WA’s minerals sector remains a significant employer in the State, with 108,930 people directly employed in mining and exploration as at 30  June in 2016–17.

Case Study – Premier’s Award for Strategic Engagement with China’s Resources Sector

DMP Manager Ministerial Coordination Roz Marshall (left), Acting Deputy Director General Dr Rick Rogerson, Investment Promotion Manager Dr Gaomai Trench, the then Hon. Premier Colin Barnett, Acting Director General Dr Tim Griffin and former Minister for Mines and Petroleum Hon. Sean L’Estrange at the 2016 Premier’s Award presentation.

DMP Manager Ministerial Coordination Roz Marshall (left), Acting Deputy Director General Dr Rick Rogerson, Investment Promotion Manager Dr Gaomai Trench, the then Hon. Premier Colin Barnett, Acting Director General Dr Tim Griffin and former Minister for Mines and Petroleum Hon. Sean L’Estrange at the 2016 Premier’s Award presentation.

The importance of strong resources sector links between the governments of China and Western Australia was underscored at an awards ceremony in Perth on 2 November 2016.

DMP won a prestigious Premier’s Award for the Western Australia in Asia category for its submission on Strategic Engagement with China’s Resource Sector.

DMP has provided its Chinese partners with insight into WA’s policy, regulatory and pre-competitive geoscience and resources information systems, allowing them to make better investment  decisions.

DMP teams have visited China regularly over many years, as cooperation between the two nations at all levels of government is of great importance. The award underscores the importance of Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) in recent years between DMP and China’s Ministry of Land and Resources (CMLR), particularly the MoU on Promotion of Investment between the State Government and the Chinese National Development and Reform Commission signed by the then Premier Colin Barnett in  2011.

MoUS on Cooperation in the Fields of Training and Research Related to Land and Resources and Cooperation in Earth Sciences also contributed strongly to making WA the destination of choice for responsible resource development.

Section highlights

DMP has commenced a major legislation reform initiative Petroleum 2020 to modernise and streamline the State’s petroleum and geothermal legislation to better reflect developments in the petroleum industry.