Local role for Ord River

EAST Kimberley businesses are racing to finish the first part of the latest Ord River project expansion before the wet season arrives in earnest in November, with several indigenous contractors working on the development.

More than $40 million worth of work has been contracted by the Moonamang Joint Venture, a partnership between Leighton Contractors and Indigenous Business Australia, which is building about 19km of irrigation channel, a 14km road extension and irrigation control structures on Weaber Plains.

That is the first part of the $225 million project that will expand the Ord River irrigation area to 22,000 hectares from 14,000ha at the moment. The expansion project is being funded by the state government’s Royalties for Regions scheme overseen by Nationals leader Brendon Grylls.

The federal government is also separately funding a $195 million community infrastructure and services works project for the East Kimberley.

Moonamang JV project director Stuart Dyson said the there was significant indigenous business involvement in the development and he was pleased with the results.

He said about 50 of the 175 staff working on the project were aboriginal people from the local area.

Mr Dyson said indigenous businesses had contracted labour hire, earth moving, water carting, catering, staff transport and tour guide services.

Among those working on the site are Kununurra-based groups Wannawork Labour Hire Solutions, Gerdan Cultural Tours and D&H Contracting.

Non-indigenous Waroona-based earthmoving firm Charles Hull Contracting also has contracts on site, as does Kununurra business Northern Developments Co.

IBA, a Canberra-based group dedicated to supporting indigenous business development, said it had worked with local contract winner Dallas Purdie whose D&H Contracting is providing and operating two dump trucks on the site until November.

The investment group said the negotiation process had been lengthy and complicated, ultimately involving D&H changing its business model from operating water carts to articulated dump trucks.

This redirection was seen as important for D&H to secure future work on other sites in the region.

Mr Purdie said he was confident the project contract would give him the opportunity to show what he could do and establish his business.