Jobs And Training To Transform Lives In Fitzroy Valley

  • Deadly Jobs Expo returning to Fitzroy Crossing on 11-12 September
  • Connecting Fitzroy Valley jobseekers with sustainable job and training opportunities
  • Delivering on the Kimberley Floods State Recovery and Resilience Plan
  • Training and employment can transform lives and communities

The Deadly Jobs Expo is returning to Fitzroy Crossing this month, with more than 50 exhibitors across two days providing information on training, jobs and skills and government services, and a festival format to showcase the local community’s talents and resilience.

Held over two days – Wednesday, 11 September and Thursday, 12 September – the Deadly Jobs Expo, which is partly funded through the joint Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements, is part of the Cook Government’s commitment to the local community’s flood recovery, and continuing work to ensure the Government’s State-wide jobs and skills support for Western Australians reaches all corners of the State.

Fitzroy Valley jobseekers are encouraged to get down to the expo at the undercover courts on Fallon Road to connect with local employers and to get some free jobs and training advice fromNorth Regional TAFE, local Jobs and Skills Centre services, private training providers and universities.

Employers will be actively recruiting local people for jobs in the Fitzroy Valley, with a focus on providing sustainable employment opportunities including in hospitality, tourism, retail, administration, caring for Country, local government and healthcare.

The Deadly Jobs Expo is being held alongside the Department of Justice’s Aboriginal Justice Open Day, a regular event assisting the community to access services that help with identification, fines and driver’s licence enquiries, and a range of Government services. There will also be a market with local craftspeople selling bush medicine, art, fashion and hand-dyed silk.

This is the second Deadly Jobs Expo held in Fitzroy Crossing this year. An estimated 400 jobseekers, students and other community members attended the previous expo in March. Attendance at the September expo is expected to be higher, with local school children from pre-primary to year 12 attending to learn about their further study and career options.

Ensuring ongoing training and employment opportunities is central to the Cook Government’s strategies to rebuild community capacity and social and economic resilience in the Fitzroy Valley, following one-in-one-hundred-year flooding in the Kimberley region last year.

Over $800 million in Federal and WA Government funding has been committed to support the Kimberley region’s long-term recovery from the social, economic, infrastructure and environmental impacts of the flood.

As stated by Training and Workforce Development Minister Simone McGurk:

“This expo is part of the Cook Government’s commitment to ensuring there are sustainable employment and training opportunities available for the people of the Fitzroy Valley to rebuild livelihoods and the town’s economy and resilience.

“The Fitzroy Valley community has been working hard to turn the devastation of the one-in-one-hundred-year flood event into opportunities for local people.

“Many Fitzroy Valley locals grabbed with both hands the opportunity to learn new skills working to rebuild the Fitzroy River Bridge after the floods and are looking for more sustainable employment to set themselves up for the future.”

As stated by Emergency Services Minister Stephen Dawson:

“Following the devastating floods of January 2023, we have been working closely with the Commonwealth to engage local residents and businesses in the Fitzroy Valley as part of the recovery process.

“Our focus is to ‘build back better’ which not only refers to using locals on reconstruction projects, but to ensure those jobs lead to long-term employment.

“Events like this expo are an important part of the recovery process, because they are the wraparound services that look beyond the fixed-term construction projects.”

As stated by Federal Emergency Management Minister Jenny McAllister:

“Ex-Tropical Cyclone Ellie had a devastating impact across the Fitzroy Valley. We are committed to building more resilient infrastructure. We are also committed to building more resilient communities with programs such as the Deadly Jobs Expo, connecting locals with sustainable employment and training options.

“Our commitment to the recovery of the Fitzroy Valley extends beyond immediate aid; it’s about building lasting opportunities for local residents.

“The Albanese Government is proud to be partnering with the Cook Government to deliver events like the Deadly Jobs Expo, fostering resilience and opportunity in the wake of the challenges faced by the region.”

As stated by Kimberley MLA Divina D’Anna:

“The Deadly Jobs Expo is a great way for local people and businesses to support each other in this time of resilience building in the Fitzroy Valley community.

“There are so many career and training options available, and I would urge people to go along and check it out – your dream job could be closer than you think!”

/Public Release. View in full here.