EDA Journal Vol 10. No.2 Spring 2017 | Page 20

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT QUARTERLY viewing platform and boardwalk; theatrette, conservation research area, staff and volunteer offices, cafe / restaurant; retail space; and public amenities.
The project was conceived through extensive community collaboration and delivered with the utmost respect to the site’ s Indigenous and European history and environmental setting.
The $ 4.7m construction budget was primarily funded by Council and supported with $ 1m funding from the Queensland Tourism Infrastructure Fund, $ 330K from the Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve Management Advisory Committee and $ 30,000 from the Friends of Mary Cairncross.
To further enhance the project and contribute to its legacy, Sunshine Coast Council purchased an adjacent 14-hectare parcel of land through its Environmental Levy Program.
Funding Finder and Career Horizons( Economic Development Award winner, 2015).
The City was invited to share its views, as a regional representative on the local government committee of the Victorian Government, Department of Small Business, Innovation and Trade, Small Business Regulation Review( Retail). The City’ s CEO and management have committed to implementing the findings of the review, developing best practice content, and template documents to share with other councils and support the Central Victorian region.
FINALIST
WANNEROO CITY COUNCIL“ Innovative Initiatives Focusing on Stimulating Economic Growth”
YouTube: https:// youtu. be / NTTXHffhz2o and https:// www. youtube. com / watch? v = eCvk2A2fkeU
FINALIST
BENDIGO CITY COUNCIL“ Business Help Desk”
The City of Greater Bendigo’ s Business Help Desk initiative arose from a commitment to demonstrate Bendigo as genuinely‘ open for business’. The creation of the Business Help Desk aligns with federal, state and local government efforts to support growth of the small business sector and reduce the regulatory burden on businesses.
A Small Business Team formed to develop and implement the initiative across the organisation. The team is constructing a single-point, concierge service for businesses, helping them navigate the City’ s departments and processes, assisting them to understand their regulatory obligations and application requirements, and imparting realistic expectations of approval timeframes and costs.
In addition, the Business Help Desk provides a suite of 11 initiatives titled‘ We’ re Here to Help’, to give businesses the best chance of success. Launched in November 2016, the suite includes a business support directory, events calendar, education videos, mentor programs, business incubation, business-friendly meeting spaces, business distress service, digital business community Supporting Local Business Bendigo via blog, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and the Australian-first initiatives Small Business Health Check, Bendigo
The City of Wanneroo is facing a major challenge to create 100,000 new local jobs to support our rapidly growing population, reduce traffic, environmental and infrastructure issues and provide residents with a great quality of life. Acknowledging that this task is too big to be tackled individually, the City designed, developed and implemented two innovative initiatives to stimulate economic growth, through
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