News
09 March 2023
Shire President Update
The Shire has recently acquired a new loader and new grader that will be used by our operations team on rural road maintenance and construction projects.
The Shire CEO, Council and staff have been making significant efforts for the past few years to restore the Shire’s machinery fleet, as part of the 2022/23 Plant Replacement Program. This is in accordance with our Strategic Community Plan (SCP) and Long Term Financial Plan (LTFP) that identified the need to develop internal capacity for road maintenance renewal work, including upgrades to current equipment and the purchase additional equipment.
The upkeep and management of our rural roads and the safety of all road users is a key priority for the Shire of Irwin. The operation’s team are aiming to do maintenance grading on the entire network of unsealed, rural roads by the end of June.
I commend CEO Shane Ivers, my fellow Councillors and staff who have been working very hard to secure this plant equipment that will allow the Shire to meet it’s commitments in regards to road safety.
With the hot weather here, we are once again, unfortunately, facing power issues. I would like to reassure the community that the Shire has been consulting with Western Power and will continue to do so and urge them to keep working to find a permanent solution to these problems.
Our staff have been working hard to get the Dongara Denison Drive Ins back up and running.
Initially 65Thirty Events & Entertainment supplied and tested some new equipment, this unfortunately was not sufficient, so we turned to Pollinators in Geraldton. The Pollinator’s projector works well, however there are some sound issues to be resolved.
We hope to have the system operational before the end of the season.
This month we hosted an Industry Leaders Forum in Perth that brought together State Government, industry leaders and other stakeholders to discuss the major economic growth we are seeing in Arrowsmith.
We organised the Forum, in collaboration with the State Government, to discuss the impacts the respective projects will have on our region and to ensure benefits flow to our community and opportunities to local business.
We were pleased to see the establishment of the Arrowsmith Development Cluster as a result of the Forum, which will see industry work together to bring these projects to fruition. We will continue to work closely with industry and the Cluster to ensure they understand the importance of partnerships and being supportive members of our community.
We want to make very sure that this significant economic growth will not just benefit local business and workers but the community as a whole and we hope will result in improvements to infrastructure and local resources.
I would personally like to thank everyone who came and contributed to the Forum. Your valuable input was very much appreciated.
This is a very exciting time, with our region poised to lead the renewable energy transition and we will collaborate and consult with the community to ensure we all benefit from this industry revolution.
The Shire is planning community consultation sessions for May this year, where you can have your say about the Shire’s priorities and plans.
A Fortunate Life
A free, unforgettable, immersive theatre experience is coming to town for one night only on March 17.
A Fortunate Life is an autobiography by Albert Facey published in 1981, nine months before his death. It chronicles his early life in Western Australia, his experiences as a private during the Gallipoli campaign of World War I and his return to civilian life after the war. A documentation of Facey’s extraordinary life of hardship, loss, friendship and love the story is a favourite amongst readers from all over the world and continues to be studied within the school syllabus.
Adapted and written for the stage by Jenny Davis and Stuart Halusz and using large screens as the backdrop to re-create significant landscape scenes filmed by Green Man Media, the live performance from THEATRE 180 takes place with a cinematic backdrop as a cast of three bring to life the story of AB Facey’s much-loved and award-winning A Fortunate Life.
This show is recommended for ages 9 and up.
To get your free tickets here or by calling the Shire Admin office on 08 9927 0000.
Council Meetings
Members of the public are welcome to attend Ordinary Council Meetings and have the opportunity to ask questions.
Meetings begin with an Agenda Briefing and Councillor Information Session at 5pm with the Ordinary Council Meeting commencing at 6pm.
Meetings are held in the Council Chambers at 11-13 Waldeck Street.
The next Council Meeting will be held on March 28. For all 2023 Council Meeting dates visit here.
Industry News
Infinite Green Energy have announced they will partner with South Korean industrial conglomerate Samsung C&T to develop and build a commercial-scale green hydrogen project that will leverage the existing 11 MW Northam Solar Farm east of Perth.
Infinite Green Energy (IGE) announced it has entered into a binding memorandum of understanding (MOU) with key joint development agreement terms with Samsung C&T, to jointly develop and build the MEG HP1 green hydrogen plant.
The agreement sees Samsung take a stake of undisclosed size for an undisclosed sum in the solar-powered green hydrogen project being developed by IGE near Northam about 100 kilometres east of Perth in WA’s Wheatbelt region.
Infinite Green Energy’s foundation project is the Arrowsmith Hydrogen Plant, that will produce up to 23 tonnes (23,000kg) per day of green hydrogen.
For more information visit here.