Collie gets millions in State Government funding boost

A swag of business and organisations in Collie have been given a boost by the State Government with Bunbury MLA Don Punch in town on Wednesday to show the State the coal town is worth investing in. Businesses will share in $373,767 through the Collie Futures Small Grants Program and a further three programs will be supported with the latest Collie Futures Industry Development Fund sharing in $2.27 million. As part of the small grants program $100,000 will go towards upgrading 10 rooms at the Victoria Hotel that have not been used since 2018 to cater for rising accommodation demands, and $99,592 will go to WA South West Plan Managers to develop a new hub in Collie for National Disability Insurance Scheme participants and providers in the South West. Additionally, $87,675 for Drone Elevation will see a new start-up offer mapping services for the region and an $86,500 grant for Spry’s Meat Market will enable the established business to expand its product offering through the onsite production of smallgoods. From the other fund, $572,000 will see Commercial Dive Academy expand its business from Tasmania to establish a permanent school at Collie that will meet demand for occupational training. Collie River Dental Centre, which has been allocated $700,000, will expand and modernise its facility to meet local needs. Summit Southern Cross Power Holdings will receive $1 million for a feasibility study into the construction of a Liquid Air Energy Storage facility. Additionally, $2.74 million from the Collie Industry Attraction and Development Fund will deliver improved access to the Wellington National Park. Mr Punch told the Times it was exciting to see the funding spread across a range of different industries and services. “There’s some really interesting new style businesses (such as) the Commercial Dive Academy which will be making use of Lake Kepwari for deep water dive training,” he said. “That’s going to be pretty unique for Western Australia. It’s a totally new style of business.” As Minister for Regional Development, Mr Punch said it was important for the State Government to continue to invest in Collie to show residents they would not be forgotten as industries change. “It’s so well positioned on the Collie River, set in the forest, it’s a major service centre, it has a lot of infrastructure and the fact it is moving out of traditional coal-fired power production doesn’t mean to say it doesn’t have an economic future,” he said. “All the work we’re doing is in collaboration with the community — and the shire council are great partners in this work as is local industry — to look at how we the maximise opportunities for new major industry to locate in Collie, but also to be supported and to have access to the kind of services people expect in a contemporary medium sized town. “We don’t just want to maintain what Collie is, but we want to enable it to grow in a new direction.” Collie-Preston MLA Jodie Hanns said it was exciting to see business plans being put into action and creating opportunities for residents. “This is more exciting news for Collie, that points to a bright future for the community with new jobs created across a range of industries and better quality of life for local residents,” she said. “It’s really exciting that business and industries are seeing what Collie has to offer and how the Cook Government can assist them in achieving their goals.”