Demands to build cheap housing in an industrial buffer zone is an emerging constraint on the growth of Perth’s Western Trade Coast (WTC), threatening to derail the commercial region’s trajectory to a $28 billion powerhouse, the Kwinana Industrial Council (KIC) claims.
Already Australia is the world’s second largest producer of lithium – used to power things like electric cars – and KIA businesses are looking to value-add by processing the metal and other critical raw materials such as cobalt, vanadium and graphite in Kwinana. Kwinana Industries Council (KIC) President Albert Romano said there was a lot of interest in Lithium Valley and a number of exciting projects were currently underway, leading to new local jobs and economic stimulus.
Pumping $16 billion into the state’s economy, the Kwinana Industrial Area (KIA) is a significant economic driver in Western Australia.
Responsible for the direct and indirect employment of more than 30,000 people – with two-thirds of this number living in the local area – the KIA has been a training ground for a large number of apprentices and trainees for decades.
Settlers arrived on the shores of Cockburn Sound in 1829 with high hopes of building farming ventures.
Almost 200 years later and with not a single milking shed in sight, the coastal area just 30km from Perth is now home to a world-class industrial precinct. Today, the Kwinana Industrial Area (KIA) hosts a range of industries, from metal refining to chemical and energy production, and is a major contributor to the Western Australian economy.
