.76), 16% MA, 1% A Dongara (3.55)

Peel 100% HA Mandurah (0.47), Byford (0.76), North Page 28 Dandalup (1.01)

Pilbara 97% VR, 3% R Port Hedland (9), Karratha (9), Tom Price (11.83)

South West 42% MA, 36% A, Bunbury (1.14), Busselton (1.84), 22% HA Margaret River (3.03)

Wheatbelt 12% VR, 41% R, 24% Northam (1.30), Narrogin (3.75), MA, 15% A, 8% HA Kellerberrin (3.90)

Source: Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care (1999).

Presentation of the ARIA values by proportion of the population in each category would present a different picture. For example, most of the Pilbara’s population is located in a few towns classified only as remote, while the proportion of the region by area classified as very remote is 97 per cent.

5.2 Population dynamics

Table 4 shows the populations of the nine regions and metropolitan Perth as at 30 June 2001. The majority of the State’s population lives in the Perth metropolitan area with less than 30 per cent living in regional Western Australia. The South West contains the highest proportion of the State’s regional population (6.8%), followed by Peel (4.0%) and the Wheatbelt (3.8%). The northern regions, the Gascoyne, the Pilbara and Kimberley have the lowest populations, with 100,000 people living ‘north of the 26th parallel’, representing 4.3 per cent of the State’s population.

The total Indigenous population of Western Australia is 66,069, which is 3.5 per cent of the total population. The majority of the Indigenous population live in regional Western Australia (66%). The Kimberley region has the highest proportion of Indigenous residents at 47 per cent. While the Metropolitan area has the highest total Indigenous population of 22,151, this comprises only 1.6 per cent of the total Metropolitan area population. Regional performance - summary indicators

Table 4: Population by region, 2001

Region Total ERP* ERP Estimated ERP Indigenous Regional Indigenous Indigenous Regional Distribution Population Distribution Proportion (%) Estimates (%) (%)

Gascoyne 10,232 0.5 1,731 2.6 16.9

Goldfields-Esperance 55,255 2.9 5,708 8.6 10.3

Great Southern 53,426 2.8 1,942 2.9 3.6

Kimberley 32,700 1.7 15,466 23.4 47.3

Mid West 50,463 2.6 5,196 7.9 10.3

Peel 76,734 4.0 1,219 1.8 1.9

Pilbara 39,676 2.1 6,548 9.9 16.5

South West 129,925 6.8 2805 4.2 2.2

Wheatbelt 872,407 3.8 3,303 5.0 4.6 Page 29

Regional WA 520,818 27.3 43,918 66.3 8.4

Perth 1,385,296 72.7 22,151 33.7 1.6

State Total 1,906,114 100.0 66,069 100.0 3.5

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics Census of Population and Housing (2001) and Department of Housing and Works (2002). * ERP = Estimated Resident Population

Figure 3 shows the percentage of each region’s population that are born outside Australia. In regional Western Australia, the Kimberley, Mid West and Wheatbelt regions have populations containing less than 15 per cent of persons who were born overseas. A higher percentage of Perth’s population (31.3%) was born overseas, lifting the State average to 27 per cent. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Figure 3: Proportion of population born outside Australia, 2001

WA 26.8 Perth 31.3 Regional WA 15.2 Wheatbelt 12.6 South West 15.4 Pilbara 17.9 Peel 20.1 Mid West 12.4 Kimberley 11.1 Great Southern 16.1 Goldfields-Esperance 14.7 Gascoyne 16.4

Page 30 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 Born overseas (%)

Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing (2001).

5.2.1 Growth rates Figure 4 is a summary of the trends in Estimated Resident Population (ERP) figures for the period from 2000 to 2001. The population of Western Australia increased to 1,906,114 in June 2001, an increase of 1.4 per cent over the 12 months. This was slightly lower than the Average Annual Growth Rate (AAGR) for the State over the past five and ten year periods, which was 1.5 per cent per year. Non-metropolitan Western Australia had a collective population of 520,818 in 2001, which has increased by 1.3 per cent over the previous twelve months and also by 1.3 per cent on average, per year, for the ten-year period.

Figure 4: Annual Growth Rate, 2000 –2001

Kimberley 4.4

Peel 3.2

South West 2.4

Gascoyne 1.8

Perth Metro Area 1.4

Great Southern 1.0

Mid West 1.0

Wheatbelt -0.1

Pilbara -1.3

Goldfields-Esperance -1.4

-2-1012345 % change

Source: Department of Local Government and Regional Development. Regional performance - summary indicators

The Kimberley region (4.4%) exhibited the largest growth rate over the 12 month period, followed by Peel (3.2%) and the South West (2.4%). The Goldfields-Esperance and Pilbara regions exhibited the largest decline in population over the last year (-1.4% and –1.3% respectively) and over the preceding five-year period (-0.4% and –0.4% respectively). The Pilbara experienced the largest decline over the ten-year period (-1.6 %). It is likely that changes in the nature of activities in the mining activity have generated this trend.

Summary of estimated resident population changes, 1991 to 2001:

The trends over the last decade presented below incorporate all the changes to Local Government Area (LGA) boundaries that occurred to the time of the census and applies these boundary changes retrospectively to 1991 making identification of population change more accurate. These data are the final release figures and incorporate revisions of all previous released ERP data for the last ten years. • The LGA exhibiting the highest average annual population growth over the ten-year period, Page 31 was Wiluna, increasing its population from 394 (1991) to 920 (2001) at an average rate of 8.9 percent per year. This increase can be attributed to an increase in mining activity and in the Indigenous population. • Wanneroo had the second highest growth rate for the ten-year period (6.1%) and grew by an average annual rate of 5.4 per cent over the five-year period due to the general growth in residential developments in the northern suburbs. • The LGA of Perth exhibited 5.4 per cent average annual growth over the ten-year period (third highest). Perth had the highest AAGR over the five-year period (7.3%) and again over the twelve months from 2000 to 2001 (9.0%). This was due to the increase in the provision of inner-city high density housing. • Broome also exhibited high population growth, having the second highest rates over the five- year (6.3%) and twelve month (6.4%) periods, due to the flow-on effects of tourism activity and increased residential land release. Broome’s population grew on average by 5.3 per cent per year over the ten-year period. • The general urban and commercial expansion of greater Bunbury has resulted in Dardanup’s population increasing from 5,458 people to 9,001 over the ten-year period to 2001, at an AAGR of 5.1 per cent. • The Shire of Capel’s population increased over the twelve-month period to 2001 by 6.1 per cent, due to recent commercial and residential developments. • The increase, in recent years, in the Indigenous population has resulted in Halls Creek achieving average annual growth rates of 6.1 per cent for both the five-year period and over the twelve months to 2001. • Significant growth rates, over the ten-year period, were also achieved by the LGAs of Rockingham (5.4%), Mandurah (5.3%) and Augusta-Margaret River (5.1%); whereas Wanneroo and Busselton grew by 5.4 and 5.1 per cent respectively, on average for the five- year period. • Changes in the level and nature of mining activity is likely to have contributed to the population declines experienced by the Shires of East Pilbara, Sandstone, Cue, Dundas, Meekatharra, Leonora, Coolgardie and Yilgarn over the five-year, ten-year or twelve-month periods. • In predominantly agricultural regions, increased efficiencies in broad-acre farming, and structural adjustment to address declining terms of trade for agricultural commodities can partially account for the population declines experienced in Carnamah, Trayning, Koorda, Yilgarn and Kondinin over the ten-year, five-year or twelve-month periods. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

5.2.2 Migration Western Australia recorded net gains through interstate migration during the period from 1974 to 1990, and ranked second after Queensland as the most popular destination for interstate movers. Net losses were recorded in Western Australia during the period 1991-1993, but the State returned to net gains after 1994. However, it is intrastate migration that involves by far the greatest number of movements in Western Australia, with an estimated 133,000 moves taking place between statistical divisions in the period 1991-19967 . During this period there were only two regions that gained net population through intrastate migration, being the South West by about 11,300 and Perth by about 6,500.

Migration into a region has a positive net benefit on the regional economy by providing additional labour and stimulating the housing, retailing, education and entertainment sectors. In the past Perth has been successful in attracting both interstate and overseas migrants mainly due to the employment opportunities available in a growing economy, and perceived advantages in the quality Page 32 of life.

5.2.3 Population projections Table 5 presents the current regional population projections to 2031 for Perth and regional WA.

Table 5: Population projections 2006 to 2031

Region 2001 2006 2011 2016 2021 2026 2031 % Diff. (current) (2001 -31)

Gascoyne 10,200 10,500 11,200 12,100 12,900 13,900 15,100 +48.0

Goldfields-Esperance 55,300 68,200 74,000 79,500 84,900 90,200 95,100 +72.0

Great Southern 53,400 56,100 59,300 62,500 65,600 68,200 70,300 +31.6

Kimberley 32,700 34,200 37,100 40,400 43,800 47,200 50,700 +55.0

Mid West 50,500 57,200 59,900 62,400 64,600 66,200 67,300 +33.3

Peel 76,700 95,200 114,300 131,100 148,500 165,400 180,800 +135.7

Pilbara 39,700 44,800 46,500 48,000 49,400 50,400 51,100 +28.7

South West 129,900 142,200 157,300 172,300 187,700 203,000 218,000 +67.8

Wheatbelt 72,400 78,900 85,800 94,100 102,500 110,400 117,700 +62.6

Regional WA 520,800 587,300 645,400 702,400 759,900 814,900 866,100 +66.3

Perth 1,385,300 1,509,100 1,619,400 1,733,400 1,842,400 1,945,500 2,041,700 +47.4

State Total 1,906,100 2,096,400 2,264,800 2,435,800 2,602,300 2,760,400 2,907,800 +52.6

Source: ABS -2001, Department for Planning and Infrastructure (DPI) - 2006 to 2031 Note: The DPI population projections for Western Australia include the Shire of Serpentine-Jarrahdale in the Perth Planning Region. However, in the table above, the Shire of Serpentine-Jarrahdale has been included in the Peel figure as per the Peel Regional Development Commission region.

7 Western Australia Tomorrow, Population Projections for Statistical Divisions, Planning Regions and Local Government Areas of Western Australia. Population Report No. 4, October 2000, Ministry of Planning (now Department for Planning and Infrastructure). Regional performance - summary indicators

These estimates suggest that the population of regional Western Australia will grow at a faster rate than Perth, with very high growth in the areas close to the city in the Peel Region. The predictions suggest some slowing of the growth rate compared to recent trends in the Kimberley and a reversal of recent population declines in the Pilbara and Goldfields-Esperance. Population growth will continue to be strong in the South West region.

5.3 Gross Regional Product

Background Gross Regional Product (GRP) is an indicator of the level of economic activity occurring in a region. It includes all aspects of the economic activity, including primary (e.g. mining, agriculture), secondary (e.g. manufacturing, food processing) and tertiary (e.g. education, financial services) sectors. The value of the indicator can be enhanced by considering factors such as GRP per capita (i.e. per person) and the rate of economic growth. Its main limitations as an indicator are that it does not address how the region’s economic activity is distributed across: Page 33 • the three economic sectors – primary, secondary and tertiary; • the region’s people; or • entities and people within and outside the region.

Current situation Gross Regional Product for the regions is shown in Table 6.

Table 6: Gross Regional Product, 2000-2001

Region GRP 5 yr average GRP per Major primary Percentage ($billion) annual capita ($) contributors of GSP growth rate (%)*

Gascoyne 0.50 5.2 48,448 Fishing, mining, agriculture, transport 0.7

Goldfields-Esperance 5.53 8.1 100,084 Mining, construction, property 6.9

Great Southern 1.56 4.1 29,271 Agriculture, forestry, fishing, manufacturing, 2.1 finance and insurance

Kimberley 1.27 6.3 38,783 Mining, health and community services, transport 1.7

Mid West 2.95 6.8 58,509 Mining, agric, forestry and fishing, construction 3.8

Peel 2.27 6.5 29,612 Mining, manufacturing, construction 3.0

Pilbara 4.55 8.4 114,625 Mining, construction and transport 5.6

South West 4.56 6.0 35,085 Mining, manufacturing, construction 6.0

Wheatbelt 3.01 4.4 41,555 Agriculture, forestry and fishing, mining, transport 3.9

Regional WA 26.20 6.6 50,301 33.7

Perth 47.92 6.0 34,593 Finance and insurance, property, manufacturing 66.3

State Total 74.12 6.2 38,885 100.0

* Calculated as average annual growth rate, not adjusted for CPI, over five years – 1995/96 to 2000/01. Source: Department of Local Government and Regional Development. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Comments Overall, the Gross Product per capita in the regions is higher than in Perth, by 45 per cent. This difference is influenced strongly by the contribution made by the capital intensive mining industries in two regions – the Goldfields-Esperance and Pilbara regions. In the more labour-intensive economies in other regions such as Peel, Great Southern and the South West, GRP per capita is closer to the Perth figure of $34,593.

The two most obvious characteristics of the regional economies are the large differences between them in GRP per capita and in their average annual growth rates over the last five years. The Gascoyne, Great Southern, South West, and Wheatbelt have been growing more slowly than the regions either close to Perth (Peel) or where recent mining developments have been occurring – in the Goldfields-Esperance, Mid West and Pilbara regions.

Page 34 5.4 Terms of trade for the principal industries

The terms of trade index in Figure 5 shows the relationship between Australia’s export and import prices. A rise in the terms of trade indicates that Australia could purchase a greater volume of imports with a given volume of exports; a fall indicates that a greater volume of exports is required to purchase a given volume of imports. Given that regional Western Australia’s economy is highly dependent on an ability to export profitably, an understanding of trends in the terms of trade is fundamental to an interpretation of regional economic performance and trends.

Between 1990-91 and 1993-94, there was almost a 10% deterioration in Australia’s terms of trade, reflecting falling export prices and strongly rising import prices. The terms of trade had improved by 1997-98 (returning to just under their 1990-91 level), then again deteriorated 5% in 1998-99, owing largely to fluctuations in import prices. Rising export prices thereafter brought the terms of trade in 2000-01 back to a little above their level of a decade earlier.

Figure 5: Terms of trade for Australia

140.0

130.0

120.0

Index 110.0

100.0

90.0

80.0 Jun.1970 Jun.1974 Jun.1976 Jun.1978 Jun.1980 Jun.1984 Jun.1988 Jun.1990 Jun.1994 Jun.1998 Jun.2000 Jun.2002 Jun.1972 Jun.1982 Jun.1986 Jun.1992 Jun.1996 Year

Source: Australian System of National Accounts 2001-02, ABS (2002). Regional performance - summary indicators

Industry composition of total factor income Individual industry contributions to total factor income for 2001-02 are shown in Table 7. In line with long term trends, there has been a shift in economic activity from goods producing industries to service providing industries over the period 1989-90 to 2001-02.

However, this trend is less apparent in Western Australia where mining is responsible for 20 per cent of total factor income, which is a much higher figure than for any other jurisdiction than the Northern Territory. Given that virtually all of the mined commodities are produced in the regions and exported, this makes the Western Australian regional economies more sensitive to trends in the overall terms of trade. Declining terms of trade, as seen in the period from 1990 to 1994 put increased pressure on exporting industries which need to increase their productivity to ensure that they can trade profitably in world markets. Increasing terms of trade improve the conditions for these industries and encourage investment in further production.

Table 7: Industry contribution to total factor income8 (2001-2002) Page 35

NSW Vic Qld SA WA Tas NT ACT Aust %%%%%%%%%

Agriculture, forestry and fishing 3 458464 -4

Mining 2 2 8 3 21 2 24 - 5

Manufacturing 12 14 10 14 9 14 4 2 12

Electricity, gas & water supply 2 32236132

Construction 6 67675776

Wholesale trade 6 66554225

Retail trade 5 57556445

Accommodation, cafes and restaurants 3 23223322

Transport and storage 5 45455425

Communication services 3 43223323

Finance & insurance 9 85646347

Property & business services 14 13 9 9 10 6 9 14 12

Govt. admin & defence 3 343259274

Education 4 55645555

Health and community services 6 66869666

Cultural and recreational services 2 22212232

Personal and other services 2 23323232

Ownership of dwellings 12 98969589

General government(b) 2 23223352

Total 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100

Source: Australian System of National Accounts 2001-02, ABS (2002). - nil or rounded to zero (including null cells) (a) Industries may not add to total due to rounding differences. (b) State details for general government gross operating surplus by industry are not available.

8 Total factor income is the total domestic income generated by all the producing units in an accounting year within the domestic territory of the country. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

5.5 Life expectancy in the regions

Background Life expectancy is defined as the average number of years a person is expected to live if the current mortality conditions (i.e. age-specific mortality rates) prevailed throughout their lives. Life expectancy and infant mortality data have some validity in assessing overall health conditions in a country / region.

Current situation The values of life expectancy in Figure 6 are ‘experimental’ estimates and are indicative only. Life expectancy for males ranges from 71.8 years in the Kimberley to 79.5 year in the Wheatbelt. Life expectancy for females is consistently higher, ranging from 78.4 years in the Kimberley to 85.7 years in the Wheatbelt and Great Southern.

Page 36 Figure 6: Life expectancy, 2001

85.0 WA 79.0 85.2 Perth 79.4 85.7 Wheatbelt 79.5 85.0 South West 79.4 82.9 Pilbara 76.4 82.5 Peel 75.3 84.2 Mid West 76.9 78.4 Kimberley 71.8 85.7 Great Southern 79.1 82.7 Goldfields-Esperance 75.5 85.1 Gascoyne 76.7

60.0 65.0 70.0 75.0 80.0 85.0 90.0 Female Life Expectancy (years) Male

Source: Department of Health.

In 1998, Western Australian Indigenous females had a life expectancy at birth 6.8 years higher than Indigenous males (Table 8). At this time, life expectancy amongst Indigenous males and females was 59.6 years and 66.4 years respectively. Between 1992 and 1998 there was a 1.6 year increase in the life expectancy of Indigenous males from 58.0 years to 59.6 years and for Indigenous females, a 2.4 year increase from 64.0 years to 66.4 years. Regional performance - summary indicators

Table 8: Indigenous life expectancy, 1998

Males Females

Indigenous 59.6 66.4

Non-Indigenous 76.4 82.1

Difference - 16.8 - 15.7

Source: Department of Health.

Comment Life expectancy for both males and females is lowest in the Kimberley region, and highest in the agricultural regions of the Great Southern and Wheatbelt regions. For males, the Great Southern, South West and Wheatbelt regions recorded levels of life expectancy greater than the Western Australian average. For females, those same three regions along with the Gascoyne held a life Page 37 expectancy greater than the State average. In aggregate, Western Australia’s life expectancy for males and females is above the Australian average, which is 76.6 for males and 82.0 for females.

In general, Indigenous people have poorer health and higher mortality rates than non-Indigenous people. Consequently, life expectancy among Indigenous people is significantly lower than for the rest of the population. In 1998, life expectancy amongst Indigenous people in Western Australia was some 24 to 28 per cent lower than for non-Indigenous people.

5.6 Social Capital score

Background In the 2000 Health and Wellbeing Survey (Department of Health, Western Australia), a reliable index of social capital was included, which was the first time such an index had been used in an Australian population health survey. The Social Capital Index ©9 has been developed as a valid and reliable means of relating the relative social health of a community to its physical health and well-being. The Short-form (SF-11) version of the Social Capital Index © has eleven separate items which respondents score on a strongly agree – strongly disagree scale. The scores for each item are then aggregated into the following three core dimensions. •‘Social cohesion and generalised repricocity’ – includes items which measure the importance of neighbourhood relationships, friendships, and support to respondents. •‘Generalised trust’ – includes items which measure a respondent’s preparedness to trust neighbours and the general community. •‘Community identity’ – includes items which measure a respondent’s sense of belonging in their local neighbourhood and their satisfaction with the local community. A further aggregation of the three dimensions can produce a single score for social capital.

Current situation The Social Capital Index © has been used by the WA Department of Health to report on social capital in regional and metropolitan WA. Separate scores for each region are not yet readily available. Figure 7 shows the available data.

9 Copyright for the Social Capital Index © is held by Dr Janice Dillon, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Curtin. Permission to describe and present the Index is acknowledged. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Figure 7: Mean Social Capital by gender and location

13.013.0

12.512.5

12.012.0

11.511.5

11.011.0 Page 38 RuralRural MaleMale MetroMetro MaleMale RuralRural FemaleFemale MetroMetro FemaleFemale

Source: Health and Wellbeing Survey (2000).

The social capital score is slightly higher amongst rural dwellers than those who live in the Perth metropolitan area. Further, in both domains, females have higher social capital scores than do males.

Mean social capital scores by physical and mental health status indicators are presented in Figure 8. These data show that a higher proportion of people with below average social capital scores have at least one doctor-diagnosed mental health problem compared with people who have average or above social capital scores. Also, a higher proportion of people with below average social capital scores have at least one chronic disease condition compared with people who have average or above social capital scores.

Figure 8: Mean Social Capital scores by physical and mental health status indicators

13.0

12.5

12.0

11.5

11.0 Has at least one Has no doctor Has at least one Has no chronic doctor diagnosed diagnosed mental chronic disease disease condition mental health problem health problem condition

Source: Health and Wellbeing Survey (2000). Regional performance - summary indicators

5.7 Landscape health

Background The National Land and Water Resources Audit (2001) has undertaken a rapid assessment of landscape health across Australia. Landscape health is a relative measure developed by comparing the current state of the landscape against the pre-European settlement state as a benchmark. The indicators used to describe ‘landscape health’ include native vegetation, land use, soil and hydrology, weeds, feral animals and threatened ecosystems and species. Some other attributes such as fire regime could not be used due to a lack of available data. Landscape health has been estimated for two major ‘mega-regions’ – the intensive areas, being in WA the areas south and west of the limit of agricultural land use; and the extensive zone, being the remainder of the State. Within these major zones, the separate attributes were aggregated to develop an index of ‘landscape stress’.

Current situation Page 39 The assessment is presented in the Audit at sub-bioregional scale. For the purpose of the presentation here, the sub-regional data have been summarised for the bioregions10 in each RDC regional area. The assessments are shown in Table 9. The information presented shows that the relative level of landscape stress is higher in the more closely settled bioregions and those where clearing of native vegetation for agriculture is most evident. The most stressed landscapes in WA are those in the Avon Bioregion, which lies mainly in the Wheatbelt Region, with overlaps into the Mid West and South West regions. The principal drivers of stress are the low level of remaining native vegetation, and the pressures imposed by weeds, altered hydrology, dryland salinity and feral animals.

The lowest levels of landscape stress are found in the sparsely populated inland semi-arid and arid areas in the Pilbara and Goldfields-Esperance regions, and in those parts of the pastoral areas subject to low levels of grazing, such as in the North Kimberley and Dampierland.

Comment Landscape-scale responses are required in nearly all of the bioregions in the State, particularly those in the southern regions in the intensive zone. Priorities identified as part of the Audit process include protecting and managing the remaining native vegetation resources, and increasing the area under native vegetation. The next indicator (Section 5.8) addresses the requirement for establishing a comprehensive, adequate and representative conservation reserve system.

10 80 Bioregions have been defined for Australia, according to the Interim Bioregionalisation completed by Thackwell and Cresswell 1985. A bio-region is a landscape with common geomorphology, climate and vegetation. Bioregions are the base unit for considering environmental management in Australia and in State of the Environment reporting at state and national scales. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Table 9: Landscape stress of Bioregions

Region Major Bioregions represented* Level of landscape stress

Gascoyne (G) Carnarvon Very high

Gascoyne Very high - high

Goldfields-Esperance (GE) Esperance Plains (share with GS) Low

Mallee (share with GS and W) Very high - high

Coolgardie Very low

Great Victoria Desert Very low - lowest

Nullarbor Lowest

Hampton Lowest

Central Ranges Lowest

Gibson Desert Lowest Page 40 Great Southern (GS) Warren (share with SW) Very low

Mallee (share with GE and W) Very high - high

Jarrah Forest (share with SW, GS and Pe) Very high - high

Kimberley (K) Northern Kimberley Lowest

Central Kimberley Very low

Dampierland Lowest

Ord-Victoria Plains Lowest - high

Victoria-Bonaparte High

Tanami Very low

Mid West (MW) Geraldton sandplain (share with W) High

Yalgoo High

Avon (share with W and SW) Highest

Murchison Very high

Peel (Pe) Swan Coastal Plain (share with SW) Very high

Jarrah Forest (share with SW and GS) Very high - high

Pilbara (Pi) Pilbara Very high – high - lowest

Great Sandy Desert Very low

Little Sandy Desert Lowest

South West (SW) Swan Coastal Plain (share with Pe) Very high

Jarrah Forest (share with GS and Pe) Very high - high

Warren (share with GS) Very low

Avon (share with MW and W) Highest

Wheatbelt (W) Avon (share with MW and SW) Highest

Mallee (share with GE and GS) Very high to high

Geraldton sandplain (share with MW) High

Source: National Land and Water Resources Audit (2001). Regional performance - summary indicators

5.8 Management of land for nature conservation out- comes

Background Conservation of biodiversity needs to occur at a bioregional scale, with local actions supporting these regional outcomes. Biodiversity conservation depends on actions taken to conserve and manage available habitat, the control of stresses such as feral animal and weeds and the prevention of exotic diseases and pests. In respect of terrestrial biodiversity, most action focuses on the management of areas of natural habitat that contain important components of the bioregion’s biodiversity. The State’s aim is to establish a ‘comprehensive, adequate and representative’ (CAR) conservation reserve system.

An assessment of the comprehensiveness, adequacy and representativeness (CAR) of the reserve system in each region was undertaken by using the Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation of Page 41 Australia (IBRA). The IBRA (Thackway and Cresswell 1995) categorises the Australian continent into regions of like geology, landform, vegetation, fauna and climate. There are 80 such ‘Bioregions’ throughout Australia, and 26 occur in Western Australia. These classifications were used as a surrogate measure of vegetation types. This analysis was undertaken on the basis of representation of Bioregion provinces in the total conservation estate and not within areas specifically gazetted as conservation reserves. In the southern regions the conservation estate includes State forest reserves, although these may not provide the same level of nature conservation security as National Parks and other dedicated conservation reserves. Results for these regions are likely to be an overestimate of the level of representation within a CAR conservation system. The principal government agency with responsibility for achieving nature conservation outcomes is the Department of Conservation and Land Management (CALM).

Current situation ‘Representation’ and ‘Comprehensiveness’ is assessed by the percentage area of each bioregion province that is held within the Conservation Commission estate in each region. ‘Adequacy’ of representation in each region is summarised by Table 10 where the number of bioregion provinces with representation at 0 per cent, and less than 5, 10 and 15 per cent by area is shown. There is still ongoing debate as to what adequate representation is, with early arguments for comprehensive representation of 10 per cent by area. As conservation estates have improved and better knowledge obtained this may now have shifted to a goal of 15 per cent or more.

Results show that some 8.6 per cent of WA is within the conservation estate (inclusive of State forests) held under the auspices of the Conservation Commission of WA. The level of representation varies greatly across RDC regions. The Pilbara, Kimberley, and Mid-West regions have a representation of near to 5 per cent. Other non-forested regions are Gascoyne (13.1%), Goldfields- Esperance (11.6%), Great Southern (15.3%), and Wheatbelt (9.6%). Representation in regions with forests (and with the Conservation Commission estate likely to include greater areas of State forest reserves) are much higher: Peel (47.2%), Perth (24%), and South-West (59.2%). Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Table 10: Adequacy of Bioregion conservation in each RDC Region

Region % CALM No. of 0% <5% <10% <15% Bioregions

Gascoyne 13.1 8 1 3 4 5

Goldfields-Esperance 11.6 20 4 6 11 15

Great Southern 15.3 7 - 2 2 4

Kimberley 5.0 14 5 7 10 12

Mid West 5.2 16 5 9 12 13

Peel 47.2 2 - - 1 1

Pilbara 5.6 16 7 10 14 15

South West 59.2 4 - - 1 1

Wheatbelt 9.6 11 - 2 4 5

Page 42 Perth 24.0 3 - 1 1 1

Source: Department of Conservation and Land Management.

As well as variability between RDC regions in the area conserved, there is also great variability of representation between bioregions within each RDC region. Table 10 also summarises the average level of representation of Bioregion provinces in each RDC region, but also breaks this down by showing the number of provinces in each region, and the number with representation below a range of ‘Adequacy’ thresholds. For example, the Pilbara has an average representation in the conservation estate of 5.6 per cent. There are 16 different Bioregion provinces in the Pilbara, and of those provinces seven are not represented in the conservation estate at all and 10 of the 16 are represented at a level of less than 5 per cent by area. Similarly for the Gascoyne, Goldfields- Esperance, Great Southern, Kimberley, and Mid-West regions, more than a quarter of the Bioregion provinces in those regions are poorly represented in the conservation estate (less than 5 per cent by area).

Comment An important objective for Government will be to continue to acquire land for the conservation estate, with the objective of having a comprehensive, adequate and representative reserve system. For example, Government is currently (December 2002) establishing 30 new National Parks in the old growth forest areas (in the South West region), and is purchasing pastoral leases in the Gascoyne and Mid West regions to add to the conservation estate in those areas.

The information provided above discusses actions by government only. Adequate biodiversity conservation will require action to be taken to manage biodiversity wherever it occurs, such as on private land holdings. Government and private sectors are encouraging this approach, through the following actions. • Enactment of new biodiversity conservation legislation to replace the Wildlife Conservation Act 1950. The new legislation will incorporate recent understandings of the requirement for biodiversity conservation. • Development of approaches for ecologically sustainable management of grazing enterprises on pastoral leasehold land. Regional performance - summary indicators

• Support for private conservation reserves through projects establishing special management arrangements for remnant vegetation on private land, and through support for entities such as the Australian Wildlife Conservancy. • Support through schemes such as the Natural Heritage Trust for community volunteers who are managing biodiversity at local scales. • Research into the identification, management and rehabilitation of WA’s biodiversity being undertaken by government, universities and mining companies.

Page 43 Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Page 44 Regional performance - economic

Regional performance – economic6

6.1 Background

The Western Australian economy is driven by the export of primary commodities, mainly minerals and hydrocarbons, with agricultural commodities also making a significant contribution. These commodities make up approximately 83 per cent of the State’s exports and they are nearly all sourced from the regions. Thus, regional Western Australia, with just 27 per cent of the population contributes nearly all of the exports.

6.2 Economic goal for the regions Page 45

The goal for economic development in the regions is: Growing a diversified economy.

6.3 Key result areas

The Key Result Areas for the economic theme are shown in Table 11.

Table 11: Key result areas in the economic theme

Key Result Area Context

Economic performance Traditional measures of economic performance eg. GDP, participation in the workforce, unemployment, regional price index, terms of trade for commodities, and savings/debt levels, re-distribution of taxes from the regions, retail turnover, net investment into the region.

Infrastructure Transport, housing, water, energy, land access, planning, public infrastructure, capital and maintenance levels, use: capacity ratios, cost to providers compared to consumers.

Goods and services Production, exports from the region, business performance.

Economic resilience Economic ‘depth’ in the region, Indigenous participation, research & development, government support, business and industry dynamics, adjustment processes.

6.4 A framework for indicators of economic performance

In Table 12, the key result areas in the economic theme have been located within a modified version of a standard logical framework to show the relationship between them in the context of regional economic performance. The framework contains three levels – the fundamental drivers of economic outcomes; the catalytic factors that will promote economic development, and the outcomes being the goal adopted for regional economic development. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

The table recognises fundamental drivers of economic development, which essentially are the natural resources, human skills and knowledge and financial capital available to support economic activity. The indicators include the inherent natural resources of a region, such as minerals or agricultural potential, and the market environment for the products of these resources. Capital and labour availability complete the requirements for economic development. Most of these drivers are outside the direct control of regional governance, and sometimes beyond even the influence of national governance. For example, the terms of trade for primary commodities such as iron ore and wheat exert a powerful influence on the way these industries grow and develop, and the resultant impact on the regional economies that are sustained by these industries. On the other hand, the total net investment into a region is derived from both government and private sector sources. Most of the former is directed into boosting the catalytic factors that will stimulate economic performance – such as infrastructure and provision of business support services. Most of the latter goes directly into industry and business projects, the activity of which is captured in GDP and the other outcome indicators.

Page 46 Table 12: Framework for economic indicators

Narrative summary Objectively verifiable Important assumptions indicators

Goal: Growing a diversified • GRP per capita Regional residents recognise the economy. • Economic diversity and components of regional structure economic performance. • Employment • Equity in participation • Net contribution to wider economy

Catalytic factors: Regionally • Regionally relevant R&D The assumption is that focused actions that encourage • Local procurement investment into higher levels of regional economic growth. • Infrastructure each of the catalytic factors will • Direct government support contribute through time to • Skills development achievement of the economic (considered in social theme) goal.

Drivers: external and internal • All forms of investment into The drivers have a significant factors, that promote economic the regional economy impact on the economic growth. • Terms of trade outcomes experienced by • Natural resources (considered regional residences. Trends in in environmental theme) these indicators are able to • Population resources explain trends in economic (considered in summary) outcomes.

Achievement of the goal will be promoted by deliberate actions taken within the region to create a ‘fertile environment’ for the fundamental drivers to operate in. These catalytic factors include the investments in regional research and development, the appropriateness and quality of the infrastructure, direct support from government for industry and business development and adjustment, and actions taken to manage the price structure in the regions. Taking action on these factors is mainly the responsibility of governments, although large corporate operations can also be significant investors. This is most obviously seen in the Pilbara, where much of the rail and port infrastructure and the newer inland towns were built by corporate mining companies. At the other end of the scale, in the Wheatbelt region, where economic activity occurs mainly in small businesses, government has provided virtually all of the infrastructure and planning support for the regional economy. Regional performance - economic

In the Table 12 the goal for economic development is represented by a number of indicator groupings that describe the size and nature of the regional economy. In presenting the indicators, the assumption is made that the region’s economic activity is entirely attributable to the contributions made by the resident population. This can be challenged on the grounds that it ignores inputs from outside the region, in areas like research and development, corporate management, financial management and input product development. However, separating out the contribution to a region’s economic output made by those resident and those located elsewhere would be complex and easily disputed.

Page 47 Indicators of Regional Development in WA

6.5 Regional economic indicators

6.5.1 Economic performance

Indicator: Gross Regional Product Background Gross Regional Product (GRP) is an indicator of the level of economic activity occurring in that region. It includes all aspects of the economic activity, including primary (e.g. mining, agriculture), secondary (e.g. manufacturing, food processing) and tertiary (e.g. education, financial services) sectors. The value of the indicator can be enhanced by considering factors such as GRP per capita and the rate of economic growth. Its main limitations as an indicator are that it does not address how the region’s economic activity is distributed across: the three sectors; the region’s people; or Page 48 the distribution of the costs and benefits of the economic activity to entities outside the region. Some of these finer points are considered in later indicators.

Current situation Gross Regional Product for the regions is shown in Table 13.

Table 13: Gross Regional Product, 2000-2001

Region GRP 5 yr average GRP per Major primary Percentage ($billion) annual capita ($) contributors of GSP growth rate (%)*

Gascoyne 0.50 5.2 48,448 Fishing, mining, agriculture, transport 0.7

Goldfields-Esperance 5.53 8.1 100,084 Mining, construction, property 6.9

Great Southern 1.56 4.1 29,271 Agriculture, forestry, fishing, manufacturing, 2.1 finance and insurance

Kimberley 1.27 6.3 38,783 Mining, health and community services, transport 1.7

Mid West 2.95 6.8 58,509 Mining, agric, forestry and fishing, construction 3.8

Peel 2.27 6.5 29,612 Mining, manufacturing, construction 3.0

Pilbara 4.55 8.4 114,625 Mining, construction and transport 5.6

South West 4.56 6.0 35,085 Mining, manufacturing, construction 6.0

Wheatbelt 3.01 4.4 41,555 Agriculture, forestry and fishing, mining, transport 3.9

Regional WA 26.20 6.6 50,301 33.7

Perth 47.92 6.0 34,593 Finance and insurance, property, manufacturing 66.3

State Total 74.12 6.2 38,885 100.0

* Calculated as average annual growth rate, not adjusted for CPI, over five years – 1995/96 to 2000/01. Source: Department of Local Government and Regional Development. Regional performance - economic

Comments Overall, the Gross Product per capita in the regions is higher than in Perth, by 45 per cent. This difference is influenced strongly by the contribution made by the capital intensive mining industries in two regions – the Goldfields-Esperance and Pilbara regions. In the more labour-intensive economies in other regions such as Peel, Great Southern and the South West, GRP per capita is closer to the Perth figure of $34,593.

The two most obvious characteristics of the regional economies are the large differences between them in GRP per capita and in their average annual growth rates over the last five years. The Gascoyne, Great Southern, South West, and Wheatbelt have been growing more slowly than in the regions either close to Perth (Peel) or where recent mining developments have been occurring – in the Goldfields-Esperance, Mid West and Pilbara regions.

Page 49 Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Indicator: Employment by industry

Background The Census of Population and Housing provides data for employment by industry in Western Australia. This indicator is represented by the percentage of people working in the region as an employee, employer, employed person – own account worker or employed person – contributing family worker. Also shown is the distribution of employment by sector, which provides an indication of the diversity and the strengths of each industry in the region.

Current situation Table 15 reports on the number and percentage of people employed within each industry throughout the nine regions and Perth metropolitan area. Throughout all the regions retail trade was the Page 50 largest or second largest employer, accounting for 9.9 per cent or greater of the workforce. Regions where 20 per cent or more of the workforce were employed by one single industry were the Wheatbelt – agriculture, forestry and fishing (34%), Pilbara – mining (25%), Great Southern – agriculture, forestry and fishing (22%) and Goldfields-Esperance – mining (22%). Employment in regional Western Australia is concentrated in the agriculture, forestry and fishing (14%), retail trade (13%), mining (8%) and manufacturing (8%) industries. Approximately one quarter of the State’s workforce were employed in regional Western Australia with 24 per cent of these employed in the South West and 14 per cent in the Wheatbelt.

As shown in Table 14, which is the latest information available from the 1996 Census, the greatest percentage of employers reside in the Wheatbelt (6.0%) and the Great Southern (5.9%), which is caused by the dominance of family-owned farming businesses and the smallest proportion is in the Pilbara (1.6%), Goldfields-Esperance (2.7%) and Kimberley (2.7%).

Table 14: Type of employed person, 1996

Region Employee (%) Employer Employed Employed Persons - Own Persons - account worker Contributing family (%) worker (%)

Gascoyne 85.1 4.6 8.1 2.2

Goldfields-Esperance 90.8 2.7 5.5 1.0

Great Southern 77.1 5.9 14.2 2.8

Kimberley 92.1 2.7 4.3 0.9

Mid West 85.0 4.5 8.6 1.9

Peel 87.2 3.3 8.1 1.4

Pilbara 95.1 1.6 2.8 0.5

South West 85.4 4.6 8.4 1.6

Wheatbelt 76.4 6.0 14.6 3.0

Regional WA 86.0 4.0 8.3 1.7

Perth 90.8 2.5 5.9 0.8

State Total 86.5 3.8 8.1 1.6

Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing (1996). Regional performance - economic

Comment At the regional scale, concentration of employment in a few industries is evident – with employ- ment in some sectors ranging from 15.2 per cent (agriculture, forestry and fishing – Mid West) to 34.2 per cent (agriculture, forestry and fishing – Wheatbelt) of the total workforce. Three indus- tries accounted for the majority of employment in the workforce – agriculture, forestry and fish- ing; mining; and manufacturing. These three industries combined account for between 25 and 41 per cent of employment in all regions, with the exception of the Kimberley where they account for only 18 per cent of the workforce. In Perth, this figure is 14 per cent. The Wheatbelt, Great Southern and Gascoyne all had strong agriculture, forestry and fishing industry sectors, employing a large percentage of the workforce.

Page 51 Indicators of Regional Development in WA

4.7)

(0.9)

9 (9.8)

9 (11.2)

56 (3.5)

,289 (5.2)

.7) 60,306 (7.5)

4.1) 32,428 (4.0)

2 (11.2) 84,237 (10.4)

70 (7.5) 61,846 (7.7)

25,320 (4.3) 36,061 (4.5)

.4) (15.9) 93,476 (15.2) 123,037

WA

62 (13.6) 6671 (1.1) 36,633 (4.5)

Page 52

brackets.

opulation and Housing (2001). opulation and Housing

regions is shown in brackets. is shown regions

, 2001

regions is shown in is shown regions

Esperance Southern

within

5,927 26,611 20,955 16,375 21,232 25,426 20,402 53,051 30,379 220,358 586,967 807,325

between

(0.7)** (3.3) (2.6) (2.0) (2.6) (3.1) (2.5) (6.6) (3.8) (27.3) (72.7) (100)

85 (1.4) 335 (1.3) 357 (1.7) (1.2) 198 332 (1.6) 378 (1.5) (0.8) 158 868 (1.6) 431 (1.4) (1.4) 3,142 20,988 (3.6) (3.0) 24,130

376 (6.3)376 (8.1) 2,151 1,354 (6.5) (6.8) 1,112 1,288 (6.1) 1,998 (7.9) 1,728 (8.5) 3,928 (7.4) 1,297 (4.3) (6.9) 15,232 (12.7) 74,837 90,06

492 (8.3) 1,297 (4.9) 1,045 (5.0) (7.0) 1,145 (5.3) 1,127 (4.4) 1,128 997 (4.9) (6.0) 3,166 (3.8) 1,149 (5.2) 11,546 26,739 (4.6) 38,285 (

415 (7.0) 1,665 (6.3) 1,760 (8.4) 1,488 (9.1) 1,614 (7.6) 2,139 (8.4) 1,197 (5.9) 4,374 (8.2) 2,063 (6.8) 16,715 (7.6) 62,534 (10.7) 79,24

106 (1.8) 332 (1.2) 291 (1.4) 270 (1.6) 264 (1.2) 550 (2.2) 191 (0.9) 822 (1.5) 269 (0.9) 3,095 (1.4) 15,123 (2.6) 18,218 (2.3)

263 (4.4) 844 (3.2) 872 (4.2) 1,127 (6.9) 802 (3.8) 1,011 (4.0) 770 (3.8) 1,750 (3.3) 846 (2.8) 8,285 (3.8) 24,818 (4.2) 33,103 (4.1)

yment

ervices 82 (1.4) (0.8) 210 (0.9) 196 (0.9) 150 (0.9) 186 271 (1.1) (0.9) 192 (0.9) 476 333 (1.1) 2,096 (1.0) (1.7) 10,016 (1.5) 12,112

Table 15: Employment by industry Table

Industry Gascoyne Goldfields- Great Kimberley Mid West Peel Pilbara West South Wheatbelt Regional Perth WA

Agriculture, Forestry 963 (16.2)* 1,796 (6.7) 4,688 (22.4) 1,487 (9.1) 3,235 (15.2) (4.8) 1,210 446 (2.2) 5,750 (10.8) (34.2) 10,387 29,9 and Fishing

Mining 234 (3.9) 5,800 (21.8) 62 (0.3) 705 (4.3) 2,308 (10.9) 1,284 (5.0) 5,032 (24.7) 1,900 (3.6) 728 (2.4) (8.2) 18,053 (1.8) 10,403 28,4 Manufacturing 339 (5.7) 1,621 (6.1) 1,531 (7.3) (4.6) 747 1,079 (5.1) 3,773 (14.8) (5.8) 1,174 (12.8) 6,816 1,465 (4.8) (8.4) 18,545 65,69

Electricity, Gas andElectricity, 64 (1.1) (0.6) 168 (0.7) 148 (0.8) 128 (0.8) 162 (0.7) 187 220 (1.1) 707 (1.3) 285 (0.9) 2,069 (0.9) 4,797 (0.8) 6,866 Water Supply Water Construction 407 (6.9) (8.0) 2,135 1,504 (7.2) (6.2) 1,010 (7.6) 1,612 2,648 (10.4) (10.7) 2,183 (8.9) 4,716 (5.8) 1,761 (8.2) 17,976 43,8

Wholesale TradeWholesale 308 (5.2) (4.4) 1,159 923 (4.4) 432 (2.6) 942 (4.4) 971 (3.8) 859 (4.2) 2,607 (4.9) 1,340 (4.4) 9,541 (4.3) (5.6) 32,748 42 Retail Trade Retail (12.6) 744 3,062 (11.5) 3,070 (14.7) (9.9) 1,617 2,964 (14.0) 4,596 (18.1) 2,043 (10.0) (15.3) 8,143 3,322 (10.9) 29,561 (13

Accommodation, Cafes and Restaurants

Transport and StorageTransport 297 (5.0) 1,296 (4.9) 636 (3.0) 862 (5.3) 802 (3.8) 872 (3.4) 902 (4.4) 1,723 (3.2) (3.7) 1,130 8,520 (3.9) 23,908 ( Communication S Finance and Insurance

Property and Business Property

Government Administration Government (7.0) 416 (4.5) 1,193 (3.9) 818 2,544 (15.5) 917 (4.3) 799 (3.1) 988 (4.8) 1,737 (3.3) 1,329 (4.4) (4.9) 10,741 and Defence Education 336 (5.7) 1,547 (5.8) 1,700 (8.1) 1,353 (8.3) 1,598 (7.5) (6.3) 1,611 1,322 (6.5) 3,568 (6.7) 2,244 (7.4) (6.9) 15,279 45,027 (7 Services Health and Community Services

Cultural and Recreational Services

Personal and Other Services Total

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics Census of P of Statistics Bureau Australian Source: * Percentage of employment, by industry, industry, by of employment, * Percentage ** percentage of total emplo ** percentage Regional performance - economic

Indicator: Unemployment

Background Unemployment figures for the September 2001 to June 2002 quarters were obtained from the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations. Unemployment figures by age group were obtained from the 2001 Australian Bureau of Statistics Census of Population and Housing.

Current situation Unemployment data are shown in Table 16. The regions vary considerably in the percentage of people who are registered as unemployed. The Kimberley (14.3%), Mid West (8.3%), Gascoyne (7.8%) and Peel (7.2%) regions had the highest rates of unemployment in the June 2002 quarter and were the only regions with an unemployment rate greater than the State unemployment rate of 6.5 per cent. The Wheatbelt (4.4%) and Pilbara (4.3%) had significantly lower levels of Page 53 unemployment in that quarter.

Table 16: Quarterly unemployment by region, 2001/02

Region Unemployment rate (%)

September December March June 2001 2001 2002 2002

Gascoyne 7.3 7.6 7.8 7.8

Goldfields-Esperance 4.8 5.0 5.3 5.2

Great Southern 7.2 7.1 6.6 5.8

Kimberley 13.6 14.0 14.4 14.3

Mid West 7.5 8.0 8.4 8.3

Peel 9.2 8.9 8.2 7.2

Pilbara 4.0 4.2 4.3 4.3

South West 6.5 6.4 5.9 5.3

Wheatbelt 4.3 4.5 4.6 4.4

Regional WA 6.7 6.8 6.6 6.2

Perth 6.9 6.9 6.8 6.6

Western Australia 6.8 6.9 6.8 6.5

Source: Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (2002).

Table 17 shows the unemployment rate by region and age groups. These figures represent people in the 15 – 19 and 20 – 24 age groups who were unemployed and in the region on Census night. Unemployment in the 15 – 19 year age groups was in excess of 10 per cent across all regions except for the Kimberley (9.7 per cent). For all regions, the unemployment rate was lower in the next age group, the 20 – 24 year olds. The Kimberley and Pilbara had unemployment rates of 7.9 and 8.1 per cent respectively in the 20 – 24 year age group, which were considerably lower than the State average of 12.3 per cent. Across all the regions, Peel had the highest rate of unemployment for each all age groups with the exception of the 65 plus age group, where Pilbara recorded the highest. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Indigenous unemployment The official Indigenous unemployment rate was 19 per cent in 1996, a marked improvement from the Indigenous unemployment rate of 39 per cent in 1986. In 1996, the Kimberley had a low Indigenous unemployment rate of 8 per cent, Goldfields-Esperance 14 per cent and the other regions 20 to 24 per cent. However, ABS classifies Community Development and Employment Program (CDEP) participants as employed, although CDEP is intended as a work-readiness/ on- the-job training scheme for unemployed Indigenous people. When CDEP participants are included in the unemployment statistics, the adjusted Indigenous unemployment rate for the State was over 40 per cent. The northern regions had a very high adjusted Indigenous unemployment rate, ranging from 41 per cent in the Pilbara to 63 per cent in West Kimberley, while the southern regions had adjusted Indigenous unemployment rates of between 26 and 35 per cent. Collectively, the impact of including CDEP figures indicates the high reliance on CDEP as a means of providing income support in the northern regions.

Page 54 Comment From September 2001 to June 2002 all of the regions, with the exception of the Great Southern, Peel and South West, recorded increases in the level of unemployment. However increases were small, ranging from a 0.1 per cent increase in the Wheatbelt to a 0.8 per cent increase in the Mid West. The Peel, Great Southern and South West all recorded a greater than 1 per cent reduction in the level of unemployment.

Youth unemployment rates remain high throughout Western Australia, particularly in regional WA with the majority of regions recording unemployment rates between 10 and 20 per cent in the 15 – 19 and 20 – 24 age groups. Youth unemployment is explored further in Section 7.5.4.7. Peel was deemed to be a problem region across all age groups in 2001 with comparatively high unemployment rates.

Indigenous unemployment rates are significantly higher than in other community sectors. In 1996, the adjusted rate (including CDEP participants) ranged from 41 per cent in the Pilbara to as high as 63 per cent in West Kimberley. In 1998 the Indigenous unemployment rate in Western Australia was 19.3 per cent. The Government is responding to this situation through a range of programs. The Department of Training and Employment (now Department of Education and Training) provides a strategic advisory service to key stakeholders and training providers on vocational education and training and employment to meet the needs of Indigenous people throughout the State. Some of the programs aimed at increasing the level of Indigenous employment are: • the Indigenous Economic and Employment Development Officer program; • the development of innovative new apprenticeship opportunities, and • the establishment of remote vocational education and training centres.

There are a total of 18 Indigenous Education, Employment and Training Committees established throughout the State. Regional performance - economic

WA

Page 55

opulation and Housing (2001). opulation and Housing

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics Census of P of Statistics Bureau Australian Source:

Esperance Southern

Table 17: Percentage unemployment by age group, 2001 Table

Age GroupAge Gascoyne Goldfields- Great KimberleyWest Mid Peel PilbaraWest South Wheatbelt Regional Perth WA

15 - 1915 13.9 13.8 16.4 9.7 21.1 22.1 10.8 15.0 15.9 16.1 16.5 16.4

20 - 24 10.7 9.7 14.0 7.9 16.2 17.4 8.1 12.4 10.2 12.0 12.3 12.3 25 - 34 7.4 5.3 9.6 5.1 9.5 12.0 4.9 8.3 7.0 7.6 7.9 7.8

35 - 44 4.9 4.2 6.1 4.2 7.7 8.6 3.5 5.7 4.5 5.6 5.8 5.8

45 - 54 3.5 4.1 4.6 3.3 6.1 7.2 3.0 4.8 4.2 4.8 4.8 4.8 55 - 64 5.1 4.9 6.1 3.5 7.8 9.1 4.5 5.3 5.1 5.9 5.8 5.8

65+ 1.5 3.4 1.5 1.8 2.8 1.8 4.2 2.3 0.9 1.9 3.0 2.7 Average 6.0 5.7 7.7 4.9 9.3 10.8 4.7 7.4 5.9 7.1 7.6 7.5 Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Indicator: Workforce participation rate

Background The workforce participation rate is the percentage of people employed as a proportion of those who are able to work. Also included in this indicator are statistics on the participation rate for non-English speaking persons and the unemployment rates for non-English speaking persons, Indigenous persons and the overall unemployment rate.

Current situation As shown in Table 18, using the most recent data compiled in June 2002, the participation rate for WA was 66.3 per cent in July 2002, a small decrease of 0.5 percentage points on the rate of 66.9 per cent 12 months previously. The participation rate at June 2002 ranged from 64.4 per cent in Southern WA, to 65.0 per cent in Perth, to 74.8 per cent in the Remainder of WA. Page 56

Table 18: Participation rate for Perth, Southern WA and the remainder, 2002

Region Three months Three months Three months to Jun 01 to Mar 02 to Jun 02

Perth 65.8 65.8 65.0

Southern WA 65.2 65.2 64.4

Remainder of WA 74.6 74.5 74.8

Source: Labour Market Summary (2002). NB The Southern WA region includes the Wheatbelt, South West, Great Southern and Peel. The Remainder of WA includes the Kimberley, Pilbara, Gascoyne, Mid West, Goldfields-Esperance.

In 1996, the participation rates of the non-English speaking labour force ranged from as low as 50 per cent in the South West to 75 per cent in the Pilbara (Table 19). Regional performance - economic

Table 19: Status of non-English speaking labour force, 1996

Non-English speaking Indigenous WA overall

Region Total Participation Unemployment Unemployment Unemployment workforce rate (%) rate (%) rate (%)1 rate (%) (No)

Gascoyne 631 67 5.7 8.3 7.4

Goldfields-Esperance 1,587 69 9.3 13.5 5.9

Great Southern 1,254 56 14.7 22.1 7.9

Kimberley 696 70 9.6 7.8 5.8

Mid West 1,286 65 16.7 26.6 9.2

Peel 1,011 53 16.3 Incl. in Perth 12.0

Pilbara 2,970 75 7.9 22.6 5.4

South West 2,456 50 10.1 21.7 7.7

Wheatbelt 1,342 55 9.7 19.2 6.0 Page 57

Regional WA 13,233 56 11.1 15.1 12.8

Perth 82,276 56 16.6 27.5 8.3

Western Australia 95,509 56 12.0 19.3 9.1

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (1996). 1 Does not include Indigenous persons employed in CDEP

Overall, the participation rate for this sector of the community was 56 per cent in regional West- ern Australia and in Perth. The unemployment rate of the non-English speaking labour force was higher than the overall rate of unemployment across all regions, except for the Gascoyne.

Comment Between June 2001 and June 2002 the participation rate did not vary significantly, however there was a consistent trend between regions. ‘Perth’ and ‘Southern WA’ both recorded participation rates of around 65 per cent and the ‘Remainder of WA’s’ participation rate remained relatively constant at 75 per cent. Participation rates and employment rates are both lower amongst non- English speaking people, with the relationship between regions and Perth being the same as for the remainder of the population. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Indicator: Regional Price Index

Background The Regional Price Index, prepared by the Department of Local Government and Regional Development (with the Regional Development Council and nine Regional Development Commissions), identifies the difference in the price of approximately 500 goods and services between 21 regional locations and Perth. It is based on the premise of taking a person living in Perth, identifying how much it costs that person to buy a selection of commonly used goods and services, and comparing these costs against the price of purchasing the same goods at other locations around the State.

The calculated regional price indices are only indicative of the cost of living in various locations around Western Australia, because they are based on expenditure common to Perth, as data on Page 58 expenditure patterns for non-metropolitan regions are not available and because there is need to use a common data set if prices are to be compared.

Current situation Table 20 shows the regional price indexes for the selected commodities by region along with the overall percentage difference between 1999 and 2000. Across regional Western Australia, price increases for the basket of goods and services over the 12 month period to December 2000, ranged from +2.3 per cent in the Great Southern to +5.6 per cent in Goldfields-Esperance. Of the 21 towns used in the analysis, Kalgoorlie prices rose the most (+6.1%) and Meekatharra by the least amount (+2.1%).

Comment The distance of the regions from metropolitan Perth was the dominant factor in the difference in prices. As the distance increased so did the regional price index, with the Kimberley the highest at +13.3 per cent then the Pilbara and Gascoyne at +11.3 per cent and +8.5 per cent respectively. Regions close to Perth such as the South West and Great Southern were only 1.7 and 2.9 per cent more expensive respectively. There were a few commodities cheaper in some of the regions than in Perth, such as ‘Household Equipment and Operation’ and ‘Health and Personal Care’.

The 21 towns used in the price collection varied considerably when contrasted to Perth. The dearest towns were Derby (+14.6%), Exmouth (+14.0%), Broome (+13.2%), Laverton (+13.0%), Kununurra (+12.7%), Port Hedland (+11.6%) and Karratha (+10.8%). The towns closest in price to Perth were Mandurah (+0.5%), Byford (+0.6%), Bunbury (+1.2%), Albany and Northam on 2.0%, Busselton on 2.9% and Geraldton on +3.8%. In considering these figures it is important to remember that they are relative to Perth, which involves price movements in the regions / towns and also in Perth, thus it is important to consider both locations when looking at any relative change. In general, although there has been a slight change in order, the dearest seven towns in 1998 are still the dearest seven town in 2000, as are the cheapest seven. Regional performance - economic

Page 59

Source: Regional Prices Index, Department of Local Government and Regional Development. and Regional of Local Government Index, Department Prices Regional Source:

Esperance Southern

101.8 100.2 101.3 101.9 98.4 98.7 102.9 95.1 98.7 100.0

115.6 108.7 105.4 111.2 103.9 102.8 108.4 109.7 110.1 100.0

108.5 106.4 102.9 113.3 104.1 100.5 111.3 101.7 103.0 100.0

od 109.3 108.5 101.6 117.6 109.2 101.8 112.9 100.8 109.2 100.0

Table 20: Regional Price Index, November 2000 Table

Commodity Gascoyne Goldfields- Great Kimberley West Mid Peel Pilbara South West Wheatbelt Perth

Fo

Clothing 119.2 114.6 110.7 115.6 114.6 106.6 120.3 113.9 113.6 100.0 Housing 106.4 110.6 100.5 135.3 100.1 100.4 128.9 101.2 101.1 100.0

Household Equipment & Operation

Transportation 114.6 107.9 105.1 110.3 105.6 97.5 109.6 103.7 103.4 100.0

Tobacco & Alcohol & Tobacco 108.3 104.5 104.7 111.4 108 101.8 109 102.5 107.1 100.0 Health & Personal CareHealth & Personal 98.6 100.5 99.1 104.4 97.6 99.3 102.9 98.4 97.7 100.0

Recreation & Education Recreation

Overall comparison Overall % change 1999 to 2000 1999 % change +4.6 +5.6 +2.3 +4.2 +4.2 +4.6 +4.6 +4.7 +4.1 +6.0 Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Indicator: Average taxable incomes

Background 11 Income data are published in a regular website publication called ‘Regional Trends and Indica- tors’. Variation and trends in average taxable income between regions is an indicator of economic health and growth in a region. However, the distribution of taxable income within a region is a better indicator of overall community welfare.

Current Situation Table 21 depicts the average taxable income by region for the years 1995, 1997, 1999 and 2000. These figures are presented in current dollars, and in real terms where the incomes for 1997 and subsequent years have been deflated by the national Consumer Price Index (CPI) for that year, and preceding years. Page 60

Table 21: Average taxable income

Region 1995 1997 1999 2000 Percentage change (1995-2000)

Gascoyne 27,583 29,144 31,989 34,347 24.5 Adjusted real income 27,476 29,627 30,944 12.2

Goldfields-Esperance 33,977 36,472 38,384 38,112 12.1 Adjusted real income 34,375 35,541 34,335 1.1

Great Southern 24,725 25,191 27,303 27,974 11.6 Adjusted real income 23,743 25,281 25,202 1.9

Kimberley 29,587 30,841 34,599 37,077 25.3 Adjusted real income 29,068 32,036 33,403 12.9

Mid West 29,760 30,630 32,589 30,872 3.7 Adjusted real income 28,869 30,175 27,813 -6.5

Peel 27,903 29,286 33,271 34,686 24.3 Adjusted real income 27,602 30,806 31,249 12.0

Pilbara 40,186 41,841 45,874 47,558 18.3 Adjusted real income 39,435 42,476 42,845 6.6

South West 26,940 28,743 31,928 33,309 23.6 Adjusted real income 27,090 29,563 30,008 11.4

Wheatbelt 27,018 29,172 29,784 28,690 6.2 Adjusted real income 27,495 27,578 25,847 -4.3

Regional WA 29,374 30,971 33,435 33,958 15.6 Adjusted real income 29,190 30,958 30,593 4.1

Perth 29,141 31,149 34,377 35,951 23.4 Adjusted real income 29,358 31,831 32,388 11.1

WA 29,194 31,110 34,120 35,406 21.3 Adjusted real income 29,321 31,593 31,897 9.3

Source: Department of Local Government and Regional Development. * Adjusted means that incomes have been deflated by the CPI each year and thus adjusted incomes are presented in 1995 dollars. Regional performance - economic

Comment In 2000, the highest average incomes were received in the Pilbara and Goldfields-Esperance regions, and the lowest in the Great Southern and Wheatbelt. Overall only three of the nine regions had average incomes higher than those received in Perth. The average income in regional WA in 2000 was $33,958, which was 5.5 per cent lower than the average Perth income of $35,951.

The average taxable income for all individual taxpayers across regional Western Australia for 2000 increased in dollar terms by 15.6 per cent over the 1995 figure of $29,374. Over the same period, average Perth incomes increased by 23.4 per cent over the 1995 figure of $20,141. Increases occurred in average incomes in all regions over the same period, ranging between greater than 20 per cent increases in the Gascoyne, Kimberley and South West, and less than 10 per cent increases in the Mid West and Wheatbelt.

A more realistic measure of trends in the spending power of the income received can be seen in the figures adjusted for inflation (using annual CPI). This shows that real Perth incomes has risen at over twice the rate (11.1%) than they have in regional Western Australia (4.1%). Further, trends Page 61 in individual regions show that real incomes have fallen by 4.3 and 6.5 per cent in the Wheatbelt and Mid West regions respectively, with only the Peel, Kimberley, and South West regions recording percentage rises in real average incomes higher than those received in Perth. Those regions experiencing lower increases in taxable income also experience lower than average increases in GRP (see Section 5.3).

Indigenous median individual income increased between 1986 and 1996 (ABS Census of Population and Housing 1996), but not as fast as the non-Indigenous median individual income. Thus the ratio of earnings between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people slightly reduced from 60 per cent of the non-Indigenous income in 1986 to 59 per cent in 1996. Generally, Indigenous median individual incomes were lower in the northern regions compared to the southern regions. The greatest disparity in income was in the Pilbara region, where Indigenous incomes were only 27 per cent of the non-Indigenous income.

11 Average taxable income has been calculated for the nine regions and Perth metropolitan by the Department of Local Government and Regional Development, from data obtained from the Australian Taxation Office. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Indicator: Tax paid by individuals

Background Taxation raised at regional level is an indicator of the relative contribution being made by the region’s people to national welfare. It is also an indicator of how this obligation is distributed across the population.

Current situation Taxation data were obtained from the analyses undertaken in a study commissioned by the Regional Development Council entitled Taxation and Regional Western Australia 1999. This study was driven by concerns that the taxation system prevailing at that time was inhibiting regional development. Page 62 The average tax paid by individuals varies from region to region (Figure 9), but in seven of the nine regions is close to that paid per capita in Perth. However, the Pilbara and Goldfields-Esperance regions have relatively high average tax collections for individuals, reflecting the high incomes earned in these areas. Both regions are characterised by large scale mining and mineral processing operations which pay large wage premiums to attract labour to these parts of the State.

Figure 9: Mean net individual tax collected, 1995-96

10,000

8,000

6,000

$

4,000

2,000

0 Peel Perth Great Pilbara Southern Mid West Kimberley Wheatbelt Gascoyne Esperance Goldfields- South West

Source: Taxation and Regional Western Australia (1999).

Comment These data were collected for a specific purpose and are not subject to regular reporting. However, they provide a useful indication of how the taxation commitment is distributed across the State. Regional performance - economic

Indicator: Average total income

Background Weekly individual income includes the gross income (including dividends, salaries and wages, pen- sions and allowances) that a person usually receives each week. This is represented in Table 22 as four categories of income received for the year ending June 2001. Also shown is the percentage each category contributes to the total.

Current situation On the scale shown, the Kimberley and Perth have a relatively even distribution of incomes, with 50 per cent of the population receiving less than $399 per week and 50 per cent receiving a greater amount. The Pilbara (39%), Goldfields-Esperance (31%) and Mid West (24%) have the highest proportion of people earning in excess of $800 per week. The majority of people in the Gascoyne, Great Southern, South West and Wheatbelt regions received weekly incomes of less than $400 Page 63 perweek.

When the data are aggregated, their was very little difference in the proportion of people in each income bracket between Perth and regional Western Australia. Only 2 per cent more people in Perth received weekly incomes in excess of $400 than those in regional Western Australia.

Table 22: Weekly individual income by region

Region $negative / $120 - $399 (%) $400 - $799 (%) $800 + (%) $0 - $119 (%)

Gascoyne 1,167 (10) 5,506 (47) 3,216 (28) 1,797 (15)

Goldfields-Esperance 5,110 (13) 11,826 (31) 9,460 (25) 11,770 (31)

Great Southern 5,350 (15) 15,989 (45) 10,356 (29) 4,072 (11)

Kimberley 2,628 (10) 11,652 (43) 7,310 (27) 5,569 (21)

Mid West 5,132 (14) 14,382 (40) 9,482 (26) 6,887 (19)

Peel 7,090 (15) 21,895 (46) 11,169 (24) 7,193 (15)

Pilbara 3,707 (13) 7,193 (25) 6,287 (23) 11,024 (39)

South West 13,224 (15) 36,204 (40) 25,690 (29) 14,509 (16)

Wheatbelt 7,753 (16) 20,073 (42) 14,213 (29) 6,206 (13)

Regional WA 51,161 (14) 144,720 (40) 97,183 (27) 69,027 (19)

Perth 150,030 (15) 354,472 (36) 282,475 (29) 186,297 (19)

WA 201,191 (15) 499,192 (37) 379,658 (28) 255,324 (19)

Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing (2001).

Comment The higher proportion of people in the Pilbara, Goldfields-Esperance and the Mid West earning more than $800 per week can be attributed to the presence of mining as a significant employer in all three regions.

The Great Southern, Peel, South West and Wheatbelt regions recorded greater than or equal to 15 per cent of people earning less than $120 per week. The reason for this skewedness to lower incomes is not immediately evident but may be a factor related to seasonal variation within these regions which may have impacted on farmers’ incomes. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Indicator: Retail turnover

Background Retail turnover has been calculated by the Department of Local Government and Regional Devel- opment based upon ABS and local data. Data are for the years 1998/99 to 2000/01 and can be compared inter-regionally.

Current situation Retail turnover varied considerably between the nine regions, as a function of population and regional economic strength. Further, the percentage increase in retail growth from 1998/99 to 2000/01 varied considerably across the regions. The Kimberley recorded the strongest growth at 11.7 per cent, followed by the South West and Peel at 9.6 and 9.1 per cent respectively. Regions recording low levels of growth were the Pilbara and Goldfields-Esperance at 1.1 and 4.1 per cent Page 64 respectively, which is an indication of their slightly declining population levels (see Table 4). The growth in retail turnover for Western Australia is estimated over this period at 6.8 per cent which was nearly identical to predicted growth in regional Western Australia as a whole (6.7%).

Table 23: Estimated Retail turnover 1998/99 to 2000/01

Region 1998/99 ($m) 1999/00 ($m) 2000/01 ($m) % change 98/99 to 00/01

Gascoyne 64.3 66.6 68.1 +5.9

Goldfields-Esperance 439.0 455.4 456.9 +4.1

Great Southern 340.3 354.1 358.1 +5.2

Kimberley 214.1 229.2 239.1 +11.7

Mid West 363.8 376.5 384.6 +5.7

Peel 413.4 440.0 450.9 +9.1

Pilbara 284.7 289.4 287.7 +1.1

South West 844.0 896.5 925.4 +9.6

Wheatbelt 345.9 358.8 360.5 +4.2

Regional WA 3,309.5 3,466.5 3,531.3 +6.7

Perth 11,109.3 11,637.8 11,873.1 +6.9

WA 14,418.8 15,104.3 15,404.4 +6.8

Source: Department of Local Government and Regional Development. NB These data are recent estimates and are indicative only.

Comment Overall, retail growth throughout Western Australia has strengthened in recent years, reflecting solid employment growth and a high level of consumer confidence in the State. The regions have generally captured their share of the growth in the State’s retail turnover, proportional with population growth. Regional performance - economic

Indicator: Net investment in the region

Background Maintaining a strong flow of investment into the regions is necessary for developing robust regional economies that are able to provide work for the people living there. This is particularly important for regions that are relatively dependent on one or two major industries, or those that have rapidly growing populations. One of the roles of Government is to attract investment and broker suitable regional development projects.

Current situation Table 24 shows the level of project investment into the regions and the State as a whole in the June 2002 quarter. A total of 51 projects were under construction in regional Western Australia, worth some $5.9 billion. A further 24 projects were committed, worth $1.5 billion. Mining developments in the Pilbara, Goldfields-Esperance and Mid West are the major destinations for investment funds, with lesser activity in the other regions. Page 65

Table 24: Project investment in the region at June 2002 Quarter

Region No. under Construction No. Value No. under Value under construct value ($m) Committed committed consideration consideration ($m) ($m) ($m)

Gascoyne 2 21 0 0 6 1,482

Goldfields-Esperance 6 185 0 0 27 7,053

Great Southern 3 40 1 5 2 180

Kimberley 4 338 3 31 6 120

Mid West 4 115 1 35 17 1,067

Peel 2 228 1 20 12 820

Pilbara 14 4,142 11 1,382 39 10,464

South West 13 698 5 39 18 462

Wheatbelt 3 190 2 42 7 329

Regional WA 51 5,957 24 1,554 134 21,977

Perth 37 2,703 11 261 51 2,424

Western Australia 91 9,995 37 2,222 188 25,721

Source: Delta Electricity and Access Economics Investment Monitor (2001).

Comment This information provided for this indicator provides a snapshot only of the project investment activity in WA. Better information will come from longer-term trends as these emerge. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

6.5.2 Infrastructure 6.5.2.1 Transport

Indicator: Transport infrastructure

Background This section reports on transport and transport related infrastructure. The total length of roads and rail are recorded along with the amount of tonnes exported from Ports in the regions.

Current situation The total length of roads in the Western Australia is 134,821 km, with just over 90 per cent of this Page 66 accounted for in the regions (Table 25). The Wheatbelt and Mid West have 52 per cent of the length of regional roads. Local roads account for 86.6 per cent of the State’s total with National highways (3.5%), State highways (4.9%) and main roads (5.0%) making up the remainder.

Table 25: Total length of roads in kilometres, by type and region

Region National State Main Local Total Length Highway Highway Roads Roads of Roads

Gascoyne 0 751 245 4,425 5,423

Goldfields-Esperance 1,008 1,057 124 12,636 14,825

Great Southern 0 533 852 11,347 12,732

Kimberley 1,450 147 647 3,648 5,892

Mid West 840 1,010 613 19,776 22,217

Peel 0 220 147 2,632 2,999

Pilbara 626 621 1,264 4,961 7,472

South West 0 622 792 9,134 10,548

Wheatbelt 652 764 2,036 39,936 43,388

Regional WA 4,576 5,725 6,720 108,495 125,496

Perth 93 882 27 10,927 11,929

WA 4,669 6,607 6,747 119,422 137,425

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (1996).

The value of new construction funded by Main Roads WA at June 2001, as the total value of current projects exceeding $10m, totals $1,255m for regional Western Australia and involves some 59 projects (Table 26). The majority of these projects are in the Kimberley, Mid West, Wheatbelt, South West and Peel. These five regions account for approximately 84 per cent of the current Main Roads projects underway. The total value of new contracts exceeding $1m that were awarded in 2001 is $432m for regional Western Australia, which accounts for 65.2 per cent of the States total. The value of the these contracts is concentrated in the Pilbara, Gascoyne, Kimberley and Goldfields-Esperance, accounting for 83 per cent of regional contracts. Regional performance - economic

Table 26: Major investments in road construction as at June 2001

RDC Region New construction – Total value of new total value of current contracts awarded in 2001 projects exceeding $10m exceeding $1 million

Kimberley $154 m (9)* $98 m

Pilbara $68 m (5) $18 m $136 m shared Gascoyne $53 m (3) $4 m

Mid West $187 m (8) $9 m

Goldfields-Esperance $30 m (4) $103 m

Wheatbelt $204 m (10) $48 m

Peel $286 m** (5) $10 m

South West $222 m (12) $2 m

Great Southern $51 m (3) $4 m Page 67

Regional WA $1,255 m (59) $432 m

Metropolitan area $972 m (30) $231 m

WA $2,227 m (89) $663 m

* figures in parentheses indicate the number of projects ** includes $201 m for extension of Tonkin Freeway to Mundijong Source: Main Roads WA, Annual Report (2001).

Road traffic counts for 1998/99 are shown in Table 27 along with the annual growth rates. The highest growth in traffic occurred in the Great Southern and Peel regions, both recording an annual growth rate of over 7 per cent. The only region recording a reduction in road traffic counts over the preceding year was the Pilbara (-0.1%).

Table 27: Road traffic counts 1998/99

Region Road Traffic No. of Count Annual Counts (AADT1) Stations Growth (%)

Gascoyne 1,086 3 3.2

Goldfields-Esperance 5,598 7 1.8

Great Southern 4,742 8 7.7

Kimberley 1,243 5 1.9

Mid West 5,860 13 4.2

Peel 51,709 4 7.1

Pilbara 2,603 8 -0.1

South West 20,323 8 6.4

Wheatbelt 18,113 28 2.4

Regional WA 111,277 84 3.8

1 Annual Average Daily Traffic is equal to the total number of vehicles passing a given point (permanent count station) during a specified year, divided by the number of days in the year. Source: Main Roads WA and Department of Local Government and Regional Development. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Tonnage exported from regional and Perth ports from 1998/99 to 2001/02 are shown in Table 28. The Gascoyne, Peel and Wheatbelt regions do not have a major port within their region and hence are omitted from the table. Regional Western Australia carries the majority of exports through port activity, accounting for 93 per cent of the tonnage in 2001/02. In 2001/02 the Pilbara region accounted for 83 per cent of regional port activity which was mainly attributed to the iron ore shipments, which made up 79 per cent of tonnage exported.

Table 28: Port activity (tonnes exported), 1998/99 to 2001/02

Region 1998/99 1999/00 2000/01 2001/02 % Change 98/99 to 01/02

Goldfields-Esperance 2,736,822 3,083,361 3,914,957 6,256,284 +128.6

Great Southern 2,412,495 2,332,019 1,673,454 1,639,087 -32.1

Kimberley 534,620 508,731 572,243 500,623 -6.4 Page 68 Mid West 3,630,896 3,439,628 2,075,386 4,383,361 +20.7

Pilbara 138,205,211 144,952,741 153,732,206 125,786,483 -9.0

South West 8,221,599 9,080,884 9,934,430 14,196,685 +72.7

Regional WA 155,741,643 163,202,291 171,330,433 152,261,900 -2.2

Perth 13,936,460 13,639,809 12,673,429 11,815,710 -15.2

Western Australia 169,678,103 176,842,100 184,003,862 164,077,610 -3.3

Source: Department of Local Government and Regional Development.

Comment Due to the size and remoteness of regional Western Australia, the investment in transport-related infrastructure is very high. Maintaining 122,892 km of roads represents a significant commitment for Government at all levels. Western Australia’s rail system is also reasonably extensive, however in some parts of the State, rail has been developed by, and is maintained fully or with assistance by the main users, such as mining companies. Regional performance - economic

6.5.2.2 Housing

Indicator: Property value

Background The total number of single and multi residential dwellings sold in the year from March 2001 to February 2002 was obtained from the Valuer General’s Office along with the median sale price of these dwellings. The value of housing can be seen as a function of regional wealth and also the relative demand and supply for residency in the region.

Current situation The Peel and South West regions experienced a high turnover of dwellings in 2001/02, accounting for over half of the regional sales. However, in terms of State volume this is still very little as the Page 69 Perth metropolitan area accounts for 80 per cent of all sales in Western Australia.

As shown in Table 29, median sales prices for single residential dwellings varied from $71,000 in the Wheatbelt to $221,000 in the Kimberley. The range for multi residential dwellings was not as large, with the Wheatbelt again recording the lowest median sale price of $81,500 and the highest also in the Kimberley at $180,000.

Table 29: Median sale price and number sold for single1 & multi2 residential dwellings, March 2001 to February 2002

Region Single Single Multi Multi residential residential residential- residential - count - median count median sale sale price ($) price ($)

Gascoyne 147 112,500 30 86,250

Goldfields-Esperance 856 129,250 182 116,000

Great Southern 869 140,000 96 125,500

Kimberley 234 221,000 125 180,000

Mid West 651 115,000 104 86,000

Peel 2,322 139,000 578 110,000

Pilbara 566 173,000 134 169,500

South West 2,423 140,000 363 138,000

Wheatbelt 1,006 71,000 60 81,500

Regional WA 9,074 137,861 1,672 121,417

Perth 29,073 178,000 14,540 155,000

WA 38,147 141,875 16,212 124,775

1 Single residential dwellings consist of sales records on the VGO Sales Database with a Property Classification of “House” or “Houses”. 2 Multi residential dwellings consist of sales records on the VGO Sales Database with Property Classifications of “Apartment House/s”, “Bed Sit”, “Cluster House”, “Cottage”, “Detached House”, “Detached Strata”, “Duplex/Unit”, “Flat”, “Group House/s”, “Home Unit/s”, “Patio House”, “Penthouse”, “Quadruplex/Unit”, “Retirement Villa”, “Row House”, “Semi Detached”, “Studio House”, “Terrace House”, “Town House”, “Triplex/Unit” and “Villa House/s”. Source: Valuers General’s Office. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Summary data for sales in regional WA, Perth and for the whole State are shown in Figure 10. Although these aggregated data obscure the detail shown in Table 29, overall, residential accommodation is cheaper on average in regional WA than in Perth.

Figure 10: Median sale price and number sold, March 2001 to February 2002

200,000 180,000 160,000 140,000 120,000 100,000 80,000 Page 70 60,000 40,000

Median sale price ($) and No. sold 20,000 0 Regional WA Single Multi Single Multi Perth Sale price Count WA

Source: Valuer General’s Office.

Comment The relatively high turnover and cost of housing in the Peel and South West is an indication of the growth in housing development in these two regions.

When comparing the relativities between single and multi-residential median sale prices between regions, there was very little difference in the ranking of regions highest to lowest. The Kimberley, Pilbara, South West and Great Southern regions were the most expensive regions to purchase single and multi residential dwellings, and the Wheatbelt had the lowest prices for both classes of dwelling. The high cost of housing in the remote Kimberley and Pilbara regions is likely to be acting as an impediment to permanent settlement in those areas.

Single residential dwellings were, on average, 29 per cent more expensive in Perth than in regional Western Australia, and multi residential dwellings were 27 per cent more expensive. Regional performance - economic

Indicator: Tenure arrangement and occupied dwellings

Background This indicator reports on the status of tenure for occupied dwellings. The level of improvised housing and home ownership amongst Indigenous and non-Indigenous people is also reported.

Current situation Western Australia’s combined home ownership and purchase rate (68%) was above the national average (66%) with 25 per cent of households in private and public rental compared with the national figure of 26 per cent. The tenure arrangements have remained relatively stable over the past 30 years despite movements between ownership and purchase levels and between private and public rental. For example, the latter has progressively declined from 9 per cent in 1971 to 4.2 per cent in 2001. There are also notable variations across Western Australia. In the Kimberley and Page 71 Pilbara, less than 40 per cent of homes are owned by the dweller, or are in the process of being purchased. The Gascoyne and Goldfields-Esperance also have relatively low levels of home ownership, or homes in the process of being purchased.

Table 30: Tenure arrangements, 2001

Region Percentage in each tenure arrangement Owned Buying Rental Other

Gascoyne 43 12 29 16

Goldfields-Esperance 24 28 35 13

Great Southern 43 23 25 9

Kimberley 26 11 41 22

Mid West 37 25 28 10

Peel 40 30 22 8

Pilbara 14 25 46 15

South West 37 30 25 8

Wheatbelt 47 21 21 11

Perth3634246

Source: Department of Housing and Works (2002).

Compared to the total population (Table 30), Indigenous home ownership and home purchase rates are lower in the regions (Table 31). However, rental arrangements are much higher amongst Indigenous persons.

The levels of home ownership and home purchase rates for Indigenous persons in regional Western Australia ranged from 9.7 per cent in the Kimberley to 37.5 per cent in the South West/Peel. The Perth figure was also 37.5 per cent. Conversely, the proportion of Indigenous people living in a rental property was highest in the Kimberley (80.7%) and lowest in the South West/Peel (58.5%). In Perth this figure was 56.3 per cent. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Table 31: Indigenous housing tenure, 2001

Region Indigenous Home Home Being Households in Households Ownership Purchase Rented Improvised (No.) (%) (%) (%) Housing (%) Indigenous Non- Indigenous

Perth 5,558 7.9 29.6 56.3 1.7 0.1

South West 989 11.5 26.0 58.5 0.3 0.2 (incl. Peel)

Great Southern 426 12.2 17.8 65.3 0.0 0.1

Goldfields 1,123 6.3 13.9 72.0 1.4 0.2

Wheatbelt 777 12.5 16.5 64.4 0.0 0.4

Mid West 1,571 8.1 13.7 64.7 3.6 0.4 (incl Gascoyne) Page 72 Pilbara 1,356 4.2 9.7 75.7 1.6 0.3 Kimberley 2,653 5.0 4.7 80.7 1.2 2.2

Western Australia 14,453 7.5 19.0 65.6 1.6 0.1

Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing (2001) – Indigenous Profiles Tables I23 Being Rented includes private, public, community and employer provided rental. Improvised % based on ABS data classified as Improvised home, tent sleepers out.

The proportion of unoccupied private dwellings ranged from 5.9 per cent in the Gascoyne region to 21.4 per cent in the Wheatbelt (Figure 11). Perth had a relatively low proportion of unoccupied dwellings at 7.4 per cent.

Figure 11: Proportion of unoccupied private dwellings, 2001

Western Australia 10.0 Perth 7.4 Regional WA 16.3 Wheatbelt 21.4 South West 15.9 Pilbara 19.4 Peel 18.2 Mid West 14.8 Kimberley 6.7 Great Southern 15.9 Goldfields-Esperance 14.6 Gascoyne 5.9

0.0 5.0 10.0 15.0 20.0 25.0 Unoccupied Private Dwellings (%)

Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing (2001). Regional performance - economic

Household utilisation While three bedroom houses are still the dominant house type (43%), there has been significant growth in four bedroom houses (31%) since 1971 (12%). The number of four bedroom dwellings, which has increased by 3 percentage points between 1996 and 2001 is contributing to the national trend of increased excess housing capacity. In WA: • 43 per cent of WA households had two or more spare bedrooms; • 33 per cent had one spare bedroom; • 19 per cent had adequate capacity, and • 3 per cent (~20,000 households) had an unmet need and required additional capacity.

Comment The Kimberley, Pilbara, Gascoyne and Goldfields-Esperance have a relatively low level of home ownership, presumably as a consequence of greater mobility in the workforce and community. Page 73

Indigenous people have a lower rate of home ownership than the overall average. However, between 1986 and 1996, Indigenous home ownership showed improvement in all of the regions except for the Murchison / Gascoyne. Improvement in the level of home ownership has a flow on effect of decreased reliance on rented dwellings.

The northern regions (East Kimberley, West Kimberley, Goldfields and Pilbara) have comparable levels of home ownership with non-Indigenous households. Community-owned housing is included in housing owned / being purchased which explains why the levels of Indigenous ownership are higher for the Kimberley and Pilbara regions. There exists a relatively high level of improvised housing for Indigenous households compared to non-Indigenous people. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Indicator: Number and value of building or planning approvals

Background The indicator is represented by the value of non-residential building approvals along with the quarterly growth rates. Data is obtained from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Current situation Shown in Table 32 are the values of non-residential building approvals and the quarterly growth rates from December 1999 to March 2001. The value of non-residential building approvals was highest in the South West over the six quarters. The values of approved projects were relatively evenly distributed across the remaining regions except in the Gascoyne and Pilbara where the value of approvals relative to the other regions were low.

Page 74 Growth in the value of non-residential building approvals varied considerably within and between regions over the period from December 1999 to March 2001. Quarterly growth ranged from – 92.2 per cent in the Peel (Mar 00) to + 248.3 per cent in the Mid West (Sep 00). The only region that showed positive growth over all quarters was the Wheatbelt.

Table 32: Non-residential building approvals, Dec 1999 – Mar 2001

Region Value of Approvals ($m) Quarterly Growth (%)

Dec 99 Mar 00 Jun 00 Sep 00 Dec 00 Mar 01 Dec 99 Mar 00 Jun 00 Sep 00 Dec 00 Mar 01

Gascoyne 0.7 1.1 2.2 1.9 0.4 0.1 1.8 56.9 109.9 -11.5 -79.2 -85.4

Goldfields-Esperance 13.9 19.6 14.7 4.9 3.8 7.8 190.7 40.3 -24.8 -66.2 -23.8 104.3

Great Southern 7.6 7.8 22.1 2.5 6.1 7.5 -25.8 2.5 183.5 -88.6 140.7 23.9

Kimberley 5.1 5.4 8.7 4.8 7.9 12.9 -34.8 6.0 60.1 -44.4 63.3 63.9

Mid West 3.2 4.3 2.9 10.1 6.5 5.6 -78.3 35.8 -33.1 248.3 -35.9 -60.1

Peel 24.0 1.9 6.0 5.7 3.5 11.4 26.7 -92.2 223.6 -5.5 -39.2 229.2

Pilbara 3.4 6.1 3.3 4.0 1.8 3.4 -27.9 77.6 -45.7 22.4 -54.7 84.1

South West 20.9 26.0 43.1 10.9 17.9 15.5 -12.6 24.4 65.8 -74.6 63.1 -13.3

Wheatbelt 6.1 4.2 12.1 3.8 7.6 3.2 25.3 30.6 187.2 68.3 99.8 58.3

Perth 206.6 158.1 202.6 237.8 156.3 184.8 -19.8 -23.5 28.2 17.4 -34.3 18.2

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (2001).

Comment Seventy two percent of the total value of non-residential building approvals from December 1999 to March 2001 were concentrated in Perth metropolitan area. This is equivalent to the percentage of the State’s population resident in Perth. Regional performance - economic

6.5.2.3 Water

Indicator: Value of water infrastructure

Background The Water Corporation is one of Australia’s largest water service providers with nearly $9 billion invested in water services infrastructure. The Corporation provides water and wastewater services to the city of Perth and many towns and communities throughout Western Australia. The Water Corporation also provides drainage and irrigation services to households, businesses and farms across the State.

Current situation Shown in Table 33 are the Water Corporation’s infrastructure and asset values for regional Western Page 75 Australia as at 30 June 2001. The majority of water services are concentrated in the south of Western Australia, with the Great Southern and South West accounting for nearly 50 per cent of the number of regional water services. This is also reflected in the value of assets with 49 per cent of assets allocated to these two regions.

Table 33: Water Corporation infrastructure and value, regional areas, 2002

Description Agricultural Great Mid North South Metro & Goldfields Southern West West West Area

No. of water services 34,226 29,322 29,466 20,512 54,220 529,284

Length of water mains (km) 8,484 3,466 2,179 1,281 2,037 11,484

Length of sewer mains (km) 260 390 270 341 1,059 8357

No. of wastewater (sewerage) 11,320 16,596 12,984 19,116 55,554 521,406 connections

Volume of wastewater treated (Ml) 1,600 3,285 1,825 6,750 8,395 97,455

Asset values ($m) 1,546 960 683 1,172 2,344 8,676

Source: Water Corporation.

The regional demand for water is shown in Table 34. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Table 34: Regional breakdown of water demand (1999-2000)

Regions (per Water RDC Region Percentage of total and Rivers Commission) water demand

Perth Perth 32

Moore Mid-West/Wheatbelt 7

South West South West 19

South East Coast Goldfields-Esperance 1

Wheatbelt Wheatbelt/ Gt Southern 7

Goldfields and Murchison Goldfields-Esperance/Mid West 11

Central West Coast Gascoyne/Mid West 17

Pilbara Pilbara 6

Kimberley Kimberley 5 Page 76

Source: Water and Rivers Commission 2002.

These data show the large demand for irrigation water in the South West and Kimberley, and mine process water in the Goldfields and Murchison.

During 2000/01 more farming communities had access to regular water supplies under the State Government’s Rural Water Supply Improvement Program (RWSIP). In the Great Southern region (in the Kondinin, Hyden and North Karlgarin area) a project was completed involving the laying of 120 kilometres of water pipeline to service 43 farms at a cost of almost $4 million. This project brought the total number of RWSIP projects to 25 at a cost of almost $24 million and involving more than 430 farms.

Comment The existing water service providers in Western Australia include: • Water Corporation, which is the main supplier and operates under the Water Corporation Act 1995; • AqWest (Bunbury Water Board); • Busselton Water Board; • Hamersley Iron Pty Ltd; • Irrigation Scheme Cooperatives (e.g. Harvey Water, Ord River Irrigation), and • Rottnest Island Authority. (Source: Draft State Water Conservation Strategy, July 2002)

Virtually all of the information provided in this section relates to services provided by Water Corporation. As such there are several areas not covered in the information presented. An important omission from these data relating to water is the significant proportion of the Indigenous population (15,000) who live in remote communities who are not serviced by the Water Corporation (Department of Indigenous Affairs, pers. comm.). Regional performance - economic

Indicator: Quality of service

Background All Western Australians expect to receive quality service from utilities. For water, the dominant provider is the State-owned, but corporatised Water Corporation.

Current situation Customer service performance for the whole State is shown in Table 35. Separate data are not available at a regional scale. In 2000/01 the Water Corporation resolved 95 per cent of queries during the customer’s first call. Also the waiting period for customers during the peak billing period was shortened through achieving telephone responsiveness targets throughout the year.

Table 35: Customer service performance, Water Corporation Page 77

Details 2000-2001 1999-2000 % Change

Number of residential accounts 685,981 672,228 +2.0

Number of business accounts 50,049 48,740 +2.7

Customer perception of value (%) 80.2 73.0 +9.9

Telephone calls answered within 20 sec (%) 73.9 63.8 +15.8

Written complaints resolved within 21 days (%) 97.6 96.9 +0.7

General correspondence answered within 96.4 83.9 +14.9 10 days (%)

First call resolution 95.0 94.8 +0.2

Source: Water Corporation Annual Report (2001).

Comment In the South West region, through the Stirling-Harvey Redevelopment Scheme, the Water Corporation formed partnerships with local Indigenous organisations and the first fully accredited Indigenous-run plant nursery in Australia was set up in Collie. In the Mid West region, the Water Corporation consulted with the Yamatji Land and Sea Council on construction of a $2 million water supply for 116 properties at Greenough Flats. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Indicator: Revenue and cost of supply

Background This indicator is supported by the total sales of water, total revenue, price received, operating expenditure, operating cost and also depreciation. Data were obtained from the Water Corporation.

Current situation Table 36 reports on the Water Corporation’s accounts for its regional areas to 30 June 2001. The majority of regional water sales occur in the Agricultural and Goldfields and North West regions, accounting for 53.6 per cent of total regional sales. Excluding the metropolitan area, operating expenditure is the greatest in the Agricultural and Goldfields region and is $36.5m per year, or 35 per cent of the State’s regional areas’ total. Page 78 Table 36: Water Corporation accounts – regional areas

Description Agricultural Great Mid North South Perth & Goldfields Southern West West West

Total water sales (ML) 25,996 9,258 15,118 23,898 18,890 241,243

Volume of Wastewater treated (ML) 1,600 3,285 1,825 6,750 8,395 97,455

Total revenue ($m) 88.9 57.8 47.2 70.6 91.2 598.3

Total operating expenditure ($m) 36.5 16.3 12.1 22.6 17.9 251.1

Depreciation ($m) 20.87 10.2 9.3 13.8 19.0 81.5

Capital Expenditure 30/06/2001 22.54 1.85 5.142 10.35 16.05 26.54

Capital Expenditure 30/06/2002 24.27 4.762 2.83 4.81 16.16 23.86

Source: Water Corporation.

Comment Although the largest number of individual services in the regions are in the South West (see ‘Value of water infrastructure indicator’), the majority of regional water sales come from the Agricultural and North West regions, being 27.9 and 25.7 per cent respectively of the total. Regional performance - economic

6.5.2.4 Energy

Indicator: Source and quantity of power infrastructure

Background This indicator is represented by the number and type of non renewable private and public elec- tricity generation stations over 10 MW throughout regional Western Australia and Perth metro- politan. Also included is the total capacity (MW) of those power stations. Data were obtained from the Office of Energy. The leading energy providers in Western Australia are Western Power, with operations across the State, and a range of smaller providers servicing regional industries and communities.

Current situation Shown in Table 37 are the number and capacity of non renewable private and public electricity Page 79 generation stations over 10 MW as at May 2002. The Gascoyne, Great Southern and Wheatbelt do not contain any public or private power stations with a capacity over 10 MW.

The total number of power stations in regional Western Australia totals 52, of which 54 per cent are private. The majority of power stations are located in the Goldfields-Esperance, Mid West and Pilbara regions, making up 65 per cent of the total. These power stations servicing mining in these regions and some nearby communities. Most of the total capacity of electricity generation stations are located within the South West and Perth, with total regional capacities of 1,708 and 1,700 MW respectively.

Table 37: Number and capacity of power throughout Western Australia, May 2002

Region No. of power stations Capacity (MW) Public Private Public Private Total

Goldfields-Esperance 5 12 82 530 612

Kimberley 7 1 40 20 60

Mid West 6 4 121 132 253

Peel - 2 - 193 193

Pilbara 3 7 2 549 551

South West 3 2 1,460 248 1,708

Regional WA 24 28 1,705 1,672 3,377

Perth 3 2 1,523 177 1,700

WA 27 30 3,228 1,849 5,077

Source: Office of Energy.

Table 38 shows the source of power for the power generation stations listed in Table 37. The source of power for non-renewable power generation stations is either distillate, natural gas or coal. The majority (54%) are powered by distillate, followed by natural gas (39%) and then coal (7%). Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Table 38: Source of power for power stations in Western Australia, May 2002

Region Distillate Natural Gas Coal

Public Private Public Private Public Private

Goldfields-Esperance 5 4 8

Kimberley 7 1

Mid West 5 2 1 2

Peel 2

Pilbara 3 3 4

South West 0.5 1 2.5 1

Regional WA 20 10 1.5 17 2.5 1

Perth 1 1.5 2 0.5

WA 21103193 1 Page 80 Source: Office of Energy.

Comment Even though 53 per cent of power stations in Western Australia are private, they only represent 36 per cent of the total capacity. The Goldfields-Esperance region has the most power generation stations out of all the regions, although the South West produces just over half of the total regional capacity, and ‘exports’ power to the Peel, Wheatbelt, Great Southern, Mid West and Goldfields- Esperance regions, and to the Perth metropolitan area.

The indicators relating to power are not representative of a significant proportion of the Indigenous population as some 15,000 Indigenous persons live in remote communities which are not serviced by Western Power (Department of Indigenous Affairs, pers. comm.). Regional performance - economic

Indicator: Quality of service

Background

The ‘quality of service’ indicator is represented by the number of outages and duration of outages per regional system, on the non-interconnected system. The Energy Smart Line is a service that provides energy saving advice and information to consumers. Other data included are Western Power’s service standards and targets for 2000 and 2001.

Current situation

The number of outages and duration of outages per regional system on the non-interconnected system is as follows: Page 81 CAIDI12 (Total outage duration minutes / average no of customers) 50.4 SAIFI13 (Total no of customer interruptions / total no of customers served) 7.3

Western Power’s service standards and targets are listed in Table 39, showing the targets and the achievements for 2000 and 2001. Western Power exceeded or met 33 per cent of their targets in 2000 and improved on this in 2001, meeting 44 per cent. Even though a majority of targets weren’t reached, actual achievements were 95 per cent or above for 67 per cent of the standards.

Table 39: Western Power’s service standards and targets, 2000 – 2001

Service and Standard Target Actual Actual (%) 2000 (%) 2001 (%)

Restoration of unplanned outages within 4 hours. Metro & major regional. 85 90 96

Restoration of unplanned outages within 4 hours. Rural & remote. - 79 95

Providing at least 2 hours working days’ notice of scheduled power 100 100 100 interruptions, including metro, regional, rural and remote.

Completing new connections within 3 working days for metro and 95 85 90 major regional centres and within 5 days for rural and remote areas.

Replacing faulty streetlights within 5 working days in metro and major 100 91 99 regional centres.

Replacing faulty streetlights within 9 working days in rural and 100 89 97 remote areas.

Answering phone calls to our Customer Service Centre within 30 seconds. 100 75 94

Acknowledging the receipt of, or replying to, letters within 5 working days. 100 97 100

Acknowledging the receipt of emails, or replying to emails within 100 NA NA 2 working days (available from 2002).

Source: Western Power (www.westernpower.com.au).

12 CAIDI stands for Customer Average Interruption Duration Index and is the amount of time that a typical customer experiencing a sustained outage was out of power. 13 SAIFI stands for System Average Interruption Frequency Index and is the average number of sustained outages that a typical customer experienced during the year. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Comment The Western Australian Government is in the implementation phase for restructuring Western Power, which will see the establishment of four private sector power suppliers taking over the responsibilities formerly held by the State-owned facility.

Page 82 Regional performance - economic

Indicator: Proportion of energy from renewable energy sources

Background In those areas of Australia not serviced by a main electricity grid, electricity generated from renew- able sources can be cost-effective compared to reducing reliance on diesel fuel for electricity gen- eration. The Renewable Remote Power Generation Program (RRPGP) provides financial sup- port to increase the use of renewable energy generation in remote parts of Australia that presently rely on diesel for electricity generation.

The objective of the RRPGP is to increase the uptake of renewable energy technologies in remote areas of Australia, which will: • help in providing an effective electricity supply to remote users; • assist the development of the Australian renewable energy industry; Page 83 • help meet the energy infrastructure needs of Indigenous communities, and • lead to long term greenhouse gas reduction. There is also the Western Australia’s Remote Area Power Supply (RAPS) Scheme which is a program with a budget of $18 million in RRPGP funds to provide rebates of 55 per cent (50% RRPGP rebates, 5% WA rebates) of the initial capital costs of renewable energy installations in remote areas of Western Australia.

Current situation Table 40 shows the amount of electricity generated from renewable energy sources (kW) per financial year that replaces fossil fuel sources. Western Power itself generates 60 kW per year on the non-interconnected system (Exmouth) and 22 MW on the South-West interconnected system. Many of the other sources are small settlements and individual businesses.

Table 40: Renewable remote power generation programme

Region Systems kW Rebate ($)

Goldfields-Esperance 31 31 300,964

Great Southern 7 2 18,276

Kimberley 39 70 981,028

Mid West 45 35 411,066

Peel 13 8 105,739

Pilbara 19 68 1,047,118

South West 17 14 172,996

Wheatbelt 112 46 448,094

Regional Total 308 309 3,885,775

Source: Office of Energy. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Table 41 shows the renewable energy electricity generation stations over 20 kW as at May 2002 and their individual capacity. The Wheatbelt does not have any renewable or non-renewable capacity in this category, and sources its power from the South West region. The State’s renewable energy capacity is just below 75 MW, or 1.45 per cent of the total capacity. Renewable energy capacity in the regions is mainly provided by wind powered stations, with one each in the Gascoyne, Goldfields-Esperance and Great Southern regions, and a hydro-electric station located on the Ord Dam, which services the Kununurra area.

Table 41: Renewable energy electricity generation stations over 20 kW, May 2002

Region No. Type Renewable Non Renewable power capacity renewable proportion of stations (MW) capacity total capacity (MW) (%)

Gascoyne 1 wind 0.69 0 100 Page 84 Goldfields-Esperance 1 wind 2 612 0.33

Great Southern 1 wind 22 0 100

Kimberley 2 hydro/bagasse 36 60 37.5

Mid West 1 solar 0.02 253 0.01

Peel - - - 193 0

Pilbara - - - 551 0

South West 1 hydro 2 1,708 0.12

Wheatbelt - - - - -

Regional WA 7 NA 62.31 3,377 1.81

Perth 2 landfill gas/biogas 12.6 1,700 0.74

WA 9 NA 74.91 5,077 1.45

Source: Office of Energy.

Comment In 2000/01, 309 kW of energy produced by fossil fuel was replaced by renewable energy sources, attracting a total rebate of $3.9m. The majority of the rebates went to the Kimberley and Pilbara regions, who together accounted for 45 per cent of the replacement of fossil fuel energy sources by renewable means.

The State’s renewable energy capacity is 1.45 per cent of the total capacity. This is below the National target of 2 per cent renewable energy by 2012. The majority (83%) of renewable energy capacity is derived from regional Western Australia and is mainly fulfilled by wind powered stations. However, in the Kimberley region there is a hydro / bagasse power station that contributes to 48 per cent of the State’s total renewable capacity. Regional performance - economic

6.5.2.5 Production

Indicator: Value of economic activity

Background This indicator shows the total value of production for six major sectors. The six industries in- cluded in this analysis are mining, agriculture, tourism, manufacturing, fishing and retail turn- over. These figures were obtained from the Regional Economic Perspectives (2001). These figures include the total value of production and often also include intermediate goods and services pur- chased from outside the region (e.g. technology services from Perth). This is different to Gross Regional Product (GRP) shown in Table 13, which is the aggregate of all value adding in the region. If a percentage of regional production relies on inputs from outside the region, GRP will be lower that the total value of production. The difference between these measures is most strongly seen in regions where there is a high contribution to regional industries such as mining from Page 85 outside the region.

Current situation Total value of economic activity is shown in Table 42. Mining contributes most to economic activity in five of the nine regions. The contributions are large, being $11,700m in the Pilbara, $3,000m in Goldfields-Esperance and over $1,000m in the Peel and Mid West Regions. Collectively, mining contributes 61 per cent of the total value of economic activity for these six sectors across regional WA.

The regions where mining is not the most important contributor are the Gascoyne, Great Southern, South West and Wheatbelt. In the Gascoyne, mining, tourism, fishing and retail each contributed between $65 and $73m in 1999/00. In 1999/00 agriculture contributed $561m to the Great Southern and $1,800m to the Wheatbelt region. In the South West manufacturing was the most significant sector ($2,960m). In the regions manufacturing and retail production form a smaller proportion of total economic activity compared to Perth.

Table 42: Value of economic activity 1999/00 Region Mining Agriculture Tourism1 Manufacturing Fishing Retail ($m) ($m) ($m) ($m) ($m) Turnover ($m)

Gascoyne 71 51 65 55 73 67

Goldfields-Esperance 3,000 316 139 699 19 455

Great Southern 3 561 128 230 5 354

Kimberley 891 136 431 23 13 229

Mid West 1,600 561 168 222 177 377

Peel 1,700 81 62 394 20 440

Pilbara 11,700 28 153 134 19 289

South West 1,400 467 423 2,960 11 897

Wheatbelt 509 1,800 134 154 111 359

Regional WA 20,874 4,001 1,702 4,870 448 3,467

Perth 17 264 1,638 13,759 92 11,638

WA 20,891 4,265 3,340 18,629 540 15,105

1 Overnight domestic visitor expenditure. NB 1999/00 year chosen to show common comparison between the sectors. Source: Department of Local Government and Regional Development (2001). Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Comment Mining contributes most to the value of production from the Western Australian regions ($20.8 billion). However, the gap between value of production and GRP shows the important role played by economic activity outside the mining-dominated regions in supporting mining production.

Agriculture ($4 billion) is the next most important source of production value. The regions contribute about 50 per cent of the value of tourism income to Western Australia and nearly all of the fishing income.

Page 86 Regional performance - economic

Indicator: Sector statistics

Background Each sector’s contribution within each region is determined by the Gross Regional Product (GRP) per sector. These data were obtained from the Department of Local Government and Regional Development.

Current situation Table 43 presents a detailed analysis of GRP by sector. Throughout all the regions the majority of GRP was obtained either through ‘Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing’ or ‘Mining’. In the Goldfields- Esperance region, 67 per cent of GRP was contributed by the mining sector. This was the highest percentage any one industry contributed to GRP throughout all the regions. Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing accounted for more than a quarter of GRP in the Great Southern and Wheatbelt Page 87 regions.

Comment The biggest contributors to GRP in regional WA are the ‘Mining’ and ‘Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing’ sectors. Across the regions these sectors combined made up between 27.6 and 71.0 per cent of GRP. Regional Western Australia’s economic profile differs considerably to that in the Perth metropolitan area, where it is the ‘Finance and Insurance’, ‘Property’ and ‘Manufacturing’ sectors that contribute the most towards GRP, with a combined contribution of 37 per cent.

Considering Western Australia as a whole the top four contributors to GRP were ‘Mining’ (20.1%), ‘Finance and Insurance’ (10.4%), ‘Property’ (10.3%) and ‘Manufacturing’ (9.2%). While ‘Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing’ is regionally important, it contributes only 3.7 per cent of total Gross State Product. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

.6)

2.4)

(2.8)

.7 (5.0)

.1 (3.5)

9 (10.4)

5.0 (4.4)

,951.3 (4.2) ,951.3

(7.9) (7.5) 5,188.1

12.9) (10.3) 7,194.1

9 (2.0) 1,405.9 (2.0)

.6 (1.8) 966.0 (1.4)

.6 (10.6) 6,373.5 (9.2)

986.8 (6.5) (5.8) 4,031.9

) 4,434.8 (9.6) (20.1) 13,958.2

0) (1) 461.7 2,562.9 (3.7)

Page 88

Contribution of sector to GRP in $m (percentage*)

Esperance Southern West West WA Total

13.0 (2.9)13.0 44.5 (0.9) 30.7 (2) 32.1 (2.7) 35.2 (1.4) 29.4 (1.4) 39.3 (1.0) 79.5 (1.9) 36.3 (1.3) 340.0 (1.5) 758.4 (1.6) 1,098.4 (1.6)

24.7 (5.4) (2.4) 110.7 (7.9) 118.3 50.5 (4.2) (4.4) 114.8 (5.8) 121.9 62.1 (1.6) 235.5 (5.7) (5.3) 141.8 980.3 (4.2) 6,255.6 (13.5) 7,235.

25.0 (5.5) (2.3) 105.9 69.1 (4.6) (14.5) 174.5 80.6 (3.1) 90.3 (4.3) (1.9) 74.4 (4.7) 193 (3.8) 101.7 (3.9) 914.5 (6.5) 3,010.9 3,925.4 (5

total gross product. total gross

ervices 9.7 (2.1) 45.3 (1.0) 65 (4.3) 44.6 (3.7) 40.4 (1.6) 48.7 (2.3) 35.1 (0.9) 83.7 (2.0) 40.7 (1.5) 413.2 (1.8) 1,273.6 (2.8) 1,686.8 (

region’s

ervices (4.2) 19.0 50 (1.1) 38.8 (2.6) (1.5) 18.0 32.6 (1.3) 42.6 (2.0) 26.6 (0.7) 73.8 (1.8) (2.3) 61.4 362.8 (1.6) 1,560.4 (3.4) 1,923.2

Source: Department of Local Government and Regional Development. and Regional Government of Local Department Source:

Table 43: Gross Regional Product by sectors, 2001 Table

Sector Gascoyne Goldfields- Great Kimberley Mid Peel Pilbara South Wheatbelt Regional Perth State

Agriculture, Forestry 66.3 (14.6) (2.8) 132.9 365.5 (24.4) (6.4) 77.2 234.8 (9) 82.1 (3.9) 34.5 (0.9) 346.2 (8.4) (28.2) 761.7 (9. 2101.2 and Fishing

Mining (17.9) 81.2 (66.6) 3,128.4 (3.2) 47.5 328.5 (27.4) (46.6) 1,211 592.9 (28.2) 2734.1 (70.1) 865.4 (21.1) 534.4 (19.8) 9,523.4 (41.0 Manufacturing (4.7) 21.4 (2.5) 118.8 (8.2) 122.5 36.2 (3) 82.8 (3.2) 288.2 (13.7) (3.1) 122.4 (13.0) 531.8 (4.6) 123.8 (6.2) 1,447.9 4,925

Electricity, Gas and Water Gas and Electricity, (2.7 12.2 (0.7) 31.9 38 (2.5) 25.9 (2.2) 42.6 (1.6) 28.7 (1.4) 42.3 (1.1) (4.7) 193.3 69.1 (2.6) 484 (2.1) 921. Construction 34.2 (7.5) 244.7 (5.2) (7.8) 117.5 72.5 (6.0) (6.5) 169.8 (9.4) 197.1 202 (5.2) 372.1 (9.1) (5.1) 137.6 (6.7) 1,547.5 3,640.6

Wholesale (4.3) 19.3 99.4 (2.1) 64.0 (4.3) 25.1 (2.1) 72.3 (2.8) 65.4 (3.1) 50.8 (1.3) (3.3) 135.7 (4) 106.9 638.9 (2.7) 2,436.1 (5.3) 3,07 Retail (4.2) 19.2 96.7 (2.1) 92.5 (6.2) 39.5 (3.3) 86.9 (3.3) (5.6) 117.5 64.5 (1.7) 200.1 (4.9) 99.8 (3.7) (3.5) 816.7 2,695.0 (5.8) 3,511

Accommodation, Cafes & Restaurants

Transport & StorageTransport 34.3 (7.6) (3.4) 157.7 79.1 (5.3) 83.3 (6.9) (4.4) 113.2 90.2 (4.3) (3.7) 143.8 (4.6) 188 (5.8) 155.5 1,045.1 (4.5) 2, Communication S

Finance and Insurance Property 25.4 (5.6)(4.1) 194.2 (6.7) 100.1 (6.0) 71.9 (4.9) 128.2 (7.3) 152.8 (3.6) 139.3 (7.3) 297.6 (3.9) 104.4 (5.2) 1,213.9 5,980.2 (

Government 30.9 (6.8) 52.7 (1.1) 63.1 (4.2) 60.9 (5.1) (3.0) 77.0 65.1 (3.1) 58.3 (1.5) (2.9) 118.8 (4.3) 114.8 (2.8) 641.6 2,309.7 (5.0) 2 Education (3.1) 14.2 66.7 (1.4) 69.9 (4.7) 46.9 (3.9) 66.2 (2.5) 62.3 (3.0) (1.6) 61.0 (3.6) 146.3 99.6 (3.7) 633.1 (2.7) 1,833 (4.0) 2,466

Health and Community

Cultural and Recreational 3.9 (0.9) (0.4) 19.4 (1.2) 18.6 (1.0) 12.3 (0.5) 11.8 24.9 (1.2) 9.6 (0.2) 39.4 (1.0) (0.4) 10.5 (0.6) 150.4 815 Services

Services and Other S Personal

* Percentage of a * Percentage Regional performance - economic

Indicator: Small business statistics

Background A small business is defined as any business: • that is independently owned and operated; • that is closely controlled by owners / managers who also contribute to most, if not all, of the operating capital; and • for which the principal decision-making functions rest with the owners / managers.

For statistical purposes, small businesses are identified as those businesses that employ less than 20 people. A micro business is any small business employing less than five people and agricultural businesses are not included in small business counts. While statistics for the sector occur at State scale, they are not available at RDC regional scale. The information on employers and employees at the regional scale (see Table 14) provides some indication of the distribution of small employers Page 89 across the State.

Current situation In 2000/01 there were 126,000 small businesses in Western Australia, an 8.6 per cent increase since 1999/00. The number of small businesses in Western Australia has grown at an average annual rate of 4.8 per cent since 1983/84; a rate that was higher than in any other state and well above the national average of 3.5 per cent.

The small business sector is the major employer across Western Australia. In 2000/01 the sector employed 364,000 people, a 2.1 per cent increase on the previous year. The small business sector now accounts for some 49.4 per cent of the private sector workforce in the State and comprises 121,400 persons working in their own business and 242,600 employees. In the past 17 years the WA average annual growth rate in small business employment has been 4 per cent. Again this is a higher growth rate than is seen in any other state and well above the national average which is just above 3 per cent. While the majority of small businesses in Western Australia (54%) do not employ any staff, 43 per cent of the total number of small business employees work in an environment where there are 5 – 19 employees and only 24 per cent are self-employed.

At June 2001, there were 64,300 women operating a small business in WA. This represents a significant increase in the number of WA women in small business, up from 50,300 in November 1999. Between November 1999 and June 2001 there was a 17 per cent average annual increase in the number of WA women and small business operators – a rate higher than any other state (Source: Small Business Development Corporation Fact Sheet, October 2002.).

Comment Small businesses are an integral part of Western Australia’s economy, being the major employer across the State. It is also evident that the small business sector is growing rapidly, with a 8.6 per cent increase between 1999/00 and 2000/01. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

6.5.3 Economic resilience

6.5.3.1 Economic diversity

Indicator: Indigenous participation

Background Commonwealth and state policies (including the Draft Regional Policy Statement 2002) promote Indigenous enterprise development, employment and wealth creation. In WA, the State Government will build on its 2001 Statement of Commitment to the Indigenous community by establishing Government/community partnerships and agreements at a regional and local level.

Page 90 Current situation The most recent data on Indigenous participation in economic activity in the Western Australian regions are from the 1996 ABS Census of Population and Housing. These data are expressed as the percentage of Indigenous persons employed in Community Development Employment Program (CDEP) projects or other means of employment and the percentage unemployed. Also represented is the total Indigenous labour force as at 1996.

Two thirds of Western Australia’s Indigenous labour force are located in regional Western Australia. Eighty five per cent of these people are employed, including 31 per cent working in CDEP activities. The highest concentration of Indigenous persons employed in CDEP are in the Kimberley and Goldfields-Esperance regions where 54 and 37 per cent of the labour force respectively are employed in CDEP activities. Unemployment rates for Indigenous persons are the highest in the Mid West (26.6%), Pilbara (22.6%) and Great Southern (22.1%) regions and are the lowest in the Kimberley region (7.8%). The majority of Western Australia’s Indigenous labour force are located in the Kimberley (26.6%) and Goldfields-Esperance (10.4%).

Table 44: Indigenous participation

Region Employed (%) Unemployed In Labour Force CDEP Other (%) Total (%)

Gascoyne 35 (24.3) 97 (67.4) 12 (8.3) 144 (1.0)

Goldfields-Esperance 546 (36.4) 751 (50.1) 203 (13.5) 1,500 (10.4)

Great Southern 22 (5.1) 316 (72.8) 96 (22.1) 434 (3.0)

Kimberley 2,059 (53.5) 1,489 (38.7) 302 (7.8) 3,850 (26.6)

Mid West 77 (6.6) 776 (66.8) 309 (26.6) 1162 (8.0)

Pilbara 184 (14.7) 786 (62.7) 283 (22.6) 1,253 (8.7)

South West 21 (5.5) 278 (72.8) 83 (21.7) 382 (2.6)

Wheatbelt 45 (5.4) 628 (75.4) 160 (19.2) 833 (5.8)

Regional WA 2,989 (31.3) 5,121 (53.6) 1,448 (15.1) 9,558 (66.1)

Perth / Peel 12 (0.2) 3,534 (72.2) 1,348 (27.5) 4,894 (33.9)

WA 3,001 (20.8) 8,655 (59.9) 2,796 (19.3) 14,452 (100.0)

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (1996). Regional performance - economic

Over recent years there has been an increase in the participation of Indigenous persons in small business development and also in specific areas of employment such as the mining, tourism, pastoral and aquaculture industries. Indigenous persons are also employed in areas providing services specifically for the Indigenous community, such as health, the legal system, housing and police.

Comment The majority of Western Australia’s Indigenous labour force is resident in regional Western Australia (66%), which is slightly higher than the total proportion of Indigenous persons living in regional Western Australia (52%). Across the State the majority of Indigenous persons are employed in the mainstream economy (54%), although CDEP employment is relatively high in the Goldfields- Esperance, Kimberley and Gascoyne regions. The is due to the comparatively high proportion of Indigenous people living in these regions who find it difficult to access mainstream employment for reasons including location, and lack of adequate skills. Page 91

In some instances partnerships are being formed between various industries and Indigenous communities. This approach is being fostered by the State government. Several of the major mining companies operating in Western Australia are developing relationships with Indigenous people and consult over plans for developing new mines and managing cultural heritage. These mining companies strongly support Indigenous participation in their operations and schemes are operating to support education, training, employment and business opportunities. In a number of instances, targets are being set for the percentage of Indigenous employees in company operations, and requirements for Indigenous employment are being specified in tenders for services by major contractors. The focus is aimed at creating employment and business opportunities that are sustainable over time. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

6.5.3.2 Government support

Indicator: Government planning and investment in regional industries

Background The indicator ‘Government planning and investment in regional industries’ is represented by the completed, current or proposed planning activities by region taken from the Ministry for Planning’s (now Department for Planning and Infrastructure) annual report. Also included, by region, are the capital works highlights for 2001 – 02. These focus on the State Government’s commitment to enhancing regional infrastructure and opportunities for regional investment.

Page 92 Current situation The planning activities throughout the regions over the year 2000/01 are shown in Table 45. It is worth noting that many of these activities have now been completed.

Table 45: Planning activities in the regions, 2000/01

Region Activity – completed, current or proposed

Kimberley • Kununurra-Wyndham Area Development Strategy

• Kununurra Land Release Plan

Pilbara • Port Hedland Area Planning Study

• Onslow Structure Plan

Gascoyne • None included in Annual Report

Mid West • Geraldton Region Scheme

• North South Road Selection Study

• Foreshore Redevelopment in Geraldton

• Oakajee Industrial Estate

• Batavia – Gascoyne Coastal Facilitator (also services Gascoyne Region)

• Moresby Range Strategy

• District Structure Planning

Goldfields-Esperance • Basic raw material strategies for Kalgoorlie and Esperance being prepared

• Preparation of Gribble Creek Floodway Study

• Investigating options for relocating railway through Kalgoorlie

• Undertaking Eastern Goldfields Regional Prison Facility Site Selection and Evaluation Study

• Goldfields-Esperance Regional Planning Strategy released in July 2000. This includes structure plans for Kalgoorlie-Boulder and Esperance

• Kalgoorlie-Boulder Land Release Plan Update

• Esperance Land Release Plan

• New town planning scheme and local planning strategy for the Shire of Ravensthorpe, being processed. Regional performance - economic

Wheatbelt • Northam Land Release Plan – under preparation

• Central Coast Regional Strategy – being implemented. Completion of the last remaining section of Indian Ocean Drive, between Lancelin and the Pinnacles access road, is scheduled for completion by the end of 2005

• Implementation of the Avon Arc Sub-regional Strategy

• Gingin Coast Structure Plan

Peel • Peel Region Scheme – planned for approval in 2002

• Mandurah Inner Area Strategic Land Use and Transport Integration Study

South West • Warren-Blackwood Rural Strategy – includes three sub-studies – Agricultural Economic Potential, Water Condition and Availability, and Agricultural Significance Assessment.

• Busselton Wetlands Conservation Strategy

• Bunbury Basalt Buffer Study

• City of Bunbury Town Planning Scheme No. 7 has been re-advertised (at July Page 93 2001)

• New schemes submitted for Shires of Collie, Bridgetown-Greenbushes, and Nannup for assessment (at July 2001)

• Preparations being made for schemes for Shires of Augusta-Margaret River, Manjimup and Dardanup

• Augusta-Margaret River Land Release Plan

• Warren-Blackwood Land Release Plan

• Greater Bunbury Land Release Plan

Great Southern • Lower Great Southern Regional Strategy

• Albany Local Planning Strategy

• New town planning schemes and local planning strategies for the Shires of Cranbrook, Dumbleyung, Jerramungup, Ravensthorpe, West Arthur, and Woodanilling being processed

• Development plan for Bayonet Head in City of Albany

• Development plan for Weedon Hill in Shire of Denmark

• Albany Land Release Plan

Source: Department for Planning and Infrastructure.

Table 46 shows the capital works ‘highlights’ for the year 2001/02. These include only those major works that had already commenced in previous years or those that commenced in 2001/02. The majority of capital works that commenced in 2001/02 were concentrated in Perth (65%) as were the continuing works (64%).

Within the regions themselves, works in 2001/02 were concentrated in the South West, making up approximately 30 per cent of the regional total for both commencing and continuing works. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Table 46: Capital works ‘highlights’, 2001 to 2002

Region Commenced in Continuing Works 2001 – 021

Gascoyne $7,300,000 $29,357,000

Goldfields-Esperance $7,083,000 $48,208,000

Great Southern $7,247,000 $25,033,000

Kimberley $8,252,000 $18,809,000

Mid West $12,264,000 $45,242,000

Peel $3,261,000 $7,442,000

Pilbara $18,586,000 $16,509,000

South West $33,240,000 $94,491,000

Wheatbelt $8,057,000 $54,524,000 Page 94 Regional WA $105,290,000 $339,615,000

Perth $191,955,000 $605,624,000

WA $297,245,000 $945,239,000

1 These figures include only capital works highlights and those works that had already commenced in previous years or those that commenced in 2001 – 02. Source: Department of Treasury and Finance.

Comment Capital works projects are designed to assist in attracting investment and increasing jobs in regional areas or to improve the access of regional communities to services. Thirty five per cent of investment in these capital works ‘highlights’ is occurring in regional Western Australia, which is a similar proportion to the percentage of the State’s population resident in the regions (27%). Regional performance - economic

Indicator: Local procurement

Background Government procurement of goods and services from within a region can be a powerful and effective means of supporting regional economic development and diversity, and can assist regional businesses to higher levels of activity, thereby promoting additional employment and investment.

Current situation The State Government purchases goods and services to a value of $5 billion annually. The Government has strengthened its commitment to local procurement through the Buy Local Policy. This is an initiative aimed at recognising the contribution of local businesses in building a stronger Western Australian economy. The Policy covers all State Government purchasing and contracting, including leasing, hire and disposals of goods, services, housing and works. It is applicable when Page 95 government agencies seek verbal or written quotations or undertake a public tender process. The minimum buy local purchasing target has been increased from 70 to 80 per cent of all purchases and contracts awarded. In addition, a mandatory local content criterion has been set for all government buying above $750,000.

Another key objective of the State Government, is the Aboriginal Economic Development Strategy. The aim of this strategy is to increase the level of supply of services to government by enterprises that employ, or are owned and operated by Indigenous residents of Western Australia.

Comment The Buy Local Policy targets are considered achievable, and will be monitored and reported against in the future. Private sector suppliers who have specified regional contributions as part of tender specifications will also be monitored for compliance with their commitments. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

6.5.3.3 Small business assistance

Indicator: Small business assistance

Background Government assistance for small business is most commonly by way of free or low cost advisory services, information and guidance. Most forms of assistance are offered throughout the State. Assistance is rarely by way of cash grants or loans to enable new businesses to start, or to help existing businesses overcome a shortage of funds.

Current situation Current State and Commonwealth Government initiatives that would benefit region-specific Page 96 requirements are shown in Table 47.

Table 47: Key State and Commonwealth Government initiatives available for region specific adjustment

Grant Responsible Entity Region Comment

Market access program – Dept. of Ind. & Res. WA Facilitation program Indian Ocean region

Small business improvement Small Bus. Dev. Corp. WA Partial reimbursement of consulting program expenses

Small business smart business Small Bus. Dev. Corp. WA Reimbursement of training costs to $200

Relocation feasibility scheme Dept. of Local Govt. and WA Financial assistance for businesses Regl. Devt. investigating relocation from Perth to regional WA

Industry relocation scheme Dept. of Local Govt. and WA Financial incentives for businesses relocating Regl. Devt. from Perth to regional WA

Aquaculture development fund Dept. of Fisheries WA Financial assistance for aquaculture development

FarmBis Dept. of Agriculture WA Grants for business skill development

Satellite mobile phone scheme Dept. of Ind and Res. WA Satellite phone subsidies, up to $1,100 per handset

South west industry assistance Dept. of Ind and Res. South West Financial assistance for and facilitation of scheme new businesses investments

Timber industry assistance Dept. of Ind and Res. South West Financial assistance for value adding projects program

Business exit assistance scheme Dept. of Ind and Res. South West Timber industry exit assistance

Yellow pages business ideas Pacif. Access National Annual awards recognizing ideas from the grantssmall business sector.

Export market development Austrade Federal Partial reimbursement of marketing expenses grant scheme

Export access Austrade Federal Facilitation program

Tradex AusIndustry Federal Customs duty relief for re-exported goods

Investment feasibility study fund Dept. of Ind., Sc. and Res. Federal Pre-feasibility and feasibility study funding Regional performance - economic

Dairy regional assistance program Dept. of Trspt. and Federal Regional business supplements for Rgnl. Svcs. -communities impacted by deregulation of the dairy industry

Regional tourism program Dept. of Ind. Sc. and Res. Federal Facilitation program

Food into Asia CSIRO Federal Dollar for dollar research subsidies

Petroleum products freight AusIndustry Federal Freight subsidy for transporting petroleum subsidy scheme products to remote areas

Information technology online Nat. Office of Federal Facilitation of business to business program Inf. Tech. e-commerce

Commercialising emerging AusIndustry Federal Merit based consulting support of technologies innovative products

Innovative investment fund AusIndustry Federal Assistance with venture capital raising

New industries development Agr. Fish. and For. Aus. Federal Commercialisation of innovative program technologies

R and D start AusIndustry Federal Grants and loans supporting product Page 97 commercialisation

Research and development RDC Federal Fisheries and aquaculture, grains, rural corporation industries, dried fruits, forest and wood products, and grape and wine research grants.

Horticulture Australia Horticulture Aus. Federal Dollar for dollar funding for horticultural research in technology, marketing and economics

New enterprise incentive scheme Aus. Emp. Services Federal Small business training access for job seekers

Source: Small Business Development Corporation.

Comment There are a number of grants / assistance packages offered to small businesses throughout the State. While these initiatives are generally offered on a State or National basis, there are three assistance schemes / programs that are offered only in the South West region. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Page 98 Regional performance - social

Regional performance – 7social

7.1 Background

Development of the social resources in a region contributes to the ability of a regional community to pursue its own development.

7.2 Social goal for the regions

The Social Goal for the regions is ‘Educated, healthy, safe and supportive communities’ Page 99

7.3 Key result areas

The Key Result Areas in the Social theme are shown in Table 48.

Table 48: Key result areas in the social theme

Key Result Area Context

Education and training Access to and levels of achievement in primary, secondary, tertiary and vocational education. Qualification profiles by region

Health and well-being Access to medical facilities, and health promotion, recreational and cultural facilities. Healthy life expectancy, involvement in health enhancing behaviours, industrial impacts, mortality and morbidity

Community safety Crime rates and reported offences, evaluation of policing and policing resources, levels of investment to protect households (including insurance), community feelings over safety, costs of crime, and crime as a function of demographics.

Social capital Social cohesion and generalised reciprocity, generalised trust, community identity, capacity building

CALD, gender, youth, Access to CALD service ane CALD participation in the community, gender equity seniors issues, youth aspirations, employment and facilities. Aged care facilities and level of retention in the region

Community involvement Government investment in consultation procedures, level of regional autonomy, in decision making levels of discretionary funding at regional scale, regional input to state level decisions

Personal financial Investment in social security, percentage of people below the poverty line, independence homelessness

Equity in communication Quality and cost of electronic services, level of use of services, access to and professional services regionally based professional services, use of local services

7.4 A framework for indicator development

Experience elsewhere is that reporting the social development and character of a region represents the most significant challenge in indicator design. The approach adopted recognised that it is in the social area where most direct government programs operate that provide day-to-day and face- to-face services to individuals and communities. Whereas government puts in place infrastructure Indicators of Regional Development in WA

to enable economic development by a third party, in areas like education, health and policing, government is the direct investor in social outcomes through programs that it owns and manages. The logic therefore is that in the social theme, the need to track the level of government services and the outputs and outcomes from those services has some greater priority.

The model in Figure 1 works best at the program level when there is a very clear causal link between the service being provided (e.g. remedial teaching services) and the outcomes (e.g. the children’s performance). At the whole of state, or regional scale, the link between the services provided by government and the outcomes will be less causal, and more influenced by social drivers outside the control of government – with examples being CALD and cultural issues, the demography of a region and the nature of the employment on offer. Because of the larger scope of this Project, the Department of Finance model in Figure 1 has been modified for the social theme to meet the particular needs of this project, as follows: • outputs are termed as ‘Services’, being those activities undertaken in the regions by Government Page 100 in line with its social goal and strategies in regional social development. • the outcomes in Figure 1 are regarded for the purposes of this project as some of the influences on the Status of the region in social terms, with ‘status’ being an absolute measure of the object of interest. For instance, the percentage of the children in the region who complete Year 12 schooling is a stand-alone measure of the status of educational achievement. This measure can be tracked through time, with both absolute levels and trends benchmarked against the Perth metropolitan area.

While the quality and quantity of services will contribute to the region’s status in particular areas, there will be other drivers of that status. These will also need to be recorded as part of an overall description of inherent differences between the regions.

Table 49 provides examples of service and status indicators for three of the key result areas.

Table 49: Examples of service and status indicators

Key result area Service indicators (outputs) Status indicators (outcomes)

Education and training • Access to education resources • Education achievement levels

Community safety • Policing services • Community feeling of safety

Communication and • Availability and costs • Use of electronic services by and professional services of electronic access regional people Regional performance - social

7.5 Regional social indicators

7.5.1 Key Result Area - Education and training 7.5.1.1 Services indicators

Indicator: Accessibility of primary, secondary and tertiary educational opportunities

Background The State Government is committed to providing fair and reasonable access to high quality education for students in regional, rural and remote Western Australia. The State makes primary and secondary education available to all students in the State either through day-to-day attendance, boarding away from home, or provision of distance education facilities. Therefore, the above Page 101 indicator is measured by the number of students who attend school in their own region, as opposed to travelling elsewhere (e.g. boarding school) or leaving school and completing an apprenticeship. Other measures include rates of participation, number of isolated and distance education students and total number of students.

Current Situation Primary and Secondary education Figure 12 shows the percentage of primary and secondary students that attend school in their own region. Reasons why children may not attend school in their own region could be because they do not attend school at all, they are undertaking an apprenticeship or are already in the workforce or most usually, they are completing their schooling elsewhere. These data are indicative at RDC scale as the regional boundaries for educational reporting are different to RDC regional boundaries (see Annex B).

Figure 12: Percentage of school age children attending school in their own region

87 Perth / Peel 97 84 Wheatbelt 97 83 South West 97 77 Pilbara 92 79 Mid West 95 59 Kimberley 90 84 Great Southern 96 74 Goldfields-Esperance 96 71 Gascoyne 92

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 Secondary % attending in their region Primary

Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing (2001) and Department of Education. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Table 50 shows the number of isolated and distance education students in Western Australia and what percentage they make up of the total number. These numbers are for Government schools only (e.g. ‘Schools of the Air’).

Table 50: Number of isolated and distance education students, 2001

Isolated and Distance EducationNumbers (%)

Primary and Pre-primary 530 (0.3)

Secondary 929 (1.1)

Total 1,459 (0.6)

NB For Government schools only – Semester 2, 2001 Source: Department of Education.

Page 102 Table 51 illustrates the number of pre-primary and kindergarten, primary and secondary students in each of the Education Department’s divisions. Regional Western Australia accounts for nearly 30 per cent of the student numbers compared to 27 per cent of the total State population.

Table 51: Student numbers by district

District RDC Region Pre-primary Primary Secondary total Total (%)

Albany Great Southern 754 4,127 2,737 7,618 (3.0)

Bunbury South West 1,382 6,962 4,379 12,723 (4.9)

Esperance Goldf-Esp 369 1,981 996 3,346 (1.3)

Goldfields Goldf-Esp 947 4,120 1,556 6,623 (2.6)

Kimberley Kimberley 738 3,107 1,238 5,083 (2.0)

Mid West Mid West 1,183 5,333 2,397 8,913 (3.5)

Midlands Wheatbelt 1,084 5,816 3,306 10,206 (4.0)

Narrogin Wheatbelt 602 2,700 1,748 5,050 (2.0)

Pilbara Pilbara 1,136 5,002 2,123 8,261 (3.2)

Warren-Blackwood South West 835 4,133 2,701 7,669 (3.0)

Regional WA - 9,030 43,281 23,181 75,492 (29.3)

Metropolitan districts Perth + Peel 19,458 99,246 63,536 182,240 (70.7)

Total WA - 28,488 142,527 86,717 257,732 (100)

NB For Government schools only and including full and part time students – Semester 2 2001; for education department division boundaries, see Appendix 1. Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing (2001) and Department of Education. Regional performance - social

Indigenous primary and secondary school participation Overall, primary school participation levels of Indigenous children is just below the level of enrolment by non-Indigenous children14 . The participation rates of Indigenous children are presented in Figure 13 below. Primary school students are those aged between 5 and 12 years and secondary are those aged between 13 and 17 years. The data were compiled in 1998 by the Aboriginal Affairs Department, however taken from the 1996 ABS Census of Population and Housing.

Figure 13: School participation rates – Indigenous children, 1996

62 WA 93 65 Perth 96 69 Wheatbelt 91 65 South West 91 55 Page 103 Pilbara 89 66 Murch / Gasc 91 52 Goldfields 94 59 West Kimberley 96 58 East Kimberley 83

0 20406080100120 Primary Secondary Participation rate (%)

Source: Regional Indicators for Aboriginal People in Western Australia (1998).

The participation rates of Indigenous primary school children were between 22 and 42 per cent higher than for Indigenous secondary school children across the regions. The lowest rate of participation amongst primary school children was in the East Kimberley region, where 17 per cent of children aged between 5 and 12 years were not enrolled in the current schooling system. The participation rates for secondary education ranged between 52 per cent in the Goldfields to 69 per cent in the Wheatbelt.

It should be noted that children could be educated from home without being enrolled in the education system. There are no statistics for children in this category, although it is likely to be a small number.

Higher education Figure 14 shows the number of people per 1,000 (in the 17 to 64 year old age group) who are enrolled for higher education at the five Western Australian universities. Statistics are not available at a regional scale, but the data show that people from outside the metropolitan region have a lower rate of participation in higher education.

14 Regional Indicators for Aboriginal People in Western Australia, Aboriginal Affairs Department, 1998. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Figure 14: Higher education participation rates, 1997 – 2001

60 55.7 54.5 53.6 51.8 51.8 50

40

Metropolitan 30 Regional WA 22.0 21.1 21.1 20.0 19.8 20 Participation Rate / 1,000 10

0 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 Page 104 Year

Source: Department of Education.

Table 52 shows the raw numbers of people enrolled in the four WA universities. The proportion of external to full-time and part-time students is higher for the more remote regions, particularly for the Kimberley and Pilbara regions, where it is the most common type of enrolment.

Table 52: Student numbers in higher education - 2001

Statistical Approximate Full-time Part-time External Total Division RDC region

Kimberley Kimberley 98 26 111 235

Pilbara Pilbara 126 38 129 293

CentralGascoyne 429 60 176 665 Mid West

South Eastern Goldfields-Esperance 300 119 154 573

Midlands Wheatbelt 610 110 192 912 Upper Great Southern

Peel South West 1,923 561 410 2,894 South West

Lower Great Great Southern 460 82 170 712 Southern

Perth Metropolitan area 33,562 11,142 2,550 47,254

Source: Department of Education.

Comment Isolated and distance education students make up only 1.9 per cent of the primary and secondary students in the State. The majority of students either have access to primary and secondary schools within the region, or relocate (e.g. boarding schools, school hostels) for their schooling. Regional performance - social

The percentage of those relocating is significant, particularly in the more remote regions (inferred from Figure 12). The proportion of students who do not attend secondary school in their own region was the highest in the Kimberley, with 41 per cent of children aged between 13 and 17 either attending school in another region or being already in the workforce or in an apprenticeship. The other more remote regions such as the Gascoyne (29%), Goldfields-Esperance (26%) and Pilbara (23%) also have high percentages of students not attending secondary school in their own region. The proportion of students not attending primary school in their own region was much lower, ranging from 10 per cent in the Kimberley region to 3 per cent in the South West, Wheatbelt and Perth regions.

There is a lower level of participation in higher education in regional areas, with in 2001, 20 persons per 1,000 participating in regional Western Australia, compared to 52 per 1,000 in Perth metropolitan. This is likely to reflect migration away from regional WA when the time comes for enrolment in tertiary education. Page 105 Between 1997 and 2001 participation rates in higher education decreased in both regional Western Australia (-10%) and Perth metropolitan (-7%). The more remote regions have a higher proportion of external students, compared to full-time and part-time, with the Kimberley and Pilbara both having in excess of 40 per cent of students enrolled as external. Perth metropolitan, Peel and the Wheatbelt had the lowest proportion of students enrolled externally at 5, 14 and 21 per cent respectively. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Indicator: Ability to access the full array of vocational education and training opportunities in the region

Background Vocational education and training is an important path to skilled employment. It is also the branch of post-compulsory education that is most closely linked with the immediate needs of industry and commerce, and courses are provided to meet regionally-specific needs throughout the State. The indicator has been measured by the participation rate at regional scale in courses that will lead to a formal qualification recognised in a workplace environment.

Current situation Vocational education and training is provided in all of the regions, mainly through the State’s Page 106 network of Technical and Further Education Centres (TAFE). The numbers of people accessing this opportunity in 2001 and the percentage of the population (aged between 15 – 44 years) involved is shown in Table 53.

Table 53: Number of TAFE enrolments in the regions

Region No. of TAFE Percentage of enrolments population (15 – 44)

Gascoyne 268 1.9

Goldfields-Esperance 936 4.0

Great Southern 1,597 2.3

Kimberley 692 3.0

Mid West 1,279 2.5

Peel 1,518 3.4

Pilbara 1,282 2.6

South West 3,530 3.6

Wheatbelt 1,342 2.6

Regional WA 12,444 3.1

Perth 38,857 11.1

WA Total 51,301 8.9

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (2001).

Through the ‘Regional Access’ website which is linked from the Department of Training’s website, it is possible to access information on traineeships and apprenticeships, career advice, training programs and courses, telecentres and other information. This information is available for all of the nine regions in Western Australia. Regional performance - social

Comment Overall, participation in the regions is about 70 per cent lower than in the Perth metropolitan area. Regional participation in vocational training and education is highest in the Goldfields- Esperance, South West, Peel and Kimberley regions. Lower participation rates occur in the Gascoyne, Mid West, Pilbara, Wheatbelt and Great Southern.

Page 107 Indicators of Regional Development in WA

7.5.1.2 Status indicators

Indicator: Education system apparent retention rates

Background In 1998 the national apparent retention rate to Year 12 was 71.6 per cent; 65.7 per cent for government schools and 84.0 per cent for non-government schools. The retention rate for Western Australian students was similar at 71.1 per cent overall; 65.8 per cent for government schools and 82.7 per cent for non-government schools. These data were obtained from ‘Schools Australia’, published by the ABS and are used to enable state comparisons only. The Department of Education (now Department of Education and Training) calculates state retention rates differently, including Page 108 fewer categories of Year 12 students and therefore producing lower rates.

There are a range of factors that will affect the calculation of apparent retention rates, some of these include students repeating a year of education, migration and other net changes to the school population, such as the enrolment of full-fee paying overseas students. The apparent retention rates shown in Figure 15 do not take into account these effects.

Current situation Shown in Figure 15 are the apparent retention rates in government and non-government schools. These are measured as the number of students in Year 12 as a proportion of those in Year 8 four years earlier. The regions shown in Figure 15 are school education districts (see Annex B). The Metropolitan districts exhibited the highest rate of retention (73.7%), followed by Warren- Blackwood (63.2%) and Narrogin (61.3%).

Figure 15: Apparent retention rates to Year 12, 2001

Metro districts 73.7

Warren-Blackwood 63.2

Pilbara 39.0

Narrogin 61.3

Midlands 50.9

Mid West 42.8

Kimberley 18.4

Goldfields 33.5

Esperance 41.8

Bunbury 57.2

Albany 52.7

0 1020304050607080 Retention Rate (%)

Source: Department of Education. Regional performance - social

The state apparent retention rates in Western Australia are 23.4 per cent for Indigenous students and 69.2 per cent for non-Indigenous students.

Comment There is a marked difference in apparent retention rates across the State, with the rate in Perth being significantly higher than in any of the regions. Retention rates in the more remote regions are considerably lower than for the remainder of the State, with the Kimberley, Goldfields, Pilbara, Esperance and the Mid West districts recording retention rates of less than 50 per cent. These low rates of apparent retention in the remote regions (especially the Kimberley) will partly be due to children continuing their schooling in another region, such as in Perth. The Kimberley district is also unique as there is only one senior high school, which is in Broome with Year 10 schools elsewhere in the region.

The higher proportion of Indigenous students in parts of these regions, who traditionally have Page 109 lower retention rates, will reduce the overall retention rate. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Indicator: Literacy and numeracy levels

Background Enhancing literacy and numeracy standards across Regional Western Australia is an important objective for Government. Adequate literacy and numeracy achievement is critical for the development of young people in a region. Low literacy and numeracy achievement will contribute to later difficulties in securing employment and other forms of social disadvantage.

Current situation The performance of Year 3 (see Table 54) students was similar for most regions and Perth, with some regional scores being higher for reading, writing and numeracy. The Goldfields, Pilbara and Kimberley regions had a higher proportion of Year 3 and 5 students who didn’t meet the national Page 110 literacy and numeracy benchmarks in 2001 than elsewhere in the State. The lowest level of achievement was in the Kimberley where 46 per cent and 42 per cent of Years 3 and 5 students respectively didn’t meet the spelling benchmark. In the Pilbara about 30 per cent of Year 3 students didn’t meet the writing and spelling benchmarks with the slightly lower achievement in these areas for the Year 5 cohort.

Year 5 Perth students slightly outperformed students in the rest of the State, having the highest percentage of students who achieved national literacy and numeracy benchmarks across all disciplines. Students in the Narrogin (Wheatbelt) and Bunbury (South West) regions performed well with Year 5 spelling in the Bunbury Region being the only category where less than 80 per cent of the students met the national benchmark.

Table 54: Proportion of Government school students who achieved national literacy and numeracy benchmarks, 2001

Year 3 (%) Year 5 (%) Region* (RDC) Reading Writing Spelling Numeracy Reading Writing Spelling Numeracy

Albany (Great Southern) 91 86 79 88 91 77 76 86

Bunbury (South West) 94 83 81 93 92 80 76 86

Esperance 91 79 79 90 93 81 77 86 (Goldfields-Esperance)

Goldfields 8872718687707077 (Goldfields-Esperance)

Kimberley 8460547874635863

Mid West 89 77 72 91 89 80 72 82

Midlands (Wheatbelt) 93 83 79 89 90 77 76 83

Narrogin (Wheatbelt) 91 82 80 82 93 83 78 87

Pilbara 86 70 71 82 84 66 68 78

Warren-Blackwood 95 85 78 89 93 77 74 87 (South West)

Perth 93 83 82 91 94 83 83 88

Source: Department of Education. * The above regions are the Department of Education’s districts (see Annex B) Regional performance - social

Table 55 presents the proportion of Indigenous Government school students in the State who achieved national literacy and numeracy benchmarks in 2001, compared to the results for the whole school population. The smallest gap between the proportion of all students and Indigenous students meeting the national benchmarks was for reading (Year 3), a 16 per cent difference. However, for writing and spelling (Years 3 and 5), 30 per cent less Indigenous students met the national benchmarks when compared to the State average.

Table 55: Proportion of Indigenous Government school students who achieved national literacy and numeracy benchmarks, 2001

Benchmark Total Indigenous Year 3 (%) (%)

Reading 92 76

Writing 82 52 Page 111

Spelling 80 48

Numeracy 90 70

Year 5

Reading 93 72

Writing 81 50

Spelling 80 50

Numeracy 86 58

Source: Department of Education. NB: Not by region and for Government schools only

Comment The proportion of students achieving national literacy and numeracy benchmarks was slightly lower in most categories in regional Western Australia than Perth, with only Year 3 reading, writing and numeracy scoring marginally higher in some of the regions. The gap between regions and Perth was greater in spelling performance.

There exists a large gap between the proportion of Indigenous students achieving the national literacy and numeracy benchmarks and the total population in the State. The gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students ranges from 16 per cent for Year 3 reading to as high as 32 per cent for Year 3 spelling. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Indicator: Skills profile of the workforce in the region

Background Western Australia covers the resource-rich western third of Australia and has a diverse range of industries spread across the State. It is a major world source of commodities and is expanding rapidly in the manufacturing and services sectors. The State has a highly educated workforce of 850,000. The State Government promotes skill development in the regions to exploit the economic development opportunities and also to build economic and community diversity.

Current situation Within the Perth metropolitan area the majority of people work in the professional or clerical and services sector. Across the regions, the majority of the workforce are professionals, labourers or Page 112 clerical. In the more remote regions such as the Pilbara, Kimberley and Goldfields-Esperance, professionals and labourers together make up over 50 per cent of the workforce.

Table 56: Occupation profile of the workforce in the regions

Occupation / Gascoyne Goldfld Gt Kimb- Mid Peel Pilbara South Wheat- Regional Perth Region (%) -Espnce Southern erley West West belt WA

Managers & 14.2 9.0 19.0 8.9 12.7 7.3 6.1 10.3 28.0 12.9 7.1 Administrators

Professionals 25.1 24.4 23.4 26.7 24.3 23.0 25.8 24.1 18.8 23.6 31.6

Tradespersons & 12.7 17.2 12.6 11.8 14.7 17.1 19.5 14.9 12.6 15.0 12.6 Related Workers

Clerical & service 21.9 20.5 23.6 22.9 23.2 28.0 19.9 25.2 18.7 23.0 31.8

Labourers & 22.7 26.9 19.5 26.2 22.9 22.5 26.6 23.6 19.8 23.3 15.1 Related Workers

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics Census of Population and Housing (2001). NB Figures are percentages of persons employed in each profile within the region. The figures in each region do not add up to 100% as the ‘not stated’ and ‘inadequately described’ categories are not reported.

Comment Approximately 32 per cent of Perth’s workforce were professionals which was 8 per cent higher than the average for regional Western Australia. In the clerical and service sector, the proportion of Perth’s workforce was almost 9 per cent greater than the average for regional Western Australia. However, every region, except for the Pilbara, had a higher percentage of managers and administrators compared to Perth.

Within regional Western Australia, the Wheatbelt had the highest proportion of managers and administrators (28%) while Goldfields-Esperance had the highest proportion of labourers (27%) and the Pilbara had the highest proportion of tradespersons (20%). Regional performance - social

7.5.2 Health and well-being 7.5.2.1 Healthcare services

Indicator: Accessibility to professional care in the region

Background Regional residents expect that the government will make provision for improved service delivery in accordance with their particular needs to help maintain and enhance their quality of life.

Current situation Table 57 illustrates the number of professional care outlets throughout Western Australia and are all services that are provided by the Department of Health, Home and Community Care. Outlets Page 113 refer to specific locations where the service is operated from or coordinated from. Respite Care is the provision of an alternative care arrangement which both intends, and enables, a time limited break for the person who is the primarily carer. Food Service outlets include ‘meals on wheels’; Home Maintenance includes services such as lawn mowing, cleaning and regular maintenance and Home Community Care Program Support provides the logistical support.

The Wheatbelt has the most professional care outlets of any region in Western Australia, 30 per cent or more of the regional outlets. The Mid West and South West have a higher proportion of the State’s professional care outlets compared to other regions.

Table 57: Professional care outlets in Western Australia

Region Nursing Para- Respite Food Home HCC Transport Personal medical Care Service Maint- Program Care enance Support

Gascoyne / 7 2 2 11 10 12 13 3 Mid West

Goldfields- nd 1 3 3 5 6 4 1 Esperance

Great Southern 2 nd 1 6 3 5 6 1

Kimberley 2 1 3 6 4 4 7 1

Peel 1 nd nd 2 2 1 2 nd

Pilbara2nd182372

South West 2 nd 2 10 5 6 10 1

Wheatbelt 7 6 11 27 26 25 34 10

Regional WA 23 10 23 70 52 56 79 19

Perth116293020324015

WA Total 34 16 52 100 72 88 119 34

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (1996). nd = no data available Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Comment Provision of adequate professional care services is fundamental to the health and well-being of people within the regions. Some of the professional care services are also important in the context of emergency situations, which often become more critical due to the remoteness associated with living in regional Western Australia.

Page 114 Regional performance - social

7.5.2.2 Well-being Services

Indicator: Provision of recreational and cultural facilities and programs

Provision of recreational facilities and programs Background The need for high quality, well planned and sustainable recreational facilities is paramount to the health of a region. It encourages physical activity, supports community well-being and cohesion and has the potential to attract state/ national / international events that have a positive social and economic impact. The Western Australian Government has supported the development of facilities through the Community Sport and Recreation Facilities Funding program since 1982, and has negotiated capital works funding for major sporting infrastructure on a needs basis. Page 115

Current situation The State Government employs Regional Sport and Development Officers who operate in all regions. These people who work closely with local government authorities are key contacts for various sporting groups / agencies; e.g. Indigenous sport, disabled sports, cricket, football etc. The majority of local government sporting venues are located in the Wheatbelt (39) and South West (13) regions. Local government venues are defined as government funded sporting venues and are those listed in the 2001/02 Sport and Recreation directory. Venues include leisure and aquatic centres, swimming pools, recreation centres, and skate parks.

Table 58: Provision of recreational facilities and programs

Region No. of regional No. of Local sport development government officers venues

Gascoyne 4 3

Goldfields-Esperance 4 7

Great Southern 8 6

Kimberley 5 4

Mid West 4 4

Peel 5 6

Pilbara 4 7

South West 7 13

Wheatbelt 8 39

Regional WA 49 89

Perth na* 62

WA Total 49 151

Source: Department of Sport and Recreation. * There is very little need in Perth metropolitan for the equivalent of regional sport development officers, instead there are specialist development officers for particular activities. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Table 59 reproduces some of the findings from the ‘Living in the Regions’ report, which asked people in the regions to comment on the quality of the sport and recreation facilities in their region. Seventy seven per cent of respondents in general or strong agreement that the general recreation facilities in the area were good, with 83 per cent making the same assessment about sporting facilities. The percentage rating of satisfaction (measured by the percentage ‘net agree’ ) varied between regions for both classes of assets. Satisfaction with both sporting and recreation facilities was highest in the Great Southern. Sporting facilities were least well regarded in the Kimberley and Gascoyne (70 per cent net agreement), and the Kimberley respondents also had the lowest level of net satisfaction with their recreational facilities.

Table 59: Quality of sport and recreation facilities

Region Sporting - ‘the sporting facilities Recreation - ‘the general are good in this area.’ recreation facilities are good in this area’

Page 116 Generally Strongly Net Generally Strongly Net agree (%) agree (%) agree (%) agree (%) agree (%) agree (%)

Gascoyne 54 16 70 59 13 72

Goldfields-Esperance 58 18 76 53 15 68

Great Southern 57 34 91 67 22 89

Kimberley581270531063

Mid West 61 29 90 60 20 80

Peel 61 19 80 62 20 82

Pilbara 60 25 85 52 20 72

South West 62 26 88 59 17 76

Wheatbelt 58 26 84 68 11 79

Regional WA 59 24 83 60 17 77

Source: Living in the Regions (1999), published by the Department of Commerce and Trade.

Comment Sport and recreation facilities and services are seen as important social assets in regional Western Australia, particularly in smaller centres, where participation in team and individual sports has traditionally been high. Community facilities are important and complement the processes of economic development and help in attracting and retaining population in the regions. For example, in the Great Southern region, there are over 300 sport and recreation clubs representing over 80 different activities or disciplines.

Provision of cultural facilities and programs Background The State Department of Culture and the Arts is currently developing a Whole of State Government Statement on arts and culture. This Statement will document how State Government agencies are using arts and culture to achieve their objectives across a range of portfolios, including health, housing and transport, justice, education and policing. The Statement will demonstrate how arts and culture can play a role in all aspects of government. The development of arts and cultural programs and facilities in rural and remote communities is of high priority, and an appropriate Regional performance - social

monitoring system will be put in place to report on regional activities to ensure commitment is maintained in this area.

Current situation The State Government Department of Culture and the Arts provides a comprehensive listing of arts and cultural organisations, venues, industry and news in Western Australia, as well as links to many art organisations, arts calendars and advisory and funding bodies. It is a valuable resource tool for both people in the arts industry and the general public throughout Western Australia.

At present, there is no reliable way to measure the level of arts and cultural activity in the regions. The Department of Culture and Arts is investigating approaches to develop quantitative and qualitative indicators that measure access to and participation in the arts in regional areas of Western Australia. Other initiatives include establishing a database of people living in regional areas who express a desire to be consulted by arts and cultural agencies regarding policy and programming decisions. Page 117

Current activities of the Culture and Arts Portfolio Agencies and their roles are shown in Table 60.

Table 60: Activities of the Culture and Arts Portfolio Agencies, 2002

Agency Examples of Roles

Dept of Culture and the Arts – Undertakes policy development in relation to regional arts and cultural Planning and Policy Division development. Coordinates planning of portfolio capital works in regional areas. Supports the statewide ArtsEdge aesthetic education program.

Art Gallery of In conjunction with the City Authorities, provides funding and expertise for the Western Australia operation of the Bunbury and Geraldton regional art galleries. Where appropriate, provides advice and assistance to regional galleries and arts centres. Makes available exhibitions and public programs to regional WA on a cost- recovery basis.

ArtsWA Provides funding advisory and support services to regional WA. Provides funding for regional development to Country Arts WA, Community Arts Network WA, the State Literature Officer, the Art on the Move exhibition touring structure and other organisations. Initiates relevant projects for development of regional artists and activity.

ScreenWest Supports the development of film and television in regional Western Australia. Promotes regional Western Australia as a location for national and international film companies.

State Library of Supports the free public service to Western Australian citizens in partnership Western Australia with local government , including 150 public libraries in regional areas. Provides services and financial support to eleven key centres charged with developing and maintaining public services in their region.

State Records Office Operates a website to provide non-metropolitan clients with a wealth of information about the State archives collection and services available to government and the community. Provides training and consultancies in regional centres on request.

Western Australian Museum Operates three regional museums in Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Albany and Geraldton. Operates the Museums Assistance Program, which provides a statewide information, advisory and training service to approximately 250 diverse community based cultural heritage organisations in all areas of their planning, management and operation.

Source: Department of Culture and the Arts. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Table 61 shows the number of key theatres, regional presenters, galleries, libraries and museums in the regions. All of the regions have at least one major theatre, and a similar distribution occurs with Regional Presenters and Galleries.

Any interpretation of these figures should take into account the following qualifications. • The figures represent a diverse range of organisations within each category, including volunteer, part-time and professionally staffed organisations. For example, one region may have one well-equipped gallery that is staffed full-time while another region might have several spaces that are not dedicated galleries but can be used for this purpose occasionally. • While all regions have at least one key theatre, ability to see events in this facility will depend on a person’s place of residence in the region relative to the theatre’s location. Thus the Queen’s Theatre in Geraldton is a significant venue, but is located several hundred kilometres from the remoter parts of the Mid West region. Page 118 • Some types of important cultural facilities are not included in this table, e.g. cinemas and Indigenous cultural/interpretive centres. • Facilities are an indicator of infrastructure, but not of level of activity.

Table 61: Provision of cultural facilities and programs, 2002

Region Key Regional Regional Regional Regional Theatres Presenters Galleries Libraries Museums

Gascoyne 1 3 1 4 5

Goldfields-Esperance 2 7 3 14 11

Great Southern 1 12 1 19 15

Kimberley 1 6 nd 7 9

Mid West 1 7 1 25 15

Peel 1 3 2 2 3

Pilbara 2 9 4 13 7

South West 2 13 3 23 11

Wheatbelt 1 19 5 51 27

Regional WA 12 79 20 158 103

Source: Department of Culture and the Arts. Key Theatres: theatres with a seating capacity of 300 or more and members of CircuitWest regional performing arts touring network. Regional Presenters: sourced from Country Arts WA’s list of organisations/groups that can present performances of touring productions. Regional Galleries: sourced from Art on the Move WA’s database of galleries/organisations that can present touring exhibitions. Regional Libraries: members of the State-wide public library network supported by local governments and the State Library of WA. Regional Museums: sourced from the Western Australian Museum’s Museum Assistance Program database (includes small community museums and major regional museums). Regional performance - social

Comment Other government departments also play a vital role in partnering the Department of Culture and the Arts to deliver arts an culture to the regions. Key funding partners at the State level include the Lotteries Commission, Healthway and the Department for Community Development – Youth Affairs. Funding partners at the Federal level include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission, the Australia Council, Playing Australia, Festivals Australia and Visions Australia. Local governments must also be acknowledged as a key partner in assisting access to arts and culture throughout the State. Their crucial contribution in the form of staff-time and direct funding support is recognised and encouraged.

Page 119 Indicators of Regional Development in WA

7.5.2.3 Health and Well-being Status

Indicator: Current prevalence of chronic diseases

Background Chronic disease is defined as a health condition that lasts a year or longer, limits what a person can do and may require ongoing care. Examples of chronic disease are diabetes, cancer, asthma, heart disease and arthritis. As a part of the State Government Regional Health Strategy, called More Doctors, Better Services, the Rural Chronic Disease Initiative (RCDI) aims to address the health problems facing rural, regional and remote communities.

Current situation Page 120 Table 62 presents the prevalence of chronic disease in males and female aged 18 years and over throughout the nine regions and in the Perth metropolitan area.

In the Gascoyne and Peel regions there are a significantly greater proportion of females than males who have diabetes, with Gascoyne reporting 9.1 per cent of females having diabetes opposed to only 1.4 per cent of males. In the Peel region 7.6 per cent of females and 2.5 per cent of males have diabetes. In the Kimberley and Mid West regions a greater proportion of males have heart disease than females with 7.0 per cent and 8.4 per cent of males having heart disease in those regions respectively. As to be expected, more females suffer from osteoporosis than do males and the incidence is highest in the Goldfields-Esperance region at 6.0 per cent.

Table 62: Prevalence of chronic disease, 18 years aged and over, 2001

Prevalence Sex Gascoyne Goldfields- Great Kimberley Mid Peel Pilbara South Wheatbelt Perth of chronic Esperance Southern West West Metro disease (%)

Diabetes M 1.4 4.6 3.5 2.5 4.8 2.5 3.4 4.7 7.5 4.3 F 9.1 5.6 5.1 2.7 6.5 7.6 2.6 4.5 4.8 5.1

Heart Disease M 3.6 5.4 4.3 7.0 8.4 7.0 2.2 6.1 7.3 5.3 F 4.3 4.6 4.7 1.9 2.7 7.9 2.4 5.1 5.3 4.6

Arthritis M 11.7 14.9 15.0 12.6 16.1 18.2 8.2 16.6 20.3 14.2 F 22.3 16.4 23.7 10.1 18.9 24.7 14.7 19.3 23.2 21.7

Cancer M 3.8 2.5 5.5 4.3 3.9 6.0 2.2 4.5 4.4 4.7 F 6.7 4.7 4.5 3.3 5.4 5.2 3.2 5.8 5.8 5.1

Asthma M 7.8 11.6 9.5 14.3 5.2 5.7 9.3 6.6 8.5 7.8 F 7.7 11.1 10.6 13.2 11.3 9.0 13.2 9.9 11.2 11.8

Other M 3.1 1.4 1.9 1.4 3.2 3.0 1.9 0.8 1.7 2.4 respiratory F 0.0 3.4 2.1 0.0 3.3 1.8 1.9 1.6 1.2 1.8 diseases

Stroke M 1.6 1.4 1.0 1.4 3.2 2.4 0.0 0.8 0.9 1.4 F 0.0 2.6 2.1 0.0 0.0 1.5 0.0 1.2 0.0 1.5

Osteoporosis M 1.6 0.0 0.0 1.4 0.6 1.9 0.6 0.0 1.3 1.0 F 2.6 6.0 4.3 0.0 3.3 5.6 0.0 4.0 3.7 5.6

Source: Department of Health. NB Data are for the 18 years and over age group Regional performance - social

Comment The Wheatbelt, Mid West and Peel had higher percentages of people suffering from chronic disease when compared to the other regions. However, the differences in the levels of incidence are not very high, and there is no evidence of an overall significant trend between the status of Perth and regional people.

Page 121 Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Indicator: Risk factors for disease

Background For some Western Australians, the probability of developing disease will increase with their exposure to certain risk factors. The major behavioural risk factors are smoking, excess alcohol consumption, poor diet and nutrition and inadequate physical activity. Other physiological risk factors contributing to ill health, disability and mortality are obesity, high blood pressure and raised blood cholesterol.

Tobacco smoking is a major risk factor in the development of cardiovascular and respiratory disease and certain types of cancer. Major public health campaigns are undertaken regularly to encourage people in WA to reduce the risk to their own and others’ health by giving up smoking. Programs such as the WA ‘Quit Campaign’ aim to promote healthy behaviours that reduce the Page 122 risk of diseases related to tobacco consumption.

Other health campaigns to increase the health and well being of Western Australian’s and reduce the risk of disease include the ‘Find 30’ campaign which is aimed at encouraging people to partake in 30 minutes of moderate physical activity a day. There is also the ‘Go for 2 and 5’ promotion which encourages people to consume two servings of fruit and five of vegetables a day to improve health and reduce the risk of chronic disease.

Current situation The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) guidelines are used as benchmarks for acceptable behaviour in respect of health risks. Table 63 reports the percentages of people inn each region, and in Perth whose behaviour is putting them at an unacceptable risk level.

These data show that there are clear differences between regions in ‘risk behaviour’, although there is no overall difference between regional and metropolitan populations. The Kimberley and Pilbara regions both have a large proportion of the population who smoke and also drink outside the NHMRC15 guidelines. Conversely, the Kimberley also reported the lowest levels of obesity, high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels. The statistics for the people in the Peel region reported a much lower percentage of the population drinking outside the NHMRC guidelines, with only 8.6 per cent of males and 21.2 per cent of females in this risk category.

Goldfields-Esperance and Perth metropolitan recorded high levels of people not engaging in sufficient physical activity. Across eight of the nine regions a greater proportion of males undertake a level of physical activity that is within the guidelines, except in the Kimberley where females had higher levels of acceptable physical activity in 2001.

15 National Health and Medical Research Council Regional performance - social

weight,

State

eek OR a persons must do at

e is defined as Obese. < 18.5 is under e is defined as Obese. Page 123

cling over at least 5 days per w cling over

e the guidelines.

y height (in metres) squared. A BMI of 30 of mor squared. y height (in metres)

verweight.

d drinks a day for men ar

unning per week.

y dividing weight (in kilograms) b y dividing weight

ves per day. ves

Esperance Southern West West Metro

een 26 and 29.9 is defined as o

ous activity such as r

F 16.2 17.6 14.5 6.6 14.5 16.5 14.6 14.4 17.5 12.2 13.2

Sex Gascoyne Goldfields- Great Kimberley Mid Peel Pilbara South Wheatbelt Perth

25 is normal and betw

–

Table 63: Risk factors for disease, 2001 Table

Health risk

factors (% of population)

Currently M 32.8 27.9 23.6 41.5 34.5 27.4 33.1 20.7 25.2 26.1 26.7 smoke F 31.0 24.4 20.8 31.1 27.6 23.0 32.3 19.2 19.7 18.3 19.8

Drinks M 31.7 22.4 20.5 20.8 28.8 8.6 37.7 27.2 25.4 24.3 23.7 outside F 37.1 39.4 25.0 43.1 38.0 21.2 44.8 31.7 24.6 27.3 28.0 NHMRC guidelines*

Does M 14.1 32.4 30.0 27.6 26.5 26.3 24.1 25.5 30.1 30.4 29.3 insufficient F 39.0 42.1 35.1 24.3 34.4 37.6 35.3 32.3 38.4 42.0 40.1 physical activity**

Eats M 85.0 81.9 69.1 77.3 78.4 78.3 73.7 70.0 80.9 78.2 77.8 insufficient F 73.1 70.4 61.4 73.9 65.2 59.4 73.7 58.0 64.5 66.8 65.7 vegetables***

Is obese**** M 13.9 13.9 14.7 8.5 15.8 13.9 13.1 15.4 16.2 11.8 12.6

Has high M 10.9 11.6 4.8 5.7 6.5 8.1 6.2 7.7 11.1 9.1 8.8 blood F 10.3 12.8 13.8 4.4 11.3 12.6 4.7 10.7 10.8 8.9 9.2 pressure

Has high M 6.3 4.3 8.6 4.3 5.2 11.3 3.7 6.2 5.1 7.9 7.5 cholesterol F 5.1 6.0 8.5 0.0 6.0 9.5 3.8 5.6 4.6 6.7 6.6

Source: Department of Health. Source: NB Data are for the 18 years and over age group for the 18 years and over are NB Data * Two standard drinks a day for women and four standar standard Two *

*** Sufficient vegetables consist of 5 ser vegetables *** Sufficient **** Body Mass Index (BMI) is calculated b Index **** Body Mass 18.5

** Sufficient activity is defined as doing at least 150 minutes of moderate activity such as brisk walking or bicy ** Sufficient least 60 minutes of vigor Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Comment A greater percentage of those people living in more remote regions are likely to smoke, and / or drink outside the NHMRC guidelines. The suggestion is that the more traditional lifestyle patterns in many of the remote mining and pastoral settlements can often involve drinking and smoking more than those living in more urbanised environments. There was no significant difference between regional locations for the percentage of the population who are subject to any of the other health risk factors.

Page 124 Regional performance - social

Indicator: Proportion of people reporting mental health problems

Background Almost 20 per cent (one in five) of all people experience a mental health problem at some time in their life, with anxiety and depression (psychological distress) being the most common mental health problems. Over the next 20 years, problems associated with psychological distress is expected to increase16 and in recognition of its importance, it has been designated as one of the seven National Health Priority Areas.

Mental health relates to emotions, thoughts and behaviours. A person with good mental health is generally able to handle day-to-day events and obstacles, work towards important goals and function effectively in society. However, even minor mental health problems may affect everyday activities to the extent that individuals cannot function as they would wish, or are expected to, within their Page 125 family and community.

Current situation Table 64 presents statistics for the percentage of people reporting psychological distress across the regions. Proportionally fewer males reported medium to very high levels of psychological distress across almost all regions compared with females.

These data reveal some clear regional differences. The Kimberley (16.2%) and Goldfields-Esperance (15.4%) regions reported the highest percentage of the female population reporting a medium to very high level of psychological stress – compared to a 11.9 per cent incidence in Perth. For males, the Peel region stands out, with 14.8 per cent reporting problems, which is about twice the rate of incidence in most other regions, and 5.1 per cent higher than the incidence in the neighbouring metropolitan area. The lowest levels of distress were reported in the Pilbara region with 8.5 per cent of females and 4.3 per cent of males reporting problems. State-based data, not shown here indicates that the highest proportions of people reporting high to very high psychological distress were the 18-34 year-olds.

Table 64: Proportion of people reporting psychological distress, 2001 Situation Sex Gascoyne Goldfields- Great Kimberley Mid Peel Pilbara South Wheatbelt Perth Esperance Southern West West Metro

Prevalence of feeling a medium to M 10.9 7.2 7.6 7.1 8.4 14.8 4.3 5.0 6.8 9.7 very high level of F 7.7 15.4 8.5 16.2 10.0 11.5 8.5 9.1 11.2 11.9 psychological distress

Proportion having no M 3.1 5.1 3.8 4.3 4.5 7.3 5.6 3.5 3.0 5.0 sense of control over F 2.6 3.4 2.1 5.9 3.3 2.6 3.8 1.6 3.3 4.5 their lives most of the time

Source: Department of Health. NB Data are for the 18 years and over age group 16 2000 Health and Wellbeing Survey, The Health Department of Western Australia Indicators of Regional Development in WA

The region with the largest proportion of females feeling as if they have no control over their life most of the time was in the Kimberley (5.9%) and for males it was the Peel region (7.3%). Peel, Pilbara and Perth metropolitan were the regions that stood out as having a relatively high proportion of the population who felt they didn’t have control over their life most of the time.

The prevalence of mental health problems is shown in Table 65. More women than men reported having mental health problems with the highest proportion being in Goldfields-Esperance (17.9%) and the lowest in the Gascoyne region (7.7%). Overall, males living in regional Western Australia reported a lower level of mental health problems than those living in metropolitan Perth, the exception being in the Kimberley where 12.9 per cent of males have recognised mental health problems. Ten per cent of males living in Perth metropolitan reported having mental health problems.

Table 65: Prevalence of mental health problems, 2001 Page 126

Prevalence Gascoyne Goldfields- Great Kimberley Mid Peel Pilbara South Wheatbelt Perth of mental Esperance Southern West West Metro health problems (%)

Male 3.1 9.4 6.7 12.9 9.7 13.2 3.7 6.2 11.1 10.0

Female 7.7 17.9 16.0 13.2 13.3 14.9 8.5 13.5 13.3 15.2

Source: Department of Health. NB Data are for the 18 years and over age group Previous research has found that many people with a mental health problem also have a physical health problem. Similarly it is not uncommon to find that distress is more common among the unwell, especially

those who have had a stroke or those with respiratory problems.

Comment The highest percentages of females that feel they have no sense of control over their lives, most of the time, live in the more remote regions, such as the Kimberley, Pilbara and Goldfields-Esperance. However the highest percentages of males that felt the same way reside in Peel, Perth metropolitan and the Pilbara. Collectively, these statistics show some clear differences in the psychological well- being of different regional populations. Regional performance - social

Indicator: Traumatic related work fatalities

Background Enhancing safety in the workplace is a primary objective for Government and responsible employers, and is promoted and enforced through legislation and safety campaigns. Most major employers in the regions, particularly mining companies place a high emphasis on creating a culture that provides a safer working environment.

Current situation The data for workplace fatalities presented in Table 66 are provided by Worksafe for the period 1992/93 to 2000/01 and have been broken down into regional areas. The latter section includes statistics from the State of the Work Environment – Traumatic Work Related Fatalities report17. Due to inaccuracy and underreporting of incidents at workplace level, additional data on reported Page 127 loss-time incidents in the workplace are not able to be used.

The average number of deaths per 1,000 workers from 1992 to 2001 varied between 0.1 in Perth to 1.4 in the Kimberley region (Table 66). The Kimberley, South West and Wheatbelt recorded the greatest number of deaths at 1.4, 1.0 and 1.0 per 1,000 respectively. There is no evident trend across the years of reporting.

Table 66: Traumatic related work fatalities

Region 1992/93 1995/96 1998/99 Avg No of Avg No to94/95 to 97/98 to 00/01 deaths / year deaths / 1,000 workers

Gascoyne 2 1 2 0.6 0.9

Goldfields-Esperance 4 4 3 1.2 0.8

Great Southern 2 1 2 0.6 0.4

Kimberley 3 1 5 1.0 1.4

Mid West 2 0 2 0.4 0.3

Peel 0 0 2 0.2 0.2

Pilbara 11 2 9 2.4 0.8

South West 7 11 4 2.4 1.0

Wheatbelt 5 3 4 1.3 1.0

Regional WA 36 23 33 10.2 0.8

Perth 20 16 9 5.0 0.1

State Total 56 39 42 15.2 0.2

Source: Department of Consumer and Employment Protection.

. 17 State of the Work Environment – Traumatic Work Related Fatalities 1988/89 – 1997/98, Department of Consumer and Employment Protection Indicators of Regional Development in WA

From the State of the Work Environment Report The State of the Work Environment Report (2000) notes that fatal accidents were more likely to occur in industries which involve physical labour outdoors or underground. Between 1988/89 and 1998/99, one hundred and ninety nine work related fatalities (73.7% of the total reported) occurred in the Mining, Agriculture and Construction industry groups, with the greatest proportion occurring in the mining industry (36.3%). The majority of these were in metallic mineral mining. Agriculture was the industry with the second highest proportion of fatalities (22.2%), with the majority of agricultural fatalities occurring in either the fishing or agriculture sub-industries.

There are a number of areas of specific concern when considering the incidence of work-related fatalities. These include electrocutions, falls from heights and tractor-related fatalities. During the period between 1988/89 and 1998/99 there were 26 electrocutions, 21 fatal falls from height, 16 tractor-related fatalities and 10 fork-lift related fatalities. Together these represented 26.0% of all work-related fatalities in Western Australia during the period. Page 128

Comment The total number of deaths per 1,000 workers was the lowest in the Mid West, Peel, Great Southern and Perth. Perth is expected to have a lot less deaths than in regional Western Australia due to the high proportion of ‘white collar’ jobs in Perth, which are not as dangerous as some ‘blue collar’ jobs involving manual labor such as mining, manufacturing, farming, and drilling. However, irrespective of the nature of the industry, any level of workplace fatalities is viewed as being quite unacceptable by Government, industry and community. Regional performance - social

Indicator: Mortality rates (cancer, respiratory disease, circulatory disease and diabetes)

Background For Western Australians, the leading causes of death are ischaemic18 heart disease, various cancers, stroke and other forms of heart disease. These conditions are usually in the top six to seven causes of death for both males and females.

Current situation For each of the nine regions and Perth, the standardised rate ratios for the top 10 causes of death for male and females were calculated by the Health Department of Western Australia. Table 67 depicts the causes of death, within the top ten causes, which were significantly higher or lower than the State ratio for males. Table 68 represents the female population. Page 129

Table 67: Causes of death higher / lower than the State rate, males 2001

Region Significantly1 higher Significantly lower than the than the State rate2 State rate (standardised rate (standardised rate ratio) ratio)

Gascoyne None All other cancers (0.75)

Goldfields-Esperance Ischaemic heart disease (1.5) Suicide and self inflicted injury (1.75) Cerebrovascular disease (1.5) None Transport related accidents (1.75)

Great Southern Other forms of heart disease (1.8) Colorectal cancer (0.75)

Kimberley Suicide and self injury (3.0) Transport related accidents (2.75) Cerebrovascular disease (2.0) Pneumonia and influenza (4.0) None Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease & allied conditions (2.0) Ill-defined & unknown causes of morbidity and mortality (3.75)

Mid West Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease & allied conditions (1.8) None

Peel Transport related accidents (1.7) None

Pilbara None None

South West Prostate cancer (1.3) Transport related accidents (1.3) None

Wheatbelt Transport related accidents (2.4) Ischaemic heart disease (0.85) Cerebrovascular disease (0.8)

Perth None Suicide & self inflicted injury (0.97)

1 Outside the 95 per cent confidence interval 2 State rate = 1.0 Source: Department of Health.

18 When there is an inadequate supply of blood to the heart. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Causes of death in the regions that are significantly higher than the State rate for males are ‘suicide and self injury’ and ‘transport related accidents’. For females they are ‘diabetes’ and ‘transport related injuries’. Causes of death amongst males that are much higher at regional than at State level are ‘Pneumonia and influenza’ (4.0), ‘Ill-defined and unknown causes of morbidity and mortality’ (3.75) and ‘Suicide and self injury’ (3.0), all in the Kimberley region. Causes of death amongst females in the regions that are much higher than the State rate are, in the Kimberley, ‘Diabetes’ (7.5), ‘Liver disease’ (6.4) and ‘Ill-defined & unknown causes of morbidity & mortality’ (4.75). In the Pilbara they are ‘Liver disease’ (3.6) and ‘Diabetes’ (3.4).

Amongst Western Australia males living in the regions, there were few causes of death with significantly lower incidence than in the State population (Table 68). A similar pattern is evident for regional females, although the incidence of death by ‘cerebrovascular disease’ occurred at a significantly lower rate in two of the regions (Mid West and Wheatbelt).

Page 130 Table 68: Causes of death higher / lower than the State rate, females 2001

Region Significantly1 higher Significantly lower than the than the State rate2 State rate (standardised rate ratio) (standardised rate ratio)

Gascoyne None None

Goldfields-Esperance Ischaemic heart disease (1.4) None Pneumonia and influenza (1.25) Transport related accidents (3.0)

Great Southern Other forms of heart disease (1.7) None Colorectal cancer (1.5)

Kimberley Diabetes (7.5) All other cancers (0.5) Ill-defined & unknown causes of morbidity & mortality (4.75) Transport related accidents (2.5) Liver disease (6.4)

Mid West None Cerebrovascular disease (0.7) Colorectal cancer (0.7)

Peel Disease of arteries, arterioles & None capillaries (1.9)

Pilbara Other forms of heart disease (2.5) None Diabetes (3.4) Ill-defined & unknown causes of morbidity & mortality (3.0) Liver disease (3.6)

South West Alzheimers disease (1.8) None

Wheatbelt Disease of arteries, arterioles & Ischaemic heart disease (0.85) capillaries (1.6) Cerebrovascular disease (0.8) Pneumonia & influenza (0.6)

Perth None Other forms of heart disease (0.95) 1 Outside the 95 per cent confidence interval 2 State rate = 1.0 Source: Department of Health.

The major cause of death for males in all of the regions was ischaemic heart disease, accounting for between 11 and 24 per cent of deaths. The major cause of death for females in eight of the regions was ‘Ischaemic heart disease’, accounting for 18 to 20 per cent of deaths. In the Kimberley region the major cause of deaths were ‘Diabetes’ (12%) and in the Pilbara is was ‘Other forms of cancers’ (11%). Regional performance - social

The top 10 causes of death account for between 64 to 74 per cent of deaths in males and 56 to 69 per cent in females. The range for females is approximately 7 per cent lower for females than males, indicating that minor causes of death account for a greater percentage of deaths in females than in males.

Comment The information suggests that regional residents are more prone to life threatening conditions than those living in Perth. Most of the main causes of death have a higher incidence in the regions than in the metropolitan area. This is especially the case in the Kimberley and Goldfields-Esperance for males and the Kimberley, Goldfields-Esperance and Pilbara for females (illustrated in Table 67 and Table 68).

The major cause of death amongst all regions, including Perth in 2001 was ischaemic heart disease Page 131 except for females in the Kimberley (diabetes) and Pilbara (all other cancers). The greater death rate amongst females from diabetes in the Kimberley region may be influenced by the higher proportion of Indigenous people in the region, who are recognised as having a higher incidence of the disease. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Indicator: Life expectancy

Background Life expectancy and infant mortality data have some validity in assessing overall health conditions in a country / region.

Current situation Life expectancy is defined as the average number of years a person is expected to live if the current mortality conditions (i.e. age-specific mortality rates) prevailed throughout their lives. The values of life expectancy in Figure 16 are ‘experimental’ estimates and are indicative only. Life expectancy for males ranges from 71.8 years in the Kimberley to 79.5 year in the Wheatbelt. Life expectancy Page 132 for females is consistently higher, ranging from 78.4 years in the Kimberley to 85.7 years in the Wheatbelt and Great Southern.

Figure 16: Life expectancy, 2001

85.0 WA 79.0 85.2 Perth 79.4 85.7 Wheatbelt 79.5 85.0 South West 79.4 82.9 Pilbara 76.4 82.5 Peel 75.3 84.2 Mid West 76.9 78.4 Kimberley 71.8 85.7 Great Southern 79.1 82.7 Goldfields-Esperance 75.5 85.1 Gascoyne 76.7

60.0 65.0 70.0 75.0 80.0 85.0 90.0 Female Life Expectancy (years) Male

Source: Department of Health.

In 1998, Indigenous WA females had a life expectancy at birth 6.8 years higher than equivalent Indigenous males (Table 69). At this time, life expectancy amongst Indigenous males and females was 59.6 years and 66.4 years respectively. Between 1992 and 1998 there was a 1.6 year increase in the life expectancy of Indigenous males from 58.0 years to 59.6 years and for Indigenous females, a 2.4 year increase from 64.0 years to 66.4 years. Regional performance - social

Table 69: Indigenous life expectancy, 1998

Males Females

Indigenous 59.6 66.4

Non-Indigenous 76.4 82.1

Difference - 16.8 - 15.7

Source: Department of Health.

Comment Life expectancy for both males and females is lowest in the Kimberley region, and highest in the agricultural regions of the Great Southern and Wheatbelt regions. For males, the Great Southern, South West and Wheatbelt regions recorded levels of life expectancy greater than the Western Page 133 Australian average. For females, those same three regions along with the Gascoyne held a life expectancy greater than the State average. In aggregate, Western Australia’s life expectancy for males and females is above the Australian average, which is 76.6 for males and 82.0 for females.

In general, Indigenous people have poorer health and higher mortality rates than non-Indigenous people. Consequently, life expectancy among Indigenous people is significantly lower than for the rest of the population. In 1998, life expectancy amongst Indigenous people in Western Australia was some 24 to 28 per cent lower than for non-Indigenous people. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

7.5.3 Community Safety 7.5.3.1 Preventative services

Indicator: Level of resources

Background The Western Australian Police Service provides policing services through a regional structure comprising three regions, 14 districts and 162 police stations. The police service is a State Government funded agency and the total cost of providing this service to the community of Western Australia in 2000/01 was $512.2 million or $271 per person.

There are three primary outcomes to which the police service directs their resources - community Page 134 safety, road safety and crime and justice. These primary outcomes are delivered through frontline policing and support to frontline policing. • Frontline policing is operationally focused and involves implementing key policing initiatives through districts and specialist areas. • Support to frontline policing assists in delivering the primary outcomes by management initiatives and strategies, standards and infrastructure support initiatives, with the aim of enabling the officers to go about their daily activities more effectively.

Current situation Table 70 shows the level of human resources allocated per police region in Western Australia. The North-Eastern Region comprises four police districts: Goldfields-Esperance, Kimberley, Mid West - Gascoyne and Pilbara; the Southern Region comprises four police districts: Great Southern, Peel, South West and Wheatbelt; and the Metropolitan Region comprises six police districts: Cannington, Fremantle, Joondalup, Midland, Mirrabooka and Perth.

As a result of the isolation and hence large distances that have to be traveled in the North-Eastern Region, the number of sworn officers is larger than in the Southern Region and the ratio of police to population greater due to the lower population.

Table 70: Level of resources, Police services 2002

Particulars North-Eastern Region Southern Region Metro Region

Area in square kilometres 2,334,729 193,212 4,481

Population 190,141 330,677 1,385,296

No of Sworn Officers 661 632 2,199

No of Unworn personnel 58 78 155

Ratio of Police to population 1:288 1:523 1:630

No of Police stations 52 67 43

Source: Police Department, Annual Report (2002). NB: The police regional boundaries do not exactly align with the RDC boundaries, as explained in the text. Regional performance - social

7.5.3.2 Crime status

Indicator: Reported offences (against person, property and public order)

Background The data on annual rate of reported offences were obtained from Mapping Crime, Offenders and Socio-demographic factors (1999). These data are disaggregated down to a regional level and shown in Table 71. Other data, at a state or national scale were obtained from the Crime and Justice Statistics for Western Australia: 2001 report. In comparison to other Australian states and territories, Western Australia had average or below recorded crime rates for most offence categories in 2001. The rate of recorded crime in Western Australia rose by 3.1 per cent in the 12 months to December 2001, and the total number of recorded offences rose by 4.6 per cent. Page 135 Current situation Table 71 shows the average annual rate per 1,000 persons of reported offences through out Western Australia from 1996 to 1998.

Table 71: Annual rate of reported offences per 1,000 persons, 1996 to 1998

RDC Regions Against Property Drug Good Miscellaneous Total the person Order19

Gascoyne 20 120 11 6 3 160

Goldfields- Esperance 16 140 13 3 6 179

Great Southern 8 80 9 2 3 102

Kimberley 30 139 9 6 4 189

Mid West 14 141 10 4 3 172

Peel 9 112 6 2 3 133

Pilbara 15 100 10 3 3 131

South West 7 76 10 3 3 99

Wheatbelt 10 76 11 4 3 103

Regional WA 13 105 10 3 3 134

Perth 12 151 8 3 6 180

WA Overall 12 138 8 3 5 167

Source: Mapping Crime, Offenders and Socio-demographic factors (1999).

The regions as a whole have a lower crime rate than the metropolitan area (Table 71). The highest number of offences against the person and good order per 1,000 persons were reported in the Gascoyne and Kimberley. The highest number of offences recorded per 1,000 persons against property occurred in the Perth metropolitan area (151), Mid West (141), Goldfields-Esperance (140) and the Kimberley (139). However, when broken down into more detail it is evident that

19 Offences such as resisting or hindering police and disorderly conduct are commonly seen as good order offences, but are not recorded in the Crime Mapping (1999) report as they are not recorded in the Western Australian Police Service Incident Management System. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

four of the regions – Kimberley, Goldfields-Esperance, Mid West and Gascoyne – have crime rates which are in the vicinity or greater than those in the metropolitan area. The remaining five regions – South West, Great Southern, Wheatbelt, Pilbara and Peel – have much lower rates of crime.

Table 72 provides information on the extent of crime occurring in Perth and in the non-metropolitan regions of Western Australia for 2001. These more recent data are presented in a different format to that shown in the previous table. It must be noted that the nine regions only approximately correspond to the ABS statistical divisions of the same name (see Annex E for the corresponding Regional Development Commission regions). Of all offences reported in 2001, 75.4 per cent were located in the Perth region. However, while 76.9 per cent of property offences occurred in Perth, only 67.5 per cent of offences against the person were recorded in the metropolitan area (Fernandez and Loh 2001).

Page 136 The rate of ‘against the person’ (violent) offences per 1,000 persons was highest in the Kimberley (33.1), Pilbara (24.4), South Eastern (23.5) and Central (21.0) regions; and lowest in the South West (9.1). Perth recorded the highest rate of robbery offences (1.3 per 1,000 persons), the Upper Great Southern region had the highest rate of sex offences (4.2 per 1,000 persons) and the South Eastern region had the highest rate of property offences (195.3 per 1,000 persons). Differing rates of specific property offences, such as residential and commercial burglary and motor vehicle theft, are also presented in the table. Regional performance - social

State

Page 137

e rated by number of persons because of numbers of

cial buildings but is her

ty per 1,000 persons, 2001

, SE = South Eastern, LGS = Lower Great Southern, UGS = Upper Great Southern, SW = South West. SW = South Southern, Great UGS = Upper Southern, Great = Lower Eastern, LGS , SE = South

essed by number of commer

ellings in the regions are taken from the 2001 census. taken from are ellings in the regions

7.2 9.6 15.3 18.6 26.4 17.9 7.1 8.9 5.9 8.3

52.5 18.5 43.4 36.4 61.4 78.8 24.4 17.0 28.8 47.8

Perth Non-metropolitan regions

il = Pilbara, Kim = Kimberley il = Pilbara,

174.9 120.0 187.0 175.8 199.6 242.3 124.0 115.8 128.7 170.1

son 11.9 13.7 21.0 24.4 33.1 23.5 10.6 15.1 9.1 12.9

2

1

- dwellings 20.7 8.7 20.0 15.7 24.6 31.3 10.4 7.6 12.5 19.4 - dwellings - commercial 6.1 5.0 6.8 5.5 7.2 9.0 4.4 4.1 6.2 6.2

Assault Sex offences 1.7 2.1 2.4 3.4 3.0 1.9 1.6 4.2 1.6 1.8 Robbery 1.3 0.1 0.6 0.4 0.6 0.9 0.6 0.1 0.5 1.1 Other 1.8 1.9 2.6 2.1 3.1 2.8 1.3 1.9 1.1 1.8

Burglary

Vehicle theftVehicle 7.5 2.8 4.7 4.7 4.7 7.9 3.0 2.3 3.4 6.6 Other 117.7 74.8 115.9 108.9 113.9 147.2 79.7 74.4 84.5 112.6

Table 72: Reported offences against the person and proper Table

Offences reported to police (metro.) Mid Cen Pil Kim SE LGS UGS SW Total

Total against per Total

Total propertyTotal 151.9 91.3 147.4 134.9 150.3 195.3 97.5 88.4 106.5 144.8

Source: Fernandez and Loh (2001). Fernandez Source: 1. Assault category includes homicide offences. 2. One report may contain multiple offences. report 2. One Rates are per 1,000 dwellings. Estimates for stocks of dw Rates are Rates for Burglary of commercial premises may be better expr premises of commercial Rates for Burglary

commercial premises are not available. are premises commercial Offences against the persons Property offences offences Total Cen = Central, P = Midlands, Mid Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Indigenous The level of over-representation of Indigenous persons in police arrest statistics has stabilized since 1998. However, in 2001, Indigenous people were almost ten times more likely to be apprehended by police than non-Indigenous people. In the case of arrests for violent offences, this differential is even more marked. Indigenous people were almost twenty times more likely to be arrested for offences against the person than non-Indigenous people, and Indigenous females were over thirty six times more likely to be arrested for such offences than non-Indigenous females (Fernandez and Loh 2001).

In general, the apprehension rates for non-Indigenous adults and juveniles were higher in the northern regions than in the southern regions. While Indigenous adult apprehensions showed a similar pattern, the highest apprehension rates for Indigenous juveniles occurred in the southern regions. Interestingly, while non-Indigenous juvenile and adult apprehension rates were comparable south of the Kimberley, in the Kimberley apprehension rates for Indigenous adults were two to Page 138 three times the apprehension rates of Indigenous juveniles. The apprehension rates for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous juveniles and adults in the Wheatbelt were markedly higher than the apprehension rates in the adjoining Gascoyne, Metropolitan and South West areas (Acacio and Healy 1998).

Juvenile justice Compared with 2000 figures, the number of juvenile cautions issued by police in 2001 decreased by 4.5 per cent, which is the first annual decrease since 1997. The number of charges and juveniles dealt with by the Children’s Court declined in 2001. Compared with 2000 figures, charges finalized by the Court fell by 2.7 per cent, while the number of juveniles dealt with decreased by 6.4 per cent. Since 1998, the juvenile justice detention rate in WA has declined.

At a national scale, the WA juvenile detention rate (43.5 per 100,000 juvenile persons) was again one of the highest in the country. The Western Australian Indigenous juvenile detention rate was 588.5 per 100,000 Indigenous juveniles, which was sixty five times greater than that for non- Indigenous juveniles and 2.1 times the national rate.

Comment Indigenous apprehension rates are significantly higher at up to eight times the rate for non- Indigenous people with adult Indigenous apprehension rates increasing between 1991 and 1997. Generally the apprehension rates for non-Indigenous adults and juveniles were higher in the northern regions and lower in the southern regions. While Indigenous apprehensions showed a similar pattern, the highest apprehension rates for Indigenous juveniles occurred in the South regions. The Wheatbelt area has the highest apprehension rates in the State regardless of race.

Reported offences per 1,000 persons were lower in regional Western Australia than Perth for property, miscellaneous and also overall. Regional areas however recorded more offenses per 1,000 persons for offences against the persons and drugs. Recorded offences against property were very low in the Great Southern, South West and Wheatbelt regions. Regional performance - social

Indicator: Feeling of safety within the community

Background The feeling of safety in the community is a status indicator that relates to quality of life, community cohesion and trust. A survey was undertaken for the Department of Commerce and Trade and the Regional Development Commissions in 1998, which formed the basis for the ‘Living in the Regions Report’. The measure used to assess perceived safety was to obtain people’s agreement or disagreement with the statement : ‘I feel much safer here than I would in a place like Perth’.

Current situation The findings of the survey are shown in Figure 17. The percentage of people who either generally or strongly agreed with the above statement ranges from 71 per cent in Peel to 96 per cent in the Great Southern. Overall the regional average was 85 per cent. Page 139

Figure 17: Feeling of safety within the community

Regional WA 85

Wheatbelt 86

South West 92

Pilbara 90

Peel 71

Mid West 78

Kimberley 92

Great Southern 96

Goldfields-Esperance 80

Gascoyne 84

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 Net Agree (%)

Source: Living in the Regions (1999), published by the Department of Commerce and Trade.

Comment Variation in the feeling of safety within the community across the regions was significant, with the percentage of people feeling more safe than they would feel in Perth varying from 71 per cent in the Peel region to 96 per cent in the Great Southern region. Notwithstanding the variation between regions, the high percentage of agreement in all regions suggested that for regional respondents, Perth is regarded as less ‘safe’ than the region in which they were living. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

7.5.4 Social Capital

Indicator: Social capital

Background In the 2000 Health and Wellbeing Survey, a reliable index of social capital was included, which was the first time such an index had been used in an Australian population health survey. The Social Capital Index ©20 has been developed as a valid and reliable means of relating the relative social health of a community to its physical health and well-being. The Short-form (SF-11) version of the Social Capital Index © has eleven separate items which respondents score on a strongly agree – strongly disagree scale. The scores for each item are then aggregated into the following three core dimensions. •‘Social cohesion and generalised repricocity’ – includes items which measure the a Page 140 importance of neighbourhood relationships, friendships and support to respondents. •‘Generalised trust’ – includes items which measure a respondent’s preparedness to trust neighbours and the general community. •‘Community identity’ – includes items which measure a respondent’s sense of belonging in their local neighbourhood and their satisfaction with the local community. A further aggregation of the three dimensions can produce a single score for social capital.

Current situation The Social Capital Index © has been used by the WA Department of Health to report on social capital in regional and metropolitan WA. Separate scores for each region are not yet readily available. Figure 18 shows the available data.

Figure 18: Mean Social Capital by gender and location

13.013.0

12.512.5

12.012.0

11.511.5

11.011.0 RuralRural MaleMale MetroMetro MaleMale RuralRural FemaleFemale MetroMetro FemaleFemale

Source: Health and Wellbeing Survey (2000).

20 Copyright for the Social Capital Index © is held by Dr Janice Dillon, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Curtin. Permission to describe and present the Index is acknowledged. Regional performance - social

The social capital score is slightly higher amongst rural dwellers than those who live in the Perth metropolitan area. Further, in both domains, females have higher social capital scores than do males.

Mean Social Capital scores by physical and mental health status indicators are presented in Figure 19. These data show that a higher proportion of people with below average social capital scores have at least one doctor diagnosed mental health problem compared with people who have average or above social capital scores. Also, a higher proportion of people with below average social capital scores have at least one chronic disease condition compared with people who have average or above social capital scores.

Figure 19: Mean social capital scores by physical and mental health status indicators

13.0 Page 141

12.5

12.0

11.5

11.0 Has at least one Has no doctor Has at least one Has no chronic doctor diagnosed diagnosed mental chronic disease disease condition mental health problem health problem condition

Source: Health and Wellbeing Survey (2000).

Comment Although the data are only available at the very coarse scale of region versus metropolitan area, the findings suggest that social capital in the regions is reasonably well developed. Exploration of the Social Capital Index © at finer scale in future Reports will provide regional governance with a tool to use in designing and implementing community development programs. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Indicator: Perceived community spirit

Background The Living in the Regions (1999) study attempted to gauge perceived community spirit by combining the responses to five statements into an index of ‘perceived community spirit’: 1. ‘This is a really friendly place to live.’ 2. ‘There is a lot of division in this community.’ (reverse scored) 3. ‘There are great stresses on family life in this area.’ (reversed scored) 4. ‘Sometimes the size of this community means you have no privacy.’ (reverse scored) 5. ‘This area is great for kids to grow up in.’

Current situation Page 142 The results of the survey, taken from the Living in the Regions (1999) Report are shown in Figure 20. Community spirit was high across all regions, varying from 3.4 in the Goldfields-Esperance to 3.8 in the Great Southern. When the scores for each region are combined to give an all regions’ view of perceived community spirit, a mean score of 3.6 is achieved.

Figure 20: Perceived community spirit

Wheatbelt 3.7

South West 3.7

Pilbara 3.5

Peel 3.6

Mid West 3.6

Kimberley 3.5

Great Southern 3.8

Goldfields-Esperance 3.4

Gascoyne 3.5

012345 Mean Score

The following figures show the total proportion of people surveyed who either generally agreed or strongly agreed with the statement shown. The responses for each of the five statements were then aggregated to create the net assessment of perceived community spirit shown in Figure 20. Regional performance - social

Friendliness

'This is a really friendly place to live.'

All regions 85

Wheatbelt 90

South West 80

Pilbara 93

Peel 86

Mid West 79

Kimberley 89

Great Southern 87

Goldfields-Esperance 85

Gascoyne 85

70 75 80 85 90 95 Mean Score Page 143

Division

'There is a lot of division in this community.'

All regions 36

Wheatbelt 31

South West 29

Pilbara 24

Peel 35

Mid West 49

Kimberley 47

Great Southern 38

Goldfields-Esperance 44

Gascoyne 58

0 10203040506070 Mean Score Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Family stress

'There are great stresses on family life in this area.'

All regions 39

Wheatbelt 32

South West 27

Pilbara 62

Peel 37

Mid West 32

Kimberley 44

Great Southern 35

Goldfields-Esperance 59

Gascoyne 37

0 10203040506070 Page 144 Mean Score

Small town effects

'Sometimes the size of this community means you have no privacy.'

All regions 27

Wheatbelt 30

South West 25

Pilbara 34

Peel 18

Mid West 28

Kimberley 37

Great Southern 27

Goldfields-Esperance 21

Gascoyne 36

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 Mean Score Regional performance - social

Great place for kids

'This area is great for kids to grow up in.'

All regions 89

Wheatbelt 91

South West 96

Pilbara 80

Peel 86

Mid West 90

Kimberley 89

Great Southern 97

Goldfields-Esperance 75

Gascoyne 83

70 75 80 85 90 95 100 Mean Score Page 145

Source: Living in the Regions (1999), published by the Department of Commerce and Trade.

Comment The aggregate perception of community spirit shown in Figure 20 was clearly positive, which provides evidence for the widely held view that country areas are friendly and thrive on community spirit. There was little variation across the regions, although mean scores were marginally higher in the Wheatbelt and Southern regions.

In respect of the contributing factors, perceived friendliness was similar across the regions. The perception of division in regional communities varied between regions, with about half the respondents in the Gascoyne, Mid West, and Kimberley reporting ‘a lot of division in their communities’. Conversely, less than 30 per cent of Pilbara and South West respondents agreed with the statement. About 30 to 40 percent of respondents felt there were great stresses on family life in their locality, with higher levels recorded in the Pilbara and Goldfields-Esperance regions. Just over a quarter of respondents felt their privacy was reduced because of the size of their community. Finally, there was widespread agreement that the regions are a great place to bring up children, with respondents in the Goldfields-Esperance region being the only people to score agreement at less than 80 per cent. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

7.5.5 Culturally and linguistically diverse, gender, youth and seniors 7.5.5.1 Seniors services

Indicator: Ability to provide senior services in town of normal residence

Background Australia, in common with most western nations has an ageing population. Provision of services for seniors to enable them to maintain quality of life will be a growing need in coming years.

Current situation Seniors (people aged 60 years and over) numbered approximately 266,246 and made up 14.3 per Page 146 cent of Western Australia’s population as at 30 June 2000. Western Australia has the lowest proportion of seniors in any state, however seniors are expected to comprise 23 per cent of Western Australia’s population by 2021 due to the ageing of the post war baby boomers, reductions in infant mortality and improvements in longevity. The majority of seniors live in Perth and as at June 2000, 74.5 per cent of seniors lived in the metropolitan area and the remainder 25.5 per cent lived in the country areas. This distribution is only slightly different than the overall distribution of population between Perth and the regions.

Table 73 shows the number of residential aged care places and community aged care program places throughout Western Australia in 1996. In brackets are the number of places per 1,000 senior persons (60 years +). The Gascoyne and Pilbara have few residential aged care places, with 3.5 and 16.3 places per 1,000 senior persons respectively. However, the number of community aged care program places per 1,000 persons is significantly higher in the Pilbara than elsewhere in the regions, which reflects the lower number of seniors in the region.

Table 73: Number of aged and community care places, 1996

Region No. of residential aged care No. of community aged care program places (per 1,000 persons*) places (per 1,000 persons*)

Gascoyne 13 (3.5) 21 (5.6)

Goldfields-Esperance 237 (56.1) 35 (8.3)

Great Southern 299 (40.2) 45 (6.1)

Kimberley 121 (27.5) 42 (9.5)

Mid West 220 (33.7) 23 (3.5)

Peel 471 (42.3) 58 (5.2)

Pilbara 49 (16.3) 50 (16.6)

South West 673 (26.5) 107 (4.2)

Wheatbelt 270 (27.5) 67 (6.8)

Regional WA 2,353 (31.1) 447 (5.9)

Perth 9,540 (54.2) 1,076 (6.1)

Western Australia 11,893 (47.3) 1,524 (6.1) Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (1996). * For the senior population (60 years and over) Regional performance - social

There are comparatively more non-Indigenous than Indigenous seniors in Western Australia with the life expectancy of non-Indigenous people at birth being 22 years greater for males and 19 years greater for females.

Comment Increased regional mobility has led to many families living far from their family of origin and hence not living in close proximity to their ageing parents or relatives. This places increased reliance on senior services in a person’s town of normal residence. If such services are not provided, an ageing person may be forced to move to a more populous location where such services are provided.

In 1996, the number of residential aged care places was low in the Gascoyne and the Pilbara. Perth, Goldfields-Esperance, Peel and Great Southern all recorded 40 or more residential aged care places per 1,000 senior persons. The number of community aged care program places did Page 147 not differ as much throughout the regions, ranging from 3.5 per 1,000 senior persons in the Mid West to 16.6 per 1,000 senior persons in the Pilbara. The number of community aged care program places per 1,000 senior persons did not differ greatly between regional Western Australia and Perth. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

7.5.5.2 Services to culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) people

Indicator: Ability to access CALD services in town of normal residence

Background Multiculturalism in Western Australia is a commitment to social equality based on four key principles – civic ideals, fairness, equity and participation. From this perspective, it is vital that the delivery of services to culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) minorities resident in rural, regional and remote Western Australia is appropriate and accessible. Moreover, multiculturalism also means that all citizens, including those from culturally diverse backgrounds, are able to participate effectively, creatively and critically in community and public life.

Page 148 Current situation Services to CALD minorities in non-metropolitan Western Australia are provided through a range of mainstream and ethno-specific agencies including: • State Government Agencies – such as the Health Department, the Education Department, the Department of Indigenous Affairs and the Department for Community Development. • Commonwealth Agencies, such as Centrelink • Local Government Agencies • Non-government service providers, such as the Uniting Church Frontier Services, particularly in the provision of settlement services for new migrants

A list of specific settlement services in non-metropolitan Western Australia, funded primarily by the Commonwealth Department of Immigration, Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs are as follows: • Migrant Resource Centres • Community Settlement Services Scheme (CSSS) • Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP) • Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS)

Local Government organisations in regional Western Australia vary in respect of the development of services and initiatives that focus on their multicultural communities. The Town of Port Hedland, the Shires of Broome and Busselton and the City of Bunbury have developed multicultural services and initiatives.

A list of some of the main organisations, including CALD groups that provide social and cultural activities for CALD communities is shown in Table 74. The list is not complete, and in particular does not include all Local Government Authorities or Commonwealth and State Government agencies who provide services as part of the normal responsibilities that can be accessed by CALD communities for advice and assistance. However, many of the organisations rely on Commonwealth and State funding assistance for their operations. Further, the organisations in this list are not providing services exclusively to CALD communities – for example, women’s refuges are open to all women in need of the services. Similarly, the services provided by the Department for Community Development are available to all. Regional performance - social

Table 74: Examples of organisations and services for CALD minorities in the regions

Organisation Location(s) Service

COMMUNITY Each of the agencies listed in this section have a SETTLEMENT SERVICE Community Settlement Services worker funded by the SCHEME Commonwealth Department of Immigration, Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs who provide dedicated information and referral services to assist recently arrived migrants to access services such as education, training, health, welfare and language services.

Carnarvon Family Carnarvon General settlement, referral and advocacy services with a Support Service focus on education, isolation and cultural differences.

Geraldton Regional Geraldton Settlement services, information, referral and community Community Education development. Centre Association

South West Migration Bunbury Assisting in migrant settlement- referral service. Service Page 149 Uniting Church Newman, Generalist settlement services and community work. Frontier Services South Hedland, West Pilbara, Karratha, Tom Price

OTHER SERVICE PROVIDERS

Bunbury Migrant Bunbury Unfunded by the Commonwealth but also provides Resource Group dedicated information and referral services to assist recently arrived migrants to access services such as education, training, health, welfare and language services.

HEALTH

Multicultural Access Albany, Carnarvon, There is a statewide network of Multicultural Access Contact Officers Derby, Geraldton, Contact Officers (MACO) co-ordinated by the Multicultural Kalgoorlie, Katanning, Access Unit of the Health Department in partnership with Narrogin, Northam, the WA Health Sector. The MACO’s role is to assist in Warren/Blackwood ensuring that culturally appropriate services are implemented and that knowledge of issues and needs of culturally diverse clients are addressed.

EMPLOYMENT

CENTRELINK Albany CSC, Pensions, allowances/benefits, family payments, Bunbury CSC, miscellaneous payments and special services for migrants. Carnarvon CSC, In addition to the Community Support Officers located at Collie CSC, these centres a number of multicultural services officers are Esperance CSC, employed in the metropolitan area and their role has Geraldton CSC, recently been expanded to include one day per week Kalgoorlie CSC, dedicated to service non-metropolitan Centrelink locations. Karratha CSC, Centrelink also has a Language Services Unit providing Mandurah CSC, telephone and on-site interpreting (over 200 contract Northam CSC, interpreters in 68 languages) which provide regional South Hedland CSC services.

LEGAL

Regional Citizens Albany, Bunbury, Provision of free information, advice and legal assistance to Advice Bureau Busselton, Esperance, people who cannot afford to consult a private solicitor. Mandurah Migrants are served by this agency through specific programs which consider their special language and cultural needs.

Legal Aid Western Australia Bunbury, Broome, As above. Hedland Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Organisation Location(s) Service

FAMILY ISSUES

Relationships Australia Bunbury, Provides counselling for families in relationship (WA) Inc South Hedland problems, emotional distress and domestic violence. Family mediation and pre-marital counselling are also provided.

Women’s Refuge Centres Albany, Broome, Provision of safe temporary accommodation and Bunbury, Esperance, advice for women in crisis. Fitzroy Crossing, Geraldton, Halls Creek, Hedland, Kalgoorlie, Karratha, Kununurra, Mandurah, Narrogin, Northam, Rockingham, Roebourne, Wyndham

COMMUNITY

Department for Offices in Albany, Support to individuals, families and communities in Page 150 Community Development Broome, Bunbury, caring for and nurturing their members. Busselton, Carnarvon, Collie, Derby, Esperance, Fitzroy Crossing, Geraldton, Halls Creek, Kalgoorlie, Karratha, Katanning, Kellerberrin, Kununurra, Laverton, Leonora, Mandurah, Manjimup, Margaret River, Meekatharra, Merredin, Moora, Mullewa, Narrogin, Newman, Norseman, Northam, Onslow, Port Hedland, Roebourne, South Hedland, Southern Cross, Tom Price, Wyndham.

OTHER

Office of Multicultural Online Multicultural Communities Project Interests (Provision of web-based services to multicultural communities across the State )

Source: Office of Multicultural Interests.

Comment Ascertaining the effectiveness of service delivery to CALD minorities or those from culturally diverse backgrounds in rural, regional and remote Western Australia is difficult to answer, primarily due to the paucity of data about the extent to which mainstream services reach these customers and clients. In addition, the proportion of CALD minorities resident in the non-metropolitan area is relatively small, and this has tended to pose the question of whether it is cost-effective to deliver particular or specialist services to a small population. Finally, it is difficult to determine the extent to which clients / customers / citizens are satisfied with service delivery, and indeed whether these meet their specific needs, since empirical and quantifiable data is limited. Regional performance - social

7.5.5.3 Youth services

Indicator: Availability of facilities in town / community of residence

Background Youth Advisory Councils A network of Youth Advisory Councils (YACs) have been developed throughout the State in association with local government authorities. YACs are made up of young people representing their communities and are designed to enable members to advise government about issues facing young people and ways to address those issues.

YACs provide advice to state and local government on youth affairs, respond to local youth needs, administer grant funds, act as a focal point for local youth issues, and improve the flow of Page 151 information and links to the Government and the community.

Youth Coordinating Networks Metropolitan and regional Youth Coordinating Networks (YCNs) support existing service providers through access to a statewide coordination and information network. YCNs are able to assist in the coordination and provision of services and programs to young people in their respective regions by networking amongst service providers and government agencies. The Office for Children & Young People’s Policy supports and provides an annual grant of $2,500 to each group (currently 24) to assist in convening meetings and for secretariat/administration and training support.

Regional Youth Development Officers Regional Youth Development Officers (RYDOs) positions are located in Broome, Kalgoorlie, Manjimup (0.5FTE) and Margaret River (0.5FTE). RYDOs aim to: • Promote and implement youth policies, programs and objectives of the Office for Children and Young People’s Policy in regional areas. • Collaborate with all tiers of government and community based organisations to coordinate the delivery of policy and programs for young people throughout the State. RYDOs provide the regions with a point of reference for information dissemination on youth related issues within the local community and help to ensure a cohesive and coordinated approach to the provision and delivery of services.

Current situation In the State 104 YACs have been established. There are currently 59 active regional YACs as listed in Table 75, with the number of Local Government Authorities listed alongside to give an indication of the relative level of activity. The YACs in the Shire of Wyndham / East Kimberley (at Wyndham) and Shire of Derby / West Kimberley (at Derby) are predominantly Indigenous YACs. Table 36 also provides information on the status of Youth Coordinating Networks in the regions. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Table 75: Active youth organisations, 2002

Region No. active YACs Youth Coordinating Networks (no. LGAs)

Kimberley 4 (4) Broome Youth Co-ordinating Network Group (LGA of Broome) East Kimberley Regional Youth Coordinating Network (LGA Wyndham-East Kimberley) Derby Youth Coordinating Network (LGA Derby-West Kimberley)

Pilbara 5 (4) Hedland Regional Youth Co-ordinating Network (LGA Port Hedland) Karratha/Roebourne Youth Co-ordinating Network (Towns of Karratha, Roebourne, Dampier, Wickham, Port Samson

Gascoyne 1 (4) Gascoyne Region State Youth Coordinating Network (LGAs of Carnarvon, Exmouth, Shark Bay and Upper Gascoyne)

Mid West 4 (19) Geraldton Youth Service Providers Network (LGAs of Irwin, Geraldton, Mullewa, Greenough)

Goldfields-Esperance 7 (9) Goldfields Youth Coordinating Network (LGAS of Kalgoorlie Boulder and Coolgardie) Page 152 Wheatbelt 19 (44) Avon Valley Youth Co-ordinating Network (LGAs of Northam, Toodyay, York) Central Heartlands Youth Coordinating Network (LGAs Quairading, Bruce Rock, Narembeen, Southern Cross, Merredin, Kellerberrin, Mukinbudin)

Peel 3 (5) Peel Regional Youth Forum Services Interagency Network (LGAs Mandurah, Murray and Waroona)

South West 13 (12) Bunbury Youth Interagency Network (LGAs of Bunbury, Dardanup) South West (Eastern Corridor) Youth Co-ordinating Network (LGAs of Manjimup, Bridgetown/Greenbushes, Donnybrook/Balingup and Boyup Brook, Darkan, Collie) Cape to Cape Youth Coordinating Network (LGAs of Capel, Busselton, Margaret River-Augusta) Collie Youth Coordinating Network (LGA of Collie) Donnybrook Youth Coordinating Network (LGA Donnybrook)

Great Southern 5 (12) Great Southern Community Youth Committee (LGAs of Kent, Tambellup, Jerramungup, Katanning, Denmark, Mt Barker, Albany, Cranbrook, Gnowangerup, Broomehill)

Source: Office for Children and Young People’s Policy.

Comment In its pre-election policy A Focus on Young People, the State Government made a commitment to cater for young people’s need for public spaces by providing ‘$1 million over four years for the development of youth oriented cultural venues and public spaces in rural and regional areas’ (preliminary working title ‘Youth Spaces’). The objective of YouthSpaces is to: “increase the participation of young people in cultural, community and recreational activities through well planned, safe and secure ‘youth-friendly’ facilities and venues”. Planning is being progressed by an inter-agency and community group, with the Office for Children and Young People’s Policy acting as the administrator of the project. Regional performance - social

7.5.5.4 Gender services

Indicator: Ability to access facilities in town / community of residence

Background Many government agencies provide gender-related services as part of their normal responsibilities. These include services available from health, community development and education agencies.

However, there are limited data available on the accessibility of gender-specific facilities throughout the regions. Those quantitative data that are available include the number of representatives for women specific services in each region and the number of Women’s Refuge Centres.

Page 153 Current situation Table 76 shows the number of Women’s Refuge Centres and Domestic Violence Prevention Unit committees in the regions. The Women’s Refuge Centres are run by the Women’s Refuge Group of WA (Inc.). Women’s Refuge Services provide a broad range of vital support services to women and children escaping domestic violence. Their services are primarily preventative, in that they are aimed at preventing further violence and abuse to women and children. The primary purpose is to offer women and children a safe place where they can be assisted to recover from the impact of violence and abuse and begin to rebuild family lives. Some of the services that refuges provide are: • crisis short-term accommodation; • information and referral service; • crisis intervention; • court support and advocacy; • child support and activities for children; • emergency food, toiletries, clothing and money; • clear and accurate information on obtaining medium to long-term accommodation; • paralegal support and advocacy; • training and education; • health issues; • financial independence, and • culturally appropriate services for women from non-English speaking backgrounds.

Currently, there are 35 Women’s Refuge Services in Western Australia. Twenty of these are in regional locations. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Table 76: Availability of women’s related facilities in regional WA

Region Domestic Violence No. of Women’s Prevention Unit1 Refuge Centres

Gascoyne 0 1

Goldfields-Esperance 1 2

Great Southern 1 1

Kimberley 1 5

Mid West 1 1

Peel 2 2

Pilbara 1 5

South West 1 1

Wheatbelt 2 2

Page 154 Regional WA 10 20

1 The number of committees. Source: Woman’s Refuge Group (2002).

Comment The number of refuge centres and domestic violence prevention units are spread relatively evenly throughout the regions. Regional performance - social

7.5.5.5 Seniors status

Indicator: Seniors resident in the region

Background It is important for the social health of the regions to ensure that if seniors (those people aged 60 years and older) choose to live in a particular region they are able to do so. These people may have been living in the region for many years, or wish to relocate to the region. This means not only providing appropriate facilities for seniors but also ensuring that they are of high quality and attractive. One way of gauging whether or not seniors feel they can live in a particular region, is to look at the proportion of seniors residing in the regions.

Current situation Page 155 Figure 21 shows the percentage of seniors living in the region as a percentage of the region’s total population. The Gascoyne and Peel have the greatest proportion of seniors within their region, at 27 per cent and 21 per cent respectively. The lowest retention rate is 7.9 per cent in the Pilbara. All regions except for the South West (14.9%), Kimberley (14.2%), Goldfields-Esperance (9.2%) and Pilbara (7.9%) had a higher percentage of senior persons than Perth (15.2%).

Figure 21: Percentage of the population as seniors (60+ years), 2001

WA 15.3

Perth 15.2

Regional WA 15.8

Wheatbelt 20.4

South West 14.9

Pilbara 7.9

Peel 21.0

Mid West 15.5

Kimberley 14.2

Great Southern 17.4

Goldfields-Esperance 9.2

Gascoyne 27.0

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 % of regions population 60+ years

Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing (2001).

Figure 22 puts the percentage of senior people in each region into the context of the overall age distribution for the regions. The age distribution for the total WA population is provided in each graph as a benchmark. With the exception of the Gascoyne, all other show a similar pattern with an under-representation of youth and young adults, and an over-representation of people in their 30s and early 40s. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Figure 22: Age distributions across the regions, 2001

12.00

10.00

8.00

6.00

4.00 Percentage of Population 2.00

0.00 0-4 5-9 10- 15- 20- 25- 30- 35- 40- 45- 50- 55- 60- 65- 70- 75- 80- 85+ Page 156 14 19 24 29 34 39 44 49 54 59 64 69 74 79 84

Gascoyne Goldfields-Esperance WA Age groups

12.00

10.00

8.00

6.00

4.00

Percentage of Population 2.00

0.00 0-4 5-9 10- 15- 20- 25- 30- 35- 40- 45- 50- 55- 60- 65- 70- 75- 80- 85+ 14 19 24 29 34 39 44 49 54 59 64 69 74 79 84

Peel Pilbara WA Age groups

9.00

8.00

7.00

6.00

5.00

4.00

3.00

Percentage of Population 2.00

1.00

0.00 0-4 5-9 10- 15- 20- 25- 30- 35- 40- 45- 50- 55- 60- 65- 70- 75- 80- 85+ 14 19 24 29 34 39 44 49 54 59 64 69 74 79 84

Great Southern WA Age groups Regional performance - social

10.00 9.00 8.00

7.00 6.00 5.00 4.00 3.00

Percentage of Population 2.00 1.00 0.00 0-4 5-9 10- 15- 20- 25- 30- 35- 40- 45- 50- 55- 60- 65- 70- 75- 80- 85+ 14 19 24 29 34 39 44 49 54 59 64 69 74 79 84 Page 157

South West Wheatbelt WA Age groups

10.00 9.00 8.00 7.00 6.00

5.00 4.00 3.00

Percentage of Population 2.00 1.00 0.00 0-4 5-9 10- 15- 20- 25- 30- 35- 40- 45- 50- 55- 60- 65- 70- 75- 80- 85+ 14 19 24 29 34 39 44 49 54 59 64 69 74 79 84

Kimberley Mid West WA Age groups

Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing (2001).

Comment The Gascoyne and Peel regions have the highest retention rate of people living in the region aged 60 and over, with the Wheatbelt also over-represented in this age-group. The other regions did not exhibit population distributions to that extreme, with generally, slightly less elderly in the regions than the State population distribution. The Pilbara and Goldfields-Esperance regions have much lower percentages of senior people amongst their populations.

The majority of seniors in the State live in Perth, the South West, Peel and Wheatbelt, making up just below 90 per cent of the population aged 60 years and over. Such a high proportion of senior people living across only three regional areas and the Perth metropolitan area is an indication of the attractiveness of these areas as a place to retire to, and may also reflect the availability or close proximity to facilities used by senior persons. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

7.5.5.6 Culturally and linguistically diverse status

Indicator: Involvement in public and community life

Background A suitable indicator for the social and community status of people of CALD origin is their relative involvement in public life – such as local government council memberships, industry, service and cultural/ recreation organisation involvement. However, information is sparse in the level of involvement of people of CALD origin in these organisations.

Current situation Table 77 shows the array of CALD organisations operating in the regions. Although not necessarily Page 158 a measure of full CALD involvement in public and community life, the existence of these organisations is an indicator of the robustness and activity generated in each region by people of CALD origin.

Table 77: Examples of CALD organisations in the regions

Organisation Location RDC Region Service/ purpose

Dalmacija Club Inc Carnarvon Gascoyne Social and cultural

Eastern Goldfields Italian Club Kalgoorlie Goldfields-Esperance Social and cultural

Philippine-Aust Association Katanning Great Southern Social and cultural

Shinju Matsuri Inc Broome Kimberley Social and cultural

Kimberley Indonesia Friendship Association Broome Social and cultural

Chinese Community Inc Broome Social and cultural

Filipino Community in Broome Broome Social and cultural

Thai Association Geraldton Mid West Social and cultural

Vietnamese Association Geraldton Glenfield Social and cultural

Cocos Island Community Geraldton Social and cultural

Geraldton & Dist Italian Sporting & Social Geraldton Social, sporting and cultural

Geraldton Mid-West Irish Club Geraldton Social and cultural

Macedonian Community Geraldton Social and cultural

Mid-West Filipino-Australian Cultural Club Geraldton Social and cultural

Filipino Australian Friendship Association South Hedland Pilbara Social and cultural

Newman Muslim Association Newman Social and cultural

United Hellenic Association of Bunbury Bunbury South West Social and cultural

Vietnamese Association Bunbury Australind Social and cultural

South West Italian Club Bunbury Social and cultural

Collie Italian and Sporting Club Collie Social and cultural

Polish Association of Bunbury Bunbury Social and cultural Regional performance - social

German International Club Bunbury Social and cultural

Italian Club Bunbury Social and cultural

Filipino Community Australind Social and cultural

M/Cultural Assoc of Busselton & Districts Busselton Social and cultural

Source: Office of Multicultural Interests.

Comment The information shows a preponderance of activity in the Kimberley, Mid West and South West. However, it is likely that the list or organisations is incomplete for some regions.

Page 159 Indicators of Regional Development in WA

7.5.5.7 Youth status

Indicator: Retention of young people in the regions

Background The Department for Community Development – Youth Affairs, oversees the development, coordination and implementation of youth policy initiatives and programs across government and non-government sectors. In addition the Department improves access to information and links to community resources for youth and develops programs that address the needs of young people. Young persons are defined as those in the 15-24 age group.

Current situation Page 160 The age distributions shown in Figure 22 indicate that there are proportionally less young people living in the regions compared to Western Australia as a whole. The age distributions experience a marked drop off in the 10 to 25 year age category across all regions.

Figure 23 shows the proportion of young people living in the region as a percentage of the region’s total population. The proportion of young people living in the regions ranged from 8.3 per cent in the Gascoyne to 13.2 per cent in the Goldfields-Esperance region. Approximately 12 per cent of regional Western Australia’s population consists of young people, compared to 14 per cent of the total State population.

Figure 23: Percentage of the population as youth (15-24 years), 2001

WA 14.2 Perth 15.1 Regional WA 11.9 Wheatbelt 9.9 South West 12.6 Pilbara 12.4

Peel 11.7 Mid West 12.0 Kimberley 13.1

Great Southern 11.8 Goldfields-Esperance 13.2 Gascoyne 8.3

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 % of regions population 15-24 years

Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing (2001). Regional performance - social

Comment There was no trend between regional isolation and the percentage of population as youth. For example, those regions that are relatively more isolated (Kimberley, Pilbara, Gascoyne) did not have a smaller percentage of youth than the less isolated regions (South West, Great Southern). The three regions with the smallest percentage of population as youth are the Gascoyne, Mid West and Wheatbelt.

Although these data show that youth are under-represented in regional populations, information reported elsewhere show that involvement in community activities through Youth Advisory Councils is significant (see Table 75) and the survey data contained in Living in the Regions (1999) and shown in Figure 20 show that most regional residents regard the environment as being generally favourable for family life.

Page 161 Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Indicator: Youth suicide rates

Background The levels of youth suicide is a significant indicator used world-wide to track the general status of young people’s well-being. In many countries and regions, it is a leading cause of death among older adolescents.

While it is still a rare event at the local community level, the rate at which the problem has grown overall in Western Australia in the last few decades gives cause for concern. It is also recognised as one aspect of the much larger issue of youth mental health. There is concern about the growing numbers of young people experiencing depressive disorders and about the increase in intentional self-harm amongst some groups of young people.

Page 162 Admission to hospital because of intentional self-injury is over 15 times more common than death due to suicide. In 1998 there were 834 young Western Australians admitted to public and private hospitals following suicide attempts and many more whose attempts did not result in hospitalisation. This compares with 55 young people who died due to suicide. When comparing youth suicide rates to other industrialised countries, Australia as a whole is in the upper third of the rates, slightly higher than Canada and substantially lower than New Zealand and Finland.

Current Situation The table below contains the youth suicide rates (per 100,000 persons) between 1991 and 2000 for the nine regions and comparable to Perth Metropolitan and the State. The data show very high rates amongst males compared to females across all regions and in Perth, with the incidence of young male suicide being well above the incidence in Perth in six of the nine regions.

Table 78: Youth suicide rates, 1991 to 2000

Region Youth suicide (per 100,000 persons)

Males (15-24) Females (15-24)

Gascoyne 26.8 0.0

Goldfields-Esperance 35.8 2.5

Great Southern 30.5 0.0

Kimberley 110.4 0.0

Mid West 43.3 6.2

Peel 49.2 0.0

Pilbara 25.1 3.7

South West 21.3 8.3

Wheatbelt 36.9 2.6

Perth 25.4 5.9

Western Australia 28.0 5.5

Source: Department of Health. Regional performance - social

Comment Comparisons of youth suicide deaths in urban, rural and remote areas indicate that males living in rural and remote areas have a much higher rate of suicide than their urban counterparts. A study by the Office of Youth Affairs (now The Department for Community Development – Office of Children and Young People’s Policy) in 1998 determined that there was significant variation among rural districts, with the incidence of youth suicide being highest in remote settlements of less than 4,000 people.

Page 163 Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Indicator: Youth unemployment rates

Background High levels of youth unemployment can have serious negative effects on a region, with anti-social behaviours, poor health and well-being amongst the young being undesirable outcomes.

Current situation Western Australia’s youth unemployment rate was 20.6 per cent in September 2002, a decrease of 4.2 percentage points over the previous month (Labour Force Statistics 2002). This degree of variation shows that monthly youth unemployment data are extremely volatile when not seasonally adjusted. Western Australia’s youth unemployment rate is slightly lower than the national youth unemployment rate (21.4%), and averaged 21.3 per cent in the year to July 2001 compared with Page 164 the national average of 22.6 per cent.

Figures from the 2001 Census show that in all regions unemployment in the 15 – 19 year category was higher than for those in the 20 – 24 years age group. Youth unemployment was the lowest in the Kimberley (9.7% and 7.9%) and highest in the Peel (22.1% and 17.4%). The regional unemployment rate was lower than the Perth average for both age groups.

Table 79: Youth unemployment rates

Region Unemployment rate (%) 15 – 19 years 20 – 24 years

Gascoyne 13.9 10.7

Goldfields-Esperance 13.8 9.7

Great Southern 16.4 14.0

Kimberley 9.7 7.9

Mid West 21.1 16.2

Peel 22.1 17.4

Pilbara 10.8 8.1

South West 15.0 12.4

Wheatbelt 15.9 10.2

Regional WA 16.1 12.0

Perth 16.5 12.3

Western Australia 16.4 12.3

Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing (2001). Regional performance - social

Comment The youth labour market (especially 15–19 years) is characterised by extensive alternatives to employment in the form of various education options and a predominance of part time employment. An additional characteristic of youth in the workplace is that they are generally unemployed for shorter periods of time, with the median duration of unemployment for males being 9.4 weeks and for females, 9.2 weeks (Lewis and Mclean 1998). The youth labour market in Western Australia can be summarised as having the following characteristics: • A lower participation rate than the general population, mainly due to the attendance at educational institutions by young people; • A predominance of part-time employment; • A high rate of unemployment and underemployment compared to the general population, and • A lower median duration of unemployment than the general population. Page 165

Traditionally, small businesses in Australia have also been a significant employer of young people. Reduced engagement in this sector contributed to the drop in youth employment from 22.4 per cent in May 2002 to 18.9 per cent in June 2002. This has been influenced by increased retention rates in the post-compulsory years in education, which has reduced the employment rate for full time teenage employees. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

7.5.5.8 Gender status

Indicator: Gender balance in public life and senior private and public sector management

Background Governments and communities over recent decades have encouraged female participation in commerce, industry and public life.

Current situation Table 80 shows the gender balance in the nine regions and Perth as a percentage of the total workforce across all economic sectors. The average proportion of females employed across all Page 166 industries is very similar over the nine regions, varying by only 5 per cent, from 37 per cent in the Gascoyne to 42 per cent in the Peel. The industries with the greatest proportion of females employed were ‘Health and Community Services’ (86% - Wheatbelt), ‘Education’ (78% – Wheatbelt) and ‘Finance and Insurance’ (77% - Pilbara).

Across the regions, industries employing the smallest proportion of females were ‘Electricity, Gas and Water Supply’ (9% – Mid West), ‘Mining’ (10% – Great Southern) and ‘Construction’ (12% – Pilbara). Nine out of the eighteen industries employed a greater proportion of females in regional Western Australia compared to Perth, as follows: 1) ‘Retail trade’; 2) ‘Accommodation, cafes and restaurants’; 3) ‘Communication services’; 4) ‘Finance and insurance’; 5) ‘Property and business services’; 6) ‘Government administration and defence’; 7) ‘Education’; 8) ‘Health and community services’; and 9) ‘Cultural and recreation services’.

The ‘Mining’ and ‘Electricity, Gas and Water Supply’ sectors in regional Western Australia showed the greatest gap compared to Perth in the employment of females, employing 13 and 12 per cent less respectively. Regional performance - social

Page 167

estern Australia, 2001

opulation and Housing Census (2001 opulation and Housing

Esperance Southern West West WA Total

32.4 27.0 29.8 28.9 27.5 35.5 30.3 30.5 27.8 29.1 38.1 30.7

62.4 66.5 67.1 57.8 67.1 67.8 67.3 69.3 71.8 67.1 56.5 59.7

30.5 36.7 36.2 42.7 37.6 39.9 46.9 38.9 44.7 40.0 33.6 34.7 51.8 71.6 64.1 56.6 58.1 63.8 76.6 65.9 67.3 65.0 58.9 59.7

41.5 42.3 47.7 44.1 47.2 52.0 41.7 49.8 54.7 47.5 45.0 45.4

39.4 47.0 48.9 41.5 46.9 50.1 50.5 54.7 46.0 47.2 47.0 47.1

79.5 82.3 81.6 70.3 83.1 83.8 80.8 83.4 86.1 82.0 78.3 79.1

erv. 35.0 44.2 40.5 36.4 40.4 46.4 42.7 47.4 43.0 42.8 46.8 45.8

Table 80: Percentage of females in the workforce across different industries in W Table

Industry Gascoyne Goldfields- Great Kimberley Mid Peel Pilbara South Wheatbelt Regional Perth State

Agric, Forest & Fishing Mining 9.8 14.0 9.7 13.2 12.0 12.9 12.2 10.4 12.8 12.6 25.3 17.3

Manufacturing 24.8 17.3 27.6 23.4 20.3 17.0 14.8 20.2 23.5 20.0 23.8 23.0

Elect, Gas & WaterElect, Gas & 9.4 11.3 14.2 14.1 9.3 14.4 15.9 11.0 12.3 12.3 23.8 20.3 Construction 13.8 13.2 13.8 14.2 12.2 15.0 11.8 13.6 12.2 13.3 14.8 14.3

Wholesale Trade 31.2 22.7 27.0 28.2 26.4 34.8 19.3 32.1 27.2 28.2 32.4 31.4

Retail Trade 57.0 56.5 52.4 51.6 54.8 59.0 62.6 57.8 54.0 56.5 52.9 53.8 Accom, Cafes & Rest

Transport and StorageTransport 28.3 21.0 26.4 23.9 20.9 28.3 28.3 24.3 21.3 24.2 26.5 25.9

Communication Services Finance and Insurance

Property & Business Services

Govt Admin & Defence Education 71.4 74.3 69.8 70.0 71.7 70.3 75.0 71.2 78.2 72.6 67.8 69.0

Health & Comm. Services

Cultural & Rec. Serv.Cultural & Rec. 39.6 58.7 55.0 45.6 54.9 47.8 58.6 51.1 53.2 51.8 48.9 49.4 Personal & Other S Personal

Average 41.9 37.1 44.2 42.3 40.7 43.9 36.3 43.9 41.5 41.6 45.9 44.8

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics Census of P of Statistics Bureau Australian Source: Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Indicator: Ratio of average male salary/wage to female salary/wage

Background This indicator presents the male and female average weekly earnings for three regions in Western Australia and also the average annual male and female salaries across the State. The aim is to provide some insight into labour market issues that currently affect Western Australian women.

Current situation The average weekly earnings of males versus females is shown in Table 81. In August 2000 male earnings in Western Australia were on average equal to $881 per week. Nationally, the average was $847. Male earnings in Western Australia increased by 6.4 per cent, while equivalent female earnings grew by 6.5 per cent. Page 168 Notwithstanding the relatively strong growth in female earnings within Western Australia, there remains a substantial gap between the average earnings of females and males. In August 2000, the female / male wage ratio in Western Australia was 77.9 per cent, compared with a national ratio of 83.8 per cent. This continues a long-term trend for the Western Australian ratio (0.78) to be lower than the national ratio.

Table 81: Male and female average weekly earnings, 1999

Average weekly Perth Lower Western Balance earnings ($) Metropolitan WA1 of WA

Male 759 780 880

Female 486 393 441

Ratio of male: female 1:0.64 1:0.50 1:0.50

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (1999). 1 Lower Western WA approximately includes the Peel, Great Southern and South West regions.

Gender comparisons of annual retirement incomes illustrate that there are significant differences in the earnings of retired Australian men and women (Women in the WA Labour Market, 2000). The average annual income for women aged 55 or more was 42 per cent lower than the average annual income for men aged 55 or more. In 1995/96 women aged 55 living in metropolitan areas earned on average, 4 per cent more than rural women in the same age group. In Western Australia, metropolitan women aged 55 or over earned 31 per cent more than their rural counterparts.

A recent study of more than 500 Master of Business Administration graduates from the University of Western Australia found that female managers with an MBA are paid half the salary of men with the same qualification. The median salary of women who have completed their postgraduate Master of Business Administration was found to be $75,000, while men who had undertaken the MBA program have a median salary of $150,000. However, the earnings gap could be partly explained by the fact that MBA-qualified women worked on average in lower levels of management and smaller firms than men. They were also younger than their male counterparts and more recently completed their degree, and therefore were less likely to be as advanced in their careers. Regional performance - social

Figure 24 shows the average annual salaries of males and females throughout the regions in Western Australia. The difference between female and male earnings ranged from $8,400 in the Great Southern to $31,000 in the Pilbara.

Figure 24: Average annual male and female salaries, 2001

Perth

Wheatbelt

South West

Pilbara

Peel

Mid West

Kimberley Page 169 Great Southern

Goldfields-Esperance

Gascoyne

0 10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000 50,000 60,000

Males Females Average annual salary ($)

Source: Data sourced from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (2001) and synthesised by the Department of Local Government and Regional Development (2002).

Comment These statistics represent a range of implications for women in the Western Australia labour market. Once in the workforce, women tend to earn less than their male counterparts and despite relatively strong earnings growth nationally, women have experienced lower rates of earnings growth than men. Statistics on retirement incomes illustrate that women’s relatively low working life earnings extend into lower rates of incomes after they leave the workforce. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

7.5.6 Community involvement in public decision making

Background Government is committed to increasing the quantity and quality of community involvement in public decision making. The rationale is that active citizenship will build a better community through improved trust, higher community confidence, and enhanced ability to meet the challenges and uncertainties affecting the State’s people.

Current situation Government has established the Citizens and Civics Unit (CCU) in the Department of Premier and Cabinet to facilitate the development of citizenship policy, strategy and initiatives. To realise this, the Citizens and Civics Unit has a number of objectives. The CCU functions are three-fold: • advises on WA Government policy on citizenship, civics and strengthening democracy; Page 170 • identifies information, skills and mechanisms for effective participation and real input into public life and decision making, and • fosters dialogue between the people of WA, their governments and other institutions. Interest in improved citizenship is strong in WA. Over 500 individuals and organisations have contributed to planning processes for the CCU.

The most obvious examples of regional involvement is decision-making occurs through the local governments in the regions. Examples of regional management of public organisations, both statutory and non-statutory are shown below in Table 82.

Table 82: Some examples of community management of State and local agencies in the region

Region Public organisations with regional community involved in management

Gascoyne Shark Bay World Heritage Property Gascoyne Development Commission Gascoyne-Murchison Strategy Local governments

Goldfields-Esperance Centre for Management of Arid Environments, Kalgoorlie Goldfields-Esperance Development Commission Esperance Port Authority Local governments

Great Southern Albany Port Authority Centre of Excellence in Natural Resource Management, Albany Great Southern Development Commission Local governments South Coast Regional Initiative Planning Team

Kimberley Broome Port Authority Kimberley Development Commission Local governments Ord Irrigation Water Management Wyndham Port Authority

Mid West Geraldton Port Authority Local governments Mid West Development Commission Northern Agricultural Catchments Council Regional performance - social

Peel Local governments Peel Development Commission South West Catchments Council

Pilbara Local governments Pilbara Development Commission Port Hedland Port Authority

South West Blackwood Basin Group Bunbury Port Authority Local governments South West Development Commission South West Catchments Council

Wheatbelt Avon Catchments Council Avon Waterways Management Commission Local governments Wheatbelt Development Commission

Source: Agency Annual Reports Page 171

Beyond this list, there are many groups established at regional scale to provide non-binding advice to Government in the discharge of its responsibilities. These bodies include Advisory Committees relating to: • the management of the flora and fauna on land held by the Conservation Commission; • the delivery of water services; • regional and local planning activities; • community development including sport, recreation and youth activities; • regional transport management, and • agricultural and fisheries industry management.

Comment The CCU has developed a strategic plan and has published a number of documents to support increased community involvement in Government decision making. These include Citizenship: Building a Shared Future, and Consulting Citizens – a Resource Guide. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

7.5.7 Personal financial independence 7.5.7.1 Services

Indicator: Investment in social security services

Background Income from transfer payments, in particular those provided by the Australian social security system, such as income support, are an important source of income for many Australian households and consequently an important resource for the communities in which they live. Investment made by the Commonwealth Government through the Department of Social Security (DSS) includes the total of primary payments, add-ons (Pharmaceutical Allowance, Remote Area Allowance, Incentive Allowance, Disability Youth Supplement, Training Allowance, Living Away Page 172 from Home Allowance, Home Based Maintenance Allowance), rent assistance and family payment received by clients and spouse for all recipients in the area. It does not include payments to participants in training and job creation schemes such as Community Development and Employment Program (CDEP) projects.

Current situation The following is derived from a Department of Social Security (DSS) technical paper21 published in 1998. Shown in Figure 25 are indicative estimates of the ratio of DSS payments (as a proxy for ‘social security’) to personal disposable income. They are simple unweighted averages for the ABS Statistical Local Areas that are included in each region.

Figure 25: Ratio of DSS payments to personal disposable income, 1998

WA 13.7

Perth 13.9

Regional WA 13.1

Wheatbelt 10.4

South West 16.0

Pilbara 5.0

Peel 11.0

Mid West 9.2

Kimberley 15.5

Great Southern 12.8

Goldfields-Esperance 7.3

Gascoyne 10.3

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 % of DSS payment to personal disposable income

Source: Commonwealth Department of Social Security, Technical Paper No 2 (1998).

Within Western Australia there were no regions in the top quartile of dependency (above 25% of disposable income being derived from benefits). However, there were a number of locations

21 The Contribution of DSS Payments to Regional Income 1998, DSS Technical Paper No 2. Bray, J.R. and Mudd, W. Regional performance - social

where the ration exceeded 20 per cent, such as Bassendean (21.1%) in Perth region, South Kwinana (25.8%) and the Shire of Murray (Peel), the Shire of Murchison (Mid West), and the City of Albany (Great Southern).

Except for the Kimberley region (15.5%), regions located in the southern part of Western Australia had a higher dependency on DSS payments compared to the northern regions. The South West (16%), Great Southern (13%) and Peel (11%) are more dependent on DSS payments than the Pilbara (5%), Mid West (9%) and Goldfields-Esperance (7%). Overall, Lower Western WA recorded 17.5 per cent dependency compared to 10 per cent for the remainder of the State.

Comment In all states other than Western Australia the levels of reliance upon transfer payments, in aggregate, and amongst children and adults, are higher in non-metropolitan locations and the ratio of income 22 tax to transfer payments lower in every State . However, there was very little difference in the Page 173 level of dependency on DSS payments between Perth metropolitan (13.9%) and regional Western Australia (13.1%).

Community Development and Employment Program (CDEP) payments are not included in the above data. In a number of locations in Western Australia payments under this program, which support Indigenous people in community-based training and employment projects, exceed the level of DSS payments. For example CDEP funding in the Shire of Derby-West Kimberley (Kimberley region) is estimated at $17.2 million compared with $15.1 million from DSS payments. In the Shire of Wiluna (Mid West region), CDEP funding of $1.4 million is around 20 per cent higher than the $1.1 million received from DSS payments.

CDEP project funding also plays an important role in providing income support to Indigenous people in other remote shires, such as Ashburton, ($1.2 million) in the Pilbara region and Broome ($14.0 million), Halls Creek ($10.1 million) and Wyndham-East Kimberley ($8.3 million) shires in the Kimberley region.

If these payments were taken into account in determining the ratios shown in Figure 25, a different picture would emerge in respect of the levels of dependence on external transfer payments.

22 The Contribution of DSS Payments to Regional Income 1998, DSS Technical Paper No 2. Bray, J.R. and Mudd, W. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

7.5.7.2 Status

Indicator: Income distribution

Background Differences in average incomes between regions occur largely as a result of differences in workforce participation, employment levels and workforce composition (occupation, industry and educational qualifications) in each region. This indicator is represented by household and personal income distribution.

Current situation Household income parameters for Western Australia at June 2001 were: Page 174 Mean - $914 per week or $47,000 p.a. Median - $788 per week or $41,000 p.a. Second quintile - $631 per week or $32,800 p.a. First quintile - $370 per week or $19,200 p.a.

Figure 26 presents the household income of the lowest two income quintiles23 for the various regions.

Figure 26: Regional household lower income distribution, 2001

1,200

1st Quintile 2nd Quintile 1,000

800

600

400 Household Income ($/week) 200

0 Peel Perth Great Pilbara Western Australia Southern Mid West Kimberley Wheatbelt Gascoyne Esperance Goldfields- South West

Source: Department of Housing and Works (2002).

Table 83 shows the percentage of people in each region earning within respective income ranges. Data were taken from the ABS Census of Population and Housing. In calculating the percentage of persons in each income bracket, ‘overseas visitors’ and those who ‘didn’t state their income’ were not included in the analysis. The median weekly individual income for Western Australia recorded

23 A 20 per cent proportion of any numerical quantity. Regional performance - social

in 2001 Census was $374 or just under half (48%) of the median household income (Department of Housing and Works 2002). The regions with a large proportion of their residents earning in excess of $1,000 per week include the Pilbara (30.6%) and Goldfields-Esperance (21.6%). Peel and the Great Southern had a significant proportion of people within their region earning less than $300 per week, at 50.5 and 48.0 per cent respectively. There was not a big difference in the percentage of peoples earnings within each category between regional Western Australia and Perth.

Table 83: Weekly personal income distribution

Income Gasco- Gold- Gt- Kimb- Mid Peel Pilbara South Wheat- Reg Perth State (%) yne Espnce South erley West West belt WA Total

$0 income 5.2 6.6 7.3 5.3 7.2 6.8 6.9 6.6 8.9 6.9 7.4 7.3

$1-$119 4.8 6.8 7.7 4.3 7.1 8.2 6.3 8.1 7.2 7.2 8.0 7.8

$120-$299 34.8 23.0 33.1 33.7 30.1 35.5 18.4 29.7 30.9 29.9 27.3 28.0 Page 175

$300-$499 21.8 15.2 21.9 17.3 18.5 19.1 13.4 20.5 20.7 19.0 17.7 18.0

$500-$699 13.4 12.6 14.6 13.9 13.2 11.4 10.8 14.0 14.8 13.3 14.9 14.5

$700-$999 10.8 14.2 9.8 12.5 12.0 9.6 13.7 11.4 10.2 11.5 13.3 12.8

$1000+ 9.3 21.6 5.7 13.0 11.9 9.4 30.6 9.6 7.3 12.3 11.5 11.7

Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing (2001).

Figure 27 illustrates Gini coefficients throughout the regions in Western Australia. Gini coefficient is an aggregate numerical measure of income inequality ranging from zero (perfect equality) to one (perfect inequality) (Todaro 1990). Gini coefficients ranged from 0.44 in the Gascoyne and Great Southern to 0.47 in Perth, Peel, Mid West and Goldfields-Esperance.

Figure 27: Gini coefficients, 2001

WA

Perth

Regional WA

Wheatbelt

South West

Pilbara

Peel

Mid West

Kimberley

Great Southern

Goldfields-Esperance

Gascoyne

0.42 0.43 0.44 0.45 0.46 0.47 0.48 Gini Coefficient

Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing (2001), calculated by URS Australia (2003). Indicators of Regional Development in WA

The Gini coefficients show that little variation in income equality between regions and Perth, with only the Great Southern and Gascoyne standing out as having more equal income distributions. Comparing with Table 83 suggests this is mainly due to an absence of high earning people in these regions.

Comment It is evident from the above statistics that the regions with a large proportion of high income earners are the Pilbara and Goldfields-Esperance regions. This could be attributed to the high number of large scale mining operations in these regions, where workers are paid higher incomes, often to compensate for the isolation, lifestyle, longer hours and / or harsher working conditions. Regions where a majority of individuals / households earned relatively low incomes were the Great Southern and Peel regions.

Page 176 Regional performance - social

7.5.8 Equity in communication and professional services 7.5.8.1 Communication and information services and status Data disaggregated down to a regional level is not possible at this stage for the following communications indicators, with the exception of ‘Internet Access’ indicator. However, the sources of information are in the context of Australia as a whole and the results are indicative of Western Australia’s situation. The gap in the standard of telecommunications between metropolitan and regional areas needs to be minimised in order to create equity throughout the State.

Indicator: Internet access

Background Improving regional access to the ‘information superhighway’ is an important component of Government policy at State and Commonwealth levels. Regional people themselves are placing Page 177 high priority on the ability to access quality electronic communications. Access to the internet in regional areas alone is not the major problem, it is the access speed. Lower access speeds result in Internet users receiving data less efficiently over the Internet and significantly longer download times, thus diminishing the Internet’s effectiveness.

Current situation According to the ABS Internet Activity Survey, Perth had in September 2001, 80 Internet Service Providers (ISPs) servicing 269,000 subscribers (75% of State subscribers) and the remainder of the State had 30 ISPs servicing 88,000 subscribers. The 2001 State total of 110 ISPs was down from 120 in December 2000.

The quality of service of dial-up Internet access is affected by: • the quality and configuration of customer equipment (primarily PC and modem), and the connection by the customer into the network; • the quality (including length) of the link from the customer to the exchange (and from there to the ISP); • the quality and adequacy of the ISP equipment and links to the Internet, and • the quality and adequacy of links within the Internet to the requested server (website), and the quality and adequacy of that server itself.

The main quality of service factors reported by consumers relate to data speed and call drop-out, or inability to establish or maintain a connection to an ISP (Regional Telecommunications Inquiry 2002). Perth metropolitan residents can receive access speeds of up to 56kbps over the Public Switched Telephone Network, however regional residents generally experience speeds between 14.4kbps and 28.8 kbps.

A key finding of the Regional Telecommunications Inquiry (2002) was that dial-up technology is becoming inadequate to meet the service needs of users and there is a need for service providers to more effectively promote and facilitate access to faster and more effective services, such as Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) and Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) for the next generation of speed and functionality. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

The need for such improvements are enforced in a study undertaken by the Great Southern Area Consultative Committee (2001) of 74 Internet users in the Great Southern region, in which 20 users (27%) connected at speeds less than 19.2kbps. Only 22 users (30%) were able to consistently connect at speeds 28.8 kbps or greater. In parts of the Kimberley, Pilbara and remote areas of the Mid West and Goldfields the 19.2 kbps is in fact only achieved by data compression with the systems actually running at 14.4 kbps or less.

ADSL, carrying data at speeds of 512 kbps is available to some consumers in Perth metropolitan who want high-speed Internet connection. ADSL is still being rolled out in regional Western Australia and is currently available in twenty regional exchanges with another six expected to come on line in December 2002. The further development of satellite services will assist regional consumers, with Telstra offering a subsidised satellite service, which provides access to the Internet at data speeds ranging from 33.6 kbps both ways to 400 kbps download and 64kbps upload.

Page 178 Point of Presence (POP) refers to a server in a geographic location where an ISP can be accessed by a subscriber via access lines. The majority of subscribers throughout the State able to access a POP server were located in either Highly Accessible (89%) or Accessible (8%) regions (see Section 5.1 for an explanation of regional accessibility). Only one per cent of subscribers accessing a POP server were located in Very Remote or Remote regions and two per cent in Moderately accessible regions. The number of subscribers per access line in Highly Accessible regions was 8.8, in Accessible regions - 9.3, Moderately Accessible regions - 9.5, Remote regions - 11.3 and Very Remote regions - 7.3.

Table 84 is an indication of the accessibility to various Internet services.

Table 84: Public Internet access and providers in the regions, 1999

Region No. PATs1 No. of centres Total No. Web Site Web Site in region with Internet of ISPs in Development Hosting access region

Gascoyne 12 3 3 - -

Goldfields-Esperance 10 8 13 - 1

Great Southern 37 32 8 - -

Kimberley 39 3 5 - -

Mid West 20 17 9 - -

Peel 3 8 11 1 -

Pilbara 9 6 7 - -

South West 43 14 15 - 1

Wheatbelt 129 59 3 1 -

Regional WA 302 150 95 2 2

1 Public Access Terminals Source: Internet Availability Survey (1999) and ABS Internet Activity (2001). Regional performance - social

Comment All Western Australians can now access an Internet Service Provider (ISP) for the cost of an untimed local call, and at equitable ISP charges. A large number of ISPs now offer national dial-up access at the rate of an untimed local call (Regional Telecommunications Inquiry 2002). Furthermore, competition between national providers has driven down the prices charged by ISPs located in the regions, and regional, rural and remote consumers have benefited accordingly.

Key themes emerging from the 606 public submissions (Australia wide) to the Regional Telecommunications Inquiry (2002) were: • a continuing priority on expanding affordable mobile services to the greatest extent possible; • the need for improved speed of Internet services, and • some issues with the reliability of telephone services. Page 179 The submissions received on Internet speed demonstrate a greatly increased awareness in regional, rural and remote Western Australia of the value of higher bandwidth Internet services, and a rapidly growing, real level of demand for these services. Thus while it would appear that the accessibility to PATs and ISPs in regional, rural and remote Western Australia has improved greatly in recent years, the reliability and quality of such services needs to be improved to meet consumer demand and expectations. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Indicator: Coverage by fixed telephone and mobile phone

Background A large majority of Australians now expect not only a reliable telephone service, but access to mobile phone services. People in regional, rural and remote Western Australia want access to services on an equitable basis compared with their counterparts in metropolitan and large urban centres. The highest priority for residential consumers is the basic fixed telephone service and almost all businesses need fixed telephone services including fax capability (Regional Telecommunications Inquiry 2002).

Current situation

Page 180 Fixed lines In 1999, 8.3 per cent of discrete Indigenous communities in Western Australia with more than 50 inhabitants were without a public telephone. Nearly 54 per cent had one telephone and 38 per cent two or more telephones. This compares more favourably to the whole of Australia, where 24 per cent of discrete Indigenous communities with more than 50 inhabitants go without a public phone (Daly 1999).

Areas of concern in relation to fixed telephones, identified by the Regional Telecommunications Inquiry (2002) were timely connection of new services without infrastructure in urban and major rural areas, service reliability, the repair of faults and the provision of fixed telephone and payphone services generally in remote Indigenous communities. The Inquiry also noted that the lack of enhanced calling features is significant in rural and remote areas.

Retail telecommunications pricing in Australia is subject to considerable regulation. Except for consumers in the Extended Zones (the most remote parts of the State as defined by the Commonwealth Government and Telstra), access to untimed local calls is guaranteed, and comparable benefits are available to those customers who do not have access to untimed local calls. However, untimed local calls in the Extended Zones have now been ensured through the Government’s $150m Extended Zones Agreement with Telstra.

Mobile telephones Mobile phone services are the major growth area in the Australian telecommunications market. Mobile phone coverage exists across 100 per cent of Western Australia, as a result of three systems that are in place:

1. GSM (Global Systems for Mobiles): Available in Perth, regional centres and larger regional towns; 2. CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access): Available in Perth, regional centres, larger and smaller regional towns, and 3. Satellite: Covers entire State.

As of June 2002, the Australian Communications Authority reports that there were 12,670,000 mobile phone services in Australia. GSM accounted for 11,750,000, while 880,000 were CDMA. Regional performance - social

Satellite phones are more expensive to purchase (approximately $1,000 to $3,000) and call costs range between $0.86 and $2.84 per minute as opposed to around $0.40 per minute for CDMA. Telstra’s CDMA mobile telephone network now covers 96.9 per cent of the Australian population via 2,100 base stations and Telstra’s GSM mobile network covers 95 per cent of the population. An advantage of CDMA over GSM is that it has a larger range.

Mobile phone service in regional, rural and remote Western Australia was a key issue for the Regional Telecommunications Inquiry (2002), revealing that consumers have a high level of need for these services and a high expectation that these services should be made as widely as possible, including through Government support if necessary.

Wireless West (based on CDMA) has resulted in a large part of the South West being covered by mobile telephone, however there are still large gaps in coverage, notably in the Shires of Manjimup, Nannup and Denmark. In the northern and eastern parts of the State coverage is poor, even along the national highways. For example, travelling North along National Highway 1 from Perth, Page 181 mobile coverage is restricted to relatively short distances outside towns such as Geraldton, Carnarvon, Karratha, Port Hedland, Broome, Fitzroy Crossing, Halls Creek and Kununurra. Based on Telstra’s coverage maps it is estimated that of the 1,200 km highway from Geraldton to Karratha, less than 150 km has mobile phone coverage. Similarly it is estimated that of the almost 1,000 km of highway from Kalgoorlie to the South Australian border there is less than 100km covered by mobile telephony.

Comment Western Australians generally have adequate access to a range of high quality basic and advanced telecommunications services comparable to the leading information economies in the world. However, a significant proportion of those who live and work in rural and remote Australia have concerns regarding key aspects of services which, at this stage, are not adequate. The concerns relate to the basic fixed telephone service, mobile phone coverage and Internet access.

It is important that the existing telecommunications disadvantage experienced by many Australians in rural and remote areas is addressed, especially considering that rural (farm, forestry, and fisheries) and mining sectors collectively account for nearly 60 per cent of Australia’s total exports (Telecommunications Service Inquiry 2000) and 83 per cent of Western Australia’s exports. If rural and remote communities and their economies are to grow and prosper, effective access to telecommunication services is of utmost importance. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Indicator: Quality of service

The Regional Telecommunications Inquiry (2002) heard and reported the frustrations of many consumers, particularly concentrated in rural and remote Australia, in getting basic and reliable telephones connected quickly and repaired in a timely manner. Also it was noted that some call centres were unaware of the circumstances and could not provide a continuity of contact to track their service request. A large number of those surveyed indicated that the problems they experienced were a result of service reliability, dated network capabilities or issues regarding the infrastructure.

The highest priority for residential customers was the basic fixed telephone service, although mobile phones and internet access are important to a growing proportion of those customers. Market research conducted for the inquiry found that most Australians are generally satisfied with the services delivered by their telecommunications provider. The research also found, however, Page 182 higher than average levels of dissatisfaction in some key areas, such as prompt fault repair and the ease with which they can deal with their service provider. Service reliability and customer / service provider contact are key areas of concern for a number of consumers. Dissatisfaction levels were higher in remote areas, particularly amongst small businesses – although even in that sector levels of satisfaction outweighed dissatisfaction. Regional performance - social

Indicator: Internet use

Background Internet usage throughout the State has been derived from the ABS quarterly publication on Internet activity. In the year 2000, 42.3 per cent of ‘Perth metropolitan’ households contained a computer, compared to 40.6 per cent of ‘other’ households and 53.4 per cent of ‘farms’ (Daly 2000). This report also found that the share of farms with computer access was lower than for other home-based businesses; 45 per cent compared with 70 per cent in the capital cities and 59 per cent of home-based businesses in other areas (Australia wide).

Current situation Figure 28 is derived from 2001 ABS Census of Population and Housing data and shows the percentage of people who use the Internet. Percentages were calculated based only on those Page 183 persons who stated if they used the Internet or not and include internet use at home, work and/or elsewhere. Persons using the Internet ranged from 22.8 per cent in the Kimberley to 43.4 per cent in Perth.

Figure 28: Internet usage, 2001

WA 40.2

Perth 43.4

Regional WA 31.8

Wheatbelt 30.7

South West 33.1

Pilbara 38.7

Peel 31.5

Mid West 31.9

Kimberley 22.8

Great Southern 31.5

Goldfields-Esperance 34.0

Gascoyne 23.5

01020304050 % persons using the Internet

Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing (2001).

As shown in Table 85, the average number of subscribers per line is the highest in the Great Southern and Perth at 9.2 and 9.1 subscribers per line respectively. The Wheatbelt had the lowest number at 5.1 subscribers per line. The average data download per subscriber, in the June 2001 quarter, ranged from 145MB in the Gascoyne and Mid West to 347MB in the Pilbara. Data download usage in Perth is equivalent to that experienced in the Pilbara, being 345 MB per subscriber. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Table 85: Internet subscribers and data downloaded per subscriber, June Quarter 2001

Region Average number Average data of subscribers downloaded per per line subscriber (MB)

Gascoyne 7.4 145

Goldfields-Esperance 8.8 241

Great Southern 9.2 197

Kimberley ND ND

Mid West 7.4 145

Peel 8.4 209

Pilbara ND 347

South West 8.4 209

Page 184 Wheatbelt 5.1 195

Perth 9.1 345

Western Australia 8.8 313

Source: ABS Internet Activity (2001). ND = no data available.

Comment In Western Australia, the number of subscribers to the Internet increased from 318,000 in December 2000 to 357,000 in March 2001. The proportion of households with access to computers and the Internet continues to rise with higher levels of access associated with households with higher incomes, households with children under 18 years and households located in metropolitan areas. Regional performance - social

7.5.8.2 Professional status and services

Indicator: Professional presence in the region

Background Professional presence in the regions is a measure of the economic diversity and also the ability of regional residents to access professional services in areas such as education, the law, accountancy and medicine.

Current situation Professional presence is represented as the percentage of the total workforce that is employed as professionals and also the number of professionals per 1,000 workers within each profession. The data are from the ABS 1996 Census of Population and Housing. Page 185

Shown in Table 86 are the number of professionals per 1,000 workers for each discipline along with the proportion of the total workforce that are categorised as professionals. Perth has the highest percentage of the workforce employed as professionals at just below 18 per cent of the workforce. The percentage of professional employees in the workforce throughout regional Western Australia ranges between 8.9 per cent in the Wheatbelt and 15.3 per cent in the Kimberley.

Across all regions, school teachers make up a large percentage of professional employees, ranging from between 26.0 per cent in the Pilbara to as high as 38.2 per cent in the Kimberley. Goldfields- Esperance had a high proportion of ‘Natural and Physical Science’ employees, compared to the other regions. Other regions and professions that had a high proportion of workers in the regions were as follows: • Pilbara – ‘Building and Engineering’; • Kimberley – ‘School Teachers’, ‘Social Welfare Professionals’, and • Perth – ‘Accountants, Auditors and Corporate Treasurers’.

This distribution of professional presence clearly mirrors the economic and social nature and imperatives of the various regions.

Comment As to be expected, Perth had the greatest percentage of professionals compared to the remainder of the State. However, the Kimberley region’s workforce is comprised of over 15 per cent professionals which is mainly due to the large proportion of school teachers. It is interesting to note that in the Peel region (1996), nearly 42 per cent of the workforce were employed outside the region, in contrast to the 15 per cent of the region’s employees who lived elsewhere. The major reason for this phenomenon is the region’s close proximity to Perth, with many people choosing to live in the Peel region and commute to their workplace in the metropolitan area. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Page 186

Esperance Southern

1.5 0.8 0.9 1.7 1.3 1.0 0.8 1.3 0.8 2.6 7.9 22.3 6.6 8.3 12.9 4.9 11.4 7.8 6.9 7.6

8.3 18.4 3.8 8.2 10.1 9.8 22.6 8.7 4.1 15.1 4.1 5.6 5.8 5.3 5.8 4.7 4.6 6.3 3.9 13.6

2.6 3.6 2.3 2.9 2.2 3.0 2.2 3.0 2.2 7.6

2.6 1.9 1.4 2.6 1.7 2.8 3.5 2.3 0.9 9.8

5.4 7.7 6.1 8.0 5.9 7.0 12.6 7.3 4.5 14.0

2.8 2.2 2.4 4.7 2.6 2.4 2.3 2.9 1.7 6.1

6.3 3.5 6.7 5.6 4.8 4.7 3.3 6.2 3.6 8.4

2.0 2.1 3.7 4.0 2.1 3.2 2.3 2.8 2.1 4.7

1.7 1.1 1.9 3.5 2.0 1.0 2.1 2.2 0.5 5.7 1.7 3.7 4.6 9.9 4.3 4.6 2.0 6.2 2.7 9.7

17.4 12.6 15.4 18.3 14.3 14.5 10.7 15.8 13.7 20.9

28.1 23.7 34.2 38.2 30.9 32.5 26.0 33.0 30.5 29.4

1

n.f.d. = not fully defined n.f.d.

Table 86: Professionals per 1,000 workers, 1996 Table

Profession Gascoyne Goldfields- Great Kimberley West Mid Peel Pilbara South West Wheatbelt Perth

Professionals, n.f.d. Natural and Physical Science

Building and Engineering Accountants, Auditors and Corporate Treasurers

Sales, Marketing and Advertising

Computing Professionals

Miscellaneous Business and Information

Medical Practitioners Nursing Professionals

Miscellaneous Health Professionals

School Teachers School University and VocationalUniversity and 2.6 3.7 4.9 5.1 3.5 2.4 5.2 4.5 2.1 9.4 Education Teachers

Miscellaneous Education Social Welfare Welfare Social Professionals 7.9 5.1 6.2 11.8 6.0 7.0 5.8 5.7 4.9 7.5

Miscellaneous Social Artists and Related

Miscellaneous 22.2 4.1 4.0 14.4 8.6 4.0 13.1 3.7 3.5 5.1

Total ProfessionalsTotal 12.54 12.21 11.09 15.27 11.92 10.97 13.04 12.01 8.87 17.76 (% of workforce)

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (1996). of Statistics Bureau Australian Source: 1 Regional performance - environment

Regional performance – environment8

Environmental accounting is generally well developed in Australia. In part this has been driven by formal national and state commitments to a range of environmental requirements including sustainable development, biodiversity conservation and prevention of desertification. Regional reporting of environmental outputs and outcomes needs to be aligned with these commitments.

8.1 Background

As presented in Australia: State of the Environment 1996 (Commonwealth of Australia 1996), sustainable development requires the maintenance of the following three key components of the Page 187 environment: • Biodiversity – the variety of species, populations and, habitats and ecosystems. • Ecological integrity – the general health and resilience of natural systems, including their ability to withstand stresses and assimilate waste. • Natural capital – the stock of land, air, water and biotic resources that support essential ecological processes and sustain human existence.

In Western Australian parlance, the terms to describe the environment are those used by the Environmental Protection Authority, being: • ‘environmental value’ which is formally defined as ‘particular values or uses of the environment that are important for a healthy ecosystem or for public benefit, welfare, safety or health and which require protection from the effects of pollution, waste discharges and deposits’ (ANZECC and ARMCANZ 1994). The fundamental environmental values contribute to forms of ‘services’ to life on earth, as follows: • those that support economic and social services are termed ‘beneficial uses’, while • the values that maintain the environment’s own productivity are described as ‘ecosystem health conditions’.

The relationship between these three components is shown in Figure 29. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Figure 29: Environmental components

Environmental values

Ecosystem functioning Soil fertility Natural physical and biological diversity Water quality and quantity

Beneficial uses Ecosystem health conditions

Agricultural productivity Soil structure and stability Mineral extraction Biotic recycling Natural products productivity Nutrient recycling Water supply Water recycling Community recreation and aesthetics and Waste assimilation wilderness appreciation Resilience to stress Tourism Regenerative capacity Page 188 Indigenous heritage Carbon sequestration

8.2 Environmental goal for regions

The goal for environmental management in the regions is:

Developing a valued, healthy and protected environment

8.3 Key result areas

Table 87 presents the key result areas for environmental management in the regions.

Table 87: Key result areas for environmental management

Key Result Area Context Use (pressures) Stocks (state) Management (response)

Land Agriculture, mining, Current condition urban development etc and Environmentaltrends of • Land governance – investment in Water Water consumption etc • Water resources ameliorative activities – new Marine Fishing, shipping, • Ocean environments technology, quality coastal developments of reserve systems, and management Air Airborne emissions, • Atmosphere plans. greenhouse gases

Biodiversity Pressures on habitats, • Biodiversity feral predation etc Regional performance - environment

Regional performance – environment8

Environmental accounting is generally well developed in Australia. In part this has been driven by formal national and state commitments to a range of environmental requirements including sustainable development, biodiversity conservation and prevention of desertification. Regional reporting of environmental outputs and outcomes needs to be aligned with these commitments.

8.1 Background

As presented in Australia: State of the Environment 1996 (Commonwealth of Australia 1996), sustainable development requires the maintenance of the following three key components of the Page 187 environment: • Biodiversity – the variety of species, populations and, habitats and ecosystems. • Ecological integrity – the general health and resilience of natural systems, including their ability to withstand stresses and assimilate waste. • Natural capital – the stock of land, air, water and biotic resources that support essential ecological processes and sustain human existence.

In Western Australian parlance, the terms to describe the environment are those used by the Environmental Protection Authority, being: • ‘environmental value’ which is formally defined as ‘particular values or uses of the environment that are important for a healthy ecosystem or for public benefit, welfare, safety or health and which require protection from the effects of pollution, waste discharges and deposits’ (ANZECC and ARMCANZ 1994). The fundamental environmental values contribute to forms of ‘services’ to life on earth, as follows: • those that support economic and social services are termed ‘beneficial uses’, while • the values that maintain the environment’s own productivity are described as ‘ecosystem health conditions’.

The relationship between these three components is shown in Figure 29. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Figure 29: Environmental components

Environmental values

Ecosystem functioning Soil fertility Natural physical and biological diversity Water quality and quantity

Beneficial uses Ecosystem health conditions

Agricultural productivity Soil structure and stability Mineral extraction Biotic recycling Natural products productivity Nutrient recycling Water supply Water recycling Community recreation and aesthetics and Waste assimilation wilderness appreciation Resilience to stress Tourism Regenerative capacity Page 188 Indigenous heritage Carbon sequestration

8.2 Environmental goal for regions

The goal for environmental management in the regions is:

Developing a valued, healthy and protected environment

8.3 Key result areas

Table 87 presents the key result areas for environmental management in the regions.

Table 87: Key result areas for environmental management

Key Result Area Context Use (pressures) Stocks (state) Management (response)

Land Agriculture, mining, Current condition urban development etc and trends of Environmental • Land governance – investment in Water Water consumption etc • Water resources ameliorative activities – new Marine Fishing, shipping, • Ocean environments technology, quality coastal developments of reserve systems, and management Air Airborne emissions, • Atmosphere plans. greenhouse gases

Biodiversity Pressures on habitats, • Biodiversity feral predation etc Regional performance - environment

8.4 A framework for indicator development

Both the Australian and Western Australian State of the Environment Reports have used the pressure- state-response model originally developed by the OECD. Use of this model is reflected in the Key Result Areas. This model can be used to develop indicators across the environmental domains of land, water resources, marine environments, atmosphere, and biodiversity.

Pressures – natural resource management • The demand placed on the environment to provide beneficial uses, including resource use, waste discharge and emissions.

State – the stocks and value of natural resources • The state of the natural resources can be measured at a given point in time, but it is more valuable if trends over time can be detected and reported. Page 189 • The stocks of the natural capital within the region – land, water, air, biota and mineral resources (state - quantity). • The ability of that natural capital to contribute to ecological health conditions, including ecological processes, biodiversity, the ability to recycle nutrients and water and assimilate waste (state - quality). • The ability of that natural capital to deliver beneficial uses (state – quantity and quality).

Response – Mechanisms and management • Actions taken in maintaining stocks and capacity to provide services – legislation, administration, market instruments, public and private investment, recycling, waste minimisation, education and awareness, and carbon and salinity trading (response). Indicators of Regional Development in WA

8.5 Regional environmental indicators

8.5.1 Land use Land resources support mining, agricultural, pastoral, industrial and urban developments, and linear infrastructure. In the regions, the dominant uses are mining and agriculture, with a relatively small area devoted to urban development relevant to the metropolitan area. The presentation of environmental indicators for land resources considers the area of land used for mining, the level of land clearing activity and the condition of the land resources used for agriculture and pastoral grazing.

8.5.1.1 Land use for mining

Indicator: Area of land used for mining Page 190

Background Mining is an important and very high value land use in Western Australia. It occurs across all regions, with the most extensive activity occurring in the Goldfields-Esperance, Mid West and Pilbara regions. A sensible indicator of the impact of mining on land resources is the area of land subject to mining or intensive mineral exploration.

Current situation A total of 100,000 hectares in WA is currently used for mining. An indication of the regional level of activity is the value of Rehabilitation Bonds held by the Department of Minerals and Energy (now Department of Industry and Resources) at February 2002. These figures, shown in Table 88 remain relatively constant throughout the year and are calculated on a per hectare value.

Table 88: Estimated area of mined lands, February 2002

Region Mining Bonds Estimate of Percentage Area of Percentage ($’000) mined area of total State region of region (km2) mining area (km2) mined

Gascoyne 154 0.5 0.1 136,110 Insig.

Goldfields-Esperance 166,961 580 57.8 771,276 0.07

Great Southern 3,479 120 1.2 38,917 0.03

Kimberley 3,126 11 1.1 421,451 Insig.

Mid West 71,811 249 24.8 470,000 0.05

Peel 1,023 4 0.4 5,500 0.07

Pilbara 17,276* 59* 6.0* 505,000 0.01*

South West 6,306 21 2.2 23,970 0.09

Wheatbelt 18,296 63 6.3 154,862 0.04

Regional WA 288,433 996 99.8 2,527,086 0.04

Perth 614 2 0.2 5,387 0.04

WA 289,047 998 100.0 2,532,473 0.04

Source: Department of Minerals and Energy. * an under-estimate, as many of these mines are covered by State Agreement Acts Regional performance - environment

For example, exploration attracts a Bond of about $1,000 per hectare, disturbance by location of a waste rock dump about $5,000 per hectare and a large tailings dam will have a Bond of about $10,000 per hectare.

The Bonds are held by Government and released on completion of rehabilitation. Assuming an approximate value of $3,000 per hectare, the Department of Minerals and Energy (2000) suggests that a total of 99,600 hectares or 996 square kilometres are being used for mining across the regions. Most of this activity is occurring in the Goldfields-Esperance, Pilbara and Mid West regions, with lesser activity in the Wheatbelt and Kimberley regions. The area used for mining in the Pilbara is underestimated in Table 89, as many of the mining operations in the region have been established under State Agreement Acts and therefore do not attract Rehabilitation Bonds.

Comment Compared to the total area of the regions, as shown in Table 88 mining is a very small land user. While the total area of mined land – 998 square kilometres in total appears large, it represents Page 191 about 0.04 per cent of the total land area in WA, or an area equivalent to 60 per cent of the built up area in the Perth region. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Indicator: Quality of environmental management in the mining industry

Background Exploration, extraction and processing of the State’s minerals is regulated through resources development, mining and environmental protection legislation. Through this legislation, Government establishes environmental standards for the industry and for individual mining operations. Environmental performance conditions are attached to individual operations.

Current situation Mining companies are provided with regulatory, technical and policy advice services, mainly through the Department of Industry and Petroleum Resources. Mining companies compete for the State Page 192 administered Golden Gecko Awards for quality in environmental management. Mining companies act on environmental requirements established in their licenses to mine, and also through their own policies and procedures.

Comment An increasing number of major mining companies that are active in regional WA, including Alcoa World Alumina, Anglo-Gold, BHP Billiton, Placer Dome, Rio Tinto and WMC Limited produce external reports describing their environmental performance. Regional performance - environment

8.5.1.2 Land use for agriculture and pastoralism

Indicator: Land use for agriculture and pastoralism

Background A significant area of Western Australia, concentrated mainly across the south west corner has been cleared of native vegetation for agricultural use, mainly broadacre cropping and grazing. Agriculture on the cleared land in the south west of the State contributes significantly to the State’s economy, with gross product being about $5 billion per annum, and growing at a rate of about 3 per cent per annum.

East and north of a line extending from Kalbarri to east of Esperance, about one third of the land is used for grazing sheep and cattle on pastoral leases (termed ‘pastoralism’) with small areas of Page 193 intensive irrigated agriculture at Kununurra, Broome and Carnarvon.

A much smaller area of the State has been cleared for industrial and infrastructure purposes, with the areas and changes in these areas being insignificant at regional scale.

Table 89 shows the area used for agricultural and pastoral use in each region.

Table 89: Agricultural and pastoral land use

Region Area of Agricultural use Pastoral use region (km2) Use (km2) Percentage Use (km2) Percentage

Gascoyne 136,110 20 0.01 113,000 83.0

Goldfields-Esperance 771,276 16,300 2.1 154,000 20.0*

Great Southern 38,917 28,000 71.9 Insig Insig

Kimberley 421,451 150 0.04 230,000 54.6

Mid West 470,000 41,400 8.8 274,000 58.3*

Peel 5,500 614 11.2 Nil Nil

Pilbara 505,000 Insig Insig 134,734 26.7*

South West 23,970 11,300 47.1 Insig Insig

Wheatbelt 154,862 107,000 69.1 Insig Insig

Regional WA 2,527,086 204,784 8.1 905,734 35.8

Perth 5,387 na na 0 0

State Total 2,532,473 na na 905,734 35.8

Source: Adapted from the Economic Perspectives Reports – Department of Local Government and Regional Development. * most of the remainder of the region is unallocated crown land Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Current land clearing activity Land clearing in the past has been managed by a number of different departments and regulatory bodies. Land clearing data is subsequently difficult to collate and summarise at both State and Regional levels. In the Department of Agriculture Annual Report 2000-2001, the Commissioner for Soil and Land Conservation issued an annual statement which noted the downward trend in notified clearing continued in response to changing community attitudes and the progressive tightening of controls. The Environmental Protection Amendment Bill 2002 currently before Parliament aims to simplify the land clearing approval process through a permit system.

Table 90 shows recent clearing activity across the whole State. It is evident that the rate of land clearing for agricultural and industrial/infrastructure purposes has slowed substantially as a result of policy changes in Government. These data show that the rate of clearing is about 12 square kilometres per annum, with about 57 Notices of Intent (NOIs) being lodged annually. About half of the applications are rejected on environmental grounds. Page 194

Table 90: Area of land cleared 1998-2001

Approval Stage 1998/99 1999/00 2000/01

Number of NOIs received by the Commissioner for Soil and ND** 58 57 Land Conservation*

Area proposed for clearing (ha) ND 2,897 2,722

Area of no objection to clearing for agriculture (ha) 617 89 535

Area of no objection to clearing for infrastructure (ha) 759 289 499

Area referred by the Commissioner to the EPA (ha) ND 1,124 366

Area of no EPA objection to clearing (ha) ND 0 0

Area referred to the Water and Rivers Commission (ha) ND 70 93

Source: Department of Agriculture. * a Notice of Intent (NOI) is required if the proponent wants to clear more than one hectare ** ND – no data

Comment This level of activity compares to a total cleared area for agriculture alone of 197,000 square kilometres. As such, clearing activity is likely to be of little value as an indicator of pressure on land resources. Better indicators, which are defined in following sections will relate to the condition of the land resources used for agriculture and pastoralism. Regional performance - environment

Indicator: Environmental management in allocating land for agriculture and pastoralism

Background Ultimately, the Crown has responsibility for how all land is used and will establish uses and tenures as required to meet policy objectives. The use of land for agricultural, industrial, pastoral, urban and infrastructure uses is regulated under a range of statutes, including the Land Act 1903, the Soil and Land Conservation Act 1945, the Environmental Protection Act 1986 and planning statutes.

Current situation The area held under pastoral leases is contracting slowly as land is re-allocated into higher priority uses. These include irrigated agriculture, Indigenous habitation, mining, recreation and conservation. Statistics on the extent of this change are difficult to determine as in many situations Page 195 although the effective land use has changed, the tenure (pastoral lease) has not. This is in part due to restrictions on tenure change required under the Native Title Act 1993.

At the operational level, recent policy and administrative decisions by Government have increased the environmental requirements to be satisfied before allowing significant land use change within a given tenure type, particularly in respect of clearing of native vegetation for broad-acre agricultural use. For example, the Commissioner of Soil and Land Conservation requires proponents to demonstrate that the environmental impacts of clearing can be managed satisfactorily for all projects where more than a hectare will be cleared. These requirements to be addressed for agricultural clearing are now approaching those which have applied in respect of land for mining or linear infrastructure over recent decades.

Comment As demonstrated in Table 90, the level of clearing of native vegetation is now very low, and will remain so except for specialist needs where the planned land use is of sufficient value to be able to address environmental requirements (e.g. the planned Ord Stage 2 Project to expand irrigated agriculture in the East Kimberley). Indicators of Regional Development in WA

8.5.1.3 Management of agricultural land

As noted in Section 8.5.1.2 agriculture is the dominant land use across the south west of Western Australia. Of a total of 26.7 million hectares in the south western corner of the State (the agricultural zone), 19.7 million hectares are farmed. In the areas with average rainfall of less than 500 mm, the dominant activity is broadacre annual cropping of cereals, pulses and oilseeds. In areas with between 500 and 700 mm, grazing for sheep and cattle production dominates. In higher rainfall areas in the South West region, agricultural use is very diverse, with intensive horticulture, viticulture, dairying and agro-forestry as important uses.

Three impacts of agricultural land use are:

Rising groundwater levels – on-site and off-site impacts Rising groundwater levels are evident across much of the farmed land in the agricultural zone. Page 196 This effect, due to the replacement of high water using perennial vegetation with low water using annual crops and pastures is a consequence of the farming systems that have been developed for WA conditions. The impact of rising ground water levels on the area at risk of shallow water tables and secondary salinity effects is shown in Table 91.

Acidifying processes on agricultural lands – an on-site impact The incorporation on leguminous crops and pastures, and the use of nitrogenous fertilisers, both of which are essential for the productivity of WA farming systems, result in a slow process of soil acidification. This process, a natural consequence of the nature of our farming systems, will if severe enough, result in depressed yields of crops and pastures. Recovery of acidified terms require addition of lime, which will be an added cost of production. The extent of acidified land is shown in Table 92.

Nutrient losses from agricultural lands – an off-site impact Applications of phosphorous (P) and nitrogen (N) fertilisers are essential for the maintenance of agricultural productivity on Western Australia’s generally infertile soils. Leakage of these nutrients from agricultural lands, combined in some places with nutrients from intensive animal industries can accumulate in water bodies and wetlands, resulting in a process called ‘eutrophication’, which can damage the environmental values in these areas. In extreme situations, raised nutrient levels in water bodies can result in harmful algal blooms as seen following heavy summer rains in January 2000. The impact of nutrient losses on riverine health is shown in Table 103. Regional performance - environment

Indicator: Land resource condition

Background Two sub-indicators are presented that address on-site impacts. The first is the area affected by shallow water tables, now and in the future. The second is the extent and severity of soil acidity that is sufficient to impact crop and pasture yields, and which will require treatment in the future.

Current situation Area of land threatened by shallow or rising water tables In Table 91, the areas of land threatened by shallow water tables are estimated for the six regions that cover the agricultural zone. The predictions, which were developed for the National Land and Water Resources Audit suggest that the increase in land area at high risk of shallow water tables will be most pronounced in the Wheatbelt, and along the south coast. Losses of production Page 197 will occur in these areas, especially where the presence of shallow water tables leads to enhanced secondary salinity. Off-site impacts will be more serious, with predicted loss of biodiversity in areas at risk, increased salinisation of streamflows, and damage to rural infrastructure.

Table 91: Estimated areas of land threatened by shallow water tables, 2000

Region Total area in Area at high risk Area at high risk agric zone of shallow water of shallow water tables in 2000 tables in 2050 (% of total area)** (% of total area)**

Mid West 4.9 m ha 1.0 m ha (20%) 1.2 m ha (24%)

Wheatbelt 10.7 m ha 2.0 m ha (19%) 3.2 m ha (30%)

Goldfields-Esperance 3.9 m ha 0.5 m ha (13%) 1.1 m ha (28%)

Great Southern 2.8 m ha 0.1 m ha (4%) 0.5 m ha (18%)

Peel 0.6 m ha minimal minimal

South West 3.8 m ha 0.06 m ha (1%) 0.2 m ha (5%)

Total for agricultural areas 26.7 m ha* 3.6 m ha (13%) 6.5 m ha (24%)

* Total area. Area farmed is 19.7 million ha ** Regional breakdown for areas at risk are estimates only as the data have not been collected at RDC scale. Source: Short, R. and McConnell, C. (2001).

Soil condition – areas affected by high soil acidity Soil acidity already constrains yields on 3 million hectares in the agricultural zone – representing 15 per cent of the 19.7 million hectares farmed. Its impact on economic outcomes from agriculture is higher than is dryland salinity.

Table 92 presents available estimates of the areas at risk of sub-surface acidity in the six regions covering the agricultural areas. The total area at risk of lowered plant yield due to soil acidity in the future is shown, which equates to the area that will require treatment to lower the degree of soil acidity. These data highlight the extent of soil acidification as an issue affecting agriculture in these region. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Table 92: Impacts of soil acidity, 2002

Region Agricultural Areas requiring Percentage land holdings treatment for soil requiring (million ha) acidity in 2000 treatment (million ha)

Goldfields-Esperance 1.63 0.69 42%

Great Southern 2.79 1.61 58%

Mid West 4.14 2.98 72%

Peel 0.15 0.13 83%

South West 0.67 0.62 93%

Wheatbelt 10.19 6.84 67%

Source: Department of Agriculture. Page 198 Regional performance - environment

Indicator: Environmental management in agriculture

Background Government provides research, advice and regulatory services to support sustainable use of agricultural land. Major initiatives relevant to the impacts presented above are the implementation of the State Salinity Strategy, the Soil Acidity (‘Time to Lime’ campaign) Program, regional and local strategic planning, and direct investment in improved land use and management. Regulatory activities are mostly undertaken under the Soil and Land Conservation Act 1945. The Commonwealth is a significant investor in agricultural land use and management, through the Natural Heritage Trust, which between 1996 and 2001 invested about $30 million per annum in the WA agricultural areas.

Current situation Page 199 Adoption of desirable practices is increasing. Under the impetus of the Time to Lime campaign, the initial target of 450,000 tonnes of lime applied by 2002 has been exceeded and a new target of 750,000 tonnes has been set. Using data from surveys commissioned by the Department of Agriculture, Table 93 shows the percentage of farmers in the wheat-sheep and high rainfall areas that have adopted selected sustainable land management practices. Generally, the responses show that a high proportion of farmers use some of the desirable sustainable land management practices, with others much less adopted.

Table 93: Percentage of farmers who use selected sustainable land management practices

Selected management practice 98/99 99/00 00/01

Use of perennial pasture species 46 (64)* 58 (50) 54 (59)

Stubble retention or mulching to minimise degradation 73 (24) 68 (27) 69 (33)

Manage crop rotation to minimise degradation 87 (32) 85 (42) 83 (47)

Tree/ shrub planting 67 (44) 64 (59) 53 (43)

Preserve or enhanced areas of conservation value 57 (77) 60 (75) 82 (48)

Working to the contour (to minimise soil loss) 75 (36) 72 (33) 71 (41)

Excluded stock from areas impacted by land degradation 78 (66) 43 (69) 75 (37)

Protected river or creek frontages from grazing animals 37 (43) 45 (40) 54 (32)

Regular soil testing or monitoring 65 (42) 64 (54) 68 (60)

Regular monitoring of the watertable 40 (30) 47 (25) 40 (29)

Regular monitoring of pasture/ vegetation cover 61 (61) 81 (74) 77 (77)

Surface water control through level banks 56 (26) 53 (28) 44 (14)

Surface water control through grade banks 57 (21) 51 (22) 57 (22)

* figure mentioned first is for the wheat-sheep area; figure in parentheses is for the high rainfall area Source: Department of Agriculture. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

8.5.1.4 Management of pastoralism Rangelands cover 70 per cent of the State’s land surface, located north and east of the agricultural areas. As defined in the National Principles and Guidelines for Rangeland Management (Commonwealth of Australia 1999), rangelands ‘comprise the low rainfall and variable climate arid and semi-arid areas, and north of the Tropic of Capricorn, some seasonally high rainfall areas’. Rangelands have been grazed for sheep and cattle production since the 19th century, with approximately 95 million hectares held as pastoral leases within 450 pastoral businesses. Rangeland grazing is a significant land use in the Kimberley, Pilbara, Gascoyne, Mid West and Goldfields- Esperance regions.

Indicator: Level of grazing use

Background Page 200 The State Government, through the Pastoral Lands Board establishes estimated potential carrying capacities for pastoral leasehold land. These figures assume that all parts of the pastoral lease are within grazing distance of permanent water, and that the rangelands are all in good condition. Livestock pressure as reported by lessees annually. However, they do not need to declare how the domestic stock were distributed spatially on the leasehold area, and thus the ratio of actual to potential carrying capacity (livestock pressure) is limited in its interpretative value.

The overall level of grazing use is low, which reflects the limits to the productivity of these lands. In the southern shrublands that occur within the Gascoyne, Mid West and Goldfields-Esperance regions, grazing intensities vary between 4 and 8 dry sheep equivalents (DSEs) per square kilometre. The Pilbara pastoral lands are grazed at about 8 DSEs per hectare, while the more productive grasslands in the Kimberley are grazed at about twice this rate.

Current situation Livestock pressure is consistently high in parts of the southern rangelands (Pilbara, Mid West, Gascoyne regions, fluctuating around 100 per cent of estimated potential carrying capacity. In other pastoral areas, livestock pressures are between 40 and 90 per cent. Areas in which stocking pressure is low tend either to be: • those with poor economic potential for grazing use, and/ or • those in which livestock production is no longer the most important source of income to the lessees – these include situations where pastoral leases are held by mining companies, Indigenous communities and private conservation bodies.

For example in the Goldfields region, the ratio of actual to potential livestock rarely exceeds 70 per cent.

Comment Trends over time to 1998 suggest little change in livestock pressure in the southern rangeland areas. In the Kimberley, livestock pressure has declined from a high of about 100 per cent in 1985 to a low in the mid-1990s of about 60 per cent (Source: Department of Agriculture Report to the Pastoral Lands Board, July 1999). Regional performance - environment

Indicator: Range condition and trend

Background The Western Australian Government commenced a program of describing the nature and condition of the rangelands leased for grazing in the late 1960s. Most of the land area has been surveyed, as shown in Table 94, with investigations underway in areas not covered in the Pilbara and Goldfields- Esperance regions. At the same time, Government also began developing techniques for measuring trend in the lands leased for grazing.

Table 94: Range condition in Western Australia

Region Rangeland survey Survey area % of Range condition (and year commenced) (sq km) region (percentage) under pastoral Page 201 use Good Fair Poor

Kimberley* West Kimberley (1972) 89,600 55 19 51 30

Pilbara* Ashburton (1976) 61,12827 64 51 27 Roebourne Plains (1987) 10,200 27 9 22

Gascoyne Gascoyne (1969) 68,70083 6 45 65 Carnarvon Basin (1980) 74,489 32 29 23

Mid West Murchison (1985) 85,89058 21 45 37 Sandstone-Yalgoo (1992) 94,713 32 42 23

Goldfields- North-eastern 110,570 20 39 33 28 Esperance* Goldfields (1988)

* incomplete coverage Source: Department of Agriculture.

The term ‘range condition’ is used to describe the state of the perennial vegetation and soil, relative to the undisturbed state. The term is controversial, given that it is generally assessed in the context of the use of the land for grazing. The results of the surveys show that the landscapes used for grazing have been changed from their original state, with areas having lost vegetation and soil resources.

Current situation The information in Table 94 represents a ‘snapshot’ of the range condition at the time of survey. Trends in perennial vegetation and soil characteristics are being captured through the Western Australian Rangeland Monitoring System (WARMS), which is managed by the Department of Agriculture.

In the Kimberley region of a total 369 fixed monitoring sites installed on grazing land by 1998, 100 were re-assessed in 1998 for changes that had occurred in the period 1995 to 1998. Positive range trend was found on 19 sites (19%), no change was observed 74 sites (74%) and declining range trend was found on 7 sites (7%) (Source: Department of Agriculture Report to the Pastoral Lands Board, July 1999). Indicators of Regional Development in WA

More recent information for 223 fixed sites in areas within the Gascoyne and Mid West regions shows that through the 1990s, a period of generally above average rainfall, the population of perennial plants, mainly shrubs has grown by an average of 47 per cent. If most of these new plants survive, this will be a significant and generally desirable pulse of increased shrub density in the southern rangelands. Canopy size for perennial plants increased on 96 per cent of the sites by an average of 81 per cent. Species richness by site increased an average of 15 per cent. Observations in the Kimberley rangelands also suggest recruitment of perennial grass species through the 1990s, with the frequency of these species increasing from 77 to 81 percent across all sites.

Comment Although it is important to treat these sample results with caution, the observed trends, which occurred over a run of favourable seasonal conditions suggest that the grazed rangelands have the capacity to improve quite markedly given the right conditions (Source: pers comm. Department of Agriculture 2002). Page 202 Regional performance - environment

Indicator: Environmental management in the pastoral industry

Background The State has a Managing the Rangelands policy statement, and the Environmental Protection Authority is developing a Position Statement for the rangelands. Rangelands leased for grazing are administered by the Pastoral Lands Board, with input and advice from other Government departments. Pastoral lessees are required to meet set environmental management standards, with regular inspections to ensure that these standards are being met. The Gascoyne-Murchison Strategy (1998), which operates in the Gascoyne and Mid West regions was established with federal government support to address structural, environmental and industry development issues. The strategy has invested funds in industry and community development, and environmental protection and management.

Government places considerable effort in promoting adoption of sustainable management practices Page 203 in pastoral areas. Table 95 reports results from surveys which examined the extent of adoption of desirable practices. These data, presented for the whole pastoral area, show that most primary producers in the rangelands maintain sustainable practices, with a small trend to increased adoption over time.

Table 95: Percentage of pastoral leaseholders who use selected sustainable land management practices

Selected management practice 98/99 99/00 00/01

Permanent control methods on stock water supplies 91 67 67

Rotational pasture spelling during plant growth season 56 50 57

Specifically spelled pastures for subsequent use by export cattle 23 23 32

Fencing to land systems 56 64 57

Excluded stock from areas impacted by land degradation 60 56 66

Protected river or creek frontages from grazing animals 25 36 36

Conducted a prescribed burn for management purposes 32 24 36

Preserve or enhanced areas of conservation value 49 50 66

Formal monitoring of vegetation/ pasture condition 77 82 83

Source: Department of Agriculture. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

8.5.1.5 Forest management

Indicator: Forest condition

Background The vast majority of timber harvesting occurs in the Peel and South West regions of WA, with lesser activity in the Great Southern region where the creation of new National Parks has greatly reduced the areas available for harvest. Minor timber harvesting also occurs in the Goldfields- Esperance, Wheatbelt and Kimberley regions.

Current situation Historically the timber industry has relied on pine plantations and native forests for sawlogs with Page 204 woodchips produced as a by-product. Over the last 10 years there has been significant investment in short rotation eucalypt plantations, established in high rainfall (>600mm) agricultural areas. These plantations are now maturing and are destined for the production of fine writing paper and packaging material.

Table 96 presents the total picture for the timber industry across the south west of the State. These predicted data show a reduction in the harvest of sawlogs from the native forests, with a ramp-up of production of ‘chiplogs’ from the tree plantations that have been established over the last decade.

Table 96: South West WA - Wood supplies and trends to 2013

Year Native Forest Jarrah Native Forest Karri Plantation

Sawlog (m3) Other Bole Sawlog (m3) Other Bole Chiplog (m3)* Logs (m3) Logs (m3)

2001 273,000 ND 124,000 ND 650,000

2002 190,000 ND 65,000 ND 1,000,000

2003 170,000 ND 55,000 ND 2,151,000

2004 106,000-164,000 499,000 31,000-62,000 80,000+ 2,151,000

2005 106,000-164,000 499,000 31,000-62,000 80,000+ 2,151,000

2006 106,000-164,000 499,000 31,000-62,000 80,000+ 3,226,000

2007 106,000-164,000 499,000 31,000-62,000 80,000+ 4,036,000

2008 106,000-164,000 499,000 31,000-62,000 80,000+ 4,310,000

2009-2013 106,000-164,000 499,000 31,000-62,000 80,000+ 4,310,000

Source: Conservation Commission (2002) and URS Forestry (2002)*.

Table 97 breaks the production of hardwood timber down to regions scale. Most of the State’s hardwood timber harvest comes from the South West region, based on the stands of jarrah and karri located in those areas. An exception to this is the sandalwood harvesting industry, which has provided export income to Western Australia since the very earliest days of European settlement. Regional performance - environment

Most of the sandalwood now comes from the Goldfields-Esperance region. This is a very high value product, worth about $4,000 per tonne.

Table 97: Hardwood production from the regions (1999/00)

Region Quantity Value

(tonnes) ($m)

Goldfields-Esperance* 2,000 7.5

Great Southern insig 0.04

Peel 136,500 9.4

South West 1,300,000 64.5

Total 1,500,000 81.44

Page 205 Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (2002). * Sandalwood production

Table 98 focuses on the plantation industry which has grown rapidly over the last decade. Commercial blue gum production commenced in the early 1990s, as a result of direct investment through private and public sectors. Land has been acquired in a number of ways including purchase, long-term lease, or payment of annuities to landholders. There are now about 1,960 square kilometres of commercial tree plantations in this area, and industry growth has the strong support of the State Government.

Most tree plantations grow Tasmanian blue gums (Eucalyptus globulus) mainly located in areas where annual rainfall exceeds 650 mm per annum. The area used for commercial blue gum production has previously been cleared for grazing or dairying. In these higher rainfall areas, increasing diversity of land use is occurring, with wine grapes, commercial timber, horticulture, aquaculture and farm-based tourism emerging as significant land uses in recent years. In some localised situations, tree plantations have become a dominant land use. In the lower rainfall areas, incentive schemes are promoting the establishment of eucalypt sawlog species and maritime pine (Pinus pinaster).

Table 98: Eucalypt plantation areas

Region Area (ha) YIYO1 production (m3)

Goldfields-Esperance 7,000 154,000

Great Southern 127,000 2,793,000

Peel 3,000 66,000

South West 59,000 1,297,000

Total 196,000 4,310,000

Source: URS Forestry data (2001). 1 YIYO = Year In Year Out Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Also a significant sector is the already established softwood plantations. Within Western Australia there are 97,591 ha of industrial plantations and 850 ha of farm forestry, totalling 98,441 ha of softwood plantations. Forestry resources are either within the industrial plantation sector or farm forest plantations. Within the industrial plantation sector, 32 per cent are softwood, however, there has been a significant shift from predominantly softwood plantations to hardwood plantations. Within farm forest plantations, 13 per cent of total plantations are planted to softwoods. Softwood plantations exist in the Mid West, Perth, Wheatbelt, Peel, South West and Great Southern regions, encompassing the south west section of the State.

Page 206 Regional performance - environment

Indicator: Environmental management in forestry

Background The current Forest Management Plan is due to expire in 2003. Due to the high level of public interest in forest management the State Government has brought forward the plan’s review process. Further, in August 2002 it released the draft Forest Management Plan for 2004-2013.

Current situation The State Government is currently committed to making available 804,000 ha of Jarrah forest and 61,000 ha of Karri forest for timber harvesting. This area is expected to meet contracted sawmill supply volumes over the period of the new management plan and beyond. In order to support adjustment to the reduced supply levels, the State Government has allocated $137.9m towards the restructuring of the timber industry and for exit assistance. Expenditure to the end of Page 207 September 2002 totals $58.8m.

Environmentally, the establishment of tree plantations on grazing land has been beneficial. Replacement of the annual crops and pastures farming system by perennial farming systems, including plantation timber will result in higher in situ water use, lowering of groundwater levels and reduced stream and land salinisation. For example, there is evidence that the extent of tree- farming in the Denmark River Catchment has been sufficient to reverse the salinising trend which is a very favourable public outcome. Public land and water managers are actively promoting tree establishment to improve the hydrological situation in those catchments identified as being possible future domestic and industrial water resources.

Treefarm establishment is seen as having a positive impact on nutrient pollution, with less nutrient loss into water bodies than with annual crops and pastures. For example in the Torbay catchment in the Great Southern region, grazing and dairying collectively contribute over 70 per cent of the P and N in the inlet, whereas tree plantations contribute less than 2 per cent. Similarly, tree plantings adjacent to water-logged or excessively inundated wetlands can reduce the hydrological threats to these environmental assets. Many treefarms include areas of remnant bushland and wetland, of varying value to the regional conservation objectives and in varying condition. Removal of grazing from these areas as part of normal treefarm management will be very beneficial in improving the condition of these remnants.

Comment While the environmental benefits are clear, land use change at this scale has caused some tensions in rural communities, who have expressed concern about a loss of traditional farming landscape, reduced resident population in rural areas and reduced critical mass for sporting, community service and recreational activities. These concerns, which were most keenly expressed in the period of rapid growth in the mid 1990s, have reduced as timber companies have matured and have become recognised more for their contribution to local investment, employment and community development.

Research into sandalwood recruitment and survival is establishing the basis for a more sustainable industry in native harvesting, plus the development of commercial sandalwood plantations. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

8.5.2 Water resources

Indicator: Use:availability of divertible supply

Background At a national scale, only 32 per cent of the surface water in Australia can be diverted from streamflow by pumping or storage in dams. After considering environmental needs, about 20 per cent of the total run-off can be sustainably diverted for human uses. In WA, many of the south west streams are saline which prevents their use for domestic and irrigation supplies which further reduces this percentage. It is significant too that many of the river basins with large divertible flows are located a very long distance from potential water uses. Current surface water development Page 208 Table 99 presents the level of water surface development for the major catchments in the regions.

Table 99: Indicative surface water development

Region Catchments Surface water development

Gascoyne Gascoyne, Wooramel, Lyndon-Minilya Low development (less than 30%)

Goldfields-Esperance Internally drained areas Low development (less than 30%) South coast streams

Great Southern South coast streams Low development (less than 30%)

Kimberley Ord, Fitzroy, Drysdale, Low development (less than 30%) North Kimberley Rivers, Dampier Peninsula

Mid West Murchison, Greenough, Chapman, Hill Low development (less than 30%) Moore*, Internally drained areas

Peel Peel-Harvey Inlet Medium development (30 to 70%)

Pilbara De Grey-Oakover, Coastal Rivers, Low development (less than 30%) Ashburton

Fortescue Medium development (30 to 70%)

South West Blackwood*, Geographe Bay, Low development (less than 30%) Warren-Tone

Collie Medium development (30 to 70%)

Wheatbelt Avon* Low development (less than 30%)

Metropolitan area Helena, Canning Medium development (30 to 70%)

Source: National Land and Water Resources Audit (2001). * saline streams

Current water resources, flows and yields In respect of those resources that have been developed, water use over the last 15 years has roughly doubled and groundwater use has increased threefold, primarily in the Perth sedimentary basin. Surface water use has risen by 40 per cent over the same period principally due to increased use in the Ord River irrigation scheme. Water use is expected to double again over the next 20 years placing pressure on available resources in those areas where water use is currently approaching Regional performance - environment

unsustainable limits, including Peel, the Wheatbelt and Perth. Programs to develop additional resources and reduce demand are in place. Table 101 illustrates the extent of surface water availability and use and Figure 30 highlights the current water use as a percentage of sustainable yield for groundwater.

Table 100: Water resources, flows and yields, 2000

Total Surface Water Total Fresh / Marginal Water Only

Regions MAF CY CU DY SY MAF CY CU DY SY CU/SY (GL/yr) (GL/yr) (GL/yr) (GL/yr) (GL/yr) (GL/yr) (GL/yr) (GL/yr) (GL/yr) (GL/yr) (%)

Gascoyne 751.0 0.0 0.0 249.8 199.8 751.0 0.0 0.0 249.8 199.8 0%

Goldfields- 136.0 0.3 0.3 5.3 5.3 136.0 0.1 0.1 1.2 1.2 8% Esperance

Great Southern 914.8 7.1 5.9 364.7 150.7 914.8 6.2 5.0 122.1 81.7 6%

Kimberley 33,000.0 323.3 272.4 11,272.7 3,158.6 33,000.0 323.3 272.4 11,272.7 3,158.6 9% Page 209

Mid West 257.0 1.7 1.7 108.4 39.4 257.0 0.1 0.1 16.0 1.0 7%

Peel 897.0 127.4 82.0 148.4 142.8 897.0 117.8 72.4 138.8 133.2 54%

Pilbara 3,601.0 25.0 10.8 381.9 201.9 3,601.0 25.0 10.8 381.9 201.9 5%

South West 3,795.0 251.5 164.4 2,072.1 1,036.4 3,795.0 250.9 163.8 1,713.8 964.7 17%

Wheatbelt 359.0 4.8 4.7 65.8 31.2 359.0 4.2 4.1 10.7 8.8 47%

Regional WA 43,710.8 741.0 542.2 14,669.1 4,966.0 43,710.8 727.6 528.7 13,907.0 4,750.8 11%

Perth 683.0 114.2 115.7 279.1 241.7 683.0 112.6 114.0 129.5 125.4 91%

WA 44,393.8 855.2 657.8 14,948.1 5,207.7 44,393.8 840.1 642.8 14,036.5 4,876.3 13%

Source: Water and Rivers Commission. Note: MAF Mean annual flow – the amount of water that on average is generated by a catchment each year. CY Current developed yield – the amount of water that can be used using current infrastructure. CU Current use – the amount of water currently used from a water resource each year (based on 1996/97 figures data). DY Divertible yield – the amount of surface water that can economically be diverted from the catchment each year. SY Sustainable yield – the amount of water that can be sustainably harvested each year from a water resource after making provisions for environmental and social values. The data is based on a number of assumptions which have not been specifically investigated, including management objectives and environmental allocations. Figures are for review purposes only and should not be taken as forming part of a plan.

Table 101 shows the extent of groundwater availability and use and Figure 31 highlights the current water use as a percentage of sustainable yield for groundwater. Generally speaking, regional WA, and the metropolitan area have enormous groundwater resources, with the level of use within sustainable limits. Again, the location of many of these supplies is remote from potential uses which has limited development. Exceptions occur in the metropolitan area where groundwater now supplies over half Perth’s domestic requirements, and in the more closely settled areas of the South West and Peel, where groundwater supplies are important. There is a large use of water for mining and mineral processing in the Pilbara, Mid-West and Goldfields-Esperance regions, with the level of development in some areas well above the regional level. Significant development of artesian supplies for stock water occurred in the West Gascoyne early in the 20th Century. Government and landholders are currently investing in bore capping and piping of water supplies to reduce the level of water use. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Figure 30: Current water use as a percentage of sustainable yield, surface water, 2000

WA

Perth

Regional WA

Wheatbelt

South West

Pilbara

Peel

Mid West

Kimberley

Great Southern

Goldfields-Esperance

Gascoyne

0 20406080100

Page 210 Surface water Fresh / marginal water only CU/SY (%)

Source: Water and Rivers Commission.

Table 101: Groundwater yields, use and sustainability, 2000

Regions Groundwater Sustainable Licensed Unlicensed Total Use Use as % Yield Use Use (GL/yr) of Sustainable (GL/yr) (GL/yr) (GL/yr) Yield

Gascoyne 314.1 17.2 15.0 32.2 10%

Goldfields-Esperance 821.7 134.5 0.0 134.5 16%

Great Southern 98.7 4.9 0.0 4.9 5%

Kimberley 1,227.5 25.0 0.6 25.6 2%

Mid West 677.2 108.1 0.0 108.1 16%

Peel 253.8 66.0 12.6 78.6 31%

Pilbara 928.5 87.5 0.0 87.5 9%

South West 494.2 117.8 0.9 118.7 24%

Wheatbelt 994.0 134.7 3.7 138.4 14%

Regional WA 5,809.7 695.7 32.8 728.5 13%

Perth 494.2 332.6 76.7 409.3 83%

WA 6,303.9 1,028.3 109.5 1,137.8 18%

Source: Water and Rivers Commission and National Land & Water Resources Audit (2001).

Figure 31 illustrates the current water use as a percentage of sustainable water use for groundwater in Western Australia. Regional performance - environment

Figure 31: Current water use as a percentage of sustainable yield, groundwater, 2000

WA

Perth

Regional WA

Wheatbelt

South West

Pilbara

Peel

Mid West

Kimberley

Great Southern

Goldfields-Esperance

Gascoyne

0 102030405060708090 Use as a % of sustainable yield Page 211

Source: Water and Rivers Commission. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

8.5.3 Waterways health

Indicator: Environmental pressures on rivers

The pressures on the State’s rivers across the different regions are shown in Table 102. Careful management of these pressures is required to ensure that the condition of the rivers is not affected by factors such as excessive nutrients, sedimentation, loss of natural habitat and feral weeds and pests.

Page 212 Regional performance - environment

Perth

Urban development

Industrial activities

Recreation / Recreation Tourism

Loss of Loss riparian vegetation

Weeds

Salinity-

Flooding

Eutrophication

Contamination

Erosion

Sedimentation

Drainage

Change in flow/ water level water

Wheatbelt

Broad acre farming

Aquaculture

Loss of Loss riparian vegetation

Weeds

Salinity

Waterlogging

Flooding

Eutrophication

Contamination

Erosion

Sedimentation

Drainage

Exotic fish Exotic

South West South

Intensive agriculture

Broad acre farming

Plantations

Increasing farm dam numbers

Loss of Loss riparian vegetation

Weeds

Salinity

Waterlogging

Flooding

Eutrophication

Contamination

Erosion

Sedimentation

Drainage

Exotic fish Exotic Page 213

Pilbara

Grazing

Loss of Loss riparian vegetation

Weeds

Salinity

Waterlogging

Flooding

Eutrophication

Contamination

Erosion

Sedimentation

Drainage

Change in flow/ water level water

Exotic fish Exotic

Blocked fish Blocked passage

Peel

No Data Available

Erosion

Sedimentation

Flooding

Mid West

Broad acre farming and grazing

No Data Available

Source: Water and Rivers Commission. Water Source:

Kimberley

Grazing

Feral animals Feral

Erosion

Sedimentation

Great Southern

Residential & rural development

Broad acre farming

Recreation / Tourism / Recreation

Plantations

Aquaculture

Loss of Loss riparian vegetation

Weeds

Salinity

Waterlogging

Eutrophication

Erosion

Sedimentation

Drainage

Flooding

–

Goldfields Esperance

Broad acre

farming and grazing

Loss of Loss riparian vegetation

Weeds

Salinity

Waterlogging

Eutrophication

Erosion

Sedimentation

Drainage

Flooding

Gascoyne

Grazing

Erosion

Sedimentation

Degradation Issue

Pressure

Waterway Pressure

Table 102: Pressure on rivers, 2000 Table Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Indicator: Riverine health

Background Nutrient pollution of rivers is an issue in the agricultural regions where streams carry nutrients sourced from adjacent farming lands. This becomes a significant problem when excessive nutrients lead to eutrophication and occasional algal blooms. The latter occur mainly in the shallow estuaries along the south and west coast, with a particularly severe event occurring in the Swan estuary in January 2000.

Current situation Table 103 provides data on the relative health of rivers in respect of nutrient and sedimentation loads. Some level of sedimentation is acceptable, being a natural part of landscape forming processes. High rates of sedimentation resulting in silting of river systems and high turbidity is normally Page 214 associated with disturbance in the catchment, such as river training, excessive grazing and cropping.

Table 103: Nutrient loads and sedimentation

Severity of nutrient loads Severity of sedimentation (river length, km) (river length, km)

Regions High Medium Low High Medium Low

Gascoyne NA NA NA ND ND ND

Goldfields-Esperance 0 209 0 308 169 0

Great Southern 77 684 290 414 513 212

Kimberley NA NA NA 716 3421 3893

Mid West 152 234 0 486 0 0

Peel 77 241 0 0 157 209

Pilbara NA NA NA ND ND ND

South West 95 270 523 378 397 0

Wheatbelt 350 311 0 155 359 81

Regional WA 751 1,949 813 2,457 5,016 4,395

Perth 67 0 29 0 43 43

WA 818 1,949 842 2,457 5,059 4,438

Source: State of the Environment Report (1998). ND = not data available; NA = not applicable

Table 104 presents estimates for the probable extent of overall river modification as a result of human influences. The data, which are drawn from the National Land and Water Resources Audit are inadequate for the less closely settled regions, where the extent of landscape modification for agriculture and infrastructure has been much less. The data that are available across the south west corner of the State, suggest that the greatest degree of modification of river systems has occurred in the Wheatbelt, the Mid West and the Great Southern. Modifications have included increased salinisation, increased siltation, river training and loss of riparian habitat. In all of these regions, government and private investment is endeavouring to improve the condition of the rivers. Regional performance - environment

Table 104: Probable extent of river modification, 2002

Probable state of river condition (km)

Region Largely Moderately Substantially Extensively Unmodified Modified Modified Modified

Gascoyne ND ND ND ND

Goldfields - Esperance ND ND ND ND

Great Southern 185 2,590 62 0

Kimberley ND ND ND ND

Mid West 613 324 66 0

Peel 253 67 0 0

Pilbara ND ND ND ND

South West 1,396 307 0 0 Page 215 Wheatbelt 737 520 105 0

Regional WA 3,184 3,808 233 0

Perth 130 31 82 0

WA 3,314 3,839 315 0

Source: URS, adapted from National Land and Water Resources Audit (2002). ND = no data available Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Indicator: Water resource management

Background The Water and Rivers Commission has developed a draft policy (Water and Rivers Commission 2000) stating its waterways management objectives and principles. Work is now progressing to develop related strategies and actions, including compiling data and building on waterways management plans already in place.

Current situation The current status of management planning in the regions is shown in Table 105.

Table 105: Water resource management, 2002 Page 216 Number of waterway Primary management issues addressed management plans by scale in the plans

Regions Regional Catchment River plans plans action plans

Gascoyne ND ND ND

Goldfields - Esperance ND ND ND

Great Southern ND ND ND

Kimberley 2 2 3 Exotic animal/plant invasion, vegetation degradation and point source pollution.

Mid West 3 8 2 Vegetation degradation, flooding and exotic animal/plant invasion.

Peel ND ND ND

Pilbara 1 3 2 Vegetation degradation and exotic animal/plant invasion.

South West 8 34 52 Vegetation degradation, exotic animal/plant invasion, nutrient enrichment and drainage.

Wheatbelt 10 42 73 Vegetation degradation, exotic animal/plant invasion and nutrient enrichment.

Regional WA 24 89 132

Perth 8 11 57 Drainage, vegetation degradation, exotic animal/ plant invasion and stream salinisation.

WA 32 100 189

Source: Water and Rivers Commission Statewide Policy No. 4 and Supporting Information and ‘Review of the extent and adequacy of existing waterways management in Western Australia’, (2001). Regional performance - environment

8.5.4 Ocean environments Environmental issues in the ocean environments that border all the regions relate to the sustainable use and management of the fish stocks, and the conservation of marine biodiversity within marine conservation reserves and parks. The stated government objective for these environments is ‘conserving our marine and aquatic environments and the fish stocks which they support’ (Fisheries Department Strategic Plan, 1999).

Page 217 Indicators of Regional Development in WA

8.5.4.1 Fisheries

Indicator: Pressure on the region’s fisheries

Growing urban and industrial development is putting pressure on marine environments, although the impact will be substantially less in the regions than in the Metropolitan area. Recreational fishing is an important use of the resource throughout WA, with an estimated 600,000 people over the age of 16 involved. Several of the regions are noted destinations for specialist fishing- based tourism – the Gascoyne, Mid West, Pilbara, South West and Great Southern. There is an increased demand for areas suitable for aquaculture too in response to the fully exploited or over- exploited status of most of the world’s wild-stock fisheries. The impact of increasingly efficient fishing technology needs to be addressed through more careful planning for allowable catches. Page 218 Finally an important threat is the risk of harmful aquatic species or diseases being introduced to WA through shipping or the importation of marine products. Regional performance - environment

Indicator: Fish stocks and allowable catches

Table 106 shows exploitation status, current catch and allowable catches for the major commercial fisheries in all regions.

Table 106: Stock exploitation status and catch ranges for major commercial fisheries – 2000

Fishery Exploitation Previous Catch (tonnes) Future acceptable Comments status acceptable catch current seasons catch or effort (tonnes) (tonnes) Kimberley RDC region (pt North Coast Fisheries Bio-region) Broome prawn Under-exploited King prawn King prawn King prawn Fishing season managed 36-146 t 76 t 35-170 t to achieve high exploitation rate

Kimberley prawn No assessment (NA) 301-645 t 236 t 240-500 t Banana prawn catch Page 219 showed limited response to higher rainfall

Pearl oyster Fully exploited 617,700 oysters 568,191 oysters 572,500 oysters Quota in Zone 1 not fully utilised

Kimberley gillnet and Fully exploited for 25-40 t 45 t (barramundi) 25-40 t (barramundi) Higher barramundi catch barramundi key species only (barramundi) although effort trending lower

Northern demersal Fully exploited for 600-1,000 t 470 t 60-1,000 t Low catch due to low key species only effort

North coast shark NA NA 103 t NA Developing fishery

Lake Argyle catfish* Over-exploited 100-140 t 231 t 100-140 t Catch well above historic levels

Pilbara RDC region (pt North Coast Fisheries Bio-region)

Onslow prawn NA 61-132 t 87 t 60-130 t High summer rainfall gave improved banana prawn catches

Nickol Bay prawn NA Banana prawn Banana prawn 90-300 all prawns As above 300-500 t 467 t

Pilbara trawl Fully exploited 2,100-2,400 t 2,075 t 1,900-2,200 t Assessment only includes major species

Pilbara demersal Fully exploited 300-400 t 316 t 150-300 t Range for trap only as trap and line line not restricted

Spanish mackerel NA 260-390 t 305 t 249-358 t Range is estimate only, fishery yet yo stabilise

Gascoyne RDC region (Gascoyne Coast Bio-region)

Shark Bay prawn Fully exploited 1,611-2,183 t 2,250 t 1,501-2,330 t High catch reflects high catchability related to sea temps

Exmouth prawn Fully exploited 771-1,276 t 565 t 771-1,276 t Reduced tiger prawn recruitment

Shark Bay scallop Fully exploited 1,500-2,750 t 1,345 t 1,250-3,000 t Catch reflects negative environmental impacts on recruitment

Shark Bay snapper Fully exploited 430-550 t 488 t 550 t Reduced catch due to low effort

Shark Bay beach Fully exploited for 95-140 t (whiting) 127 t (whiting) 95-140 t (whiting) Whiting catch only seine & mesh net key species only Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Mid West, Wheatbelt, Peel and South West RDC regions (West Coast Bio-region)

Western rock lobster Fully exploited 13,500-14,500 t 14,523 t 8,166-14,523 t Above forecast catch

Roe’s abalone Fully exploited 11 6 t 108 t 108 t New management plan in place

South-west trawl NA NA Prawns 32 t NA Prawn catch is mainly king Scallops 23 t prawns

Recruitment dependent on Abrolhos Is and Fully exploited 250-400 t 429 t 50-600 t annual environmental Mid-West trawl conditions

Reduced catch due to West Coast purse Fully exploited 260 t 14 t NA mortality factor seine

Estuarine fisheries Fully exploited for NA 305 t NA Includes fish and key species only crustaceans

Great Southern and Goldfields-Esperance RDC regions (South Coast Bio-region)

Page 220 Esperance rock Fully exploited 50-80 t 69 t 50-80 t Catch figures for all 3 lobster management zones

Abalone Fully exploited 236 t 223 t 230 t Two zones amalgamated into one fishery

WA salmon Fully exploited 1,300-3,600 t 2,283 t 1,300-3,600 t Environmental factors influence subsequent year’s catch

Australian herring Fully exploited 450-1,200 t 818 t 450-1,200 t South coast catch only trap

Southern & west Fully exploited for 875-1,075 t for key 785 t 725-975 t for key Key species only reported. coast demersal key species only species only species only Reduced breeding stocks in gillnet and longline whiskery sharks

Estuarine fisheries Fully exploited for 200-500 t 252 t 200-500 t Includes fish, molluscs and key species only crustaceans

Albany/ King Geo. Sd NA 0 NA 50-100 t Fishery closed as a result of purse seine mortality. Research quota set for 2001

Bremer Bay purse NA 0 NA 100-200 t Fishery closed as a result of seine mortality. Research quota set for 2001

Esperance purse Fully exploited 1,060 t 983 t 1,000-1,200 t Quota set allowing for seine disease but recognising good recruitment

* Northern inland bio-region Source: Department of Fisheries, State of the Fisheries Report (2001). Regional performance - environment

Indicator: Fisheries environmental management

The State’s fish stocks are managed mainly through the Fish Resources Management Act 1994 which is administered by the Department of Fisheries, which is represented in all regions. An essential role of the Department is to set management rules including, where relevant, ‘allowable catches’ for both commercial and recreational fisheries. The Department is supported by Management Advisory Committees. Specific Ministerial Policy Guidelines cover a number of matters, including rock lobster processing, aquaculture and recreational fishing stock, enhancement of non-endemic species, assessment of aquaculture and pearling applications in coastal waters, the pearl oyster fishery, abalone and marine eco-tourism.

Page 221 Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Indicator: Marine conservation

Table 107 shows the nature and location of actions taken to conserve marine ecosystems. These measures include establishment of marine parks, exclusion zones for trawling, fish habitat protection areas (FHPAs), and reef protected areas (RPAs).

Table 107: Fish and fish habitat protection

Region Fisheries Action Bio-region

Kimberley North Coast Ashmore Reef National Nature Reserve

Cartier Island Marine Reserve

Page 222 Gantheaume Point RPA

Rowley Shoals Marine Park

Permanent trawl closure24 along the West Kimberley coast

Proposed Pilbara/Kimberley Regional Fisheries Environment Management Review.

Pilbara North Coast Proposed Montebello Islands Marine Park

Proposed Dampier Archipelago Marine Park

Proposed Pilbara/Kimberley Regional Fisheries Environment Management Review.

Kunmunya and Samson II RPA

Permanent trawl closure along entire coast

Gascoyne Gascoyne Coast Ningaloo Marine Park

Proposed Miaboolya Beach FHPA

Proposed Quobba FHPA

Muiron Islands RPA

Gascoyne Region Fisheries Environmental Management Review (FEMR) released in 2000/01

Point Quobba RPA

Shark Bay Marine Park (including Hamelin Pool Marine Nature Reserve)

Permanent trawl closure around Ningaloo Marine Park and North West Cape

Mid West West Coast Abrolhos FHPA

Extended seasonal trawl ban around Abrolhos Islands

Permanent trawl closure along the coast

Goldfields- South Coast Sanko Harvest RPA Esperance Esperance Jetty RPA

Permanent trawl closure east of 1250 00’E

24 A statewide prohibition on trawling applies, unless specifically authorised under a management plan and the appropriate licence held. Refer to the Department of Fisheries State of the Fisheries report 2000-01 for further general information. Regional performance - environment

Wheatbelt West Coast Proposed Jurien Bay Marine Park

Lancelin Lagoon FHPA

Lancelin Island FHPA

Permanent trawl closure along the coast

Perth West Coast Swan River Marine Park

Proposed Perth RPA

Cottesloe FHPA

Peel West Coast Shoalwater Islands Marine Park

Permanent trawl closure along the coast

South West South Coast The Swan RPA

Yallingup RPA

Cowaramup RPA Page 223 Permanent trawl closure along the coast to Cape Leeuwin

Great Southern South Coast Community evaluation of fish stock health in coastal habitats of Albany

Source: Department of Fisheries, State of the Fisheries Report (2001). Indicators of Regional Development in WA

8.5.5 Atmosphere

Indicator: Greenhouse gas emissions

Greenhouse gas emissions are not available at regional scale, with state scale being the smallest unit at which discreet measures are available. Figure 32 provides estimates of greenhouse gas emissions from different sectors and processes in 1990 and 1995. These data show that about 50 per cent of all emissions come from power generation, with agriculture responsible for 20 per cent of total emissions. The growth of plantation forestry in the south west of the State (see Section 8.5.1.5) has resulted in net sequestration of carbon through that use.

Figure 32: Western Australia greenhouse gas emissions, 1990 and 1995

Page 224 30.0 1990 1995 25.0

20.0

15.0

10.0

5.0 CO2 Equivalents (Mt) 0.0

-5.0

-10.0 Stationary Transport Fugitive Industrial Agriculture Forestry Waste energy emissions processes

Source: Office of Energy.

Greenhouse gas emissions are continuing to increase in Australia, and in WA. Nationally, there was a 16.9 per cent increase in emissions between 1990 and 1998. However, there is evidence that at national scale, economic growth is not necessarily directly linked to increased emissions. In 1999, the economy grew by 5.4 per cent while emissions only increased by 1.1 per cent (State of the Environment Report 2001).

Agriculture’s contribution has been reducing in the years since the mid 1990s by the rapid growth of the plantation forestry industry in the south west of the State which is resulting in reduced emissions and net sequestration of carbon through that use. Most of the 196,000 hectares of hardwood plantations were established after 1995, although the rate of further establishment is slowing. The change of land use from grazing to hardwood plantations on this land will result in

a net reduction in emissions of 13 tonnes of CO2 equivalents per hectare per annum, calculated

over a 20 year period. This is made up of reduced emissions from grazing (1.4 tonnes CO2 equivalents per hectare per annum) and net sequestration in the hardwood plantations (11.9

tonnes CO2 equivalents per hectare per annum) established on agricultural land. Over the full area converted to this new land use, the outcome will be a net reduction in emissions of 2.6

million tonnes CO2 equivalents per annum as a result of the changed land use on agricultural land. Regional performance - environment

Although the amount has not been calculated, the improving range trend recorded on monitoring sites throughout the pastoral areas as described in Section 8.5.1.4 which has occurred in the favourable seasons in the 1990s will have increased vegetative and soil carbon stores in those areas. However, current accounting rules for carbon measurement do not allow these stores to be included in national inventories and fluctuations in seasons may see some of this stored carbon emitted through periods of less favourable seasons.

Page 225 Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Indicator: Greenhouse gas management

Background WA is committed to initiatives that will limit greenhouse gas initiatives. These initiatives, which will impact in the regions are contained in the Government’s State Sustainability Strategy (2002). They include: • the development of a State Greenhouse Strategy; • establishment of a Sustainable Energy Development Office; • enactment of carbon rights legislation; • a requirement for government agencies to reduce energy consumption by 12 per cent between 2001-02 and 2006-07 through the Energy Smart Government Program; • reduced carbon intensity of power generated by Western Power, and • encouragement of investment in carbon sequestration and renewable energy generation. Page 226

It is not possible to report on many of these initiatives at regional scale. However data are available on progress in renewable power generation in the regions.

Renewable power generation The proportion of total energy use from renewable power cannot be determined by region. However the number of renewable energy power stations in each region and their capacity can be calculated (Table 108).

Table 108: Renewable energy electricity generation stations over 20 kW, May 2002

Region No. of Type Renewable Non renewable Renewable stations capacity capacity proportion power (MW) (MW) of total capacity (%)

Gascoyne 1 wind 0.69 0 100

Goldfields-Esperance 1 wind 2 612 0.33

Great Southern 1 wind 22 0 100

Kimberley 2 hydro/ 36 60 37.5 bagasse

Mid West 1 solar 0.02 253 0.01

Peel - - - 193 0

Pilbara - - - 551 0

South West 1 hydro 2 1,708 0.12

Wheatbelt - - - - -

Regional WA 7 NA 62.31 3,377 1.81

Perth 2 landfill 12.6 1,700 0.74 gas/biogas

WA 9 NA 74.91 5,077 1.45

Source: Office of Energy. Regional performance - environment

Table 109 illustrates the proportion of renewable energy that is distributed into the grid by Western Power and other suppliers, from 1997/98 to 2001/02.

Table 109: Proportion of energy use from renewable sources

Details 1997/98 1998/99 1999/00 2000/01 2001/02

Total electricity sent out (GWh) 12,143 12,427 12,626 13,038 13,123

Renewable sent out (GWh) 96 103 99 97 156

% Renewable 0.79 0.83 0.78 0.74 1.2

Source: Office of Energy.

Western Power has an initiative called NaturalPower in which households and businesses can sign up to ensure at least part of their supply is from renewable energy sources such as wind turbines or Page 227 biomass, instead of traditional fossil fuel generators such as coal or gas. The renewable energy is not actually delivered to the customer but supplied to or purchased from external generators and inputted into the grid. NaturalPower is only available to Western Power customers connected to the South West Interconnected System (SWIS). The SWIS includes the major population centres in the South West of the State (to Kalbarri) but excludes the Esperance-Goldfields region.

8.5.6 Terrestrial biodiversity The Western Australian regions support a rich suite of biodiversity, much of which is unique at regional and even local scale. The resources are internationally recognised – Australia is one of the 12 mega-diverse environments on the planet, and the south west section of WA – encompassing part or all of six of the nine regions has been identified as one of the 25 biodiverse ‘hot-spots’ in the world.

Biodiversity occurs at three levels. • Genetic diversity – the variety of genetic information contained in all of the individual plants, animals and micro-organisms that inhabit the earth. Genetic diversity occurs with and between the populations of organisms that comprise individual species as well as among species. • Species diversity – the variety of species on earth. • Ecosystem diversity – the variety of habitats, biotic communities and ecological processes.

The basic unit for understanding the pressures on biodiversity, its state and how it is managed is the bioregion. There are 80 of these regions in Australia, with 27 of them represented in Western Australia. Each region having a unique set of climatic, landform, and vegetative characteristics. They are also known as ‘Bioregions’, after the Interim Bioregionalisation for Australia (IBRA) which established this system. The material presented in this section relies largely on information presented at Bioregion scale by the National Land and Water Resources Audit (2001) and the State of Environment Reports done by WA and the Commonwealth Governments. A summary description of each IBRA province in WA is provided as Annex C. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Indicator: Pressures on biodiversity

Background The principal pressure on biodiversity is loss of habitat, which has occurred mainly through clearing for human purposes, and overgrazing of native vegetation in the pastoral areas. Other causes include pressures from feral weeds and pests, impacts due to secondary salinisation and soil acidity, exotic diseases and inappropriate fire regimes.

Current situation The threats considered are the fragmentation of natural habitat and the impact of feral animals. Table 110 presents data on the percentage of the native vegetation remaining in the regions and assessment of the degree of fragmentation of the vegetation. The data show that the loss of native Page 228 vegetation and fragmentation of that remaining is highest in the Wheatbelt, and in the agricultural areas in Goldfields-Esperance, Great Southern, Peel South West and Mid West regions.

Although the data show that the vegetation in the remote areas outside the south west part of the State is largely intact, the history of pastoralism in the areas will have put pressure on biodiversity resources. Some indication of the extent of the pressure can be inferred from the data in Table 94.

Table 110: Native vegetation fragmentation

Region Percentage of native Degree of fragmentation vegetation remaining

Gascoyne More than 70% Extensive use zone – very little clearing

Goldfields-Esperance Between 30 and 70% on Extensive use zone north of Salmon Gums – no clearing Esperance Plains and Mallee High connectivity in the mallee More than 70% elsewhere Some connectivity associated with major landscape features on the Esperance plains

Great Southern Between 30 and 70% Connectivity high in most areas Selective clearing in some areas

Kimberley More than 70% Extensive use zone – very little clearing

Mid West Less than 30% in Some connectivity associated with major landscape agricultural areas features More than 70% elsewhere Extensive use zone – very little clearing

Peel Between 30 and 70% Some connectivity associated with major landscape features

Pilbara More than 70% Extensive use zone – very little clearing

South West Between 30 and 70% in Connectivity high in most areas most areas Selective clearing in some areas More than 70% in State forests

Wheatbelt Most less than 30% Very little connectivity in most of the region. Some connectivity associated with major landscape features on margins of the region

Source: National Land and Water Resources Audit (2001). Regional performance - environment

Table 111 shows the number of invasive fauna species in each region that will impose pressure on the biodiversity. These data show that no region is without pressures dues to feral animals.

Table 111: Invasive fauna

Region Number of terrestrial non-Indigenous fauna species per Bioregion

Gascoyne 5 – 8

Goldfields-Esperance 5 – 16 (depending on location)

Great Southern 13 – 16

Kimberley 5 – 8

Mid West 5 – 12 (depending on location)

Peel 13 – 16 Page 229

Pilbara 5 – 12 (depending on location)

South West 13 – 16

Wheatbelt 9 – 12

Source: State of the Environment Report (2001).

Comment The extent of land clearing is unlikely to increase (see Section 8.5.1.2), with the major requirement being to reduce the impact of these pressures through actions such as expanding the area managed for conservation, using revegetation to reduce the degree of fragmentation in the agricultural lands and feral predator control. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Indicator: Condition of biodiversity in Bioregions

Background As noted in previous sections, the essential unit of management is the Bioregion. Two measures of the condition of biodiversity in the region are presented. Firstly the area of native habitat cleared is a surrogate for the level of disturbance of habitat. Secondly, the number of threatened mammal species is a measure of the health of fauna.

Current situation Table 112 presents data for the percentage of each Bioregion cleared, and the number of threatened fauna and the number of know and predicted occurrences of threatened plants in each.

Page 230 Table 112: Condition of Bioregions

Region Major Bioregions represented* Area No. of No. of cleared (%)** threatened threatened mammal plants**** species***

Gascoyne (G) Carnarvon 0 (a) 2-3 <5

Gascoyne 1 (a) 2-3 <5

Goldfields- Esperance Plains (share with GS) 43 8 + 10 – 29 Esperance (GE) Mallee (share with GS and W) 43 8 + 10 – 29

Coolgardie 3 (a) 2-3 5 – 9

Murchison (share with MW) 2(a) 0-1 5 – 9

Great Victoria Desert 0 2-3 <5

Nullarbor 0 (a) 0-1 <5

Hampton 0 0-1 no records

Central Ranges 0 2-3 <5

Gibson Desert 0 2-3 no records

Great Southern (GS) Warren (share with SW) 44 4-5 10 – 29

Mallee (share with GE and W) 43 8 + 30 – 49

Jarrah Forest (share with SW, GS and Pe) 44 8 + >49

Kimberley (K) Northern Kimberley 0 (a) 2-3 <5

Central Kimberley 0 (a) 2-3 <5

Dampierland 0 (a) 2-3 <5

Ord-Victoria Plains 0 (a) 0-1 <5

Victoria-Bonaparte 1 (a) 0-1 no records

Tanami 0 0-1 no records Regional performance - environment

Mid West (MW) Geraldton sandplain (share with W) 52 8 + >49

Yalgoo 2 (a) 0-1 5 – 9

Avon (share with W and SW) 88 8 + >49

Murchison 2 (a) 0-1 <5

Peel (Pe) Swan Coastal Plain (share with SW) 44 8 + 10 – 29

Jarrah Forest (share with SW and GS) 44 8 + 30 – 49

Pilbara (Pi) Pilbara 0 (a) 8 + <5

Great Sandy Desert 0 4-5 no records

Little Sandy Desert 0 4-5 no records

South West Swan Coastal Plain (share with Pe) 44 8 + >49

Jarrah Forest (share with GS and Pe) 44 8 + 30 – 49

Warren (share with GS) 44 4-5 10 – 29 Page 231 Avon (share with MW and W) 88 8 + >49

Wheatbelt Avon (share with MW and SW) 88 8 + >49

Mallee (share with GE and GS) 43 8 + 30 – 49

Geraldton sandplain (share with MW) 52 8 + >49

* Source: Thackway and Cresswell (1995) ** Source: State of the Environment Report 1996 *** Source: State of the Environment Report 1998 ****Source: National Land and Water Resources Audit 2001 (a) Bioregions where grazing of native vegetation is a significant land use

The data show that biodiversity will be in better health in those remoter areas of the State where clearing has been limited and where grazing has not been carried out. However, even in these areas, such as the Great Sandy Desert, mammals are at risk due to a range of pressures including inappropriate fire regimes, predation from feral species and for other reasons that are not well understood.

In the closely settled agricultural areas of the State, biodiversity resources remain significant, but their persistence will be difficult in many situations due to the loss of habitat and pressures from impacts such as secondary salinisation.

Comment Achievement of national and state objectives for conservation of the State’s biodiversity at regional scale will be challenging for individual landholders and managers, regional governance and state agencies. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Indicator: Management of regionally significant biodiversity

Background Conservation of biodiversity needs to occur at a Bioregional scale, with local actions supporting these regional outcomes. Biodiversity conservation depends on actions taken to conserve and manage available habitat, the control of stresses such as feral animal and weeds and the prevention of exotic diseases and pests. In respect of terrestrial biodiversity, most action focuses on the management of areas of natural habitat that contain important components of the Bioregion’s biodiversity.

Current situation The principal government agency with responsibility for achieving nature conservation outcomes Page 232 is the Department of Conservation and Land Management. Table 113 shows the area of land in each region currently being managed by that agency for nature conservation. This area includes land held by the Conservation Commission such as national parks and nature reserves and land held by other public entities that is managed on their behalf by the Department.

Table 113: Land managed by government for nature conservation

Managed lands ( km2) in regions as defined by Department of Conservation and Land Management

Tenure Kimberley Pilbara Mid Wheat- Goldfields Swan Central Southern South classification West belt Coast Forest Coast

Approximate Kimberley Pilbara Gascoyne Most of Most Perth South West Pt Goldfields- RDC Region & Mid West Wheatbelt Goldfields- & Peel Esperance Esperance & all Gt Southern

National Park 8,298 23,966 5,048 13 1,510 451 2,717 8,918

Conservation park 4,602 1,493 37 3 335 566 6

Nature reserve 8,098 2,506 7,323 10,424 63,044 506 426 15,854

Marine park 232 2,256 7,487 164

Marine nature 1,320 4,908 reserve

State forest 281 12,036 40

Other managed 1,153 4,300* 21,092* 7 12,447* 706 1,117 92 land

Total 22,383 34,521 42,307 10,725 77,336 7,301 16,296 24,904

Source: Department of Conservation and Land Management, Annual Report 2001. * Mainly former pastoral leasehold & Section 33(2) managed land

As part of the requirement for nature conservation outcomes, the Department prepares and implements Management Plans for the properties in its control. Table 114 shows the status of management planning for conservation properties as at 30 June 2001.

The preparation of a management plan requires collation of scientific data on the physical and biological resources in the area, the determination of objectives for nature conservation and other uses that might occur Regional performance - environment

specific objectives, allocation of responsibilities and resources for strategic and day-to-day management, and a process for review and revision of the plan.

Table 114: Management Plans for land managed for nature conservation

RDC Region Completed Plans at 30 June 2001 Final Plans being prepared at 30 June 2001

Kimberley Purnululu NP and Nature Reserve

Pilbara Dampier Archipelago Nature Reserves Dampier Archipelago – Burrup Peninsula Karijini NP Millstream – Chichester NP – Jarabi, Bundegi and Muiron Islands Mungaroona Range Nature Reserve Montebello/Barrow Island Marine Conservation Reserve (Indicative Management Plan) Dampier Archipelago/ Cape Preston Marine Conservation Reserve (Indicative Page 233 Management Plan) Kimberley Region Rowley Shoals Management Plan (Indicative Management Plan)

Gascoyne Cape Range National Park (NP) Cape Range NP (revision) Ningaloo Marine Park Ningaloo Marine Park (revision) Shark Bay Marine Reserves Shark Bay World Heritage Area Strategic Shark Bay Terrestrial Reserves Plan

Mid West Lesueur NP-Coomallo Nature Reserves Turquoise Coast Islands Nature Reserves Nambung NP, Wangarren, Nilgen and Kalbarri NP Southern Beekeepers Nature Reserves

Goldfields-Esperance South Coast Region (pt) Gibson Desert Nature Reserve Goldfields Region Esperance Coastal Parks and Reserves Wanjarri Nature Reserve Rowles Lagoon Conservation Park and Clear and Muddy Lakes Nature Reserve

Wheatbelt Nature Reserves, Shire of Wyalkatchem Jurien Marine Park (Indicative Nature Reserves in Shires of York and Management Plan) Northam Wheatbelt Region Dryandra Woodland

Peel Northern Forest Region Shoalwater Islands Management Plan Logue Brook Reservoir & Catchment Rockingham Lakes Regional Park Area Forest Management Plan (pt) Shoal Water Islands Nature Reserves Yalgorup NP Serpentine NP

South West Shannon Park, D’Entrecasteaux NP Perup Forest & Lake Muir-Unicup Nature Benger Swamp Nature Reserve Reserves Central Forest Region Wellington Forest NP Lane Pool Reserve Leeuwin Naturaliste Ridge – Scott NP Southern Forest Region Shannon, D’Entrecasteaux NP (revision) Waroona Reservoir & Catchment Area Forest Management Plan (pt) Walpole-Nornalup NP Leschenault Peninsula Conservation Park

Great Southern Fitzgerald River NP South Coast Region (pt) West Cape Howe NP Two Peoples Bay Nature Reserve Stirling Range and Porongorup NPs

Source: Department of Conservation and Land Management, Annual Report 2001. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Comment The information provided documents actions by government only. Adequate biodiversity conservation will require action to be taken to manage biodiversity wherever it occurs, such on private land holdings. Government and private sectors are encouraging this approach, through the following actions. • Development of approaches for ecologically sustainable management of grazing enterprises on pastoral leasehold land. • Support for private conservation reserves through projects that establish special management arrangements for remnant vegetation on private land, and through support for entities such as the Australian Wildlife Conservancy. • Support through schemes such as the Natural Heritage Trust for community volunteers who are managing biodiversity at local scales. • Research into the identification, management and rehabilitation of WA’s biodiversity being undertaken by government, universities and mining companies. Page 234 Regional performance - environment

Indicator: Number of vegetation types in the conservation reserve system

Background An assessment of the comprehensiveness, adequacy and representativeness (CAR) of the reserve system in each region was undertaken by using the Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation of Australia (IBRA). These classifications were used as a surrogate measure of vegetation types. Note, this analysis was undertaken on the basis of representation of IBRA provinces in the total conservation estate and not within areas specifically gazetted as conservation reserves. In the southern regions the conservation estate includes State forest reserves, these may not provide the same level of nature conservation security as national parks and other dedicated conservation reserves. Results for these regions are likely to be an overestimate of the level of representation within a CAR conservation system. Page 235

Current situation ‘Representation’ and ‘Comprehensiveness’ is assessed by the per cent area of each IBRA province that is held within the CALM estate in each region. ‘Adequacy’ of representation in each region is summarised by Table 115 where the number of IBRA provinces with representation at 0%, and less than 5%,10% and 15% by area is shown. There is still ongoing debate as to what adequate representation is, early arguments were for comprehensive representation at 10% by area. As conservation estates have improved and better knowledge obtained this may now have shifted to a goal of 15% or more.

Results show that some 8.6% of WA is within the conservation estate (inclusive of State forests). The level of representation varies greatly across regions. The Pilbara, Kimberley, and Mid West regions have a representation of near to 5%. Other non-forested regions are Gascoyne (13.1%), Goldfields-Esperance (11.6%), Great Southern (15.3%), and Wheatbelt (9.6%). Representation in regions with forests (and with the CALM estate likely to include greater areas of State forest reserves) are much higher: Peel (47.2%), Perth (24%), and South West (59.2%). As there is variability between regions there is also great variability of representation with each region.

Table 115 summarises the average level of representation of IBRA provinces in each region, but also breaks this down by showing the number of provinces in each region, and the number with representation below a range of “Adequacy” thresholds. For example, the Pilbara has an average representation in the CALM estate of 5.6%. The are 16 different IBRA provinces in the Pilbara, and of those provinces seven are not represented in the CALM estate at all and 10 of the 16 are represented at a level of less than 5% by area. Similarly for Gascoyne, Goldfields-Esperance, Great Southern, Kimberly, and Mid West, more than a quarter of the IBRA provinces in those regions are poorly represented in the conservation estate (less than 5% by area). Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Table 115: Adequacy of Bioregion conservation in each Region

Region % CALM # IBRA 0% <5% <10% <15%

Gascoyne 13.1 81345

Goldfields-Esperance 11.6 20 4 6 11 15

Great Southern 15.3 7 - 2 2 4

Kimberley 5.0 14 5 7 10 12

Mid West 5.2 16 5 9 12 13

Peel 47.2 2 - - 1 1

Pilbara 5.6 16 7 10 14 15

South West 59.2 4 - - 1 1

Wheatbelt 9.6 11 - 2 4 5 Page 236 Perth 24.0 3 - 1 1 1

Source: Department of Conservation and Land Management.

Comment An important objective for government will be to continue to acquire land for the conservation estate, with the objective of having a comprehensive, adequate and representative reserve system. For example, government is currently establishing 30 new national parks in the old growth forest areas (in the South West region), and is purchasing pastoral leases in the Gascoyne and Mid West regions to add to the conservation estate in those areas. Acknowledgments and Sources

Acknowledgments and9 Sources

9.1 Acknowledgments

The Consultant Team acknowledges with gratitude the assistance provided by the following people and organisations. • The Project Working Group – Ross Mannion and Stephen Yule (Department of Local Government and Regional Development), Jennifer Duffecy (Department of Premier and Cabinet), David Singe (Director, Wheatbelt Development Commission), Don Punch (Director, South West Development Commission), Jeff Gooding (Director, Kimberley Development Commission) and Wayne Scheggia (Western Australian Local Government Association) for guidance on project design, content and presentation. Page 237 • Directors and staff of the nine Regional Development Commissions – Gascoyne, Goldfields- Esperance, Great Southern, Kimberley, Mid West, Peel, Pilbara, South West, and Wheatbelt for information, advice and assistance. • John Lim, Department of Local Government and Regional Development. • Dr Ross Field, Department of Premier and Cabinet. • Dr George Gardiner (Chairperson, Kimberley Development Commission) and his wife Elaine for their hospitality and assistance during the visit to the Kimberley region. • Members of the Reference Group for their assistance in choosing suitable indicators and for their advice about data sources. • The many people employed in contributing agencies who assisted with data for the Report.

9.2 Sources

9.2.1 References cited in the text Australia Institute and Newcastle City Council (2000). Indicators of a sustainable community. Australia Institute, Discussion Paper No. 28. Bray, J.R. and Mudd, W. (1998). The contribution of Department of Social Security payments to regional income. DSS Technical Paper No. 2, Canberra. City of Onkaparinga (2000). Monitoring outcomes: achieving goals City of Onkaparinga, Noarlunga. Cobb, C, W. (2000). Measurements Tools and the Quality of Life. Redefining Progress. Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care (1999). Measuring Remoteness: Accessibility / Remoteness Index of Australia (ARIA). Commonwealth of Australia (2000). Connecting Australia: Report of the Telecommunications Service Enquiry. Commonwealth of Australia (2000). Telecommunications Service Enquiry. Department of Communications, Industry, Technology and the Arts, Canberra. Conservation Commission (2002). Draft Forest Management Plan. Released 15th October 2002. Daly, A.E. (1999). Implications of developments in telecommunications for Indigenous people in remote and rural Australia. Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research, Discussion Paper No. 219. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Department of Agriculture (1999). Report to Pastoral Lands Board, July 1999. Department of Commerce and Trade (1999). Living in the Regions – The State Report. Patterson Market Research in conjunction with Focused Management and Hames Sharley. Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (2001). Achieving a better quality of life. Review of progress towards sustainable development. UK Government Annual Report. Department of Health (2000). Health and Wellbeing Survey (2000). Fernandez, J.A. and Loh, N.S. (2001). Crime and Justice Statistics for Western Australia: 2001. The University of Western Australia Crime Research Centre. Global Reporting Initiative (2000). Sustainability Reporting Guidelines on Economic, Environmental, and Social Performance. Government Statistical Service (2000). Quality of Life Counts: Indicators for a strategy for sustainable development for the United Kingdom- a baseline assessment. UK Government. Government of Western Australia (1998). Environment Western Australia: State of the Environment Page 238 Report 1998. Published by the Department of Environmental Protection, Perth, Western Australia. Hamilton, C and Denniss, R (2000). Tracking well being in Australia - The Genuine Progress Indicator 2000. The Australia Institute Ltd. Healy, M. and Acacio, L. (1998). Regional indicators for Aboriginal people in Western Australia. Aboriginal Affairs Department. Indigenous Affairs (2000). Regional Social Indicators for Aboriginal People in Western Australia. Government of WA. McTaggart, D., Findlay, C. and Parkin, M. (1996). Economics 2nd Edition. Melbourne: Addison- Wesley. Minnesota Planning (1998). Minnesota Milestones 1998: Measures That Matter. (www.mnplan.state.mn.us) Oregon Progress Board (2001). Achieving the Oregon Shines Vision: The 2001 Benchmark Performance Report. National Land and Water Resources Audit (2001). Landscape health in Australia. A rapid assessment of the relative condition of Australia’s bioregions and subregions. Land and Water Australia, Canberra. Pembina Institute (2001). Alberta Sustainability Trends 2000. Pembina Institute for Appropriate Development. (www.pembina.org) Regional Development Council (1999). Taxation and Regional Western Australia 1999. Department of Commerce and Trade. Regional Development Council (2002). Telecommunications in Regional Western Australia (2002). Regional Development Council response to the Regional Telecommunications Inquiry. Regional Telecommunications Inquiry (2002). Connecting Regional Australia, The Report of the Regional Telecommunications Inquiry. Thackway, R. & Cresswell, I.D. (1995). An Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia: A Framework for Establishing the National System of Reserves, Version 4.0, Australian Nature Conservation Agency, Canberra. Todaro, M.P. (1990). Economic Development in the Third World, Fourth Edition. Longman Group UK Limited. Western Australian Planning Commission (1999). Future Perth Indicators. Ministry for Planning, Government of Western Australia. Acknowledgments and Sources

9.2.2 Other published sources Australian Bureau of Statistics (2002). Australian System of National Accounts 2001-02. Publica- tion No. 5204.0. Australian Bureau of Statistics (1996). Census of Population and Housing. Australian Bureau of Statistics (2001). Census of Population and Housing. BIS Shrapnel (2001). Telecommunications Infrastructures in Australia. A Research Report prepared for ACCC. Commonwealth of Australia (1997). Report on Government Service Provision. Volumes 1 and 2. Steering Committee for the Review of Commonwealth / State Service Provision (SCRCSSP), Industry Commission, Melbourne. Commonwealth of Australia (1996). Australia: State of the Environment 1996. CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, Victoria. Commonwealth of Australia (2001). Australia: State of the Environment 2001. CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, Victoria. Page 239 Commonwealth Department of Social Security (1998). Technical Paper No. 2. Delta Electricity and Access Economics (2001). Investment Monitor. Access Economics. Department of Agriculture (2001). Annual Report. Department of Conservation and Land Management (2001). Annual Report 2001. Department of Fisheries (2001). State of the Fisheries Report 2001 Department of Housing and Works (2002). Housing Strategy WA – Issue Paper. Affordability, October 2002. Department of Housing and Works (2002). Housing Strategy WA – Trend Paper. Population Outlooks and Housing Requirements, August 2002. Department of Housing and Works (2002). Housing Strategy WA – Trend Paper. Existing Housing Stock and its Utilisation, October 2002. Department of Planning and Infrastructure (2002). Medium Scenario Projections 2000. Department of Sport and Recreation (2002). 2001 / 2002 Sport and Recreation Directory. Department of Sport and Recreation. Economic Perspectives (2001). Prepared by the Department of Local Government and Regional Development and the Regional Development Commissions. Government of Western Australia (1999). Capacity building in regional Western Australia. Technical Paper, Department of Commerce and Trade. Health Department of Western Australia (2001). Annual Report 2000/2001, Volume Two. Labour Force Statistics (2002). Economic Note, Economic and Policy Division. Labour Market Summary (2002). Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, Labour Economics Office, July 2002. Lewis, P.E.T. and McLean, B. (1998). The Teenage Labour Market in Western Australia. The Centre of Labour Market Research, CLMR Discussion Paper Series 98/6. Main Roads Western Australia (2000). Annual Report 2000. National land and Water Resources Audit (2001). Australian Water Resources Assessment 2000. Land and Water Australia, Canberra. National Land and Water Resources Audit (2001). Australian Native Vegetation Assessment 2001. Land and Water Australia, Canberra. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Police Department (2001). Annual Report 2001. Productivity Commission (2000). Meeting the Challenge of Change in Regional Australia. Com- monwealth of Australia. Regional Prices Index (2000). Department of Local Government and Regional Development, Third Data Collection 2000. Short, R. and McConnell, C. (2001). Extent and impacts of dryland salinity. Resource Management Technical Report 202, Department of Agriculture. Small Business Development Corporation (2002). Fact Sheet October 2002. Telstra (2002). Internet page: http://www.telstra.com.au Water Corporation (2001). Annual Report 2001. Water and Rivers Commission 2002. Draft State Water Conservation Strategy, July 2002 Water and Rivers Commission Statewide Policy No. 4 (2001). Page 240 Water and Rivers Commission (2001). Review of the extent and adequacy of existing waterways management in Western Australia. Western Power (www.westernpower.com.au). Women in the WA Labour Market. Fact Sheet No. 4/00, Women’s Economic Policy Analysis Unit, Curtin Business School, December 2000.

9.2.3 Government agencies Department for Community Development – Youth Affairs. Department of Agriculture. Department of Communications, Technology and the Arts. Department of Conservation and Land Management. Department of Consumer and Employment Protection. Department of Culture and the Arts. Department of Education.* Department of Employment and Workplace Relations. Department of Environmental Protection. Department of Fisheries. Department of Health. Department of Housing and Works. Department of Immigration & Indigenous & Multicultural Affairs. Department of Indigenous Affairs. Department of Industry and Technology.** Department of Justice. Department of Local Government and Regional Development. Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources.*** Department of Planning and Infrastructure. Department of Sport and Recreation. Department of Training and Employment* Acknowledgments and Sources

Department of Treasury and Finance. Forests Products Commission. Gascoyne Development Commission. Goldfields Esperance Development Commission. Great Southern Development Commission. Kimberley Development Commission. Main Roads Western Australia. Mid West Development Commission. Office for Children and Young Peoples Policy (now Department for Community Development – Youth Affairs). Office of Energy. Office of Multicultural Interests. Page 241 Peel Development Commission. Pilbara Development Commission. Police Department. Productivity Commission. Small Business Development Corporation. South West Development Commission. Valuer General’s Office, Department of Land Administration Water and Rivers Commission. Western Australian Tourism Commission. Wheatbelt Development Commission. Women’s Policy Development Office (now Department for Community Development – Youth Affairs).

* now Department of Education and Training ** activities now incorporated into Departments of Industry and Resources, Premier and Cabinet and Treasury and Finance. *** now Department of Industry and Resources Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Page 242 Annex A: Regional Profiles

i Indicators of Regional Development in WA

The Gascoyne Region

Exmouth Learmonthmo SCALE 30km 0 30 60 90 120 150km

EXMOUTH

Coral Bay PILBARA

ii N INDIAN OCEAN CARNARVON UPPER GASCOYNE GASCOYNEY Burringurrah Carnarvon Gascoyne Junction

Denham MID WEST Useless Loop LEGEND Regional Boundary SHARK BAAY Local Government Boundary Regional Development Commission Office Townown oorr CCityity ((onlyonly sselectedelected ttownsowns hhaveave bbeeneen shown on this map for reference purposes). SHARK BAAY Local Government Authority

History and area

As well as a long history of Indigenous occupancy, the Gascoyne has a nearly 400-year history of European exploration, commencing with Dirk Hartog’s landing on the island that carries his name in 1616. European settlement for grazing, whaling and pearling commenced in the 1870s and there was also migration of Malay people to the Shark Bay area (Denham townsite) to support the pearling industry. Nearly the entire region was developed to support extensive sheep and cattle grazing, and this continues as the dominant land use. The town of Carnarvon was gazetted in 1883, and served as a regional port until the 1970s. It has developed as the principal administrative and service centre for the region. The town of Exmouth developed to support USA and Australian military facilities, but is now more important as a base for significant fishing and tourism industries.

Officially, the Gascoyne region covers an area of 140,912 square kilometres and includes several major river catchments: the Gascoyne and tributaries, Wooramel, Minilya and Lyndon rivers. Other significant natural features include the Shark Bay World Heritage Property, the Ningaloo Reef, Lake Macleod, the Kennedy Ranges, Cape Range and Mount Augustus. Annex A: Regional Profiles

The Gascoyne today

The Gascoyne has a population of approximately 10,000 most of whom (86 per cent) live in settlements on the coast (Carnarvon, Exmouth, Coral Bay and Denham). There are also a number of inland settlements such as Gascoyne Junction and the Indigenous community of Burringurrah. Fifteen per cent of the population are Indigenous people, most of whom live in Carnarvon and in the Shire of Upper Gascoyne. Five per cent are of CALD origin, mostly of Asian descent. Thirty one per cent are aged between 0-19 years; 47 per cent between 20-49 years and 22 per cent are over 50 years. The demographics of the region are influenced by: • relatively low percentage of youth and young adults in the region; • relatively high percentage of senior people in the region; • relatively high percentage of Indigenous people who have an increasing profile in the regional workforce; • increasing employment in the tourism industry; and • increasing involvement of people of Asian origin in the horticultural industry. iii

The region’s economy is summarised in Table 1.

Table 1: The region’s economy at a glance

Industry Total Including

Fishing (2001/02) $54m Total catch of 6,337 tonnes

Tourism (2001) $65m 205,000 domestic visitors

Retail turnover (2001/02) $73m 1,052 people engaged in retail and wholesale (2001)

Mining (2001/02) $91m Salt ($68.3m) Gypsum ($22.8m)

Manufacturing (1999/00) $55m 21 manufacturing establishments, with 130 people employed

Agriculture (1999/00) $40m Crops ($20m) Wool ($10m) Livestock ($10m)

Source: Department of Local Government and Regional Development.

Government is a major employer in the region. There is 7.8 per cent unemployment in the region as at June 2002. From the 2001 Census, 40 per cent of those employed were managers, administrators or professionals; 22 per cent clerical and 13 per cent tradespersons.

Vital Statistics

Summary statistics are presented in Table 2. Key economic indicators for the region are presented in Table 3, key social indicators are presented in Table 4 and key environmental indicators are presented in Table 5. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Table 2: Summary indicators for the Gascoyne region

Item Gascoyne Regional WA Whole of State

Land area 136,110 2,527,086 2,532,473

Population (2001) 10,232 520,818 1,906,114

Indigenous persons as a proportion of the 16.9 8.4 3.5 population (%) (2001)

Percentage of youth (15-24 yo) in 8 12 14 the regions (2001)

Percentage aged people (60+ yo) in the 27 16 15 regions (2001)

Population growth rate, June 00 – June 01 (%) 1.8 1.3 1.5

Percentage of region very remote 92 0-99 0-99 iv Gross regional product per capita (2000-01) $48,448 $50,301 $38,885

Major contributors to economic output Agric, Forestry Mining Mining & Fishing

Mining Construction Construction

Transport and Storage Agric, Forestry Agric, Forestry & Fishing & Fishing

Mean annual economic growth rate 5.2 6.6 6.2 (1996-2001) (%)

Landscape stress (2001) Very high Lowest-very high Lowest-very high

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Department of Local Government and Regional Development.

Table 3: Key economic indicators

Key Result Area Item Gascoyne Regional WA Whole of State

Economic Gross regional product (2000-01) ($billion) 0.50 26.20 74.12 performance Workforce participation rate (%) (2002) 74.8%* Perth = 65%

Indigenous workforce participation (excludes CDEP) (%) (1996) 67 54 60

Percentage unemployment (Jun 2002) 7.8 6.2 6.5

Regional price index (Nov 2000)** 108.5 nd nd

Percentage growth in real income per capita (1995-2000) 12.2 4.1 9.3

Infrastructure Median value of single residences $112,500 $137,900 $141,900 (March Qtr 2002)

Capital works – new and continuing major $3,600 $850 $650 projects per capita (2001-02)

* average across Kimberley, Pilbara, Gascoyne, Mid West, Goldfields-Esperance regions ** Perth = 100 Source: Department of Local Government and Regional Development, Department of Training, Valuer General’s Office and Department of Treasury and Finance. Annex A: Regional Profiles

Table 4: Key social indicators

Key Result Area Item Gascoyne Regional WA Whole of State

Education Percentage of secondary-aged children 71 nd 87 attending school in the region

Retention rates to year 12 in schools 43* nd 71

Percentage of 15-44 yo population 1.9 3.1 8.9 enrolled in TAFE

Percentage of Indigenous children attending 66 nd 62 high school

Health & well Life expectancy – males/females 77/85 nd 79/85 being Annual rate of reported offences against 20 13 12 the person (per 1,000 persons)

Percentage of people feeling safe in 84 85 na v the community

Financial Average weekly income ($) 492 537 543 independence

Youth Youth unemployment rates (15-19 yo) 14 16 16

Young adult unemployment rates (20-24 yo) 11 12 12

*Mid West School education district figure which includes the Shires of Carnarvon, Shark Bay and Upper Gascoyne

Source: Department of Education, Department of Health, Australian Bureau of Statistics, Police Department and Department of Commerce and Trade.

Table 5: Key environmental indicators

Key Result Area Item Gascoyne Regional WA Whole of State

Land Percentage of area subject to mining (2002) Insignificant 0.04 0.04

Farming land requiring treatment for soil acidity (%) (2000) na 66 66

Farming land at risk of shallow water tables in 2050 (%) na 24 24

Range condition Mostly fair Mostly fair Mostly fair

Water Surface water use / availability (2000) 0% 11% 13%

Groundwater water use / availability (2000) 10% 13% 18%

Marine Fish catch / availability Major Most Most commercial commercially commercially species fully targeted targeted exploited species fully species fully exploited exploited

Invasive species per Bioregion 5-8 5-16 5-16

Adequacy of Bioregion representation in the 13 Range 5 to 59 nd nature conservation estate

Source: Department of Minerals and Energy, Department of Agriculture, Water and Rivers Commission and Department of Fisheries. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Distinctive features of the Gascoyne

Relative to the rest of the State, the Gascoyne has the following distinctive features: • The region’s population is low (10,000), both in absolute levels and in population density. The population has a lower percentage of young people and a higher percentage of senior people than the State average. • Indigenous people make up a very high proportion of the population – 17 per cent as opposed to 3.5 per cent for the State. • Fishing is an important regional industry ($54m). • Tourism is the fastest growing industry with domestic visitors spending $65m in 2001. The relative importance of tourism is higher in the Gascoyne than elsewhere in the State. • A very small proportion of the land used for commercial purposes is held as freehold, less than 5 per cent. • The region contains the Shark Bay World Heritage listed property and the internationally vi renowned Ningaloo Reef. Annex A: Regional Profiles

The Goldfields-Esperance Region

vii

History and area

The Goldfields-Esperance region is located in the south-east of Western Australia and is the largest of all the RDC regions. It is bounded geographically by the Sandy and Gibson deserts to the North; the Wheatbelt region to the west; the Great Australian Bight to the South; and the South Australian and Northern Territory borders to the East.

The region has a long history of occupancy by a number of Indigenous language groups, and in the remoter parts of the region, the population remains almost exclusively Indigenous. The European history of the region began in 1792 when two French frigates mapping the southern coastline of Australia took shelter in Esperance Bay. The first European settlers arrived in the Esperance area in 1863. Following the discovery of gold at Coolgardie in 1892, Esperance became the region’s principal port. However, with the opening of the Perth-Coolgardie railway in 1896, Esperance became a fishing and holiday town, servicing a small agricultural hinterland. A further burst of growth occurred in the 1960s with the development of the agricultural potential on the Esperance Plains, which now support a productive and diverse agriculture. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Coolgardie, Boulder and Kalgoorlie developed rapidly after gold was discovered. Coolgardie became the largest town during the 1890s boom, with the population reaching 15,000 by 1898. The rush to Kalgoorlie began in 1893 with the discovery of gold by Hannan, Flanagan and O’Shea. Kalgoorlie in the 1890s was a town of canvas tents, hessian huts and galvanized iron homes, with a population of about 11,000. Water was scarce, being distilled from bores and dams, and transported by camel to wherever it was needed. The Goldfields and Agricultural Water Supply, C.Y. O’Connor’s famous scheme, opened in 1903 and remains an essential part of the regional water supply infrastructure.

The Goldfields-Esperance region today

The Goldfields-Esperance region is home to some 55,000 people. Others also work in the area through ‘fly in/fly out’ employment at remote mining operations, but are resident outside the viii region.

Just over half of the population of the region live within the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder and just under a quarter live in the Shire of Esperance. Six of the nine local government areas have populations of less than 2,000. It is estimated that 10 per cent of the region’s population are Indigenous people, compared with 3.5 per cent for Western Australia as a whole. Ngaanyatjarraku (86%) and Menzies (33%) are the shires with the highest proportion of Indigenous persons.

Kalgoorlie-Boulder (pop. 30,000) is the regional centre, a service centre for other towns in the Goldfields and Northern Goldfields sub-regions, and the regional transport hub. The city is a key location for the transfer of mineral products from mines in the region, and the importation of processing reagents and other supplies for the mining industry. Esperance (pop. 13,000) supports the farming areas along the south coast and into the Mallee area, and is also home to growing tourism and fishing industries. The demographics of the region are influenced by: • the region being home to one of the major mineral-rich provinces in the world, supporting world class mines extracting predominantly gold and nickel; • a small rate of population decline in the areas dominated by mining, as increased industry efficiencies reduce the size of the workforce; • relatively large percentage of Indigenous people (10.3% compared to State average of 3.5%); and • increased domestic and international tourism activity along the Esperance coastline.

The region’s economy is summarised in Table 1. Annex A: Regional Profiles

Table 1: The region’s economy at a glance

Industry Total Including

Fishing (2001/02) $11m Mollusc catch equals 64 per cent of this value

Tourism (2001) $248m 522,000 domestic visitors

Retail turnover (2001/02) $470m 4,221 people engaged in retail and wholesale (2001)

Mining (2001/02) $3,788m Gold ($2.3b)

Manufacturing (1999/00) $699m 180 manufacturing establishments, with 1,326 people employed

Agriculture (1999/00) $350m Crops ($232m) Wool ($47m) Livestock ($70m)

Source: Department of Local Government and Regional Development.

The mining, retail trade and construction sectors are the largest employers in the region. At June 2002, there was 5.2 per cent unemployment in the region. From the 2001 Census, 33 per cent of ix those employed were managers, administrators or professionals; 27 per cent labourers and 21 per cent clerical.

Vital Statistics

Summary statistics are presented in Table 2. Key economic indicators for the region are presented in Table 3, key social indicators are presented in Table 4, and key environmental indicators are presented in Table 5.

Table 2: Summary indicators for the Goldfields-Esperance region

Item Goldfields-Esperance Regional WA Whole of State

Land area 771,276 2,527,086 2,532,473

Population (2001) 55,255 520,818 1,906,114

Indigenous persons as a proportion of the 10.3 8.4 3.5 population (%) (2001)

Percentage of youth (15-24 yo) in the regions (2001) 13 12 14

Percentage aged people (60+ yo) in the regions 9 16 15 (2001)

Population growth rate June 00 – June 01 (%) -1.4 1.3 1.5

Percentage of region very remote 80 0-99 0-99

Gross regional product per capita (2000-01) $100,084 $50,301 $38,885

Major contributors to economic output Mining Mining Mining

Construction Construction Construction

Property Agric, Forestry Agric, Forestry & Fishing & Fishing

Mean annual economic growth rate (1996-2001) (%) 8.1 6.6 6.2

Landscape stress (2001) Mainly very low Lowest-very high Lowest-very high

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Department of Local Government and Regional Development. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Table 3: Key economic indicators

Key Result Area Item Goldfields- Regional WA Whole of State Esperance

Economic Gross regional product (2000-01) ($billion) 5.53 26.20 74.12 performance Workforce participation rate (%) (June 2002) 74.8* Perth = 65.0

Indigenous workforce participation (excludes CDEP) (%) (1996) 50 54 60

Percentage unemployment (June 2002) 5.2 6.2 6.5

Regional price index (Nov 2000)** 106.4 nd nd

Percentage growth in real income 1.1 4.1 9.3 per capita (1995-2000)

Infrastructure Median value of single residences $129,300 $137,900 $141,900 x (March Qtr 2002)

Capital works – new and continuing major $1,000 $850 $650 projects per capita (2001-02)

* average across Kimberley, Pilbara, Gascoyne, Mid West, Goldfields-Esperance regions ** Perth = 100 Source: Department of Local Government and Regional Development, Department of Training, Valuer General’s Office and Department of Treasury and Finance.

Table 4: Key social indicators

Key Result Area Item Goldfields- Regional WA Whole of State Esperance

Education Percentage of secondary-aged children 74 na 87 attending school in the region

Retention rates to year 12 in schools 34* nd 71 42**

Percentage of 15-44 yo population enrolled 4.0 3.1 8.9 in TAFE

Percentage of Indigenous children attending 52 nd 62 high school

Health & Life expectancy – males/females 76/83 nd 79/85 well being

Annual rate of reported offences against 16 13 12 the person (per 1,000 persons)

Percentage of people feeling safe in the 80 85 na community

Financial Average weekly income ($) 679 537 543 independence

Youth Youth unemployment rates (15-19 yo) 14 16 16

Young adult unemployment rates (20-24 yo) 10 12 12

*Goldfields school education district figure ** Esperance school education district figure Source: Department of Education, Department of Health, Australian Bureau of Statistics, Police Department and Department of Commerce and Trade. Annex A: Regional Profiles

Table 5: Key environmental indicators

Key Result Area Item Goldfields- Regional WA Whole of State Esperance

Land Percentage of area subject to mining (2002) 0.07 0.04 0.04

Farming land requiring treatment for 42 66 66 soil acidity (%) (2000)

Farming land at risk of shallow water tables 28 24 24 in 2050 (%)

Range condition Mostly good Mostly fair Mostly fair

Water Surface water use / availability (2000) 8% 11% 13%

Groundwater water use / availability (2000) 16% 13% 18%

Marine Fish catch / availability Major Most Most commercial commercially commercially species fully targeted targeted xi exploited species fully species fully exploited exploited

Invasive species per Bioregion 5-16 5-16 5-16

Adequacy of Bioregion representation in the 12 Range 5 to 59 nd nature conservation estate (% CALM)

Source: Department of Minerals and Energy, Department of Agriculture, Water and Rivers Commission and Department of Fisheries.

Distinctive features of the Goldfields-Esperance region

Relative to the rest of the State, Goldfields-Esperance has the following distinctive features: • the highest gross regional product ($5.5b in 2000/01), of which 71 per cent is attributed to the mining industry; • one of three regions experiencing a reduction in population over the period 2000/2001. Population declined by 1.4 per cent over this period; • a lack of potable water supplies near the major population centre; • a relatively low percentage of agricultural land requiring treatment for soil acidity in 2000 (42%); • relatively large area used for mining and mineral exploration (0.07% compared to State average of 0.04%) • two distinctly separate tourism areas in the region – coastal Esperance and the outback Goldfields mining province, with 522,000 domestic visitors to the region in 2001. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

The Great Southern Region

SCALE 20km 0 20 40 60 80 WHEAATBELTBELT

Woodanilling Nyabing Pingrup WOODANILLINGO G KATTANNINGANNING Katanning KENT GOLDFIELDS - Kojonupp Broomehill ESPERANCE BROOMEHILL Gnowangerup N KOJONUP Jerramungup xii Tambellup GREAAT SSOUTHERNOUTHERN TAMBELLUP JERRAMUNGUP GNOWWANGERUPANGERUP Cranbrook CRANBROOK

Bremer Bay

PLANTTAGANETAGANET SOUTHERN OCEAN SOUTH WEST Mt Barker LEGEND Regional Boundary DENMARK CITY OF ALBANY Local Government Boundary Regional Development Commission Office Denmark Townown oorr CCityity ((onlyonly sselectedelected ttownsowns hhaveave bbeeneen Albany shown on this map for reference purposes). JERRAMUNGUP Local Government Authority

History

The Great Southern Region is rich in history, both in terms of the local Indigenous people and European Australians. The port city of Albany, which is the State’s oldest European settlement, has one of the best natural anchorages in the Southern Hemisphere and is the region’s administrative hub. It is the major centre from where much of the crop and livestock production in the region is exported. The historic town of Kojonup in the region’s north west, was the first of the region’s inland agricultural centres to be established by European settlers. Other towns such as Katanning soon followed.

The Great Southern is the second largest region for the production of wool and agricultural commodities. Primary industries such as broad-acre cropping, wool, livestock, agro-forestry, horticulture (including viticulture) and fishing are the mainstay of the economy. Tourism is a growing industry sector with strong potential for the future.

The Great Southern extends along the coast for approximately 250 kilometres and features some of the most rugged and beautiful scenery in Australia. Northwards it incorporates high quality agricultural areas and tourist locations such as the Stirling Ranges and the Porongurup National Park. The total land area is 38,917 square kilometres representing approximately 1.5 per cent of the State’s total area. Annex A: Regional Profiles

The Great Southern today

The Great Southern has a population of 53,000, with 1,900 of these being Indigenous people – the same percentage for the State as a whole. Most of the population lives in rural and coastal towns, with ‘Greater Albany’, the regional economic and administrative centre having a population of 30,000. Other significant centres are Denmark (4,000), Katanning (4,000) and Kojonup (2,000). The percentage of the population born outside Australia is 16 per cent, which is much lower than for the State as a whole (27%). The demographics of the region are influenced by: • under-representation of youth and young adults in the region compared to the State percentage; • the percentage of senior people is slightly higher than the State percentage; • the annual growth rate in the population in the 12 months to June 2001 was 1.0 per cent, being slightly less than for the Perth metropolitan area (1.4%), and • increasing diversification and strengthening of agriculture and agro-forestry, and tourism providing new job opportunities in the region. xiii The region’s economy is summarised in Table 1.

Table 1: The region’s economy at a glance

Industry Total Including

Fishing (2001/02) $6m Total catch of 3,922 tonnes

Tourism (2001) $158m 457,000 domestic visitors

Retail turnover (2001/02) $387m 3,993 people engaged in retail and wholesale (2001)

Mining (2001/02) $4m Silica sand ($2.5m) Spongolite ($1.7m)

Manufacturing (1999/00) $230m 159 manufacturing establishments

Agriculture (1999/00) $625m Crops ($392m) Wool ($105m) Livestock ($118m)

Source: Department of Local Government and Regional Development.

The agriculture, forestry and fishing; retail trade; and construction sectors are the largest employers in the region. At June 2002, there was 5.2 per cent unemployment in the region. From the 2001 Census, 42 per cent of those employed were managers, administrators or professionals; 24 per cent clerical and 20 per cent labourers.

Vital Statistics

Summary statistics are presented in Table 2. Key economic indicators for the region are presented in Table 3, key social indicators are presented in Table 4, and key environmental indicators are presented in Table 5. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Table 2: Summary indicators for the Great Southern region

Item Great Southern Regional WA Whole of State

Land area 38,917 2,527,086 2,532,473

Population (2001) 53,426 520,818 1,906,114

Indigenous persons as a proportion 3.6 8.4 3.5 of the population (%) (2001)

Percentage of youth (15-24 yo) in the 12 12 14 regions (2001)

Percentage aged people (60+ yo) in the 17 16 15 regions (2001)

Population growth rate, June 00 – June 01 (%) 1.0 1.3 1.5

Percentage of region very remote 0 0-99 0-99 xiv Gross regional product per capita (2001-02) $29,271 $50,301 $38,885

Major contributors to economic output Agric, Forestry Mining Mining & Fishing

Mining Construction Construction

Transport Agric, Forestry Agric, Forestry & Fishing & Fishing

Mean annual economic growth rate 4.1 6.6 6.2 (1996-2001) (%)

Landscape stress (2001) Mainly very high Lowest-very high Lowest-very high

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Department of Local Government and Regional Development.

Table 3: Key economic indicators

Key Result Area Item Great Regional WA Whole of State Southern

Economic Gross regional product (2000-01) ($billion) 1.56 26.20 74.12 performance Workforce participation rate (%) (June 2002) 64.4* Perth = 65.0

Indigenous workforce participation (excludes CDEP) (%) (1996) 73 54 60

Percentage unemployment (June 2002) 5.8 6.2 6.5

Regional price index (Nov 2000)** 102.9 nd nd

Percentage growth in real income per capita 1.9 4.1 9.3 (1995-2000)

Infrastructure Median value of single residences $140,000 $137,900 $141,900 (March Qtr 2002)

Capital works – new and continuing major $604 $850 $650 projects per capita (2001-02)

* the average across the Wheatbelt, South West, Great Southern and Peel regions ** Perth = 100 Source: Department of Local Government and Regional Development, Department of Training, Valuer General’s Office and Department of Treasury and Finance. Annex A: Regional Profiles

Table 4: Key social indicators

Key Result Area Item Great Regional WA Whole of State Southern

Education Percentage of secondary-aged children attending school in the region 84 na 87

Retention rates to year 12 in schools 53* nd 71

Percentage of 15-44 yo population enrolled in TAFE 2.3 3.1 8.9

Percentage of Indigenous children attending high school 65 nd 62

Health & Life expectancy – males/females 79/86 nd 79/85 well being Annual rate of reported offences against the person (per 1,000 persons) 8 13 12 xv Percentage of people feeling safe in the 96 85 na community

Financial Average weekly income ($) 446 537 543 independence

Youth Youth unemployment rates (15-19 yo) 16 16 16

Young adult unemployment rates (20-24 yo) 14 12 12

*Approximate due to regional boundaries not exactly aligning

Source: Department of Education, Department of Health, Australian Bureau of Statistics, Police Department and Department of Commerce and Trade.

Table 5: Key environmental indicators

Key Result Area Item Great Regional WA Whole of State Southern

Land Percentage of area subject to mining (2002) 0.03 0.04 0.04

Farming land requiring treatment for soil 58 66 66 acidity (%) (2000)

Farming land at risk of shallow water 18 24 24 tables in 2050 (%)

Range condition Not relevant Mostly fair Mostly fair

Water Surface water use / availability (2000) 6% 11% 13%

Groundwater water use / availability (2000) 5% 13% 18%

Marine Fish catch / availability Most Most Most commercially commercially commercially targeted targeted targeted species fully species fully species fully exploited exploited exploited

Invasive species per Bioregion 13-16 5-16 5-16

Adequacy of Bioregion representation in 15 Range 5 to 59 nd the nature conservation estate (% CALM)

Source: Department of Minerals and Energy, Department of Agriculture, Water and Rivers Commission and Department of Fisheries. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Distinctive features of the Great Southern region

Relative to the rest of the State, Great Southern has the following distinctive features: • high percentage of gross regional product (27%) attributed to agriculture, forestry and fishing; • high and increasing diversity in the nature of the industries and enterprises (e.g. growth of agro-forestry, and viticulture); • relatively low gross regional product per capita at $29,000 compared to the State average of $39,000; • lowest level of individual tax collections out of the nine regions; • Relatively low availability of potable water supplies, and • Feeling of safety within the community was the highest out of all regions, with 96 per cent of people interviewed agreeing that to live in the Great Southern was much safer than Perth. Also attitude to community spirit was the highest, achieving a score of xvi 3.8 out of 5. Annex A: Regional Profiles

The Kimberley Region

LEGEND Regional Boundary Local Government Boundary Regional Development Commission Office Townown oorr CCityity ((onlyonly sselectedelected ttownsowns hhaveave bbeeneen shown on this map for reference purposes). WYNDHAM - EAST KIMBERLEY BROOME Local Government Authority Wyndham

Kununurra

KIMBERLEYB N Derby DERBY - Broome WEST KIMBERLEY xvii Fitzroyo Crossing Halls Creek BROOME

HALLS CREEK

PILBARA

SCALE 30km 0 30 60 90 120 150km

History

The Kimberley region of Western Australia is the northern most region of the State. Population mobility is a significant demographic feature in the Kimberley, particularly among the non- Indigenous workforce. The region includes a unique geography ranging from extensive arid and desert areas to rugged escarpments and niche rainforest stands in the wetter areas. In general terms, the landscape has been less disturbed through economic development than in other parts of the State, and is now highly regarded by the tourist industry for its wilderness values.

Although European people settled the region as early as 1865, the region retains very strong Indigenous communities and culture, which are developing in profile and importance socially and culturally. Indigenous people are responsible for the management of an increasing proportion of the land and water resources in the region. European settlement was attracted to the area mainly by the grazing values evident in the Fitzroy and Ord River valleys, which have supported a cattle industry since the 1880s. More recently, damming of the Ord River has developed about 15,000 hectares for irrigated agriculture near Kununurra, with potential for this area to expand considerably. The next significant development was the discovery and mining of a huge diamond resource at Argyle, which is a major contributor to the State’s economy.

Tourism, agriculture, mining, pastoral, pearling and fishing are now the major contributors to economic activity in the region. These sectors are likely to remain the principal drivers of economic activity into the future providing a diverse economic base to underwrite the region’s future development. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

The Kimberley region today

The Kimberley covers an area of 421,451 square kilometres and is home to some 32,000 people, of which 47 per cent are Indigenous people. Most of the residents live in the towns of Broome, Kununurra, Derby, Fitzroy Crossing and Halls Creek, with significant numbers of Indigenous people resident at smaller settlements, such as Warmun, Noonkanbah and Kalumburu. Pastoral stations occur throughout the region. The demographics in the region are influenced by: • Indigenous people make up a very high proportion of the population – 47 per cent as opposed to 3.5 per cent of the State; • the population growth rate in the 12 months to June 2001 was 4.4 per cent, which was more than double the rate for regional WA (1.6 per cent). In addition, the age distribution shows a higher proportion of young people than in the general population; • the percentage of people resident in the region who were born outside Australia is 11.1 per cent and is the lowest in WA (26.8%), and xviii • the high demand for community services (health, policing, education) attracts a large number of people to the region.

The region’s economy is summarised in Table 1.

Table 1: The region’s economy at a glance

Industry Total Including

Fishing (2001/02) $9m Fishing catch of 1,731 tonnes

Tourism (2001) $249m 284,000 domestic visitors

Retail turnover (2001/02) $259m 2,049 people engaged in retail and wholesale (2001)

Mining (2001/02) $665m 2.5% of State total

Manufacturing (1999/00) $23m 83 people employed, specialising in food and beverage production

Agriculture (1999/00) $136m Cattle Disposals ($59m) Irrigated production ($68m)

Source: Department of Local Government and Regional Development.

The government administration and defence and retail trade sectors are the largest employers in the region. At June 2002, there was 5.2 per cent unemployment in the region. From the 2001 Census, 36 per cent of those employed were managers, administrators or professionals; 26 per cent labourers and 23 per cent clerical.

Vital Statistics

Summary statistics are presented in Table 2. Key economic indicators for the region are presented in Table 3, key social indicators are presented in Table 4 and key environmental indicators are presented in Table 5. Annex A: Regional Profiles

Table 2: Summary indicators for the Kimberley region

Item Kimberley Regional WA Whole of State

Land area 421,451 2,527,086 2,532,473

Population (2001) 32,700 520,818 1,906,114

Indigenous persons as a proportion of the 47.3 8.4 3.5 population (%) (2001)

Percentage of youth (15-24 yo) in the regions (2001) 13 12 14

Percentage aged people (60+ yo) in the 14 16 15 regions (2001)

Population growth rate, June 00 – June 01 (%) 4.4 1.3 1.5

Percentage of region very remote 99 0-99 0-99

Gross regional product per capita (2001-02) $38,783 $50,301 $38,885 xix

Major contributors to economic output Mining Mining Mining

Health & community Construction Construction services

Transport Agric, Forestry Agric, Forestry & Fishing & Fishing

Mean annual economic growth rate (1996-2001) (%) 6.3 6.6 6.2

Landscape stress (2001) Lowest-high Lowest-very high Lowest-very high

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Department of Local Government and Regional Development.

Table 3: Key economic indicators

Key Result Area Item Kimberley Regional WA Whole of State

Economic Gross regional product (2000-01) ($billion) 1.27 26.20 74.12 performance

Workforce participation rate (%) (June 2002)* 74.8 Perth = 65.0

Indigenous workforce participation 39 54 60 (excludes CDEP) (%) (1996)

Percentage unemployment (June 2002) 14.3 6.2 6.5

Regional price index (Nov 2000)** 113.3 nd nd

Percentage growth in real income 12.9 4.1 9.3 per capita (1995-2000)

Infrastructure Median value of single residences $221,000 $137,900 $141,900 (March Qtr 2002)

Capital works – new and continuing major $828 $850 $650 projects per capita (2001-02)

* average across Kimberley, Pilbara, Gascoyne, Mid West, Goldfields-Esperance regions ** Perth = 100 Source: Department of Local Government and Regional Development, Department of Training, Valuer General’s Office and Department of Treasury and Finance. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Table 4: Key social indicators

Key Result Area Item Kimberley Regional WA Whole of State

Education Percentage of secondary-aged children 59 na 87 attending school in the region

Retention rates to year 12 in schools 18* nd 71

Percentage of 15-44 yo population enrolled 3.0 3.1 8.9 in TAFE

Percentage of Indigenous children attending 59 (West Kimb) nd 62 high school 58 (East Kimb)

Health & Life expectancy – males/females 72/78 nd 79/85 well being Annual rate of reported offences against the 30 13 12 person (per 1,000 persons)

xx Percentage of people feeling safe in the 92 85 na community

Financial Average weekly income ($) 550 537 543 independence

Youth Youth unemployment rates (15-19 yo) 10 16 16

Young adult unemployment rates (20-24 yo) 8 12 12

*Approximate due to regional boundaries not exactly aligning

Source: Department of Education, Department of Health, Australian Bureau of Statistics, Police Department and Department of Commerce and Trade.

Table 5: Key environmental indicators

Key Result Area Item Kimberley Regional WA Whole of State

Land Percentage of area subject to mining (2002) Insignificant 0.04 0.04

Farming land requiring treatment for na 66 66 soil acidity (%) (2000)

Farming land at risk of shallow water tables nd 24 24 in 2050 (%)

Range condition Mostly fair Mostly fair Mostly fair

Water Surface water use / availability (2000) 9% 11% 13%

Groundwater water use / availability (2000) 2% 13% 18%

Marine Fish catch / availability Most Most Most commercially commercially commercially targeted targeted targeted species fully species fully species fully exploited exploited exploited

Invasive species per Bioregion 5-8 5-16 5-16

Adequacy of Bioregion representation in the nature conservation estate (% CALM) 5 Range 5 to 59 nd

Source: Department of Minerals and Energy, Department of Agriculture, Water and Rivers Commission and Department of Fisheries. Annex A: Regional Profiles

Distinctive features of the Kimberley region

Relative to the rest of the State, the Kimberley has the following distinctive features: • a very small proportion of the land used for commercial purposes is held as freehold, less than 5 per cent; • high degree of remoteness, particularly in the North Kimberley and in the desert areas to the south of the region; • transfer payments of $238 million into the region makes this a significant contributor to the region’s economy in addition to mining ($665 million) and tourism ($249 million); • the region’s resources of land and water for agricultural development are significantly underused relative to the situation elsewhere in the State; • the region’s mineral resources are still largely insufficiently known and exploited; • high rate of unemployment at 14.3 per cent, June 2002, which compares to 6.2 per cent in regional Western Australia and 6.5 per cent Statewide; • lowest life expectancy amongst males and females of all the regions, with highest incidence xxi of young male suicide; • very high percentage of total power supplies provided by renewable sources (37.5%) compared to the overall figure for the State (1.45%), and • very low level of landscape stress and fragmentation compared to other parts of the State. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

The Mid West Region

SCALE 30km 0 30 60 90 120 150km

MEEKAATHARRATHARRA WILUNA GASCOYNE

MIDWESTE N xxii MURCHISON • Meekatharra • Murchison • Wiluna

CUE • Cue Kalbarri • NORTHAMPTON • Sandstone GOLDFIELDS -ESPERANCE Mt Magnet CHAPMANAPMAN MT MAGNET SANDSTONE VALLEYALLEY • Yalgooalgoo • Mullewa Abrolhos A Islands Geraldton LEGEND MORAWA YALGOOALGOO Regional Boundary • • Morawwa Dongara • Local Government Boundary IRWIN • PERENJORIP N Regional Development Commission Office INDIAN • CARNAMAHC CoorowCoo Townown oorr CityCity ((onlyonly selectedselected ttownsowns hhaveave bbeeneen OCEAN • • Greenhead • shown on this map for reference purposes). COOROW WHEAATBELTBELT SANDSTONE Local Government Authority

History

The Mid West Region of Western Australia extends along the west coast from Green Head to Kalbarri and more than 800 kilometres inland to Wiluna in the Gibson Desert. Its area of 472,336 km2 covers nearly a fifth of the State, and comprises nineteen local government authorities. The City of Geraldton is the region’s commercial, administrative and service centre. The diversity of natural resources in the Mid West has resulted in a wide range of land uses and a broad economic base.

Population distribution and density is related to the intensity of land use. The higher rainfall areas closer to the coast tend to support more intensive agricultural land uses including horticulture and mixed crop / livestock farming. The smaller farms result in relatively higher rural populations which support larger, more closely spaced service centres. As intensity of land use decreases into pastoral and mining areas, local population density declines markedly.

The Mid West has a diverse economy built around mining, agriculture, fishing and tourism. The region is the second largest producer of gold in the State and value of production was worth $792 million in 2001/02. The total value of agricultural commodities in 1999/00 was $613 million, of which $365 million came from wheat and $50 million from wool. Annex A: Regional Profiles

The Mid West region today

The Mid West is home to 50,000 people, 10 per cent of whom are Indigenous people. The population within the region is unevenly dispersed. The City of Geraldton and the Shire of Greenough together account for just over 60 per cent of the region’s population. In contrast, the Shire of Murchison supports a population of less than 200 located mainly on pastoral stations and two small settlements. The proportion of people born outside Australia (12.4%) is much lower than for the State as a whole (26.8%). The demographics of the region are influenced by: • annual population growth rate to the year ending June 2001 was 1.0 per cent, which is less than the overall State figure of 1.5 per cent; • the age distribution of the residents is similar to that for the State as a whole, except for a slight under-representation of youth and young adults in the population; • some agricultural shires are experiencing loss of population as employment in agriculture declines with increased efficiencies of production, and xxiii • conversely, shires close to the coast and major population centres are growing in population as the economy in these areas diversifies.

The region’s economy is summarised in Table 1.

Table 1: The region’s economy at a glance

Industry Total Including

Fishing (2001/02) $157m Western Rock Lobster ($148m)

Tourism (2001) $120m 502,000 domestic visitors

Retail turnover (2001/02) $403m 3,906 people engaged in retail and wholesale (2001)

Mining (2001/02) $1,882m Mainly gold, mineral sands, zinc, petroleum and natural gas

Manufacturing (1999/00) $222m 136 manufacturing establishments

Agriculture (1999/00) $613m Wheat ($365m) Wool ($50m)

Source: Department of Local Government and Regional Development.

The agriculture, forestry and fishing; retail trade and mining sectors are the largest employers in the region. At June 2002, there was 5.2 per cent unemployment in the region. From the 2001 Census, 37 per cent of those employed were managers, administrators or professionals; 23 per cent clerical and 23 per cent labourers.

Vital Statistics

Summary statistics are presented in Table 2. Key economic indicators for the region are presented in Table 3, key social indicators are presented in Table 4 and key environmental indicators are presented in Table 5. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Table 2: Summary indicators for the Mid West region

Item Mid West Regional WA Whole of State

Land area 470,000 2,527,086 2,532,473

Population (2001) 50,463 520,818 1,906,114

Indigenous persons as a proportion of the 10.3 8.4 3.5 population (%) (2001)

Percentage of youth (15-24 yo) in the regions (2001) 12 12 14

Percentage aged people (60+ yo) in the regions (2001) 16 16 15

Population growth rate, June 00 – June 01 (%) 1.0 1.3 1.5

Percentage of region very remote 75 0-99 0-99

Gross regional product per capita (2000-01) $58,509 $50,301 $38,885 xxiv Major contributors to economic output Mining Mining Mining

Agric, Forestry Construction Construction & Fishing

Construction Agric, Forestry Agric, Forestry & Fishing & Fishing

Mean annual economic growth rate (1996-2001) (%) 6.8 6.6 6.2

Landscape stress (2001) Predominantly high Lowest-very high Lowest-very high

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Department of Local Government and Regional Development.

Table 3: Key economic indicators

Key Result Area Item Mid West Regional WA Whole of State

Economic Gross regional product (2000-01) ($billion) 2.95 26.20 74.12 performance

Workforce participation rate (%) (June 2002)* 74.8 Perth = 65.0

Indigenous workforce participation 67 54 60 (excludes CDEP) (%) (1996)

Percentage unemployment (June 2002) 8.3 6.2 6.5

Regional price index (Nov 2000)** 104.1 nd nd

Percentage growth in real income per capita 6.5 4.1 9.3 (1995-2000)

Infrastructure Median value of single residences $115,000 $137,900 $141,900 (March Qtr 2002)

Capital works – new and continuing major $1,140 $850 $650 projects per capita (2001-02)

* average across Kimberley, Pilbara, Gascoyne, Mid West, Goldfields-Esperance regions ** Perth = 100 Source: Department of Local Government and Regional Development, Department of Training, Valuer General’s Office and Department of Treasury and Finance. Annex A: Regional Profiles

Table 4: Key social indicators

Result Area Item Mid West Regional WA Whole of State

Education Percentage of secondary-aged children 79 na 87 attending school in the region

Retention rates to year 12 in schools 43* nd 71

Percentage of 15-44 yo population 2.5 3.1 8.9 enrolled in TAFE

Percentage of Indigenous children attending 66 nd 62 high school

Health & Life expectancy – males/females 77/84 nd 79/85 well being Annual rate of reported offences against the 14 13 12 person (per 1,000 persons)

Percentage of people feeling safe in the 78 85 na xxv community

Financial Average weekly income ($) 532 537 543 independence

Youth Youth unemployment rates (15-19 yo) 21 16 16

Young adult unemployment rates (20-24 yo) 16 12 12

*Approximate due to regional boundaries not exactly aligning Source: Department of Education, Department of Health, Australian Bureau of Statistics, Police Department and Department of Commerce and Trade.

Table 5: Key environmental indicators

Key Result Area Item Mid West Regional WA Whole of State

Land Percentage of area subject to mining (2002) 0.05 0.04 0.04

Farming land requiring treatment for soil 72 66 66 acidity (%) (2000)

Farming land at risk of shallow water tables in 24 24 24 2050 (%)

Range condition Mostly fair Mostly fair Mostly fair

Water Surface water use / availability (2000) 7% 11% 13%

Groundwater water use / availability (2000) 16% 13% 18%

Marine Fish catch / availability Most Most Most commercially commercially commercially targeted targeted targeted species fully species fully species fully exploited exploited exploited

Invasive species per Bioregion 5-12 5-16 5-16

Adequacy of Bioregion representation in the 5.2 Range 5 to 59 nd nature conservation estate (% CALM)

Source: Department of Minerals and Energy, Department of Agriculture, Water and Rivers Commission and Department of Fisheries. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Distinctive features of the Mid West region

Relative to the rest of the State, Mid West has the following distinctive features: • a high proportion of gross regional product attributed to the mining industry (51%) through extraction of a diverse range of minerals; • an agricultural sector diversifying into horticulture, high value crops and value adding of its produce; • a high percentage of agricultural land affected by soil acidity (72%); • relatively high gross regional product per capita ($59,000) compared to the State figure ($39,000), and • very high levels of landscape stress, particularly in the agricultural areas.

xxvi Annex A: Regional Profiles

The Peel Region

PERTH METROPOLITTANAN Byford

Mundijong LEGEND Regional Boundary Jarrahdale Local Government Boundary Serpentine Regional Development Commission Office SERPENTINE – JARRAHDALE Townown oorr CCityity ((onlyonly sselectedelected ttownsowns hhaveave bbeeneen shown on this map for reference purposes). WAROONA Local Government Authority CITY OF MANDURAH Mandurah N Nth Dandalup WHEAATBELTBELT Dawesville MURRAAY Channel Ravenswood xxvii Peel Inlet Pinjarra PEEL

INDIAN Harvey Estuary Dwellingup OCEAN

Boddington

WAROONA Waroona BODDINGTON

SOUTH WEST

SCALE 20km 0 6 12 18 24 30

History

The Peel region is located one hour south of Perth and is a region of considerable contrast, over a relatively short distance. The region features a well-utilised coastal environment, with 75 kilometres of coastline, a network of waterways that have played a very significant role in the region’s development and a forested scarp bordering its eastern fringe. The earliest known inhabitants of the region were the Aborigines of the Pindjarup dialect group of the Noongar people. The first Europeans arrived in the south west of Western Australia in 1829.

Agriculture played a major part of the region’s development. It was during the 1930s that dairying emerged as viable industry in Waroona. Forestry proved to be another significant source of income for the area. In 1827, the Jarrahdale timber industry was commissioned and in the same year, the Rockingham-Jarrahdale railway line was opened in order to bring the timber to the coast. In 1893, the Perth – Picton line was built along the base of the Darling Scarp. This led to the settlement of the towns of Mundijong, Waroona and Dwellingup.

More recently, the Peel region has seen considerable economic activity from the mining sector, particularly alumina. The City of Mandurah is the administrative centre for the Peel region. The other local government authorities are the Shires of Boddington, Murray, Serpentine-Jarrahdale and Waroona. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

The Peel region today

The Peel region is home to almost 80,000 people with recent population growth (3.2%) occurring at over twice the rate in the State as a whole (1.5%). Most of the population lives in the Mandurah area (50,000) and in the peri-urban settlement immediately south of Perth (Byford, Mundijong) and in Pinjarra. The other significant towns are Waroona and Boddington. Although the region retains much of its rural character west of the Darling Scarp, most people work in secondary and tertiary industries, and mining is also a significant employer. The demographics of the region are influenced by: • a ‘spill-over’ in population growth from the neighbouring Perth metropolitan area, with people resident in the region commuting to Perth for work; • low numbers of Indigenous people, compared to the State average; • an over-representation of senior people in the population (21%), as compared to the overall State percentage of people over 60 years of age (15%) – the region is a popular xxviii destination for retirement and relocation from the city, and • slight under-representation of youth and young adults in the population.

The region’s economy is summarised in Table 1.

Table 1: The region’s economy at a glance

Industry Total Including

Fishing (2001/02) $16m Total catch of 745 tonnes

Tourism (2001) $70m 1.6m day trips

Retail turnover (2001/02) $507m 5,567 people engaged in retail and wholesale (2001)

Mining (2001/02) $1,910m Value of alumina production ($1,850 million)

Manufacturing (1999/00) $394m 1,351 people employed

Agriculture (1999/00) $107m Cattle & calf disposals ($18m) Milk ($14m)

Source: Department of Local Government and Regional Development.

The retail trade, manufacturing and construction sectors are the largest employers in the region. At June 2002, there was 5.2 per cent unemployment in the region. From the 2001 Census, 30 per cent of those employed were managers, administrators or professionals; 28 per cent clerical and 23 per cent labourers.

Vital Statistics

Summary statistics are presented in Table 2. Key economic indicators for the region are presented in Table 3, key social indicators are presented in Table 4 and key environmental indicators are presented in Table 5. Annex A: Regional Profiles

Table 2: Summary indicators for the Peel region

Item Peel Regional WA Whole of State

Land area 5,500 2,527,086 2,532,473

Population (2001) 76,734 520,818 1,906,114

Indigenous persons as a proportion of the 1.9 8.4 3.5 population (%) (2001)

Percentage of youth (15-24 yo) in the regions (2001) 12 12 14

Percentage aged people (60+ yo) in the regions 21 16 15 (2001)

Population growth rate, June 00 – June 01 (%) 3.2 1.3 1.5

Percentage of region very remote 0 0-99 0-99

Gross regional product per capita (2000-01) $29,612 $50,301 $38,885 xxix

Major contributors to economic output Mining Mining Mining

Manufacturing Construction Construction

Construction Agric, Forestry Agric, Forestry & Fishing & Fishing

Mean annual economic growth rate (1996-2001) (%) 6.5 6.6 6.2

Landscape stress (2001) High -very high Lowest-very high Lowest-very high

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Department of Local Government and Regional Development.

Table 3: Key economic indicators

Key Result Area Item Peel Regional WA Whole of State

Economic Gross regional product (2000-01) ($billion) 2.27 26.20 74.12 performance Workforce participation rate (%) (June 2002)* 64.4 Perth = 65.0

Indigenous workforce participation 72 54 60 (excludes CDEP) (%) (1996)

Percentage unemployment (June 2002) 7.2 6.2 6.5

Regional price index (Nov 2000)** 100.5 nd nd

Percentage growth in real income per capita 12.0 4.1 9.3 (1995-2000)

Infrastructure Median value of single residences $139,000 $137,900 $141,900 (March Qtr 2002)

Capital works – new and continuing major $139 $850 $650 projects per capita (2001-02)

* the average across the Wheatbelt, South West, Great Southern and Peel regions ** Perth = 100 Source: Department of Local Government and Regional Development, Department of Training, Valuer General’s Office and Department of Treasury and Finance. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Table 4: Key social indicators

Key Result Area Item Peel Regional WA Whole of State

Education Percentage of secondary-aged children 87 na 87 attending school in the region

Retention rates to year 12 in schools 74* nd 71

Percentage of 15-44 yo population enrolled 3.4 3.1 8.9 in TAFE

Percentage of Indigenous children attending 65 nd 62 high school

Health & Life expectancy – males/females 75/83 nd 79/85 well being Annual rate of reported offences against the 9 13 12 person (per 1,000 persons)

xxx Percentage of people feeling safe in the 71 85 na community

Financial Average weekly income ($) 472 537 543 independence

Youth Youth unemployment rates (15-19 yo) 22 16 16

Young adult unemployment rates (20-24 yo) 17 12 12

* Metropolitan school education district figure which includes the Peel Source: Department of Education, Department of Health, Australian Bureau of Statistics, Police Department and Department of Commerce and Trade.

Table 5: Key environmental indicators

Key Result Area Item Peel Regional WA Whole of State

Land Percentage of area subject to mining (2002) 0.07 0.04 0.04

Farming land requiring treatment for soil acidity 83 66 66 (%) (2000)

Farming land at risk of shallow water tables in Minimal 24 24 2050 (%)

Range condition nd Mostly fair Mostly fair

Water Surface water use / availability (2000) 54% 11% 13%

Groundwater water use / availability (2000) 31% 13% 18%

Marine Fish catch / availability Most Most Most commercially commercially commercially targeted targeted targeted species fully species fully species fully exploited exploited exploited

Invasive species per Bioregion 13-16 5-16 5-16

Adequacy of Bioregion representation in 47 Range 5 to 59 nd the nature conservation estate (% CALM)

Source: Department of Minerals and Energy, Department of Agriculture, Water and Rivers Commission and Department of Fisheries. Annex A: Regional Profiles

Distinctive features of the Peel region

Relative to the rest of the State, the Peel region has the following distinctive features: • the Peel region is a favourite destination for people making day trips from the Perth Metropolitan area, with an estimated 1.6 million day trips being made to the region in 2001; • the region has a very high projected population increase of 136 per cent between 2001 and 2031, compared to a range of 29 to 72 per cent throughout the other regions; • Gross regional product per capita ($29,000) is lower than average for the State ($39,000); • the region produces 20 per cent of the world’s feedstock for alumina; • agriculture continues to be a significant source of income for the region, but is not a large employer in relative terms; • agriculture is diversifying with grapes, olives and other horticultural and summer crops being established; xxxi • the natural environment below the Darling Scarp is stressed and development of available water supplies is significantly higher than in other regions, and • there is considerable investment in public transport facilities to the region, particularly extension of the Kwinana Freeway and the Perth-Mandurah rail system. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

The Pilbara Region

LEGEND Regional Boundary Local Government Boundary Regional Development Commission Office Townown oorr CCityity ((onlyonly sselectedelected ttownsowns hhaveave bbeeneen shown on this map for reference purposes). ROEBOURNE Local Government Authority KIMBERLEY INDIAN OCEAN

Port Hedland N Dampier PORT HEDLANDDLAN Karratha ROEBOURNE Marble Bar Onslow PILBARA Pannawonica Nullagine EAST PILBARA ASHBURTON xxxii Tom Price

Paraburdoo Newman

GASCOYNE MID WEST

SCALE 30km 0 30 60 90 120 150km

History

The Pilbara is the second most northern region in Western Australia. The region is bordered by the Northern Territory, the Indian Ocean and it encompasses the Great Sandy Desert. The region contains the rugged Hamersley and Chichester Ranges, with their scenic gorges, major rivers systems such as the De Grey-Oakover, Yule, Turner, Fortescue and Ashburton, and the coastal attractions including the Dampier Archipelago and the Burrup Peninsula.

Evidence of Indigenous occupancy is extensive, with the region containing some of the best rock art in the world. Settlement by Europeans began in the 1860s, with the settlers attracted by opportunities for grazing and pearling. For the next 100 years until the mid 1960s, the region supported a pastoral industry and minor mining ventures in the eastern parts of the region. The population base was small. Commencement of iron ore mining in the 1960s, followed by off- shore oil and gas extraction in the 1970s led to a huge and rapid growth in population, the development of several new towns, and greatly improved infrastructure.

The wealth derived from the Pilbara region is a significant driver of the Western Australian economy. In 2001/02, the region contributed approximately 57 per cent of the value of Western Australia’s mineral and petroleum production. The only other notable contributor to economic growth is tourism, with the grazing industry retaining a stable but small role in the economy. Indigenous contribution to mainstream economic and social life is growing.

The challenge for this region is to manage the tensions between economic and social development so that undesirable compromises may be avoided but more significantly, positive synergies may be realised. The increased number of ‘fly-in fly-out’ workers, and the decline in the number of families with young children has the potential to have significant impacts in the investment in infrastructure and services in many of the towns in the region. Annex A: Regional Profiles

The Pilbara region today

The Pilbara region is home to 40,000 people, most of whom live in the towns of Port Hedland, South Hedland, Karratha, Dampier, Tom Price and Newman. Smaller settlements occur at Roebourne, Onslow, Pannawonica, Paraburdoo, Wickham, Point Sampsom, Jigalong and Yandeyarra, and there are many small Indigenous communities located throughout the Pilbara. Pastoral stations occur throughout the western third of the region. The region has a significant number of Indigenous residents at 16.5 per cent of the total population, which is the third highest percentage in regional WA. Eighteen per cent of the residents were born outside Australia, a proportion which is above the average for regional WA (15%), but it is well below the State average of 27 per cent. The demographics of the region are influenced by: • a slowly declining European population, from a peak population of 48,000 people in the mid-1980s; • improved technologies in the mining and oil and gas industries, and the need for these industries to be internationally competitive has led to reductions in the workforce required xxxiii in these industries; • an increasing proportion of Indigenous people (largely as a result of the total population declining), up from 12 per cent in 1991 to 16.5 per cent in 2001; and • the region has the lowest percentage of senior people in the population (7.9%) and a relatively low proportion of youth and young adults (12.4%).

The region’s economy is summarised in Table 1.

Table 1: The region’s economy at a glance

Industry Total Including

Fishing (2001/02) $13m Total catch of 3,321 tonnes, primarily fin fish and prawns

Tourism (2001) $207m 355,000 domestic visitors

Retail turnover (2001/02) $301m 2,902 people engaged in retail and wholesale (2001)

Mining (2001/02) $14,865m Iron Ore ($5.0b) Crude Oil ($4.2b)

Manufacturing (1999/00) $134m 580 people employed

Agriculture $27m Cattle disposals ($22.9m) Wool ($1.7m)

Source: Department of Local Government and Regional Development.

The mining, construction and retail trade sectors are the largest employers in the region. At June 2002, there was 5.2 per cent unemployment in the region. From the 2001 Census, 32 per cent of those employed were managers, administrators or professionals; 27 per cent labourers and 20 per cent clerical.

Vital Statistics

Summary statistics are presented in Table 2. Key economic indicators for the region are presented in Table 3, key social indicators are presented in Table 4, and key environmental indicators are presented in Table 5. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Table 2: Summary indicators for the Pilbara region

Item Pilbara Regional WA Whole of State

Land area 505,000 2,527,086 2,532,473

Population (2001) 39,676 520,818 1,906,114

Indigenous persons as a proportion of the 16.5 8.4 3.5 population (%) (2001)

Percentage of youth (15-24 yo) in the regions (2001) 12 12 14

Percentage aged people (60+ yo) in the regions (2001) 8 16 15

Population growth rate, June 00 – June 01 (%) -1.3 1.3 1.5

Percentage of region very remote 97 0-99 0-99

Gross regional product per capita (2000-01) $114,625 $50,301 $38,885

Major contributors to economic output Mining Mining Mining

xxxiv Construction Construction Construction

Transport Agric, Forestry Agric, Forestry & Fishing & Fishing

Mean annual economic growth rate 8.4 6.6 6.2 (1996-2001) (%)

Landscape stress (2001) Lowest-very high Lowest-very high Lowest-very high

So urce: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Department of Local Government and Regional Development.

Table 3: Key economic indicators

Key Result Area Item Pilbara Regional WA Whole of State

Economic Gross regional product (2000-01) ($billion) 4.55 26.20 74.12 performance Workforce participation rate (%) (June 2002)* 74.8 Perth = 65.0

Indigenous workforce participation 63 54 60 (excludes CDEP) (%) (1996)

Percentage unemployment (June 2002) 4.3 6.2 6.5

Regional price index (Nov 2000)** 111.3 nd nd

Percentage growth in real income per capita 6.6 4.1 9.3 (1995-2000)

Infrastructure Median value of single residences $173,000 $137,900 $141,900 (March Qtr 2002)

Capital works – new and continuing major $885 $850 $650 projects per capita (2001-02)

* average across Kimberley, Pilbara, Gascoyne, Mid West, Goldfields-Esperance regions ** Perth = 100 Source: Department of Local Government and Regional Development, Department of Training, Valuer General’s Office and Department of Treasury and Finance. Annex A: Regional Profiles

Table 4: Key social indicators

Key Result Area Item Pilbara Regional WA Whole of State

Education Percentage of secondary-aged children 77 na 87 attending school in the region

Retention rates to year 12 in schools 39* nd 71

Percentage of 15-44 yo population 2.6 3.1 8.9 enrolled in TAFE

Percentage of Indigenous children attending 55 nd 62 high school

Health & Life expectancy – males/females 76/83 nd 79/85 well being Annual rate of reported offences against the 15 13 12 person (per 1,000 persons)

Percentage of people feeling safe in the 90 85 na xxxv community

Financial Average weekly income ($) 820 537 543 independence

Youth Youth unemployment rates (15-19 yo) 11 16 16

Young adult unemployment rates (20-24 yo) 8 12 12

* Approximate due to regional boundaries not exactly aligning and because a number of students move to Perth at the end of Year 10 to continue their education. Source: Department of Education, Department of Health, Australian Bureau of Statistics, Police Department and Department of Commerce and Trade.

Table 5: Key environmental indicators

Key Result Area Item Pilbara Regional WA Whole of State

Land Percentage of area subject to mining (2002) 0.01* 0.04 0.04

Farming land requiring treatment for soil nd 66 66 acidity (%) (2000)

Farming land at risk of shallow water tables nd 24 24 in 2050 (%)

Range condition Mostly fair Mostly fair Mostly fair

Water Surface water use / availability (2000) 5% 11% 13%

Groundwater water use / availability (2000) 9% 13% 18%

Marine Fish catch / availability Most Most Most commercially commercially commercially targeted targeted targeted species fully species fully species fully exploited exploited exploited

Invasive species per Bioregion 5-12 5-16 5-16

Adequacy of Bioregion representation in the 6 Range 5 to 59 nd nature conservation estate (% CALM)

*An under-estimate as many of these mines are covered by State Agreement Acts Source: Department of Minerals and Energy, Department of Agriculture, Water and Rivers Commission and Department of Fisheries. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Distinctive features of the Pilbara region

Relative to the rest of the State, Pilbara has the following distinctive features: • seventy four per cent of gross regional product is attributed to mining, with the Pilbara region contributing to over 55 per cent of the value of Western Australia’s mineral and petroleum production; • gross regional product per capita is the highest out of all regions at $115,000 per capita, this compares to $39,000 in Western Australia overall; • Indigenous involvement in the mainstream economic and social life of the region is increasing rapidly, fostered by support for training and employment schemes initiated by mining companies and as a result of Native Title agreements negotiated by resource companies and Indigenous communities, and • youth and young adult unemployment rates are below the State averages.

xxxvi Annex A: Regional Profiles

The South West Region

SCALE 20km 0 10 20 30 40

PEEL

Harvey HARVEY

Bunbury COLLIE WHEAATBELTBELT CITY OF Collie INDIAN N BUNBURY Dardanup OCEAN DARDANUP CAPEL Capel Donnybrook Busselton DONNYBROOK– BALINGUP BUSSELLTONTON Balingup BOYUPBROOK xxxvii Greenbushes Boyup Brook AUGUSTTA– MARGARET RIVER Bridgetown Nannup BRIDGETOWN- GREENBUSHES Margaret River NANNUP Manjimup

SOUTH WEST GREAAT Augusta SOUTHERN

SOUTHERN OCEAN MANJIMUP

LEGEND Regional Boundary Local Government Boundary Regional Development Commission Office Townown oror CityCity (only(only selectedselected ttownsowns havehave bbeeneen shown on this map for reference purposes). MANJIMUP Local Government Authority

History and area

The South West is home to the Noongar people, who retain and cherish important cultural and heritage values across the region. European settlement commenced soon after the establishment of the Swan River Colony, with the establishment of settlements in the Leeuwin-Naturaliste region, by the Bussell family and others and through the ill-fated project sponsored by Thomas Peel in the area north of present-day Bunbury. Timber harvesting through the region was the dominant industry through the 1800s, with the two-kilometre jetty at Busselton an important legacy.

The so-called Group Settlement Scheme, initiated by the State Government after the first world war attempted to dramatically increase population and agricultural activity in the high rainfall areas to the south of the region. It was an expensive failure and resulted in serious economic and social hardship for many of those involved. Over the 20th century, the region was sustained through forestry, dairying, grazing and horticulture, with significant investment in irrigation schemes to support agriculture. In recent years, agriculture has increased in sophistication and diversity, and the region now produces world-class wines, high quality dairy products and an increasing range of horticultural produce for domestic and export markets. Agro-forestry is also an important land use in the higher rainfall areas. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

In the 1960s, exploitation of the valuable bauxite deposits in the Darling Scarp area commenced, and together with industrial mineral extraction from coastal sands and coal mining at Collie have made mining and mineral processing the second most important economic activity in the region.

The South West has the most diverse regional economy of Western Australia. It has abundant mineral deposits, important hardwood forests and productive agricultural industries, as well as substantial manufacturing, commercial, retail and tourism industry sectors. The South West’s gross regional product was $4.6 billion in 2000/01. In 1998 there were more than 7,800 business locations within the South West region, with over one-third of these operating in the agriculture, forestry and fishing industry sector.

The South West region today

xxxviii The South West is home to 130,000 people who live in a large number of towns and settlements throughout the region. The City of Bunbury is the regional administrative centre and supports a very full range of secondary and tertiary industries and services. It is also a major port, servicing agricultural, mining and timber industries. The city’s population is about 30,000. The region is experiencing pressure on land and water resources from competing uses, including residential and peri-urban development, tourism, agricultural intensification and agro-forestry. The demographics of the region are influenced by: • high diversity in the economy, with a strong manufacturing sector ensuring robust employment opportunities; • a lower than average percentage of Indigenous people in the regional population (2.2%) relative to the State figure, although Noongar heritage is very important in the region; • current population growth is occurring at a rate almost 50 per cent higher than that for the State as a whole, and • an age distribution very similar to that across the State as a whole, except for some under- representation amongst young adults.

The region’s economy is summarised in Table 1.

Table 1: The region’s economy at a glance

Industry Total Including

Fishing (2001/02) $20m Primarily abalone, fin fish and rock lobster

Tourism (2001) $401m 1.5m domestic visitors

Retail turnover (2001/02) $977m 10,750 people engaged in retail and wholesale (2001)

Mining (2001/02) $1,500m Produces all of WA’s coal Mineral sands mining ($305m)

Manufacturing (1999/00) $2,960m 420 manufacturing establishments, with 5,021 people employed

Agriculture $473m Milk ($120m) Fruit and Vegetables ($143m)

Source: Department of Local Government and Regional Development. Annex A: Regional Profiles

The retail trade, manufacturing and agriculture, forestry and fishing sectors are the largest em- ployers in the region. At June 2002, there was 5.2 per cent unemployment in the region. From the 2001 Census, 34 per cent of those employed were managers, administrators or professionals; 25 per cent clerical and 24 per cent labourers.

Vital Statistics

Summary statistics are presented in Table 2. Key economic indicators for the region are presented in Table 3, key social indicators are presented in Table 4, and key environmental indicators are presented in Table 5.

Table 2: Summary indicators for the South West region

Item South West Regional WA Whole of State Land area 23,970 2,527,086 2,532,473 xxxix Population (2001) 129,925 520,818 1,906,114

Indigenous persons as a proportion of the population (%) (2001) 2.2 8.4 3.5

Percentage of youth (15-24 yo) in the regions (2001) 13 12 14

Percentage aged people (60+ yo) in the regions (2001) 15 16 15

Population growth rate, June 00 – June 01 (%) 2.4 1.3 1.5

Percentage of region very remote 0 0-99 0-99

Gross regional product per capita (2000-01) $35,085 $50,301 $38,885

Major contributors to economic output Mining Mining Mining

Manufacturing Construction Construction

Construction Agric, Forestry Agric, Forestry & Fishing & Fishing

Mean annual economic growth rate 6.0 6.6 6.2 (1996-2001) (%)

Landscape stress (2001) Very low-very high Lowest-very high Lowest-very high

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Department of Local Government and Regional Development. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Table 3: Key economic indicators

Key Result Area Item South West Regional WA Whole of State

Land Percentage of area subject to mining (2002) 0.01* 0.04 0.04

Economic Gross regional product (2000-01) ($billion) 4.56 26.20 74.12 performance Workforce participation rate (%) (June 2002)* 64.4 Perth = 65.0

Indigenous workforce participation 73 54 60 (excludes CDEP) (%) (1996)

Percentage unemployment (June 2002) 5.3 6.2 6.5

Regional price index (Nov 2000)** 101.7 nd nd

Percentage growth in real income per capita 11.4 4.1 9.3 (1995-2000)

xl Infrastructure Median value of single residences $140,000 $137,900 $141,900 (March Qtr 2002)

Capital works – new and continuing major $983 $850 $650 projects per capita (2001-02)

* the average across the Wheatbelt, South West, Great Southern and Peel regions ** Perth = 100 Source: Department of Local Government and Regional Development, Department of Training, Valuer General’s Office and Department of Treasury and Finance.

Table 4: Key social indicators

Key Result Area Item South West Regional WA Whole of State

Education Percentage of secondary-aged children 83 na 87 attending school in the region

Retention rates to year 12 in schools 63* nd 71 57**

Percentage of 15-44 yo population enrolled 3.6 3.1 8.9 in TAFE

Percentage of Indigenous children attending 65 nd 62 high school

Health & Life expectancy – males/females 79/85 nd 79/85 well being Annual rate of reported offences against 7 13 12 the person (per 1,000 persons)

Percentage of people feeling safe in the 92 85 na community

Financial Average weekly income ($) 497 537 543 independence

Youth Youth unemployment rates (15-19 yo) 15 16 16

Young adult unemployment rates (20-24 yo) 12 12 12

* Warren-Blackwod school education district figure ** Bunbury school education district figure Source: Department of Education, Department of Health, Australian Bureau of Statistics, Police Department and Department of Commerce and Trade. Annex A: Regional Profiles

Table 5: Key environmental indicators

Key Result Area Item South West Regional WA Whole of State

Land Percentage of area subject to mining (2002) 0.09 0.04 0.04

Farming land requiring treatment for soil acidity (%) (2000) 93 66 66

Farming land at risk of shallow water tables in 2050 (%) 5 24 24

Range condition nd Mostly fair Mostly fair

Water Surface water use / availability (2000) 17% 11% 13%

Groundwater water use / availability (2000) 24% 13% 18%

Marine Fish catch / availability Most Most Most commercially commercially commercially targeted targeted targeted xli species fully species fully species fully exploited exploited exploited

Invasive species per Bioregion 13-16 5-16 5-16

Adequacy of Bioregion representation in 59 Range 5 to 59 nd the nature conservation estate (% CALM)

Source: Department of Minerals and Energy, Department of Agriculture, Water and Rivers Commission and Department of Fisheries.

Distinctive features of the South West region

Relative to the rest of the State, South West has the following distinctive features: • the region is the most economically and socially diverse and is also growing rapidly; • the region has a very large tourism industry, with 1.5 million overnight domestic visitors to the South West region in 2001; • there is a high ratio of social security payments to personal income distribution (16% in 1998); • the annual rate of reported offences from 1996 to 1998 is very low at 99 per 1,000 persons; • the region’s farming land is susceptible to high soil acidity, but the threat from secondary salinity is much lower than in the adjacent Wheatbelt areas, and • a higher percentage of land managed to achieve conservation outcomes (either solely, or as part of multiple objectives) than in other regions. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

The Wheatbelt Region

MID WEST

MT MARSHALL DALLWALLINU

Jurien • • Dalwallinu DANDARAGAN MOORA KOORDA WHEAATBELTBELT WONGAN BALLIDU Moora MUKINBUDIN Dandaragan • Bencubbin Koorda • Wongan Hills • • Mukinbudin VICTORIA • WESTONIA Lancelin • PLAINS DOWERIN TRAAYNINYNING YILGARN Calingiri • GINGIN • T • Nungarin Goomalling • Southern Cross xlii G • • Westonia N Gingin • GOOMALLING Guilderton • TOODYAY MERREDIN GOLDFIELDS– ESPERANCE Toodyayoodyay • Merredin Northam mmin • • • Kellerberrin NORTHA TAMMIN PERTH • York Bruce Rock • YORK QUAIRADING NAREMBEEN LEGEND • BRUCE ROCK • • Narembeen Regional Boundary BEVERLEY

Local Government Boundary • Brookton Corrigin • BROOKTON CORRIGIN KONDININ Regional Development Commission Office Y • Kondinin WANDERING • Pingelly Townown oror CityCity (only(only selectedselected ttownsowns havehave bbeeneen Wandering • • WICKEPIN • Kulin PEEL CUBALLING shown on this map for reference purposes). • Wickepin Cuballing • KULIN TAMMINAMMIN Local Government Authority Narrogin LAKE GRACE Williams • NARROGIN • Lake Grace WILLIAMS WAGIN DUMBLEYUNG SOUTH WEST • Darkan • Wagin • Dumbleyung SCALE WEST ARTHUR 20km 0 20 40 60 80 100km GREAAT SSOUTHEROUTHERN

History and area

The development and continued dominance of broad-acre agriculture is the outstanding feature of the Wheatbelt region. The Indigenous history of the Wheatbelt shows that until European settlement, there was relatively little visible impact on the landscape in terms of clearing and landuse. While fire and native wildlife exploitation were features of Indigenous settlement, the impact is regarded as minimal in comparison to the visible impact of pastoralism and agriculture. Indigenous settlements tended to congregate around the local water holes usually associated with granite outcrops.

After settlement in 1831, economic development of the region began in earnest with the harvesting and sale of sandalwood. This product was a valuable source of income for the State, however, the harvesting of sandalwood was poorly managed and as a result the industry peaked in 1848. Those with a view of developing the Wheatbelt had to look elsewhere and so began the expansion of the pastoral industry. While the primary resources, especially land were readily available, it was the lack of infrastructure that constrained the development of this region in particular transport, water supply and communications. It is noteworthy that these three issues continue to influence the development of the Wheatbelt region as evidenced by the various transport, communication and economic development strategies. Annex A: Regional Profiles

Agriculture remains the dominant feature of this landscape with technological innovations dramatically increasing productivity over the last two decades. Gross factor productivity is rising by about 4 per cent per annum, with structural adjustment occurring as consolidation of farms in fewer larger units occurs. However, associated environmental pressures and a steadily declining population in some rural towns are issues influencing regional development policy. Investment in other key areas of economic growth such as the mineral resources and light industry as well as tourism also feature in Wheatbelt development policy. There is continued pressure on the region to encourage people, particularly younger people to the region, with improvement in employment opportunities and ‘quality of life facilities’ the means by which this is most likely to be achieved.

The Wheatbelt region today

The Wheatbelt is home to 72,000 people, with long-term growth predicted. Northam is the main administration centre for the region, although responsibilities for governance are more xliii distributed than in other regions. Other centres defining the region include Moora, Merredin and Narrogin. Those areas closer to Perth (the ‘Avon Arc’ and the Central Coast) are steadily increasing in population, whereas a number of smaller centres in the more remote areas of the region are gradually declining in population. The demographics of the region are influenced by: • the percentage of Indigenous people in the region is above the State average, and their influence in economic, social and cultural life is growing; • demand for rural-residential living and recreational activities in the Avon and Chittering valleys is increasing population and services in those areas; • high growth on the Central Coast. • under-representation of youth and young adults and over-representation of senior people in the population – provision of facilities for the latter cohort is an important requirement for social development; • structural adjustment in broadacre agriculture, with larger farm sizes and reduced on – farm labour, and • many young people leave the district in pursuit of employment or higher education and considerably fewer return.

The region’s economy is summarised in Table 1.

Table 1: The region’s economy at a glance

Industry Total Including

Fishing (2001/02) $76m Total catch of 2,395 tonnes

Tourism (2001) $87m 657,000 domestic visitors

Retail turnover (2001/02) $381m 4,662 people engaged in retail and wholesale (2001)

Mining (2001/02) $515m Gold ($151m) Heavy mineral sands ($242m)

Manufacturing (1999/00) $154m 156 manufacturing establishments, with 873 people employed

Agriculture $2,152m Wheat ($1.2b) Wool ($216m) Livestock ($218m)

Source: Department of Local Government and Regional Development. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

The agriculture, forestry and fishing sector, followed by the retail trade sector, are the largest employers in the region. At June 2002, there was 5.2 per cent unemployment in the region. From the 2001 Census, 47 per cent of those employed were managers, administrators or professionals; 20 per cent labourers and 19 per cent clerical.

Vital Statistics

Summary statistics are presented in Table 2. Key economic indicators for the region are presented in Table 3, key social indicators are presented in Table 4, and key environmental indicators are presented in Table 5.

Table 2: Summary indicators for the Wheatbelt region

xliv Item Wheatbelt Regional WA Whole of State

Land area 154,862 2,527,086 2,532,473

Population (2001) 72,407 520,818 1,906,114

Indigenous persons as a proportion of the 4.6 8.4 3.5 population (%) (2001)

Percentage of youth (15-24 yo) in the regions (2001) 10 12 14

Percentage aged people (60+ yo) in the regions (2001) 20 16 15

Average annual growth rate, -0.1 1.3 1.5 June 91 – June 01 (%)

Percentage of region very remote 12 0-99 0-99

Gross regional product per capita (2001-02) $41,555 $50,301 $38,885

Major contributors to economic output Agric, Forestry Mining Mining & Fishing

Mining Construction Construction

Transport Agric, Forestry Agric, Forestry & Fishing & Fishing

Mean annual economic growth rate 4.4 6.6 6.2 (1996-2001) (%)

Landscape stress (2001) Very high Lowest-very high Lowest-very high

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Department of Local Government and Regional Development. Annex A: Regional Profiles

Table 3: Key economic indicators

Key Result Area Item Wheatbelt Regional WA Whole of State

Economic Gross regional product (2000-01) ($billion) 3.01 26.20 74.12 performance

Workforce participation rate (%) (2001)* 64.4 Perth = 65.0

Indigenous workforce participation 75 54 60 (excludes CDEP) (%) (1996)

Percentage unemployment (June 2001) 4.4 6.2 6.5

Regional price index (Nov 2000)** 103.0 nd nd

Percentage growth in real income per capita -4.3 4.1 9.3 (1995-2000)

Infrastructure Median value of single residences (2001-02) $71,000 $137,900 $141,900

Capital works – new and continuing major $864 $850 $650 projects (2001-02) per capita xlv

* the average across the Wheatbelt, South West, Great Southern and Peel regions ** Perth = 100

Source: Department of Local Government and Regional Development, Department of Training, Valuer General’s Office and Department of Treasury and Finance.

Table 4: Key social indicators

Key Result Area Item Wheatbelt Regional WA Whole of State

Education Percentage of secondary-aged children 84 na 87 attending school in the region

Retention rates to year 12 in schools 61* nd 71 51**

Percentage of 15-44 yo population enrolled 2.6 3.1 8.9 in TAFE

Percentage of Indigenous children attending 69 nd 62 high school

Health & Life expectancy – males/females 79/86 nd 79/85 well being Annual rate of reported offences against 10 13 12 the person (per 1,000 persons)

Percentage of people feeling safe in the community 86 85 na

Financial Average weekly income ($) 474 537 543 independence

Youth Youth unemployment rates (15-19 yo) 16 16 16

Young adult unemployment rates (20-24 yo) 10 12 12

* Narrogin school education district figure ** Midlands school education district figure Source: Department of Education, Department of Health, Australian Bureau of Statistics, Police Department and Department of Commerce and Trade. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Table 5: Key environmental indicators

Key Result Area Item Wheatbelt Regional WA Whole of State

Land Percentage of area subject to mining (2002) 0.04 0.04 0.04

Farming land requiring treatment for soil acidity (%) (2000) 67 66 66

Farming land at risk of shallow water tables in 2050 (%) 30 24 24

Range condition nd Mostly fair Mostly fair

Water Surface water use / availability (2000) 47% 11% 13%

Groundwater water use / availability (2000) 14% 13% 18%

Marine Fish catch / availability Most Most Most commercially commercially commercially targeted targeted targeted species fully species fully species fully xlvi exploited exploited exploited Invasive species per Bioregion 9-12 5-16 5-16

Adequacy of Bioregion representation in the 10 Range 5 to 59 nd nature conservation estate (% CALM)

Source: Department of Minerals and Energy, Department of Agriculture, Water and Rivers Commission and Department of Fisheries.

Distinctive features of the Wheatbelt region

Relative to the rest of the State, Wheatbelt has the following distinctive features: • agriculture, forestry and fishing contributed over 30 per cent of gross regional product, the highest percentage across all the regions; • the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector employs nearly 35 per cent of the Wheatbelt region’s workforce, with the number of small businesses (farms and associated services) providing a higher proportion of employment than in other regions; • responsibilities for governance are distributed across 44 local authorities and many sub-regional centres; • environmental issues are significant with highly stressed landscapes, salinity and a high degree of fragmentation and loss of natural habitat values; and • there is considerable scope for development for the western parts of the region due to its proximity to the metropolitan area. Annex B: School Education District Boundaries

xlvii Indicators of Regional Development in WA

School Education District Boundaries

KIMBERLEY xlviii

PILBARA

MID WEST

GOLDFIELDS

MIDLANDS

Metropolitan Districts

Bunbury NARROGIN ESPERANCE

ALBANY Warren-Blackwood Annex C: Description of Western Australia’s Biogeographic Regions

xlix Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Description of Western Australia’s Biogeographic Regions

AW - Avon Wheatbelt Area of active drainage dissecting a Tertiary plateau in Yilgarn Craton. Gently undulating landscape of low relief. Proteaceous scrub-heaths, rich in endemics, on residual lateritic uplands and derived sandplains; mixed eucalypt, Allocasuarina huegeliana and Jam-York Gum woodlands on Quaternary alluvials and eluvials. Semi-arid (Dry) Warm Mediterranean.

CAR - Carnarvon Quaternary alluvial, aeolian and marine sediments overlying Cretaceous strata. A mosaic of saline alluvial plains with samphire and saltbush low shrublands, Bowgada low woodland on sandy ridges and plains, Snakewood scrubs on clay flats, and tree to shrub steppe over hummock grasslands on and between red sand dune fields. Limestone strata with Acacia startii / bivenosa l shrublands outcrop in the north, where extensive tidal flats in sheltered embayments support Mangal. Arid

CK - Central Kimberley Hilly to mountainous country with parallel siliceous ranges of Proterozoic sedimentary rocks with skeletal sandy soils supporting Plectrachne pungens hummock grasses with scattered trees, and with earths on Proterozoic volcanics in valleys supporting Ribbon Grass with scattered trees. Open forests of River Gum and Pandanus occur along drainage lines. Dry hot tropical, sub-humid to semi-arid, summer rainfall.

COO - Coolgardie Granite Strata of Yilgarn Craton with Archaean Greenstone intrusions in parallel belts. Drainage is occluded. Mallees and scrubs on sandplains associated with lateritised uplands, playas and granite outcrops. Diverse woodlands rich in endemic eucalypts, on low greenstone hills, valley alluvials and broad plains of calcareous earths. In the west, the scrubs are rich in endemic Proteaceae, in the east they are rich in endemic acacias. Arid to Semi-arid Warm Mediterranean.

CR - Central Ranges High proportion of Proterozoic ranges and derived soil plains, interspersed with red Quaternary sandplains. The sandplains support low open woodlands of either Desert Oak or Mulga over Triodia basedowii hummock grasslands. Low open woodlands of Ironwood (Acacia estrophiolata) and Corkwoods (Hakea spp.) over tussock and hummock grasses often fringe ranges. The ranges support mixed wattle scrub or Callitris glaucophylla woodlands over hummock and tussock grasslands. Arid, with summer and winter rain.

DL - Dampierland Quaternary sandplain overlying Jurassic and Mesozoic sandstones with Pindan. Hummock grasslands on hills. Quaternary marine deposits on coastal plains, with Mangal, samphire - Sporobolus grasslands, Melaleuca acacioides low forests, and Spinifex - Crotalaria strand communities. Quaternary alluvial plains associated with the Permian and Mesozoic sediments of Fitzroy Trough support tree savannas of Crysopogon - Dichanthium grasses with scattered Eucalyptus microtheca - Lysiphyllum cunninghamii. Riparian forests of River Gum and Cadjeput fringe drainages. Devonian reef limestones in the north and east support sparse tree steppe over Triodia intermedia and T. wiseana hummock grasses. Dry hot tropical, semi-arid summer rainfall. Annex C: Description of Western Australia’s Biogeographic Regions

ESP - Esperance Plains Proteaceous Scrub and mallee heaths on sandplain overlying Eocene sediments; rich in endemics. Herbfields and heaths (rich in endemics) on abrupt granite and quartzite ranges that rise from the plain. Eucalypt woodlands occur in gullies and alluvial foot- slopes. Warm Mediterranean.

GAS - Gascoyne Rugged low Proterozoic sedimentary and granite ranges divided by broad flat valleys. Open mulga woodlands occur on shallow earthy loams over hardpan on the plains, with mulga scrub and Eremophila shrublands on the shallow stony loams of the ranges. The Carnegie Salient, in the east, is characterised by extensive salt lake features supporting succulent steppes. Arid.

GD - Gibson Desert Lateritised upland on flat-lying Jurassic and Cretaceous sandstones of Canning Basin. Mulga parkland over Triodia basedowii on lateritic “buckshot” plains. Mixed shrub steppe of Acacia, Hakea and Grevillea over Triodia pungens on red sand plains and dune fields. Lateritic uplands support shrub steppe in the north and mulga scrub in the south. Quaternary alluvia associated with palaeo-drainage features support Coolabah woodlands over bunch grasses. Arid, li mainly summer rainfall.

GS - Geraldton Sandplains Mainly proteaceous scrub-heaths, rich in endemics, on the sandy earths of an extensive, undulating, lateritic sandplain mantling Permian to Cretaceous strata. Extensive York Gum and Jam woodlands occur on outwash plains associated drainage. Semi-arid (Dry) warm Mediterranean.

GSD - Great Sandy Desert Mainly tree steppe grading to shrub steppe in south; comprising open hummock grassland of Triodia pungens and Plectrachne schinzii with scattered trees of Owenia reticulata and Bloodwoods, and shrubs of Acacia spp, Grevillea wickhamii and G. refracta, on Quaternary red longitudinal sand dune fields overlying Jurassic and Cretaceous sandstones of the Canning and Armadeus Basins. Casuarina decaisneana (Desert Oak) occurs in the far east of the region. Gently undulating lateritised uplands support shrub steppe such as Acacia pachycarpa shrublands over Triodia pungens hummock grass. Calcrete and evaporite surfaces are associated with occluded palaeo-drainage systems that traverse the desert; these include extensive salt lake chains with samphire low shrublands, and Melaleuca glomerata - M. lasiandra shrublands. Monsoonal influences are apparent in the north-western sector of this region. Arid tropical with summer rain.

GVD - Great Victoria Desert Arid active sand-ridge desert of deep Quaternary aeolian sands overlying Permian and Mesozoic strata of the Officer Basin. Tree steppe of Eucalyptus gongylocarpa, Mulga and E. youngiana over hummock grassland dominated by Triodia basedowii. Arid, with summer and winter rain.

HAM - Hampton Quaternary marine dune systems on a coastal plain of the Eucla Basin, backed by stranded limestone scarp. Areas of marine sand are also perched along the top edge of the scarp. Various mallee communities dominate the limestone scree slopes and pavements, as well as the sandy surfaces. Alluvial and calcareous plains below the scarp support eucalypt woodlands and Myall open low woodlands. Indicators of Regional Development in WA

JF - Jarrah Forest Duricrusted plateau of Yilgarn Craton characterised by Jarrah-Marri forest on laterite gravels and, in the eastern part, by Marri-Wandoo woodlands on clayey soils. Eluvial and alluvial deposits support Agonis shrublands. In areas of Mesozoic sediments, Jarrah forests occur in a mosaic with a variety of species-rich shrublands. Warm Mediterranean.

LSD - Little Sandy Desert Red Quaternary dune fields with abrupt Proterozoic sandstone ranges of Bangemall Basin. Shrub steppe of acacias, Thryptomene and grevilleas over Plectrachne schinzii on sandy surfaces. Sparse shrub-steppe over Triodia basedowii on stony hills, with River Gum communities and bunch grasslands on alluvial deposits in and associated with ranges. Arid with summer rainfall.

MAL – Mallee The south-eastern part of Yilgarn Craton is gently undulating, with partially occluded drainage. Mainly mallee over myrtaceous-proteaceous heaths on duplex (sand over clay) soils. Melaleuca shrublands characterise alluvia, and Halosarcia low shrublands occur on saline alluvium. A mosaic of mixed eucalypt woodlands and mallee occur on calcareous earth plains and lii sandplains overlying Eocene limestone strata in the east. Semi-arid (Dry) Warm Mediterranean.

MUR – Murchison Mulga low woodlands, often rich in ephemerals, on outcrop and fine-textured Quaternary alluvial and eluvial surfaces mantling granitic and greenstone strata of the northern part of the Yilgarn Craton. Surfaces associated with the occluded drainage occur throughout with hummock grasslands on Quaternary sandplains, saltbush shrublands on calcareous soils and Halosarcia low shrublands on saline alluvia. Areas of red sandplains with mallee-mulga parkland over hummock grasslands occur in the east.

NK - North Kimberley Dissected plateau of Kimberley Basin. Savanna woodland of Woolybutt and Darwin Stringy bark over high Sorghum grasses and Plectrachne schinzii hummock grasses on shallow sandy soils on outcropping Proterozoic siliceous sandstone strata. Savanna woodlands on Eucalyptus tectifica - E. grandiflora alliance over high Sorghum grasses on red and yellow earths mantling basic Proterozoic volcanics. Riparian closed forests of paperbark trees and Pandanus occur along drainage lines. Extensive Mangal occurs in estuaries and sheltered embayments. Numerous small patches of monsoon rainforest are scattered through the district. Dry hot tropical, sub-humid, summer rainfall.

NUL – Nullarbor Tertiary limestone plain; subdued arid karst features. Bluebush - Saltbush steppe in central areas; low open woodlands of Myall over bluebush in peripheral areas, including Myoporum platycarpum and E. oleosa in the east and west. Arid Non-seasonal.

OVP - Ord-Victoria Plains Level to gently undulating plains with scattered hills on Cambrian volcanics and Proterozoic sedimentary rocks; vertosols on plains and predominantly skeletal soils on hills; grassland with scattered Bloodwood and Snappy Gum with spinifex and annual grasses. Dry hot tropical, semi-arid summer rainfall. The lithological mosaic has three main components: Annex C: Description of Western Australia’s Biogeographic Regions

Abrupt Proterozoic and Phanerozoic ranges and scattered hills mantled by shallow sand and loam soils supporting Triodia hummock grasslands with sparse low trees.

Cambrian volcanics and limestones form extensive plains with short grass (Enneapogon spp.) on dry calcareous soils and medium-height grassland communities (Astrebla and Dichanthium) on cracking clays. Riparian forests of River Gums fringe drainage lines.

In the south-west, Phanerozoic strata expressed as often lateritised upland sandplains with sparse trees. This component recurs as the Sturt Plateau Region in central Northern Territory.

PIL – Pilbara There are four major components to the Pilbara Craton.

Hamersley. Mountainous area of Proterozoic sedimentary ranges and plateaux with Mulga low woodland over bunch grasses on fine textured soils and Snappy Gum over Triodia brizoides on skeletal sandy soils of the ranges. liii The Fortescue Plains. Alluvial plains and river frontages. Salt marsh, mulga-bunch grass, and short grass communities on alluvial plains. River Gum woodlands fringe the drainage lines. This is the northern limit of Mulga (Acacia aneura).

Chichester. Archaean granite and basalt plains supporting shrub steppe characterised by Acacia pyrifolia over Triodia pungens hummock grasses. Snappy Gum tree steppes occur on ranges.

Roebourne. Quaternary alluvial plains with a grass savanna of mixed bunch and hummock grasses, and dwarf shrub steppe of Acacia translucens over Triodia pungens. Samphire, Sporobolus and Mangal occur on marine alluvial flats. Arid tropical with summer rain.

SWA - Swan Coastal Plain Low lying coastal plain, mainly covered with woodlands. It is dominated by Banksia or Tuart on sandy soils, Allocasuarina obesa on outwash plains, and paperbark in swampy areas. In the east, the plain rises to duricrusted Mesozoic sediments dominated by Jarrah woodland. Warm Mediterranean. Three phases of marine sand dune development provide relief. The outwash plains, once dominated by A. obesa-marri woodlands and Melaleuca shrublands, are extensive only in the south.

TAN - Tanami Desert Mainly red Quaternary sandplains overlying Permian and Proterozoic strata which are exposed locally as hills and ranges. The sandplains support mixed shrub steppes of Hakea suberea, desert bloodwoods, acacias and grevilleas over Triodia pungens hummock grasslands. Wattle scrub over T. pungens hummock grass communities occur on the ranges. Alluvial and lacustrine calcareous deposits occur throughout. In the north they are associated with Sturt Creek drainage, and support Crysopogo Indicators of Regional Development in WA

VB - Victoria Bonaparte Phanerozoic strata of the Bonaparte Basin in the north-western part are mantled by Quaternary marine sediments supporting Samphire - Sporobolus grasslands and mangal, and by red earth plains and black soil plains with an open savanna of high grasses. Plateaux and abrupt ranges of Proterozoic sandstone, known as the Victoria Plateau, occur in the south and east, and are partially mantled by skeletal sandy soils with low tree savannas and hummock grasslands. In the south east are limited areas of gently undulating terrain on a variety of sedimentary rocks supporting low Snappy Gum over hummock grasslands and also of gently sloping floodplains supporting Melaleuca minutifolia low woodland over annual sorghums. Dry hot tropical, semi- arid summer rainfall.

WAR – Warren Dissected undulating country of the Leeuwin Complex and Albany Orogen with loamy soils supporting Karri forest, laterites supporting Jarrah-Marri forest, leached sandy soils in depressions and plains supporting paperbark/sedge swamps, and Holocene marine dunes with Agonis flexuosa woodlands. Moderate Mediterranean.

liv YAL – Yalgoo Mulga, Callitris-E. salubris, and Bowgada open woodlands and scrubs on earth to sandy-earth plains in the western Yilgarn Craton. Rich in ephemerals. This is an inter-zone. Arid to semi-arid warm Mediterranean.

Source: Thackway, R. & Cresswell, I.D. (1995). An Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia: A Framework for Establishing the National System of Reserves, Version 4.0, Australian Nature Conservation Agency, Canberra. Annex D: Local Government Areas by Region

lv Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Local Government Areas by Region

Gascoyne Mid West South West Carnarvon (S) Carnamah (S) Augusta-Margaret River (S) Exmouth (S) Chapman Valley (S) Boyup Brook (S) Shark Bay (S) Coorow (S) Bridgetown-Greenbushes (S) Upper Gascoyne (S) Cue (S) Bunbury (C) Geraldton (C) Busselton (S) Goldfields-Esperance Greenough (S) Capel (S) Coolgardie (S) Irwin (S) Collie (S) Dundas (S) Meekatharra (S) Dardanup (S) Esperance (S) Mingenew (S) Donnybrook-Balingup (S) Kalgoorlie/Boulder (C) Morawa (S) Harvey (S) lvi Laverton (S) Mount Magnet (S) Manjimup (S) Leonora (S) Mullewa (S) Nannup (S) Menzies (S) Murchison (S) Ngaanyatjarraku (S) Northampton (S) Ravensthorpe (S) Perenjori (S) Sandstone (S) Great Southern Three Springs (S) Albany (C) Wiluna (S) Broomehill (S) Yalgoo (S) Cranbrook (S) Denmark (S) Peel Gnowangerup (S) Boddington (S) Jerramungup (S) Mandurah (C) Katanning (S) Murray (S) Kent (S) Serpentine-Jarrahdale (S) Kojonup (S) Waroona (S) Plantagenet (S) Tambellup (S) Pilbara Woodanilling (S) Ashburton (S) East Pilbara (S) Kimberley Port Hedland (T) Broome (S) Roebourne (S) Derby-West Kimberley (S) Halls Creek (S) Wyndham-East Kimberley (S) Annex D: Local Government Areas by Region

Wheatbelt Perth Metropolitan Beverley (S) Armadale (C) Brookton (S) Bassendean (T) Bruce Rock (S) Bayswater (C) Chittering (S) Belmont (C) Corrigin (S) Cambridge (T) Cuballing (S) Canning (C) Cunderdin (S) Claremont (T) Dalwallinu (S) Cockburn (C) Dandaragan (S) Cottesloe (T) Dowerin (S) East Fremantle (T) Dumbleyung (S) Fremantle (C) lvii Gingin (S) Gosnells (C) Goomalling (S) Joondalup (C) Kellerberrin (S) Kalamunda (S) Kondinin (S) Kwinana (T) Koorda (S) Melville (C) Kulin (S) Mosman Park (T) Lake Grace (S) Mundaring (S) Merredin (S) Nedlands (C) Moora (S) Peppermint Grove (S) Mount Marshall (S) Perth (C) Mukinbudin (S) Rockingham (C) Narembeen (S) South Perth (C) Narrogin (S) Stirling (C) Narrogin (T) Subiaco (C) Northam (S) Swan (C) Northam (T) Victoria Park (T) Nungarin (S) Vincent (T) Pingelly (S) Wanneroo (C) Quairading (S) Tammin (S) Toodyay (S) Trayning (S) Victoria Plains (S) Wagin (S) Wandering (S) West Arthur (S) Westonia (S) Wickepin (S) Williams (S) Wongan-Ballidu (S) Wyalkatchem (S) Yilgarn (S) York (S) Indicators of Regional Development in WA

lviii Annex E: Australian Standard Geographical Classification Areas and Corresponding Regional Development Commission Regions

lix Indicators of Regional Development in WA

Australian Standard Geographical Classification Areas and Corresponding Regional Development Commission Regions

The following table presents the combination of Australian Standard Geographical Classification areas used to determine the relevant Regional Development Commission regions.

RDC Region ASGC Equivalent

Gascoyne Gascoyne (SSD) lx Goldfields-Esperance South Eastern (SD)

Great Southern Lower Great Southern (SD)

Kimberley Kimberley (SD)

Mid West Central (SD) – Gascoyne (SSD)

Peel Mandurah (SSD) + Boddington (SLA) + Serpentine-Jarrahdale (SLA) + Waroona (SLA)

Pilbara Pilbara (SD)

South West South West (SD) – Mandurah (SSD)

Wheatbelt Upper Great Southern (SD) + Midlands (SD)

Perth Perth (SD) – Serpentine-Jarrahdale (SLA)

SD Statistical Division SSD Statistical Subdivision SLA Statistical Local Area URS Australia Pty Ltd ACN 46 000 691 690 Level 3, The Hyatt Centre 20 Terrace Road East Perth, WA 6004 Australia Tel: 61 8 9221 1630 Fax: 61 8 9221 1639