Western Australia’s Shire of Ashburton is aiming to increase banking and government services to the Onslow community.
The Shire has successfully applied for a Commonwealth Grant to undertake a Business Plan for the establishment of a Rural Transaction Centre in the town. Onslow has a population of just over 600 people.
Currently, the community cannot access many Commonwealth Government services and only a few State Government services are available. Banking is confined to two agencies operating from the general store. The nearest centre for many of these services is Karratha, located 300 kilometres away.
Shire President Brian Hayes said the Business Plan would assess the viability of establishing a computer based centre in Onslow to improve access to these services. “Council is extremely concerned to improve access for the Onslow community to a range of government services, including Centrelink and Medicare as well as access to banking services,” he said.
“Establishing a Rural Transaction Centre in Onslow will go some way towards dealing with the isolation of the Onslow community and, in particular, turning around the trend in the withdrawal of services to the town by governments and the private sector.
Through ongoing community consultation, to ensure the feasibility of the services to be offered, a Business Plan is being prepared. The centre is expected to be up and running by the end of June this year.
For further information contact CEO David Carey, telephone (08) 9189 1029
