Release: Revealing the full potential of the Indian Ocean Blue Economy for WA

9th December 2019

[download this press release as a PDF]

A new report, For Blue, sets a compelling vision for WA’s leaders and innovators in realising the full potential of our marine capabilities and international trade opportunities.

In a first for WA, the full scope of our Blue Economy and opportunities have been made visible in a single publication.

The report draws on industry engagement, expert interviews and more than one hundred and fifty sources to highlight specific areas of opportunity for WA.

WA is a leader in Australia’s Blue Economy, which is already worth $68 billion, more than Agriculture. The opportunity is to serve the other 32 nations and 2.5 billion people around the Indian Ocean with our expertise, products and services.

The report neatly aligns the needs of Indian Ocean nations with WA’s existing capability and global trends. Each of the nine sections outlines the driving factors, examples of WA ventures making the most of them, and actions to advance each proposition.

For Blue is essential reading for those looking at the next big area of opportunity, and ways in which WA can position itself to be of growing value, globally, over coming decades.

Examples of the opportunities include:

• Blue Growth - expanding premium ocean products that reflect green and clean requirements of buyers and consumers,
• Ecological Stewardship - preserving natural capital for environmental, social and financial returns, such as through Blue Carbon capture,
• Advancing Manufacturing - growing startup technology companies out of our strong base in shipbuilding and defence,
• Remote Intelligence - protecting natural and industrial assets through remote technologies developed in related industries,
• Forecasting Health - improving predictions and management of oceans through our advanced data sharing and analytics

For Blue author and We Are Arising Managing Director, Andrew Outhwaite, said:

“This report takes the multiple challenges of declining ocean health, the current limitations WA’s economy and uncertainty about our positioning, and finds huge opportunities right in front of us.”

“This shift in orientation towards our oceans is being seen by those in Industry, academia and innovation, yet hasn’t before been pulled together and highlighted to the others necessary to capitalise on these opportunities.”

“I’ve spent the last decade guiding various aspects of WA’s innovation ecosystem, and the Indian Ocean Blue Economy is the single most exciting opportunity I’ve seen.”

“The best thing is the opportunity to align all our aspirations for growth, connection, trade, sustainability, and meaning in one focus. It’s quite a turn to make, but now is the time and we are uniquely well-positioned to do so.”

The full report is available at https://www.forblue.io

About Andrew Outhwaite:

Andrew has fifteen years of international experience as both: a leading social entrepreneur and innovation strategist. As a social entrepreneur, he co-founded Meshpoints - a network of innovation hubs, Pollinators Inc - a nationally-recognised model for growing healthy communities, and CityHive: WA’s longest-running coworking space. As a strategist he: co-authored multiple regional innovation strategies for Western Australia, lead advocacy on behalf of the startup industry and facilitated increased investment into WA startup incubators with the Federal Government.

Images: Download images of the report, launch and Andrew Outhwaite.

Reception: Read a selection of quotes from people who have received briefings.

Media contact: We Are Arising Managing Director, Andrew Outhwaite, 0466 694 702