One of the four local government areas in the Kimberly region, the Shire of Broome has engaged the services of a consultant to investigate the viability of a second casino, the only other being Burswood, in Western Australia.

Establishing the risks and social, economic and heritage opportunities of a casino in Broome will be the undertaking of a team of advisors from Paxon Group, a leading Australian advisory and consulting firm based in Perth that works with private and public sector clients. The cost of the study is approximately $26,000 according to shire CEO Ken Donohoe who expects a draft report by the year’s end. Donohoe said, “We should have a draft report back to the shire by the end of November and then after considering the draft report we should have a full presentation being made to council I imagine around about February/March of 2016,” according to an ABC News report.

Donohoe said that if a casino in Broome was found to be viable and the community was accepting of private sector investment, it would bring opportunities as well as economic benefits to the town. Donohoe elaborated, “That could open up opportunities for international flights, opportunities for other export of products such as agriculture and aquaculture, both domestically and internationally, if the project was to be considered viable.”

Premier Colin Barnett who spoke in Broome last week said that he remained opposed to the idea and that, “Any decision on a casino is a decision of the State Government, not the local government, and the State Government, at this point, does not support a casino in Broome.”

Australia’s largest state, today Western Australia’s economy relies mainly on mining, agriculture and tourism.