Kimberley Regional Group advocates for Kimberley projects during Canberra visit Cain AndrewsBroome AdvertiserFri, 19 September 2025 4:29PM
The Kimberley Regional Group, made up of representatives from the shires of Broome, Halls Creek, Wyndham-East Kimberley and Derby-West Kimberley travelled to Canberra in early September to advocate for the region to the Federal Government.
Shire of Wyndham-East Kimberley president and KRG chair David Menzel said the group’s meetings with politicians in Canberra were productive.
“It is always valuable to catch up with our partners in Canberra and brief them on where the Kimberley is at and what our needs and desires are,” he said.
“The various people we met were interested in our situation and how we might be able to work together to resolve some of our issues, whether it be housing, whether it be social disadvantage sustainability for the local governments in the remote and regional parts of Australia.
“I think the discussions highlighted that we’re distinctly quite different to major parts of Australia, and the need to do more work on resolving those issues.
“There’s a bit going on in the Kimberley, so it’s really good to get face-to-face and . . . build those relationships, maintain those relationships, and through that hopefully deliver some better results for the region.
“It’s fair to say we’ve got a fair bit going on between the four shires regarding grant-funded projects, so it’s also a good opportunity to give those responsible in Canberra for those funding grant opportunities a briefing on how we’re going.”
Shire of Halls Creek president Malcolm Edwards said during the trip he focused on how the Tanami Road sealing project had been a major benefit to Halls Creek.
“I took down with me the hatch report, which is about Halls Creek preparing itself for the benefits that the Tanami Road project will bring to us,” he said.
“One of the things the document was based on was employment, because we see employment as a big stride to change some of the issues that we have in Halls Creek.
“We were also talking about getting some of the senior politicians up in Canberra and coming up to the Kimberley in November, and if they do come up, we need to make as much mileage out of that.”
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