Governor awarding retiring St John officer
The Governor congratulates a long-serving St John employee

Round table on advances in automation, recognising unsung heroes in Western Australia and celebrating the iconic Opera in the Park.

This morning the Governor convened representatives from METS Ignited and a cross section of key WA mining companies for a roundtable discussion on how to advance the State’s automation further. This includes exploring inter-system and whole of value chain approaches more deeply.

Western Australia has wholeheartedly embraced remote operations, robotics and automation, including our work in critical areas which NASA representatives recently acknowledged were a decade ahead of them.

It is believed that embracing automation technology will add as much as $52 billion to the Australian economy by 2030 – a third of which might potentially be realised in WA.


The Governor met with a cross-section of key WA mining companies for a roundtable discussion on how to advance the State’s automation further.

The Governor this afternoon recognised outstanding individuals who consistently work selflessly, with honour and integrity to make our State an even better place to live.

Attending the St John’s 2021 award ceremony, the Governor praised the organisation and its staff for its contribution to our community during the 2020 and 2021 bushfires, and the COVID19 pandemic.

“In times of adversity, heroes are always born. Difficulty most often brings innovation, compassion and a strength of spirit that generally lives under the surface of our day-to-day lives. COVID19 and the bushfires were no different,” said the Governor.

“St John and its staff are among the unsung heroes of COVID. You have acted with flexibility and agility in an ever-changing landscape. You’ve worked collaboratively with a host of state and national bodies to keep the WA community as safe as possible while faced with a virus that wreaked havoc worldwide. Your fast actions helped minimise the spread of COVID here in Western Australia and allowed us to retain a sense of normality for (pretty much) the better part of 12 months while we watched the rest of the world struggle to contain the virus and keep its people safe.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you. For acting selflessly. For choosing a profession which values service to humanity. For being the individuals who rush in to dangerous situations, when most others are fleeing. You are unique. You are special. And you are so deserving of the recognition you are receiving today.”

Attending the City of Perth Opera in the Park

The Governor and Ms Annus attended the City of Perth Opera in the Park in the Supreme Court Gardens, marking the 30th year this iconic event has been held.

They joined thousands of other people in Perth and around the globe, enjoying the magnificent voices of the WA Opera, alongside the talented musicians of the West Australian Symphony Orchestra.

This year the event was livestreamed online and also at various community venues in Western Australia to allow audiences everywhere to share in the magic, power and passion of opera.

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