Growth in Tourism in Albany outpaces National Average

Tourism plays an important role in Albany, which is the major commercial centre along the Western Australian South Coast, more than doubling numbers in the peak month of January. Annually, tourism makes a significant contribution to the local economy. In 2005, there were 635,200 international visitors and 6.0 million overnight domestic visitors to WA, with a combined expenditure of $4.0 billion. Western Australia’s Tourism Satellite Account estimates that in 2001/02, 54,000 jobs were directly related to WA’s tourism industry, with a further 18,000 jobs indirectly related to tourism. In total this represents 7.7% of total State employment, or in real terms for every 100 people employed in WA around 8 will be directly or indirectly working in tourism.

The Western Australian tourism industry directly accounts for $2.2 billion of Gross Value Added (value of industry’s production before net taxes on products) – this is 3.1% of total Western Australia Value Added and equates to 8.5% of Australia’s total tourism value added. Tourism also contributed $2.7 billion to Western Australia’s Gross State Product (GSP) which accounts for 3.5% of the State’s GSP.For year ending March 2006, Interstate visitors to WA increased by +5.1% compared with the previous 12 months, resulting in 1.05 million visitors. Meanwhile, the national average declined by -3.6%. Total domestic spending in WA was $3.049 billion, an increase of 1.8%, while the national average recorded a decline of -2.8%.

Efficient agricultural production

The ABC on 23 September 2009 ran the following story, which speaks for itself:
Farmers in WA need the least government assistance.

New data has revealed farmers in Western Australia lead the country in their ability to run profitable businesses with the least government assistance.

A study by the Department of Agriculture and Food has found producers in Western Australia generate about one quarter of the nation's gross agricultural production.

The report also found the state's farmers receive less financial support from government compared with their eastern states and international counterparts.

Proposed Israeli investment in water-recycling and food production, kibbutz style, could boost the supply of cheap nutritious fresh vegetables and fruits and enhance the lifestyle of area residents.
Not much coastline left

There is still much of Australia’s coastline undeveloped – some is not
habitable – some is protected – but most that can be settled has now been
developed. In terms of the sea-change ‘wave’ – Albany, and the Great
Southern coastline more broadly – are among the last places available.

The “greenest” town in mainland Australia?

Verve Energy is investigating spending another $24 million to increase the generating capacity of the local wind farm by 13.8 MW. Albany Wind Farm is a wind power station near Albany, Western Australia. It has 12 wind turbines, with a generating capacity of 21 MW of electricity. The plan is to build another 6 turbines. In an average year the wind farm is produces about 65,000 MWh of electricity equivalent to 50 per cent of the City of Albany's electricity requirements or about 15,000 homes. This results in a lowering of greenhouse gas emissions by about 65,000 tonnes per year, as less coal and gas is burnt by Western Power in its large power stations. Verve Energy is currently exploring the potential to increase the size of the Albany Wind Farm by 13.8MW by installing another 6 wind turbines. The project, known as the Grasmere Wind Farm, will increase the proportion of renewable electricity supplied to Albany by 30 per cent, bringing the total renewable electricity supplied to the Albany up to 80%. No other town in mainland Australia has more renewable energy. As carbon constraints hobble other regions of Australia, the almost unlimited capacity of the Albany region to generate its own energy is sure to bring more people, more industry and more money to the town.

Rising spending on road and rail infrastructure

Auslink-DPI has committed to expanding the Perth-Albany Corridor, an essential north-south spine in the State’s greater southwest transport network, which comprises both a road and a rail route. The road route is the most direct connector from the Perth metropolitan area to the Great Southern region and the regional centre at Albany. It extends 404 kilometres, traversing a mix of urban, regional and rural areas. It passes through Perth's south-eastern urban corridor and provides the main entrance into Albany. The rail route provides a less direct connection between Perth and Albany, beginning at Avon Yard consists of 463 km of single track.

Huge local infrastructure development

The graphs show that government expenditure per head is running at the equivalent of about 5% of average incomes, about 40% higher than the national average.

Recent and current Projects include:
• New Federal skills training centre at Saint Joseph's College in Albany
• Lithium mine at nearby town of Ravensthorpe funded by Chinese Government sovereign wealth fund
• Western Australian Government plan to create 400 new houses for police officers, teachers and other staff in regional areas, including Albany.
• $9.1 million port redevelopment which is already bringing in cruise ships
• $40 million hospital redevelopment
• $135 million in Commonwealth investment in the Western Australian Government grain freight network.
• $2.1 million for the Albany Ring Road.
• $1.5 million for the Albany Entertainment and Convention Centre.
• $1.5 million for the Albany Herald Regional Resource Centre.

New industry: on-land aquaculture

You used to go fishing in the sea but now, fish are grown on the land, using the latest technology for on-land aquaculture from the Ben Gurion University of the Negev. To combat the risk of depleting fish stocks, the WA Department of Fisheries, the University of Western Australia and Murdoch University, are involved in the development of abalone aquaculture at Albany. The value of established aquaculture production has fluctuated over the last three years. In 2004/05, aquaculture production was estimated at $1.1 million. The value of yabby production has increased from $416,000 in 2002/03 to $448,000 in 2004/05.

A large number of yabbies are grown commercially in farm dams and are marketed in Australia and overseas. Trout and oyster production have fluctuated in the past three years. One of the largest producers of oysters in Western Australia is located in Albany. The Albany Aquaculture Park contains two sites leased for oyster and abalone production and continues to be an important resource for the development of aquaculture in the Region. The State's first abalone hatchery was established in the Great Southern in 1998. Since then, additional land-based abalone facilities have been constructed at Bremer Bay.

Recovering housing market

Between the Censuses of 1996-2006 the number of occupied private dwellings in Western Australia (including Albany) grew 20%. Western Australia's housing stock is predominantly separate houses, accounting for 81% of all occupied private dwellings in 2006. While Perth mirrors this tendency with 79% of occupied private dwellings being separate houses, the proportion of separate houses in regional Western Australia was higher at 86%. Medium to high density housing accounted for 18% of Western Australia's occupied private dwellings in 2006, but this was heavily influenced by Perth, with regional Western Australia having only 11% of their occupied private dwelling stock as medium to high density.

By September 2009, housing prices in Albany had recovered to within 1% of pre-Global Meltdown figures, at $355 000- still about 5% cheaper than Perth prices. http://www.homepriceguide.com.au/snapshot/price/index.cfm?action=view&suburbORpostcode=6330&st_locale=Albany&source=smh_map