Kalgoorlie-Boulder a Changing Australian Community

Changing Australian

Communities

Case Study:

Kalgoorlie-Boulder

Important terms The following glossary list contains words, phrases and acronyms that will help you to learn about Australian communities

and factors that are changing them. You task is to match up each term to its meaning or definition. The terms have been

grouped together to save confusion. The first group has been done for you.

Terms Definitions Communities Of various kinds or forms

Demographic characteristics

Groups formed by people with something in common and based on shared space and/or social organisation

Diverse Characteristics of a population described by statistics such as births, deaths, marriages and so on

Ecologically sustainable Assets, traditions or culture that belong to a person, community or nation

Globalisation The breakdown of traditional barriers between nation-states allowing the movement of goods, capital, people and information

Heritage Able to meet the needs of the present population without endangering the ability of future generations to meet their needs

KCGM Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines

Lifestyle expectations The permanent or semi-permanent movement of people from one location to another

Migration The living standard expected by an individual or community

Multicultural Describes a society that includes many different cultural groups

Primary industry Industry that produces raw materials such as wool, iron ore or gold

Resources Features of the environment that can be used to meet human needs at present and in the future, for example water, coal, oil, gold

Rural Areas with population clusters of 1000 or more

Tailings The products left over from the mining process

Urban Areas with population clusters of 1000 or less

Using important terms

To get used to using these terms write three sentences in each use three different words from the glossary list above. For

example:

Australian communities are diverse and can have specific demographic characteristics, such as this

class (which has a population of about 25, who are teenagers, most likely all unmarried and all have a

keen interest in Geography).

What is meant by the term identity?

Important terms Answers

Communities Groups formed by people with something in common and based on shared space and/or social organisation

Demographic characteristics

Characteristics of a population described by statistics such as births, deaths, marriages and so on

Diverse Of various kinds or forms

Ecologically sustainable Able to meet the needs of the present population without endangering the ability of future generations to meet their needs

Globalisation The breakdown of traditional barriers between nation-states allowing the movement of goods, capital, people and information

Heritage Assets, traditions or culture that belong to a person, community or nation

KCGM Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines

Lifestyle expectations The living standard expected by an individual or community

Migration The permanent or semi-permanent movement of people from one location to another

Multicultural Describes a society that includes many different cultural groups

Primary industry Industry that produces raw materials such as wool, iron ore or gold

Resources Features of the environment that can be used to meet human needs at present and in the future, for example water, coal, oil, gold

Rural Areas with population clusters of 1000 or less

Tailings The products left over from the mining process

Urban Areas with population clusters of 1000 or more

Different communities Activity: Brainstorm – What sort of communities do we have in Australia?

A community is an identifiable group of people who interact on the basis of shared space and/or social organization.

A community could be people who belong to the same tennis club, people who live in the same street or an Aboriginal community in Australia. Belonging to a community gives an individual a sense of community and identity.

Communities based on shared space – include an urban community or neighbourhood and a rural town, farming district or mining centre

Communities based on shared social organization or interest – include people who belong to the same sporting club, profession, political party or interest group; same language or religion, common heritage or cultural background

Some factors that contribute to a sense of identity and community include;

Sport

Religion

Meetings such as councils of various types

A common purpose

The preservation of culture

Isolation

Gender

Occupation

Culture

Activity: List 10 communities which you are part of

Class Activity: Conduct a survey to determine each member’s favourite sport (played or followed) present the findings as a column graph.

Activity: What suburbs / Cities / Areas are the locations for the following communities?

Suburb / City / Area Typical Community

Vietnamese population

Arabic (including Lebanese) population, African population

Gay and Lesbian people

Aboriginal population

People from low socio-economic (lack of wealth)

background

Wealthy / affluent people

Farmers / rural people

Factory workers

Trendy / artistic people

Italian population

Indigenous Communities Factors which characterise an Australian Indigenous community include;

- A much younger age structure than that of the total Australian population because of high fertility and mortality rates

- Low life expectancy

- 27% of Australia’s Indigenous community live in remote or very remote parts of Australia

Australia’s Indigenous communities are disadvantages in a number of ways compared to the rest of Australia’s communities;

- Housing; Indigenous Australians are more likely to be renting

- Health; Diabetes is a major health issue for Indigenous Australians and is responsible for a much high proportion of Indigenous deaths than for other Australians

- Education; Indigenous Australians aged 15 years and over who have left school are half as likely as non Indigenous to have completed school

- Employment; Indigenous Australians are much more likely than non-Indigenous Australians to be unemployed

Activity: Read the worksheet about the Indigenous community of Yuendumu and answer the associated questions

The indigenous Community of Yuendumu

Introduction This worksheet describes the Warlpiri Aboriginal community of Yuendumu in the Northern Territory of Australia. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples were the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and were dispossessed of their land in 1788. This worksheet looks at how a remote Aboriginal community is coping with changes to its traditional way of life.

The Warlpiri Aboriginal Community in Yuendumu The Warlpiri Aboriginal Community is largely based in the township of Yuendumu, yet there are scattered smaller

communities and tribes in the surrounding desert areas. Yuendumu is the main town of the Tanami local government area.

Yuendumu is located within the Tanami Desert and is around 300 kilometers north-west of Alice Springs. Yuendumu was

planned and inhabited in 1946 when water was sourced. Yuendumu allows contact to be made with remote desert

communities. Many of these Aboriginal communities are mobile and separate from one another.

The Warlpiri tribal population of Yuendumu is approximately 1000. It represents one of the largest language groups in the Northern Territory. Relative to the wider Australian average, Yuendumu has a low proportion of people aged 15 and over and the average age is 70 compared to an Australian average of 78.5. There is a low life expectancy and there is considerable pressure on the local community to best meet the needs of its young people. The median (middle) age of this community is 24 compared with the median age of the national Australian population of 34. The population of Yuendumu features several other demographic trends. The proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is 79.6 per cent and there is a 3.7 per cent unemployment rate (low compared to an Australian average unemployment rate of 8.3 per cent). A significant statistic is the 5.7 average persons per Yuendumu household, compared with the Australian average of 2.7 persons per household. Indigenous peoples of Australia are a communal culture, which encourages extended family and even members of the wider community living together. Yet when we note that Yuendumu has a below-average household and individual weekly income, this suggests that these comparatively large households have an extremely tight budget (meaning a relatively small amount of money to feed and clothe each family member).

The Warlpiri community's response to change An important feature of this community's response to change is how it has embraced technology. In particular, videoconferencing and the internet and email have allowed this remote community to develop. Community development refers to the strategies and tools a community uses to empower and strengthen itself. The Tanami Network is like a community service association, which uses technology, funding and professional expertise to help the Yuendumu population. Videoconferencing has been used extensively by the Tanami Network in developing community programs in the crucial areas of education, health and employment; videoconferencing allows remote communities to be contacted and it allows the Tanami Network to communicate with government departments in cities like Darwin. Videoconferencing is also used innovatively to connect city-based prisoners with their communities and to organise traditional events. Hence, the Tanami Network uses changing technology to improve the social justice of its people by ensuring adequate provision of essential services like health and education.

Warlpiri community helps its young people face change One of the tragic realities in Indigenous communities is the harm caused by substance abuse. One type of abuse is petrol sniffing. The Warlpiri community has developed programs and services to tackle this social problem. The Mt Theo Petrol Sniffing Program began in 1994 in Yuendumu and was an important community response to change. Young people were disconnecting from their community and gangs of youth were roaming the streets at night. The community harnessed its resources to reconnect its young people to traditional ways of life and to stop the cycle of self-abuse. In this way, the community was also reducing crime, violence, health risks, family crises and even death rates. Mt Theo operated in a remote community location and was run by tribal elders and volunteers with the assistance of government funding. Because the program was so successful, politicians came to visit the area and more youth programs were set up to engage young people in sport.

Keeping cultural traditions and a sense of community in Yuendumu The Warlpiri community at Yuendumu has several features allowing it to maintain a sense of community and identity. The tradition of kinship is a focus for this community. Kinship can be up to 500 people, so imagine the powerful family bonds this creates. Kinship-based groups and tribes practice communal sharing and engage with elements of ancient tribal life, like kinship rights to sites of Dreaming. The Warlpiri people maintain traditional links to the land, which is their spiritual heartland. The community has partnered with the Northern Territory Government to protect endangered animal species (such as the mala or rufous hare wallaby and the greater bilby). For example, the Warlpiri people have continued to protect the mala habitat, through fire management of the spinifex grass they occupy, and have provided important information about mala to authorities. The Warlukurlangu Artists Association of Yuendumu preserves the cultural heritage of the Warlpiri people and has distributed local art to the global art market. This association controls the preservation of sacred sites, paintings, body and sand paintings, traditional stories and ceremonies. A 'Festival of the Dreaming' occurred in 1997 at The Art Gallery of New South Wales, which featured Warlpiri art and culture.

Yuendumu also has the Warlpiri Media Association (WMA), a community-run radio and television studio, which has been entertaining and informing the Yuendumu community since 1983. The WMA represents an example of community innovation and empowerment, because it is almost entirely run by unpaid volunteers in the service of the community. The WMA broadcasts Walpiri language and culture shows to help communities preserve their traditional culture in the face of change. Broadcasts use technology to inform the people of their history, important community events and to relay Dreamtime stories. The WMA encourages communities in remote areas around Yuendumu to set up and run their own TV and radio broadcasts. The WMA, through its broadcasts, plays an important role in translating information from government (and other) organisations based in Alice Springs; information in English is translated by WMA into Warlpiri.

Even religion provides a sense of community in Yuendumu; a prominent group of Warlpiri Christians creates links to non-Indigenous missionary groups.

Questions:

1. List the community features described in each paragraph.

2. Describe the location of the community.

3. In your own words describe the demographics of this community.

4. Explain how technology has impacted on this community.

5. Explain how the Mt. Theo program has helped this community. Why do you think it has been so successful?

6. In your own words describe the sense of identity of this community and identify the processes that have been

put in place to promote and maintain this identity.

Kalgoorlie-Boulder

Location

Use correct terminology i.e. spatial dimension (where things are and why they are there) Important preparation for

year 10.

General note taking

“Geographers locate places in terms of:

1. Absolute Location – Latitude and Longitude

2. Relative Location – Where it is in relation to other known places

3. Site – Details of the land on which it is located”

Revise latitude and Longitude – Remember LANS LOWE

Use an atlas to find the Latitude and Longitude of Kalgoorlie

Return to note taking “Kalgoorlie has an absolute location of 30.79°S Latitude 121.45°E Longitude”

Complete skills worksheet “Where is Kalgoorlie-Boulder?”

Follow up activities:

o Use the information provided on the worksheet, work in groups or individually to brainstorm (list) points

that describe relative location and site location for Kalgoorlie. (use compass, bearings, distance)

o Share ideas and add to your list, can be done in larger groups (think pair share) or black board summary.

o Order all points that are found in a logical sequence so they can be linked together to make a well

structured paragraph.

o Write paragraph as assessment.

Where is Kalgoorlie-Boulder?

1. Name the three closest towns to Kalgoorlie-Boulder. Laverton Coolgardie Norseman

2. Calculate the distance between: a) Kalgoorlie and Laverton: 250 km b) Kalgoorlie and Perth: 600 km

3. Give the bearing of: a) Kalgoorlie from Eucla: 2700 b) Eucla from Kalgoorlie: 450

4. If you were going from Perth to Adelaide, stopping off at Kalgoorlie-boulder, name the towns you would pass through:

Northam, Merredin, Coolgardie, Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Norseman, Eucla

5. If a car averages 80 km per hour, how long will it take to get from Kalgoorlie to Norseman 1.5 hours

6. The satellite image shows the town of Kalgoorlie-Boulder next to the Super Pit mine. Write a sentence comparing the

size of the town to the size of the mine. ____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

7. The lower photograph shows the town of Kalgoorlie and the general landscape of the area. What type of photograph is

this: oblique aerial photograph What Australian landform region is Kalgoorlie located and how is this demonstrated in this

photograph: Western Plateau, which is a raised flat area. The photograph shows a landscape and horizon that is flat

looking.

Where is Kalgoorlie-Boulder?

1. Name the three closest towns to Kalgoorlie-Boulder. _________________ _________________ ________________

2. Calculate the distance between: a) Kalgoorlie and Laverton: _______________ b) Kalgoorlie and Perth: ______________

3. Give the bearing of: a) Kalgoorlie from Eucla: _________________ b) Eucla from Kalgoorlie: _________________

4. If you were going from Perth to Adelaide, stopping off at Kalgoorlie-boulder, name the towns you would pass through:

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. If a car averages 80 km per hour, how long will it take to get from Kalgoorlie to Norseman ____________________

6. The satellite image shows the town of Kalgoorlie-Boulder next to the Super Pit mine. Write a sentence comparing the

size of the town to the size of the mine. ____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

7. The lower photograph shows the town of Kalgoorlie and the general landscape of the area. What type of photograph is

this: ________________________________________ What Australian landform region is Kalgoorlie located and how is this

demonstrated in this photograph: ________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Why is Kalgoorlie Special: A Sense of Identity.

Access the website: www.kalgoorlieaustralia.com Answer the following questions about this website.

1. What is the first thing you notice on this website? Does it look visually appealing? ________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. What do you think is the aim of this website? _____________________________________________________________

3. Is this a Public/Government or Privately owned site? _______________________________________________________

4. What information can you find related to the establishment of the town? ______________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. How does this affect the town today? ___________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Read the following information and use the website to complete the tasks below:

Excerpt from the Crime and Investigation network website about the new reality TV show ‘Kalgoorlie Cops’

Sprouting from the gold rush of 1893, these days the town is flush with money, miners, hookers and bikers –

meaning there’s never a dull moment for Kalgoorlie’s cops.

Laying claim to the biggest open cut Supermine pit in Australia producing over a billion dollars worth of gold

a year, Kalgoorlie is also the birthplace of WA’s first brothel, has the highest per capita registration of hotted

up Holden and Ford V8’s – and boasts a pub on virtually every corner.

Excerpt from the Tourism Western Australia website

Kalgoorlie WA is a large goldfields town, famed for its fascinating gold rush history, fabulous old buildings

and old gold miners' ghost towns. 'Kal' was born amid the 1880s gold rush when thousands of starry-eyed

prospectors made the 700 kilometre journey east of Perth seeking their fortunes. Vibrant Hannan Street

(named after Irishman Paddy Hannan who struck gold in 1893) is lined with pubs, nightclubs, cafes and

restaurants. There's the Hannan railway station, the Hannan hotel and you can even drink a pint of Hannan

lager. Kalgoorlie is still an active mining town and the 3.5 kilometre long, 1.5 kilometre wide Super Pit Mine -

where 800,000 ounces of gold is produced each year - is mind-blowing.

This massive hole in the Earth is as deep as Uluru with about the same circumference. Both Kalgoorlie and

Boulder are packed with grand old buildings (visit the magnificent Boulder Town Hall), lively pubs and

colourful characters still living the prospecting dream. Step back in time to the Australian Prospectors and

Miners Hall of Fame - a historic precinct with prospector's campsite and heritage buildings. In the red dusty

outback near Leonora is the fascinating ghost town of Gwalia. Check out the Flying Doctor's Visitor Centre,

and galleries featuring Aboriginal and Goldfields art for a memorable souvenir. If, after all the sightseeing you

need to cool off, stop for a quick dip in Western Australia's largest indoor pool in Johnson Street.

Accommodation-wise, there are caravan parks, campsites and hostels if you're on a budget; or alternatively,

hotels and motels. Kal rocks with festivities in September, when crowds flock to watch the famous horse

race, The XXXX Gold Kalgoorlie Cup. And with a pub on just about every street corner, there's no avoiding a

good night out!

Task 1: Define Kal as a community based on shared space and/or social organisation by referring to the information on this

page.

Task 2: The excerpt from the Tourism Western Australia website is far too long for one paragraph. Break it up by making

suggestions of where you would split the text up into multiple paragraphs.

Kalgoorlie

Climate Answer the following questions in your

book

1. The above map is an example of an isoline

map. Describe in your own words what a

isoline map is.

2. What does this map show?

3. What is the correct way to write

Kalgoorlie-Boulder’s average annual rainfall?

4. Name two other places which have a

similar annual rainfall to Kalgoorlie-Boulder.

5. What unit of measurement is used for

rainfall?

6. What is the difference in rainfall of

Kalgoorlie to Menai?

7. Use the climate statistics below to

construct a climate graph.

8. Is there a seasonal variation in Kalgoorlie?

J F M A M J J A S O N D

Precipitation 24 31 24 21 27 29 25 21 14 15 18 16 mm

Temperature 26 25 23 19 15 12 11 12 15 18 21 24 0C

Location: Kalgoorlie Altitude: 465m

Kalgoorlie-Boulder land use A land use map shows how the land is being used. They give a reader a quick impression of the patterns of natural and human environments. Your task is to draw a land use map using the satellite image of Kalgoorlie below.

To construct a land use map you first start by drawing an outline map of Kalgoorlie. Mark in the key roads and major

features; provide a direction arrow and a title.

Colour the area covered by the settlement of Kalgoorlie and provide a legend to show this type of land use.

Show other types of land use on the map such as, recreation, mining an industry – and add them to your legend.

Title: _________________________________________________________

Key/Legend:

Geographical issue: The Golden Mile

Key Geographical questions In order to investigate the world, environments and interactions within these, Geographers use questions.

The key questions a geographer uses to investigate a local environment and its issues would be:

1. What is there?

(What does the natural and built environment consist of? What issues are happening?)

2. Where is it?

(What is the geographical location or Spatial Dimension? Can it be located on a map?)

3. Why is it there?

(What are the biophysical processes which maintain environments? How are humans involved?)

4. What are the effects of it being there?

(What is the Ecological Dimension?)

5. How is it changing over time?

(What can we notice change in the short term and long term?)

6. Should it be like this?

(Is there a negative impact on the physical or human environment?)

7. What action is appropriate?

(What can we do to help improve the natural environment or limit human impacts?)

The Golden Mile refers to the mining operations around Kalgoorlie-Boulder in Western Australia focused on mining Gold. The Super Pit is Australia’s largest mine and covers an area larger than Uluru.

In your book answer the key geographical questions from what you have learnt and your own knowledge.

Kalgoorlie-Boulder:

Using a topographic map Access the topographic map of the Kalgoorlie-Boulder and complete the following tasks based on information contained on

this map.

1. What latitude and Longitude is this map centred on?

2. Write the scale of this map as a ratio/representative fraction, as a linear scale and in words.

3. Determine if this is a large scale or a small scale map. Explain the difference between large and small scale maps.

4. Draw the symbols for the following features:

a. Open cut mine

b. Airport

c. Mine

d. Submerged Shipwreck

5. Which of these map symbols is not likely to be seen on this map and why?

6. List two pieces of evidence that indicate recreation activities in the area.

7. Calculate the area of the Super Pit mine

8. The Kanowna Belle Mine is located 24 Kilometres

a. South of Kalgoorlie-Boulder

b. South-West Kalgoorlie-Boulder

c. North of Kalgoorlie-Boulder

d. North-East of Kalgoorlie-Boulder

9. What is the distance from:

a. The Mungari landing ground to the Hampton Hill landing ground?

b. The Dog Dam to the Lonely Dam?

c. The train station at West Kalgoorlie to the train station at Boulder along the train track?

10. Locate the Kurrawang Indigenous Reserve. Identify each feature located in the reserve.

11. What is the length across the Super Pit at its widest point?

a. 8km

b. 800m

c. 1.8km

d. 4km

12. What is the direction of:

a. Bulong from Kalgoorlie-Boulder

b. Kalgoorlie-Boulder from Bulong

c. White Flag Lake to Kalgoorlie-Boulder

d. White Flag Lake from Kalgoorlie-Boulder

e. The Great Eastern Highway leaving Kalgoorlie-Boulder

13. What is the bearing of:

a. Bulong from Kalgoorlie-Boulder

b. Kalgoorlie-Boulder from Bulong

c. White Flag Lake to Kalgoorlie-Boulder

d. White Flag Lake from Kalgoorlie-Boulder

There’s a hole lot of lovin’:

Community responses to change As a class you will be asked to read the article “there’s a hole lot of lovin’”. Your task is to interpret this newspaper article to

show how the Super Pit and mining in general has changed or will change the Kalgoorlie-Boulder community.

You must look for and indicate areas of the article that represent:

The Kalgoorlie-Boulder identity

Example from text: ____________________________________________________________________________________

Benefits of the Mine


Stakeholders in the mine


The influence of mining in Kalgoorlie-Boulder


Evidence of community involvement in the issue of closure


Possible changes in the community


Negative impacts of the Super Pit closure


Solutions for the use of the pit


Task: Write a bibliographic reference for this article as if you were going to use it in a class assignment. Use the

information contained on the article to write the reference.

Task: Create a one A4 page poster for an idea you have for the pit after mining has finished. You should make your

poster as persuasive as possible.

Change in the Kalgoorlie-Boulder community

Demographic change

Short term changes: FiFo (Fly in Fly out) workers cause short term demographic changes. The Super Pit mine has a strong

emphasis on training and developing local workers who want to work in the mining industry, however this is not always

possible. Many workers work on a FiFo basis spending fortnights or months on the job and then returning home for a short

period. Many workers who are in Kalgoorlie-Boulder to work even for a few years choose to buy houses because it is

cheaper than renting; however these workers are not long term residents.

Long term changes: will and are occurring due to the closure of the pit. Many residents are already thinking of where they

will be when the mine is set to close in 2021 and it’s not in Kal. This excerpt from the Kalgoorlie Miner demonstrates the

possible changes in demographics because of the pit closure:

“... more than half (55.6 per cent) of those surveyed said they would "most likely" or "definitely

not" be living in Kalgoorlie-Boulder in 2021 if that was the year the Super Pit was going to close.”

KCGM the operator of the Super Pit recognises that there will be a significant demographic change in the community,

although the company is dedicated to transitioning employees and the town through the closure.

1. The Super Pit employs a relatively small percentage of the local population. What further impacts besides

unemployment do you think Kalgoorlie-Boulder may face once the Super Pit closes?

Changing nature and patterns of work

Boom: The boom period refers to the consolidation of the Golden Mile into the Super Pit which gave mine operators and

economical way to mine a large area for gold. This expansion in mining saw an increase in workers to the Kalgoorlie-

Boulder community and offered retraining and qualifications for local residents, FiFo workers and skilled migrants. This saw

a boom in the local economy as well, so not only were there more skilled and semi-skilled workers within the region for

mining there were other associated industries profiting from this primary industry.

Hotels, brothels and bars experienced a surge because of the money being added to the local economy from local workers

and FiFo workers. Miners who stayed for a longer term increased the real estate market in the town by renting or more

popularly buying a house.

Bust: The bust has not happened for Kalgoorlie-Boulder yet, and it may never happen. This is referring to the possible

changes in the community which could occur due to the closure of the Super Pit. With the removal of one of the town’s

biggest employers and training providers there are many flow-on effects for this small town. The KCGM workers especially

the FiFo workers will stop returning to the town and even local residents may choose to move to a different mining town.

Other industries may also suffer because of the Super Pit closure. Hotels and the tourism industry have relied on the Gold

Mining heritage of the town and as a part of that have traded on the Super Pit as one of their star attractions. Tourism

could see a sharp decline. The booming real estate industry could also see a decline as workers stop renting or sell up.

2. Imagine you are a local bar owner in Kalgoorlie. Describe how you might be affected by the closure of the mine and what

your response might be.

Resource depletion

Many locals who are independent miners and even KCGM do not deny the natural reserves of Gold may still be held within

the Kalgoorlie-Boulder area, however after testing and forecasting the Super Pit has a closure date of 2021. The General

Manager Russell Cole has indicated that the Super Pit may be revisited in the future for further exploration. For now the

Super Pit will close.

3. Create a cause and effect chain for the closure of the Super Pit for the Kalgoorlie-Boulder community.

The Stakeholders

In a few sentences for each group, explain how each has an interest in the Super Pit

closure.

What would the closure do to impact on each group?

Why do interests of some stakeholders conflict with interests of the others? What

do you see as the solution?

STAKEHOLDERS:

Those groups having an interest

in a particular location or issue.

Miners

Indegnous community

Super Pit Owners

Workers

Local residents

Governments

Environmentalists

All Australians

Local council

Tourists

Real Estate Agents

Tourism Operators

Government involvement in Kalgoorlie-Boulder

Federal government: Mining tax affects super profits and mining companies which could lead to layoffs. The Federal

government then promises tax cuts for individuals.

The Federal government may also be responsible for community welfare assistance due to

unemployment if there is a significant drop in employment after the closure.

State government: Approves mining in specific areas (including more mines) which could give miners an opportunity

to set up their own mine.

Police crime drama show Kalgoorlie Cops has seen a new interest in the area which could lead to

more tourism. It also has the potential to exploit community and cause social problems.

Local government: Youth initiatives to try and involve youth in community and stem youth outmigration to larger

urban areas.

Community pride initiatives help to stimulate a sense of unity and hope in the community.

Community health initiatives help promote the wellbeing of local residents including the

Indigenous population.

Judiciary: Recognises native title

Land and Environment court settles cases about construction and degradation.

Community Group:

The KCGM Community Reference Group (CRG)

The CRG is a group comprising of members of the local Kalgoorlie-Boulder community. The group was established to

provide a forum for KCGM to communicate with members of the community about operational issues and to seek honest

feedback.

The group meets on a monthly basis to discuss present operations, future developments and to assist KCGM with its

planning needs so that the community’s concerns and needs are taken into account early in the process.

The local community has been involved in the operations of the mine since before closure was even on the table.

Community consultation through the CRG has been sought to make sure the Super Pit too care of the community’s needs.

This has included several social impact assessments, community feedback and interviews. The closure has also seen this

community group actively asking residents what they can do to help this long process, rather than just leave the town in

the lurch. KCGM and the CRG believe that involving the residents will assist them in preparing the community for the

closure so that there will be less of an impact.

Task: The owners of the Super Pit are responsible for the physical and social changes to Kalgoorlie-Boulder after

closure of the mine.

1. Make a list of arguments to support or reject this statement.

2. Write a letter to the General Manager of KCGM using your own point of view about the mines responsibility

to the community of Kalgoorlie-Boulder.

Future of Kalgoorlie-Boulder

Discuss your view of what Kal will look like in 30 years time.

Refer to changes in: Demographics

Employment

Social changes

The environment

The Pit

Back up what you write using evidence from class and your own research.

SWOT Analysis After researching and learning about an Australian community facing and responding to change you should have a good

understanding of the way this community is thriving and some of the issues which may see the community of Kalgoorlie-

Boulder face decline.

Complete a SWOT analysis of the Kalgoorlie-Boulder community using any information you have come across in this unit.

Strengths

Weaknesses

Opportunities Threats

Answer the following questions about the previous task.

1. What does SWOT stand for? ______________________________________________________________________

2. Is looking at this table easier than using a book full of text? Why/ Why not? ________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

3. What other headings could you group information to describe positive and negatives about the Kalgoorlie-Boulder

community under? ______________________________________________________________________________

4. What do you see as the number one: Strength - ____________________________________________________

Weakness - ___________________________________________________

Opportunity - _________________________________________________

Threat - ______________________________________________________

to the Kalgoorlie-Boulder community?

Kalgoorlie-Boulder a Changing Australian Community

Documents

Transcript of Kalgoorlie-Boulder a Changing Australian Community