Uni provides forum for Royalties for Regions concept
Published on 06 July, 2011
CQUniversity's recently established innovation and regional development forum has hosted one of Western Australia's leading exponents of the Royalties for Regions concept...
The ‘community of practice' of campus and community members* were impressed with the presentation by retired MP Murray Criddle**, who is now a Ministerial Appointee and Chairperson of the WA Mid-West Development Commission.
Presentation host Dr Susan Kinnear said Mr Criddle has extensive experience in the development of resource regions and his topic was extremely relevant to the CQ region "as it looks to ensure that our communities receive their fair share of the wealth created by the resource development activities occurring in the Bowen Basin".
Mr Criddle said he had been asked to talk about how 25% of Western Australia's onshore royalties are used to benefit WA regions.
"That's been fantastic ... we've got a statute in Parliament to return 25% of royalties to regions and anyone wanting to revoke that would be taking an enormous political risk,' he said.
"In Western Australia and I think probably right around Australia the regions need to be made liveable for people. This is about putting services into the area in the form of housing, health and education. It's about those benefits going back to the region so people can live there and remain there.
"We are returning the money that's earned in the country back to the country and that's very important to have people know that their wealth of the nation is recognised."
Dr Kinnear said the issue of returning mining royalties to the host regions where the resources are actually being extracted "is a really important one for us".
"Western Australia is the first State that has enacted it as instrument of Parliament," she said.
"We're increasingly finding for communities like ours a perception that, although we host a really important increase in the state productivity through the mining activity here, we don't see as much of the benefit as we could - it actually leaks back towards the major cities ... so the issue of returning royalties is a really good way to fund some of the basic needs that those communities need to grow and prosper."
Capricorn Enterprise CEO Mary Carroll said Royalties for Regions was a very exciting concept which "seems like a fantastic model that Queensland could use".
"We've got our seven priority projects for Capricorn Enterprise and the top priority project for this region that we've all identified is critical road, rail, air and port infrastructure.
"The Royalties for Regions program covers all sectors from infrastructure through to the arts, through to tourism through to community needs so what I like about the concept is that it's win-win.
"Those regional areas throughout WA have actually got a dedicated source of income for major projects. It actually is a very good way of sharing the funds right around the State.
"If we had a similar program in Queensland it would mean major money was put aside for major infrastructure projects. The beauty is that the communities and the regions actually work out what they want. That list goes into the Royalties for Regions document and everyone has ownership, I guess it's a 'grassroots up' rather than 'government down' model so I think that what would be appealing for this region."
* The Linked in site for the Community of Practice is http://www.linkedin.com.au/ and go to groups, search for ‘CQ Community of Practice in Innovation and Regional Development' .
** Hon Murray Criddle is a primary producer and a retired Member of the Western Australian Parliament. He was Member for the Agricultural Region from 1993 until his resignation in 2008 and Minister of Transport from 1998 to 2001. During his time in Parliament, Murray was a member of a number of Standing Committees including Estimates and Financial Operations, Ecology and Sustainable Development and Public Administration and Finance. He was also a member of a number of Select Committees including Select Committee for Native Title and Select Committee for Cape Range National Park and Ningaloo Marine Park. Murray was appointed to the Mid West Development Commission in 2009 as a Ministerial appointment and Chairman for a three-year term.