WA Premier Mark McGowan joined local MLA Mick Murray in Collie to announce the $60 million Industry Attraction and Development Fund to create local jobs and secure the future of Collie.
The fund will be available for large-scale initiatives that will promote economic diversity, job creation and sustainability in Collie.
The State Budget will include $60 million for the fund. This funding was previously earmarked to establish a biomass energy plant and a solar farm in Collie.
The WA Government has made the decision to invest the funding previously set aside for biomass and solar projects to create the new Industry Attraction and Development Fund. The Government believes renewable energy could still have a future in Collie but it needs to be part of a broader economic development strategy.
An initiative supported through the fund is the $10 million Collie Adventure Trails plan to establish Collie as Western Australia’s premier ‘trail adventure town’, which will create jobs for locals and support the local economy.
The fund comes on top of the $20 million Collie Futures Fund, which is already providing financial support and investment into the Collie region.
Source: WA Government