Western Australia to invest $5.8 Million in three new Ealry Learning Centers

The Federal Minister for Early Childhood Education and Child Care Kate Ellis  announced $5.8 million for three new Early Learning and Care Centres in Western Australia.

The Australian Government will invest $5.8 million in building new centres at Karratha in the state’s north-west, and Darch and Mirrabooka in Perth’s northern suburbs.

The Karratha centre will be built at Tambrey Primary School with $2.2 million of Australian Government funding. It will provide 120 new long day care places for Pilbara youngsters.

Woodside Energy will provide more than $4 million over three years to the centre.

“This partnership is a fine example of how the Federal Government and local industry are working together to deliver high quality care and education for Australian children and their families,” Ms Ellis said.

“The Pilbara is key to our nation’s economic development and this service will help companies, like Woodside, to attract and retain a skilled workforce.”

About $1.8 million in Australian Government funding will be invested in centres at Darch and Mirrabooka.

Ashdale Primary School will host the Darch centre and will offer at least 50 new long day care places, while the Mirrabooka Early Learning and Care Centre will also offer about 50 new places.

All three centres will be built by 2010 on land contributed by the WA Government.

The construction of the centres on school sites presents opportunities for future integration of education and care services with junior schooling.

“The Australian Government is working hard to provide families with access to quality early childhood education and care,” Ms Ellis said.

“These centres will also provide more job opportunities and boost local economies.”

The Australian Government is continuing to discuss an Early Learning and Care Centre for Port Hedland with the WA Government.

An Autism-specific Early Learning and Care Centre was announced for Perth last month.

The new centres form part of the Australian Government’s $114.5 million plan to build 38 Early Learning and Care Centres by 2010.

This initiative is part of the Australian Government’s Education Revolution, which is improving early childhood care and education for Australia’s children and families.

Source  :  www.thegovmonitor.com

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It’s Barnett the Builder

Job creation and capital works projects will form the cornerstone of this year’s state budget, West Australian Premier Colin Barnett says. 

The WA government on Thursday will deliver its first budget since elected last year.

“It will be responsible and I think you will see it supports maintaining  jobs and supports the future development of this state,” Mr Barnett said on Wednesday.

“And you will see not only that, but a number of measures designed to maintain jobs, particularly in the small- to medium-size business sector.”

The government is under pressure to maintain a surplus after Mr Barnett’s commitment to deliver surpluses in the next two budgets.

While seeking to maintain the state’s AAA credit rating, the government is also facing demands from WA’s peak business lobby to deliver on an election promise to cut taxes by $250 million.

Mr Barnett said the state’s budget and finances would need some “rejigging” to match a $263 million federal government commitment in Wednesday’s federal budget to put the Perth rail line and bus station underground.

“Yes, we will have to have some rejigging of the state budget and finances because we originally sought 50/50 funding just to sink the rail line,” Mr Barnett said.

“The commonwealth’s taken up the point. It was an issue I discussed with the prime minister in Perth about three weeks ago and I just made the point to him quite informally that if we’re going to sink the rail line it would actually be commonsense to sink the bus station too …

“He’s obviously taken it on board so we’re going to make sure that happens.”

The federal government also pledged $339 million for a deepwater port at Oakajee, in the state’s midwest, which will boost iron ore exports in the region.

The WA government had already spent about $20 million on Oakajee and private proponents were now spending $100 million on the design of the deepwater port and rail line, he said. Continued…

www.watoday.com.au

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BHP targets WA’s first uranium mine

BHP Billiton says it expects initial production from WA’s first uranium mine within five years and Government approval for its multi-billion-dollar Olympic Dam uranium and copper mine expansion in South Australia by mid next year.

 BHP Billiton Uranium Australia manager of corporate affairs Richard Yeeles said today that the mining giant’s Yeelirrie uranium project near Wiluna in WA’s mid west region could be the State’s first uranium mine, with first production slated for 2014.

The project, a proposed open-cut mine, could have a life of between 20 and 40 years.

BHP Billiton and the world’s largest uranium producer, Cameco Corporation, are vying to open up the State’s first uranium mine after the Liberal government last year lifted a six-year ban on uranium mining imposed by the previous Labor government.

Canada’s Cameco and Japan’s Mitsubishi acquired Kintyre from Rio Tinto Ltd for $US495 million ($657.9 million) in July.

Another potential near-term uranium development in WA is Toro Energy’s Lake Way-Centipede project.

Mr Yeeles said BHP Billiton was liaising with the WA Government to determine a framework for approving the Yeelirrie project.

He said it was already covered by a State agreement that had been ratified by an act of State Parliament.

The agreement was secured by WMC Resources, which discovered the Yeelirrie deposit in 1972 and which was taken over by BHP Billiton in 2005.

“That agreement remains available today for BHP Billiton to undertake this project,” Mr Yeeles told a conference in Perth today.

He said the mining giant was confirming the uranium resource at the project leading up to a pre-feasibility study.

“This may be the first uranium project in WA,” Mr Yeeles said.

“We anticipate significant community unrest.

“(But) we’ve been able to demonstrate by performance (at Olympic Dam) that this is a very safe industry and hope to do the same in WA.

“Yeelirrie is taking its first steps but is another outstanding long-term opportunity.”

Uranium from the mine would be transported to Adelaide or Darwin for export, Mr Yeeles said.

BHP Billiton also said it expected its recently released environmental impact statement for the Olympic Dam expansion could be given the nod by early 2010 but more likely by mid next year.

The plan requires approval by the Federal, South Australian and Northern Territory governments, given that concentrates will be exported from Darwin.

“We assume that if the government approves this project, it will be with conditions,” Mr Yeeles said.

“Until we get the Government decision, we’re not in a position to decide where to take this project next.

“When we get (the) decisions is ultimately in the hands of the Government, but I would suggest it could be early next year.

“But given the … public submissions we expect to get, we would expect Government decisions by the middle of 2010.”

BHP Billiton would not necessarily start work on the expansion as soon as approvals were received but would take the global economic climate into account, Mr Yeeles said.

“The company is not in a position to commit to a specific timeline at this stage,” he said.

Analysts said recently that the Olympic Dam expansion could be delayed by at least two years due to the worldwide financial crisis.

Operations at Olympic Dam are expected to continue for another century under the expansion plans, which would promote it from the world’s third largest uranium mine to the world’s largest open-cut mine of any commodity.

The West Australian

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Jobs and Careers

EPRA is currently in the midst of an exciting period in the revitalisation of some of Perth’s inner city areas.

 jobs@epra.wa.gov.au.

Further Information / Advice for Applicants

• Am I eligible to apply for a position with the WA Government?

Anyone can apply for vacancies advertised on http://www.jobs.wa.gov.au unless stated otherwise in the advertisement. Australian Citizenship or permanent residency is an essential requirement for permanent positions in the public sector. Non-permanent residents who have an appropriate visa are eligible for fixed term appointments.

Expressions of Interest

If you would like to register your interest in working at EPRA, please download the Expression of Interest for and return it, along with your CV, marked ‘Private and Confidential’ to the HR Office, Locked Bag 8, Perth Business Centre, WA, 6849. Alternatively, email to jobs@epra.wa.gov.au.

Complete the Expression of Interest Form.

 http://www.epra.wa.gov.au/About-Us/Careers/

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