Nationals' $150m WASM commitment

The WA Nationals will today commit $150 million to the Western Australian School of Mines, with the cash to be funnded from revenue it hopes to gain with a proposed new iron ore tax.

A large part of the extra funding is to create a new Pilbara campus, with the School currently run by Curtin University on an existing Kalgoorlie campus.

Around $50 million will be devoted to the new Pilbara hub, including spending for building links in the energy industry into research at Curtin University and in Aberdeen.

Another $5 million will be spent on an executive education program, while a further $45 million will set up a Goldfields test mine and processing plant.

On top of that, an additional $50 million will be allocated to a fund for research initiatives.

Industry will co-fund the upgrades, the Nationals said.