Region

The largest state in Australia, Western Australia, is only 5 hours by air from Singapore, 4.5 hours from Sydney, 7 hours from New Zealand and 11 hours from South Africa.

Lifestyle

Western Australia has a relaxed lifestyle with a pollution free environment. The south west of the state experiences a Mediterranean climate with mild winters and warm summers.

Recreation forms an important part of the social network in most rural communities with the sport and the arts a central focus.

The state has a cosmopolitan population with many migrants attracted from overseas (especially the United Kingdom, South Africa and New Zealand). In recent years the resources boom in the north of the state has augmented this influx. WA hosts a population with diversity in religious beliefs, which are comfortably accepted as part of the state’s culture.

The majority of dairy farms are located in the southwest corner of the State, which is renowned for its magnificent beaches, forests, wineries and restaurants. It is also the most populated of the non-metropolitan regions.

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Main Population centres

The main population centres tend to be located along the coast particularly in the southern part of the state.

(see map)

Western Australia has a total population of 2 million people, the majority of which live in the capital city, Perth. The main secondary population centres are on the coastal corridors south of Perth, these include Mandurah, Harvey, Bunbury, Busselton and Margaret River. There are other areas which are well suited to dairying, being Manjimup and Albany.

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Education

The state is serviced by a primary and secondary public school system and there is public transport in most regions. Private primary and secondary schools are also available in the larger rural centres some of which provide boarding if required.

Higher qualifications are available via a network of TAFE colleges in the main population centres and universities based in Perth.

Information on the education system in Western Australia can be found at www.wa.gov.au/governmentservices/educationtraining

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Transport infrastructure

The state is well serviced by road with all large country centres serviced by air. Some regions are also by serviced by rail.

The state’s major port of Fremantle is 20 km from Perth and is well serviced by both road and rail. Freight from the port of Fremantle can be loaded on the day of sailing and reach Singapore within 6 days of leaving port. All major Asian seaports can be reached within 18 days from Fremantle.

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Agriculture

The gross value of agricultural production in Western Australia was $5.3 billion or 15% of the total gross value of Australian Agricultural Production in 2006/7. Some 63% of the value of WA’s agricultural output was grain or crop production; 23% was livestock slaughtering and meat products and 14% was livestock products including dairying ($108 million) (Agriculture & Food, WA)

Average farm cash income and profitability of agricultural enterprises in Western Australian for the period 2001-2006 are presented below.

(Source: ABARE)

In the period 2001/06, dairy farming ranked third in terms of farm cash income and profitability for WA agricultural industries as the WA dairy industry went through a major adjustment period due to deregulation of the Australian dairy industry. Changes at both a farm and processor level have been completed with significant consequent increases in average farm income, profit and return on capital projected to occur in future years (see Investment opportunities).

In a deregulated market the scale and capacity of the manufacturing plants in WA were not competitive against the relatively larger plants in Victoria and New Zealand. Part of the adjustment post deregulation involved changes to the composition of dairy exports with a decline in commodity-based products such as milk powders and bulk cheese, and increasing volumes of value-added products including dairy ingredients, and fresh and functional milk solids to SE Asia. More recently value-added fat products for export have emerged while domestically there has been further developement of higher value branded retail products being marketed in WA and the East Coast of Australia. These trends are projected to continue due to growth strategies, coupled with increasing demand for fresh and functional milk solids to SE Asia.

Changes in dairy exports from Western Australia from 2000/1 to 2006/7.

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