Short Stay Accommodation Inquiry
You would be aware that the Economics and Industry Standing Committee of the State Government, is currently conducting an inquiry into Short stay accommodation in Western Australia. In recent days CCIWA released their submission and the accompanying media statement. RCCIWA has chosen not to take a position on this issue and therefore not contribute a submission as our members views are diverse and, in some cases, completely opposing.

It is our practice to not take a policy view on an issue when there is not member consensus or at least majority consensus, as we always want to represent out membership wholly. We did however, actively encourage all of our members to contribute their own submission on behalf of their members.

In discussing this issue via face to face conversations and using our monthly member meetings, it was apparent that some of our members see the introduction of short stay accommodation platforms as very positive and very good for their community and broader region, and also for their businesses. Some of our members feel completely the opposite and are worried about the impact on their local accommodation businesses and broader community. We also had the view from quite a few members, that this type of disruption is inevitable and is consumer driven, so we need to work with it. A level playing field for regulation was a common theme – however when we drilled down on this, the views were again extremely varied. More information on the Inquiry, including all of the submissions received so far can be found here.

Premier Launches 'Our Priorities: Sharing Prosperity' Program
Yesterday, the Premier launched their “Our Priorities” program which outlines their 12 whole of Government Priorities with 6 outcomes to focus on. RCCIWA welcomes “Regional Prosperity” as one of the six outcomes and looks forward to working with the State Government to assist and deliver their targets for regional WA. RCCIWA has long championed a whole of Government approach to setting priority’s, with targets that will give transparency and legitimacy to them. Once you have had the chance to read through the plans, RCCIWA would love your feedback on the targets and any other aspects so we can feed that back to the Government. Please email me at ceo@regionalchamberswa.com.au with any comments you have.

For more information on this program read here.

Working Together Program – Connecting Business and Young Aboriginal People in the Workplace
Working Together is a dedicated services with a focus to provide information, support and advice to business owners and operators in the Goldfields, South West, Midwest, West Kimberley and Great Southern regions to attract, recruit and retain young Aboriginal Employees. Working in collaboration with the local Jobs abs Skills Centres, Working Together aims to expand work opportunities for young local Aboriginal people by talking with and educating local businesses. It is about delivering local jobs for local people. Funded and supported by the Department of Training and Workplace Development, this program is now in its third year and we are seeing positive results, particularly in delivering cultural awareness to business owners and connecting potential applicants to the right job for them. Delivered locally by the five Chambers of Commerce in each region with RCCIWA the Program Manager, Working Together is a great example of utilising the trust, engagement and network of local Chambers to deliver real outcome and support the business community. For more information read here.

Rio Tinto Capability Enhancement Programme – Connecting Pilbara Businesses to Opportunities for Work and Growth
Launched in July of 2018, RCCIWA has partnered with Rio Tinto to deliver the Capability Enhancement Programme in Karratha and the Inland Pilbara. Delivered locally by the Pilbara Inland CCI (PICCI) in Tom Price and Paraburdoo and by the Karratha & Districts CCI (KDCCI) in Karratha with support and project management from RCCIWA, the aim of the programme is to enhance and strengthen the capability and capacity of local businesses, so they can be in the best possible position to bid for work. To date we have held 4 workshops in Karratha and 2 in Tom Price, with our first workshop for 2019 being held last Monday in Tom Price. We are seeing positive outcomes, with businesses not only learning new information and receiving tips and advice but also getting plenty of opportunities to engage with many members of the Rio Tinto team.

Rio Tinto has just been terrific to work with and it is extremely pleasing to see how genuine their drive is for local content and procurement. The partnership has got off to a great start - it is such a pleasure to work in collaboration with people and organisations that have a common goal – to grow, develop and support local businesses in the regions. For more information on Rio Tinto’s commitment to supporting local businesses read here.