ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT QUARTERLY
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LATROBE CITY COUNCIL “ Latrobe City Council Engineers Australia Partnership ”
Latrobe City Council has partnered with Engineers Australia to promote the region as the Engineering Capital of Australia . The partnership demonstrates how a regional city located in Gippsland , can collaborate with a national peak professional body to create real economic diversification opportunities in a transitioning community .
The partnership was identified as a key action in Council ’ s Economic Development Strategy 2016- 2020 . It is very relevant due to the region ’ s strength in engineering , Council ’ s aim to become the Engineering Capital of Australia , and both parties sharing a vision of advancing the engineering field .
Council ’ s Economic Development Strategy was developed within the context of a transitioning economy . The Engineering Capital of Australia concept evolved through the strategy development and is an innovative approach to economic development .
A key aspect of bringing this concept to life is strong relationships between the community , government , the education sector , industry and sector experts to forge a shared vision for the future . The partnership with Engineers Australia was identified as crucial by leveraging the professional body ’ s existing relationships and reputation within the sector to create positive change . Change is difficult and requires innovation , commitment and passion and Council believes it can inspire confidence and change in its community through this partnership approach .
The partnership to date is strong with real outcomes starting to come to fruition . It is delivering direct and in-direct benefits which are all contributing to creating an economy which is sustainable and diverse with a focus on engineering excellence .
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SUNSHINE COAST COUNCIL “ Agribusiness Network & Sunshine Coast Agribusiness Industry Investment Plan ”
A key deliverable under the Sunshine Coast Regional Economic Development Strategy 2013 -2033 ( REDs ) was the establishment of the Food and Agribusiness Network ( FAN ) ‘ an organisation led by the industry , for the industry .’
The initiative was identified by the Sunshine Coast Agribusiness Industry Taskforce , a key advisory body established by Council to deliver an Industry Investment Plan which responded to key issues and opportunities identified as a result of a review of 29 research papers and an extensive industry consultation exercise .
FAN was established two years ago with seed funding and in-kind support from Sunshine Coast Council and a handful of initial industry sponsors . It has since grown to over 150 industry members and 43 sponsors with a constant stream of collaborative projects and industry led events under its belt . FAN is now known as Australia ’ s fastest growing not for profit food industry network and the go-to across the industry supply chain and a range of affiliate members who see value in being engaged .
FAN has become the key conduit for Council to deliver on a range of industry development and regional marketing activities , to promote the innovation and provenance of the region locally and globally and to build the capacity of the industry . In effect , FAN has become the leadership body with which to deliver projects across the five pathways of the REDs whilst developing its own array of strategic industry partnerships .
FAN has now become a key element of the Sunshine Coast ’ s investment attraction value proposition .
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ONKAPARINGA CITY COUNCIL “ ON Business Partner Program ”
Economic development has featured as core business and a key goal of the City of Onkaparinga since it was established in 1998 as the largest council in South Australia , through an amalgamation of three peri-urban councils . In that time , relying on traditional economic development interventions alone has not yielded sufficient economic growth and investment , so the council is now pushing boundaries ( and the limits of the Local Government
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