Delivering Enduring Benefits from a Gas Development: Governance and Planning Challenges in Remote Western Australia

This paper reviews the complex and multifaceted adjustment pressures being experienced by Onslow, a small, remote town in Western Australia's Pilbara, as a result of a large gas development. Some members of the community are enthusiastic about the opportunities that the gas industry will bring,...

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Main Author: McKenzie, Fiona Haslam
Format: Journal Article
Published: Routledge 2013
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/24377
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author McKenzie, Fiona Haslam
author_facet McKenzie, Fiona Haslam
author_sort McKenzie, Fiona Haslam
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description This paper reviews the complex and multifaceted adjustment pressures being experienced by Onslow, a small, remote town in Western Australia's Pilbara, as a result of a large gas development. Some members of the community are enthusiastic about the opportunities that the gas industry will bring, although the majority are wary of the negative impacts of rapid growth and corporate dominance observed in other Pilbara towns during the mining boom. The paper reports on the strategies being utilised by the company, the different spheres of government and the local community representatives in order to come to an agreement about how to achieve enduring community value so that the aesthetic attributes of the town and quality of life in Onslow will be enhanced, while also accommodating a large constructive workforce which will leave within a short time (4 years). Using data collected about the Pilbara and the socio-economic impacts of the mining industry on other towns, the lessons learned from rapid growth elsewhere were applied in Onslow and the outcomes assessed and reported. It is evident that the community engagement strategies and the collaborative planning processes have been undermined by disconnects between commercial imperatives, governance frameworks, investment risk and timeframes.
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-243772017-09-13T15:08:25Z Delivering Enduring Benefits from a Gas Development: Governance and Planning Challenges in Remote Western Australia McKenzie, Fiona Haslam economic development socio-economic impacts Enduring community benefits resources industries remote regions This paper reviews the complex and multifaceted adjustment pressures being experienced by Onslow, a small, remote town in Western Australia's Pilbara, as a result of a large gas development. Some members of the community are enthusiastic about the opportunities that the gas industry will bring, although the majority are wary of the negative impacts of rapid growth and corporate dominance observed in other Pilbara towns during the mining boom. The paper reports on the strategies being utilised by the company, the different spheres of government and the local community representatives in order to come to an agreement about how to achieve enduring community value so that the aesthetic attributes of the town and quality of life in Onslow will be enhanced, while also accommodating a large constructive workforce which will leave within a short time (4 years). Using data collected about the Pilbara and the socio-economic impacts of the mining industry on other towns, the lessons learned from rapid growth elsewhere were applied in Onslow and the outcomes assessed and reported. It is evident that the community engagement strategies and the collaborative planning processes have been undermined by disconnects between commercial imperatives, governance frameworks, investment risk and timeframes. 2013 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/24377 10.1080/00049182.2013.817032 Routledge fulltext
spellingShingle economic development
socio-economic impacts
Enduring community benefits
resources industries
remote regions
McKenzie, Fiona Haslam
Delivering Enduring Benefits from a Gas Development: Governance and Planning Challenges in Remote Western Australia
title Delivering Enduring Benefits from a Gas Development: Governance and Planning Challenges in Remote Western Australia
title_full Delivering Enduring Benefits from a Gas Development: Governance and Planning Challenges in Remote Western Australia
title_fullStr Delivering Enduring Benefits from a Gas Development: Governance and Planning Challenges in Remote Western Australia
title_full_unstemmed Delivering Enduring Benefits from a Gas Development: Governance and Planning Challenges in Remote Western Australia
title_short Delivering Enduring Benefits from a Gas Development: Governance and Planning Challenges in Remote Western Australia
title_sort delivering enduring benefits from a gas development: governance and planning challenges in remote western australia
topic economic development
socio-economic impacts
Enduring community benefits
resources industries
remote regions
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/24377