Industry Development Unit

INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT IN THE WAFIC 5-YEAR PLAN

With a mature industry in Western Australia, the WAFIC Board is able to expand its original role of industry representation on management matters. Issues now facing the Industry Council include security of access, occupational health and safety, training and raising the public profile of the industry.

With finite resources, and finite funds to study those resources, the WAFIC Boad also took the view that the industry should be more involved with biological research, and wholly involved in industry development.

As a result, an Industry Development Programme was formally incorporated into the WAFIC R&D Programme in 1996.

GENESIS OF THE INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT UNIT

1994 the Fisheries Portfolio Review reported the view that development and marketing were the sole responsibility of industry itself. The new Industry Working Group, established by the Minister following the review, made specific recommendations in its Final Report, in June 1995, including:

That an Industry Development Unit (IDU) that would assist, coordinate and facilitate new industry development, be established”.
Government and industry seek, where possible to remove impediments to the establishment of new industries
The Industry Development Unit is appropriately and permanently funded .

The report gave a number of options for funding the IDU, including that the most cost effective option was to incorporate the the IDU within the WAFIC R&D Programme.

In September 1995 the 'Future Directions for Fisheries Management in Western Australia' was published. This document was presented to the WAFIC Annual General Meeting by the Minister of Fisheries, The Hon. Monty House, MLA and the Chairman of WAFIC, Mr John Cole. In a specific reference to new industry development, the document noted that:

...... 'Industry (through WAFIC) will assume direct responsibility for industry development, ...' (pp 23). Also, '...the Minister has proposed that industry development become a primary responsibility for the Fishing Industry....' , and that 'This can be facilitated on a grant funding basis with decision making on the use of those funds firmly in the hands of industry'. (pp 25).

By agreement with the Minister, the IDU was set up in 1996 and housed at WAFIC, within the WAFIC R&D Programme.

IDU Programs (18.93 Kb)

IDU Process (22.51 Kb)

IDU Application Template (47.6kb doc)

^ top