Noongar Opportunities

Developed in partnership with our Noongar Advisory Group, the Westport Noongar Opportunities Strategy will guide the program to ensure benefits are maximised for Noongar communities with the development of the port and supply chain infrastructure.  

We report on the progress of the Westport Noongar Opportunities Strategy biannually to track been achievements against our strategic objectives.  

Learn more: 

• Westport Noongar Opportunities Strategy 

• Westport Noongar Opportunities Strategy Action Report March 2023 - September 2023 

• Westport Noongar Opportunities Strategy Actions Report October 2023 March 2024 

The Westport Noongar Advisory Group consists of ten local Noongar community leaders, selected through a peer nomination process, and four stakeholders including representatives from the South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council (SWALSC), and the Gnaala Karla Booja and Whadjuk Regional Corporations. 

The Advisory Group acts as the conduit between Westport and the Noongar community and is responsible for: 

• Providing cultural advice.  

• Identifying, prioritising, and helping to design actions and initiatives to implement as part of the Westport Noongar Opportunities Strategy.  

• Facilitating partnerships and co-investment on shared actions agreed between Westport and the Whadjuk and Gnaala Karla Booja Noongar Corporations. 

In collaboration with the Westport Noongar Advisory Group, Westport commenced the Cultural and Spiritual Values Mapping project in April 2023.  

Westport partnered with Winyama, an Aboriginal-owned and operated business specialising in location intelligence, to capture and map Cultural and Spiritual values. A local Noongar Science Facilitator also assisted with process. 

Winyama interviewed nine knowledge holders identified by Westport’s Noongar Advisory Group to document marine and terrestrial sites of significance, and the stories connected to them.  

Westport now have a comprehensive map of the cultural and spiritual values within Cockburn Sound and the surrounding area. This includes songlines, historical sites, native flora and fauna, and contemporary uses within the mapping bounds. 

Westport received permission to use the data, so that locations of cultural significance could be considered during the design process. 

Learn more. 

In 2022, Westport commissioned Noongar artist Peter Farmer to create an artwork exploring the journey of Westport and the Noongar Community.

Westport came together with the Noongar Advisory Group for guidance on the inspirations for the artwork.

"The three lines throughout the artwork represent our journey together through the ‘past’, ‘present’ and ‘future’. It includes strong Noongar Totems for each of the canvases.

“This includes the Yonga for resilience and tenacity. It also includes the special Noongar Ocean Totems that are of great significance to the region and the Noongar people.”                                 

- Peter Farmer