Peel Economic Development Initiative

Approach

The Peel Economic Development Initiative is a short term, focused program of strategic activities, or interventions, to facilitate investment-led growth, and to create the conditions and opportunities for successful new fixed-investment into the region. This initiative is not a substitute for social delivery, nor does it replace the need for a comprehensive and integrated development strategy in due course.

Purpose

The Peel Economic Development Initiative has as its key purpose, to:

• Unlock the inherent un- and under-utilised economic potential of the region;
• Create a critical mass of integrated and synchronized private sector investment and infrastructure developments necessary to kick-start a sustainable economic development process;
• Enhance the attractiveness of the region for investment by advocating for the removal of bureaucratic, administrative and institutional impediments;
• Providing a spatial focus for, and tool to facilitate other regional economic growth and development initiatives.

Methodology

The Peel Economic Development Initiative is a bold project-based and investment-led initiative, which has as its fundamental objective the delivery of key anchor sector investment projects and related infrastructure projects, in order to:

• Catalyse sustainable economic growth;
• Contribute to job creation;
• Influence diversification in the regions economy;
• Influence the size and composition of the regions exports;
• Contribute to the development of a conducive business and investment environment, and;
• Contribute to the development of new policy.

 

Peel Workforce Development Strategy

The Department of Training and Workforce Development is developing a workforce development plan.  The workforce development plan will assist the State Government and the Department to guide workforce development policy and training in line with the needs of the economy.

The WA workforce development plan: A skilled workforce for the future issues paper invited Western Australian businesses and community to take part in shaping their future workforce and contribute the development and coordination of future skills and labour needs.

Workforce development will build, attract and retain a skilled workforce to meet the economic needs of Western Australia.

The Peel Development Commission launched its own workforce development strategy in November 2006; this is currently being reviewed due to expected skills shortages, existing levels of employability in the Regional workforce, and gaps in employment and training for the next ten years.

  

Skilled Migration Attraction

The Peel Development Commission is gazetted by the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship to act as a Regional Certifying Body to assist with skilled migration opportunities in the Peel Region.

The Commission is available to assist and support the Peel small business community by providing the certification service for employers seeking to recruit overseas skilled workers when all attempts to recruit locally have been exhausted.

The Commission also promotes the region by attending employment expos and providing promotional and employment information to the Department of Immigration and Citizenship and the State Migration Centre for distribution at international expos.  
 

Peel Region Tourist Railway

In partnership with the Rail Heritage Foundation of WA, Shire of Murray and Shire of Boddington, the Peel Development Commission continues to provide funds management services for the development of the Peel Region Tourist Railway. The project has been re-scoped in response to changes in the environment, including cost escalation resulting from the construction boom and buoyant economy.

The Shire of Murray project managed the construction of the Pinjarra Station building in Pinjarra which is tenanted by the Pinjarra Visitor Centre and the Alcoa Tour Desk.  The Shire of Murray will liaise with the Rail Heritage Foundation of WA to research the most appropriate safe pedestrian access to cross over the rail tracks. 

Works will also commence in Boddington with the refurbishment of the historic Tullis Bridge and the creation of a picnic area along with the clearing of the rail reserve to develop a walk trail.
 
The Peel Development Commission was instrumental in the successful granting of funds through the Western Australian State Government to restore infrastructure and assets damaged by bushfires in late 2006 early 2007.  $2.1 million has been made available under management by the Commission.  Hotham Valley Tourist Railway is currently project managing the works which are scheduled for completion in October 2008.

 

Indigenous Engagement and Participation

The Commission is working with industry, community and job providers to develop strategies that will help increase Indigenous employment and economic engagement. It is intended that the strategies will support the region’s industry to develop an agreed direction, and will work with the local indigenous community to refine and strengthen that direction with community input.  The intended result is an agreed employment strategy and implementation plan that is endorsed by industry and Peel Indigenous people. 

To facilitate the development of a Peel Indigenous Employment Strategy, a Peel Indigenous Reference Group is currently being established. The objective of this group will be to improve participation of Indigenous people and communities and to find innovative ways of overcoming regional challenges, such as increased employment and developing opportunities for indigenous people to reconnect with the land through delivery of priority NRM programs. The Peel Regional Indigenous Reference Group has been selected via a transparent process that assesses their current effectiveness in progressing the well-being of their communities, their capacities to benefit from regional support and the potential for innovation and the creation of lasting community solutions.