Game on! Wild Game Industry Expansion will benefit northern communities

April 23, 2022

The Liberal and Nationals Government will continue its game changing agenda in northern Australia – real transformation to attract and retain people, grow businesses and open up economic opportunities for local communities.

A re-elected Liberal and Nationals Government will commit up to $1.3 million to Western Game Processing Pty Ltd to help expand its business further into north western Queensland.

“Our contribution to the project, worth approximately $2.5 million in total, will deliver an economic injection into remote communities with direct and indirect business and employment opportunities” Minister Littleproud said.

Western Game Processing (WGP), which is based in Longreach, currently has 11 existing chiller box sites in north Queensland including near Hughenden, Eromanga and Barcaldine. The expansion will support WGPs significant growth since its inception in 2018 and will see an additional 12 chiller boxes placed across six sites including Mount Isa, Cloncurry, Boulia, Julia Creek and Middleton.

Increasing the number and location of the chiller boxes will help the business become more resilient to weather events and will ensure product demand is met. The business estimates that each chiller box has the capacity, depending on the number of licensed harvesters, to inject between $350,000 and $2 million directly into a community per annum.

The project will also include the purchase of a prime mover and trailers, the construction of a ‘fit for purpose’ solar powered preparation shed, an accommodation hub to offer workers short and long-term accommodation and an office and staff amenities block that caters to the needs of the expanding administration role of the business.

“The Liberal and Nationals Government will always put agriculture front and centre, unlike Labor who haven’t announced any policies that will drive economic growth and prosperity outside their metropolitan seats.”

For more information on investments in Northern Australia, visit www.infrastructure.gov.au/territories-regions-cities/regions/northern-Australia.