Board appointments to nine new regional development commissions

8/4/94

Western Australia will have a new, more broadly representative, regional development structure under arrangements which come into effect today.

From today, non-metropolitan Western Australia will be covered by a network of nine regional development commissions, each with their own newly appointed boards of management.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Commerce and Trade, Hendy Cowan, said the new structure would give local communities a greater say as to the type of development they wanted to attract to their areas.

"Making regional development more community-driven was a major element of this Government's election platform and we now have in place the means to realise this goal," Mr Cowan said.

From today, all existing statutory regional development authorities and commissions will be re-formed as commissions and will have the same legislative structure.

In the past, some regions have had development authorities, others have had commissions while others were represented by government departments.  There had also been considerable variation in their levels of funding.

The new bodies will be known as the Kimberley, Pilbara, Gascoyne, Midwest, Wheatbelt, Goldfields-Esperance, Great Southern, South-West and Peel Development Commissions.

Mr Cowan also announced the names of those appointed to the new boards.

He said there were three categories of board appointments - those nominated as community representatives, local government representatives and ministerial appointments.

Provision was made for ministerial appointments to ensure representation on the boards was as broadly based as possible, without becoming too cumbersome.

In some cases, people serving as community representatives might also be involved in local government.

This meant that on an overall statewide basis, 52 per cent of available positions had gone to people with some connection to local government.

"One of the main differences between the new commissions and those which preceded them is the greater voice given to local government," Mr Cowan said.

"I have also made it very clear to the commissions that their major focus is to be on economic development of their regions, rather than social issues which are best left to the appropriate government departments.

"The new commissions should go a long way to ensuring that communities themselves - rather than government bureaucrats - guide the development course for their particular region.

"It is not my intention to create a large new bureaucracy and I urge all interested members of the community to approach development commissions with their views and proposals for future development.  The commissions belong to them."

Membership of the various boards is as follows. ('C' denotes community representative; 'LG' denotes local government and 'M' denotes Ministerial appointment.)

GASCOYNE: Terrence Cahill (C-chairman); David Richardson (LG-deputy chair); Margaret Day (C); John Craig (LG); Gary Passmore (M); Dennis Hoult (M).

GOLDFIELDS-ESPERANCE: David James (C-chair); Kathleen Finlayson (LG-deputy chair); Doug Daws (C); Karen McGay (C); Donald Paterson (LG); Anthony Sullivan (LG); Ronald Yuryevich (M); John McLean (M); Peter Brown (M).

GREAT SOUTHERN: John Simpson (C-chair); Kenneth Pech (LG-deputy chair); Douglas Stoney (C); Annette Knight (LG); Geoffrey Maguire (M); Janet Savage (M).

KIMBERLEY: Peter McCumstie (M-chair); Dr Henry Gardiner (C-deputy chair); Lloyd Pickwell (C); Patrick Green (C); Malcolm Edwards (LG); Maxine Middap (LG); Ronald Johnston (LG); Neil Butcher (M); David Chapman (M).

MIDWEST: Ronald Allan (M-chair); John Hutchinson (C-deputy chair); Dianne Forsyth (C); Kim Newbold (C); Thomas Hutchinson (LG); William Mitchell (LG); James Cook (LG); Gordon Garratt (M); William Scott (M).

PEEL: Owen Tuckey (C-chair); Noel Nancarrow (LG-deputy chair); James Nelson (C); Joseph Reeves (C); David Haddow (LG); John Costley (LG); Malcolm Flett (M); John Tuckey (M); Julie Francis (M).

PILBARA: Dick Carter (M-chair); Terry Baker (M-deputy chair); Alexander Apel (C); Paul Ausburn (C); Donald Bartlem (C); Alan Eggleston (LG); Dennis Hodge (LG); Ronald Mundy (LG); William Butler (M).

SOUTH-WEST: Sir Donald Eckersley (M-chair); Laurance Harris (M-deputy chair); Denise Jenkins (C); Anthony Ashbolt (C); Robert Tognela (LG); Rosanne Pimm (LG).

WHEATBELT: John Parry (M-chair); Edward Rowley (M-deputy chair); James Lee (C); Mervyn Collinson (C); Judith Rutherford (C); Sylvia Brandenburg (LG); William Adams (LG); Ken Nilsson (LG); Ivo Davies (M).

Media contact:  Peter Jackson 222 9595