Business investment in Western Australia has risen 35% drawing industry leaders to last week’s Conference in Perth

25^th September 2013, Perth, Australia: Last week key stakeholders gathered in Perth to discuss resource and infrastructure updates in Western Australia; this meeting of the minds has been running annually for the past 3 years at the Perth Convention & Exhibition Centre. As Western Australia’s economy is driven by the mining and construction sectors; this Conference covered the following areas – the State Aviation Strategy, Pilbara, Regional Development, Economic Sustainability and much more.

Over two days the Conference attracted over 260 CEOs, Directors, Project Managers and Consultants from government, construction and mining sectors. Nicole Lockwood, Associate Director, KPMG was a standout speaker on day one and again on day two for her contributions to the Panel Discussion. She identified that the event fostered the importance to centre dialogue about what is possible with strong governance, strategy and leadership.

Pilbara was a hot topic of discussion at the Conference; the Pilbara region covers 500,000 square kilometres in the centre of Western Australia including areas such as Dampier, Karratha, Tom Price, Port Headland, Onslow, Paraburdoo and Newman. Dr Ken King from Pilbara Development Commission discussed the 2035 plan where the Pilbara region will offer a sustainable and diverse economy. Already 4 years into making this 2035 plan a reality, numerous projects are happening in the region.

Sue McCarrey, Deputy Director General Policy and Planning, Department of Transport discussed the State Aviation Strategy for Perth Airport this comes at a time where the Western Australia’s economic growth is high, FIFO deployment is increasing and congestion and delays at Perth Airport is unavoidable. The objectives for this strategy are to support economic and social development and provide a sound framework for policy setting, future planning and investment.

Participants shared their experiences - Sonia Sinclair, CFO, Australia Cultural Heritage Management stated that she found the Conference to be a stand out, providing valuable insight to local and state projects, industries and Government. Jeff Miller, CEO, Civil Contractors Federation WA commented that the Conference enabled delegates to get the right information, from the right people in a timely fashion.

Key industry suppliers were at Conference, this included Projectlink, SAI Global, Complete Corporate Health, ACHM, C.R Kennedy, Ausco, Acciona and Humes. The Conference also hosted other vital speakers which included: Roger Johnston, CEO, Port Hedland Authority, Paul Gale, A/Director State Workforce Planning, Department of Training and Workforce Development WA, Simon Skevington, Project Director Reform, Department of Mines and Petroleum and many more.

16-17 September 2014 marks the 4^th Annual Western Australia Resource and Infrastructure Conference, more details about this year’s event and updates for next year’s Conference can be found at www.wainfrastructure.com.au.