Coastal management course being offered through TAFE

26/9/97

A Perth course designed to improve coastal rehabilitation has been so successful it will be offered to people in other areas of the State, Planning Minister Graham Kierath said.

The State and Commonwealth Governments have worked together to devise the coastal management course, being offered through TAFE.

The Commonwealth provided $42,000 to Western Australia's Ministry for Planning to develop, deliver and test the short course.

Mr Kierath said the Coastal Rehabilitation Techniques course had been developed and proved successful in Perth this month.

"The South Metropolitan College of TAFE ran the course which will now be offered in Busselton, Geraldton and Karratha," he said.

"The idea behind these short courses is to improve the skills of coastal managers and promote an integrated approach to coastal management.

"The course has a practical focus and can include field trips with an emphasis on problem solving at the local level using local examples."

Target groups anticipated to take the course include work crew staff of local government and CALM, management committees, managers, planners and engineers.

A management group to oversee the project comprises representatives of the Coastal Zone Council (a committee of the WA Planning Commission), the Ministry for Planning, the WA Municipal Association and Environment Australia.

The basis for funding development of the course comes from the Coastal Action Program Memorandum of Understanding between the Commonwealth, State and WA Municipal Association, signed in June last year.

Media contact: Steve Manchee 481 2133