China plan a boost for Aboriginal jobs
Kimberley traditional owners and the Chinese-backed company developing Ord Stage 2 have signed a new agreement to allow work to progress on Knox Plain.
Premier Colin Barnett and Regional Development Minister Terry Redman were in Kununurra this week for the official signing of the Aboriginal development package, which included commitments by Kimberley Agricultural Investment to employ a 25 per cent Aboriginal workforce.
The deal, which follows a similar agreement signed for 7400ha of land on Goomig Plain, unlocks a further 6000ha for KAI to clear and prepare for agricultural use.
KAI, an arm of private Chinese company Shanghai Zhongfu, was named preferred proponent to develop Goomig and Knox Plains late in 2012 based on plans to develop a major sugar industry.
Miriuwung Gajerrong Corporation chairman Desmond Hill said the agreement between his people and KAI was the start of a strong partnership that would provide opportunities for Aboriginal people.
"There are a lot of opportunities in the future and a lot of other parcels of land to work on," he said.
"On Goomig, KAI have a lot of local Aboriginal people working which they're not actually obligated to do, and having this agreement shows more faith in employing our local people."
"At the moment a lot of them are on machines, excavators, bulldozers, laser levellers and those sort of things, but moving forward if they go on to start growing and processing sugar, there will be a lot more employment across the board."
KAI chief executive Jian Zhong Yin said, through an interpreter, that the signing of the agreement was not the end of a negotiation, rather the start of a bond.
"We will continue to work together for a stronger relationship," he said. Mr Redman said the signing was another key milestone project and would hopefully deliver social and economic benefits to the traditional owners.
"What is significant to the project for KAI is scale and it is very important to the State and others that we keep that pipeline of development happening to ensure they get the scale they need for sugar mill processing," he said.
Mr Redman said new parcels of land on the Ord West Bank would be released in coming months, while the State was also working closely with the Northern Territory Government to open up land for Ord Stage 3.
"We are doing what we can as a State, and bear in mind it is not our jurisdiction, so we can encourage, we can support, we can talk and lobby and we are doing that," he said.
Mr Barnett said he was impressed the package had been negotiated by MG Corporation and KAI, with the State Government largely as a bystander.
See next week's _Kimberley Echo _ for a full wrap of the State Cabinet visit to Kununurra.
