ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT QUARTERLY
FINALIST
SOUTHERN DOWNS REGIONAL COUNCIL
Welcoming Backpackers to the Southern Downs
The Welcoming Backpackers to the Southern
Downs initiative includes all levels of Government,
industry, volunteer organisations and community
members working together to make the region a
safe and attractive place to visit and work.
Backpackers are a very important and integral part
of the horticultural industry in the Southern Downs.
Without them, the Granite Belt would not be able to
supply the necessary quantities of fresh produce to
the Eastern seaboard of Australia. Backpackers are
also a great boost to local spending.
This project makes the region safer for backpackers
and positions the Southern Downs as a great region
for travellers to want to work in and visit.
www.sdrc.qld.gov.au/
Using technology, originally developed for the
healthcare sector, the project gathers and integrates
input from a wide range of siloed internal and
external data sources and turns previously
fragmented data into meaningful information to
unlock new insights.
www.holdfast.sa.gov.au/
www.sdrc.qld.gov.au/our-region/backpackers-
guide www.cdn.holdfast.sa.gov.au/general-downloads/
Business/Economic-Activation-Plan-2018-2023.
pdf
DIGITAL ENTREPRENEURS FINALIST
This category recognises where digital technology
is central to the purpose and delivery of the
initiative or project, where it incorporates technology
into daily work life and the objective is boosting
employment opportunities, productivity and / or
resilience.
WINNER
CITY OF HOLDFAST BAY
Economic Impact Measurement Tool
SOUTHERN GRAMPIANS SHIRE COUNCIL
SGSC A Smart Connected Rural Community
Southern Grampians Shire Council is building a
local Digital Ecosystem to transform its rural, aging
and declining community into a thriving Smart
Connected Rural Community.
Leveraging the Council provided LoRaWAN IoT
sensor network and the connectGH public WiFi
network, Southern Grampians Council is investing in
smart technology to drive innovation and economic
development.
To boost investment attraction, population growth,
Council is investing in infrastructure to improve
connectivity across the Shire and rolling out smart
technology solutions.
Following the release of its Economic Activation
Plan, the City of Holdfast Bay launched an analytics
‘proof of concept’ economic impact measurement
tool, to measure the impact of its contribution to the
local economy. Holdfast Bay is the first council in
Australia to apply the Metrixview technology to
reveal the impact of its decisions and actions, which
will lead to data driven improvement.
The inaugural Greater Hamilton Digital Innovation
and Smart Agriculture 2019 Festival, held in
May 2019 is an example of Council building its
communities capacity around digital transformation
and digital opportunities for the region.
www.sthgrampians.vic.gov.au/
www.connectgh.com.au/pages/abstract/
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