Collie Futures
Collie is transforming
The South West town of Collie proudly powers Western Australia through its coal mines, power stations and rich resources. And now Collie is also gaining attention for its lifestyle, outdoors and adventure attractions nestled amongst its national parks and picturesque lakes.
Due to global trends towards renewable energy, customer demands and new technologies, Collie’s economy is moving away from being solely dependent on coal-fired power as it adapts and attracts new industries.
The State Government’s Collie Delivery Unit coordinates, oversees and promotes activities and initiatives that support the future prosperity of Collie.
Economic transition
About
The Economic Development Action Plan for the Collie and Bunbury Regions 2020-2026 has been developed by the State Government to strengthen and drive the diversification and transformation of the Collie economy into the future.
The plan focuses on economic development, job creation opportunities, attracting investment, infrastructure growth and sustainability of the community’s population growth to support the economic transition of the region.
The South West Development Commission and Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation led the development of the EDAP in collaboration with the Departments of Primary Industries and Regional Development; Premier and Cabinet; Training and Workforce Development and other State and Local Government agencies and organisations.
At a glance
The Collie-Bunbury region is one of Western Australia’s most diverse economies, including mining, mineral processing, manufacturing, primary industries, and tourism.
The town of Collie has long been a key contributor to the region’s economy. It’s the State’s energy powerhouse – generating most of the electricity on the South West Interconnected System (SWIS), with its economy highly reliant on the coal mining and energy generation sectors.
But it’s now experiencing significant economic structural change.
Download the Collie-Bunbury Economic Development Action Plan.
Through the Collie Futures Fund, the State Government is making available funding to drive economic diversification and create jobs in the Collie region.
The Fund will help the region to transition to a more sustainable economy with a more even spread of employment across a greater range of industries and a reduced reliance on any one sector.
The Collie Futures Fund is being delivered through two key programs:
- Collie Futures Industry Development Fund
- Collie Futures Small Grants Program – Up to $100,000 available per initiative
Community transition
The WA government is committed to supporting this significant economic structural transition and has committed to a Just Transition for Collie.
Collie’s Just Transition Working Group (JTWG) includes members from across industry, government and community to ensure affected people are considered by decision-makers and that early action towards a Just Transition can minimise the negative impacts and maximise positive opportunities.
Collie’s Just Transition Plan was released in December 2020 and is currently being implemented.
Just Transition is an internationally endorsed framework for supporting impacted workers and communities in the transition away from emissions-intensive industries such as coal.
The approach recognises that energy transitions are about people: the ones affected by the decisions and the ones who make the decisions.
Working together at a regional level can improve outcomes for impacted communities including through job placements in nearby industries, early re-skilling for affected workers, and attracting different industries to support economic diversification.
