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Community profile
Alcoa places the highest importance on understanding and being responsive to the community in which we operate. We have paid particular care to understanding how Alcoa interacts with and contributes to the Shire of Murray and the broader Peel Region.
The community profile describes what Alcoa contributes in terms of economic, environmental and social initiatives to Pinjarra, the Shire of Murray and the Peel Region.
This information will be used as a baseline for ongoing assessment of the Efficiency Upgrade, and for measuring the likely changes and implications of the Efficiency Upgrade on the economy, environment and local communities. Alcoa and the community can also use this background material to prioritise potential opportunities.
The Shire of Murray
The Pinjarra refinery and the Huntly mine are located within the Shire of Murray and the broader Peel Region. The refinery is located on the coastal plain near the townsite of Pinjarra and is situated among agricultural grazing lands. The mine is located in state forest, north of the townsite of Dwellingup in the Darling Range.
Crown land is managed with a network of reserves and national parks in place to protect conservation values. In the broader forest areas, local management plans allow for multiple land uses including; recreation, conservation, water catchments, forestry and mining.
Prescribed burning is used in sections of forest to keep fuels to a manageable level. Alcoa’s bauxite mining occurs on crown land, but is precluded from conservation reserves and other areas where environmental or cultural values are high such as adjacent to granite outcrops, or within areas of old growth forest.
The coastal plain has been largely cleared for agriculture and urban development, leaving limited remnant vegetation. Rivers and creeks that descend from the Darling Range cross the plain, picking up agricultural nutrients that leach into the waterways and potentially cause algal blooms. As a result there are significant environmental issues, including salinity and nutrient loading in the Peel Harvey catchments, biodiversity and habitat protection.
Population growth
Peel has the second largest population of all regions in Western Australia (approx 76,000) and is experiencing a population growth rate almost double that of the rest of the State, the second highest behind the Perth metropolitan region. Population growth has averaged above 3% per annum since the mid 1990’s, with lifestyle and housing options being the main drivers of these inflows. This rapid growth comes with some challenges.
Mandurah is the major population and business centre for Peel and is one of the largest urban centres outside the Perth metropolitan area. It is also where most of the infrastructure and services for the region are located. A major asset and driver of the region’s growth is the coast and estuary. The main inland centres of Peel are Byford, Pinjarra, Waroona and Boddington. Smaller communities exist at Mundijong, Jarrahdale, Serpentine, North Dandalup and Dwellingup.
Alcoa’s Pinjarra refinery and Huntly mine’s closest neighbours are the farmers and residents of Fairbridge, Pinjarra and Dwellingup. Pinjarra is the largest population centre in the Shire of Murray and is a service centre for surrounding farming communities.
The Shire of Murray had a population of 10,061 people at the 2001 Census - around 12% of the Peel Region’s population. The Shire as a whole is sharing in the growth of the Peel Region but the recently produced report ‘Peel Away the Mask’ indicates the Murray Shire community has concerns about local employment opportunities, housing, youth employment, education, Aboriginal employment and water quality in rivers. Unemployment is skewed towards people aged over 35.
Pinjarra is well positioned for significant infrastructure, social and economic improvement and growth. The Efficiency Upgrade will require up to 1000 jobs during the two year construction phase which could assist in the momentum of this growth. The natural assets of river and hills, and Indigenous and European heritage, suggest tremendous potential for an area a little over an hour's drive from Perth. The Shire of Murray Annual Report 2002 indicates a wide range of initiatives aimed at improving social amenity and attracting tourists to local towns.
The project is potentially well positioned to positively impact on the Pinjarra region. The opportunities include a local share of employment where possible, an increase in the skilled population and an increase in income for the area leading to increased amenity.
Recent surveys highlight that the residents of Pinjarra and surrounds are generally comfortable with their lifestyle however some areas of concern include a lack of employment opportunities and dissatisfaction with the decline of government services.
Heritage as a tourism and lifestyle asset
While the population of Pinjarra has declined slightly in recent years, there is a vitality about the town most noticeable in the landscaping and ‘undergrounding’ of powerlines in George Street.
Heritage is a significant asset to the towns of Pinjarra and Dwellingup. In Pinjarra the improved presentation of George Street, the connection between the Edenvale Complex, the riverside parklands and Hotham Valley Railway give the town a distinctive appeal. The community has made a significant effort to create this amenity.
In Dwellingup, community effort has resulted in improved streetscape and town amenity with a main street upgrade included in the 2002/03 shire budget. The Dwellingup History and Information Centre continues to attract high numbers of visitors and is increasing its profile in the tourism industry.
The Peel Region has a rich history of Noongar culture and 18 Indigenous heritage sites are listed on the State Register of Heritage Places. One of these sites is located near the Pinjarra refinery.
Mining and minerals dominate the Peel economy
The economy of the Peel Region is based predominantly on mining and mineral processing, mainly sourced from Alcoa’s Pinjarra and Wagerup refineries and Huntly and Willowdale Mines, Worsley’s bauxite mining operations near Boddington and Boddington Gold’s operations. In 2001/02 the Peel Region produced $3.6 billion worth of alumina (which is around 80% of total production in the Region) and $62 million worth of gold. About $1.8 billion of this alumina is produced in the Shire of Murray.
The 2001 Census reported the major areas of employment for people living in the Shire of Murray also reflected the minerals processing profile: manufacturing (16.4%); retail trade (15%); agriculture (10%); construction (8.8%) and mining (5.9%). Alcoa’s refinery operations are included in the manufacturing sector figures whilst the mining operations at Huntly are reflected in the mining sector figures.
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