Industry, economy, community and a sustainable future are all interrelated.

Having lived in Portland for the past 13 years I thought I had a firm understanding of the industries that reside in our town. Via our Taking an Industry Perspective Program Day I gained a greater insight into the extensive services and the scope of that various industries provide and the inter connectivity of them, their economic input and our community.

Keppel Prince, Portland Aluminium, Port of Portland and Yumbah are all local industries that are in Portland for many different reasons.They each play an important role in the local, national and global markets. Each work independently to produce different products and supply different services.

The Port of Portland serviced over 300 ships last financial year. Steve Garner shared the story and growth of Keppel Prince of the last 40 years and its links with Portland Aluminium and wind tower development.Portland Aluminium a subsidiary of Alcoa, manufactures 300000 tonnes of aluminium ingot yearly, majority of which is shipped to Asia. Yumbah produces 200 tonnes of abalone a year. 70% exported to the international market. They plan to expand their business which will increase local production to 1000 tonnes.

These statistics are significant for our community with each company being a large employer, the economic input to our region is significant.

We need a sustainable future for our region, could this be creating renewable energy source in the area. Could this be achieved through improvements to infrastructure such as road and rail?

It is the combined voice of industry and community that we to need harness as leaders. Let’s create the conversation both locally and at a political level to work towards providing a sustainable future for our region.

Nikki Edwards, 2019 Program Participant