MWCCI teams up with CCIWA

THE Mid-West Chamber of Commerce and Industry has joined with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA to prepare a dual-membership package for the benefit of their members. According to MWCCI chief executive Trish Palmonari, the proposal will allow joint members of the two organisations to access services available through the CCIWA while also benefiting from the local lobbying activities and additional services offered by the MWCCI. “Our executive and CCIWA have been working together for some time to formulate this proposal as a MWCCI extension to give our members access to a range of services including expert advice on employee relations, safety and health workers’ compensation and skills issues.” Ms Palmonari said. It is hoped the initiative will go some way to coordinating efforts to address the issues of rural business representation in Perth. “The association with CCIWA opens the lines of communication between our chamber and the state chamber to lobby government together on the bigger issues that affect business across WA,” she said. However, Ms Palmonari said that while the extended range of services provided by CCIWA could be accessed through the proposal, MWCCI remained the business voice of the region and its position on policies remained independent from those of CCIWA. CCIWA chief executive John Langoulant said the dual membership cleared the way for Mid-West businesses to access the benefits available through both chambers at a significant saving. “It is important that we build close links with the regions and this initiative is an important step that is to everyone’s advantage,” he said. WACFL signs CBH sponsorship THE Western Australian Country Football League has announced that it has once again secured sponsorship from Cooperative Bulk Handling Group. The $40,000 sponsorship provides funding to a total of 78 football clubs and over 189 football teams in Western Australian grainbelt communities, WACFL general manager Cameron Knapton said. In total, 12 WA football leagues will directly benefit from the sponsorship, Mr Knapton said. The sponsorship is the third consecutive year the CBH Group has offered the sponsorship to the WACFL, as part of a broader commitment to fund rural community based causes. “The endeavour of sport, and the social development it fosters, is essential to growing healthy rural communities and the CBH Group wants to continue to partner growers in promoting life on the land,” CBH Group chairman, Robert Sewell said. WA Museum re-opens Aboriginal gallery with new features OBJECTS never before seen by the public and a touch display are new features of the Western Australian Museum’s re-built exhibition entitled ‘Katta Djinoong – First Peoples of Western Australia’. A museum spokesperson said seven gallery sections provided an overview of the state’s Aboriginal story with in-depth looks at four major cultural regions – the South West, desert, North West and Kimberley.