designed to attract and retain investment in key areas including resources , mining equipment technology and services ( METS ), agriculture and biofutures . Projects which have assisted the region ’ s key industries range from workforce planning , industry networking and local business support , through to local procurement planning and supply chain enhancement strategies .
Promoting Prosperity - Economic Development Advocacy and Partnerships No one organisation has the knowledge , know-how or resources to effectively pursue a region ’ s economic development agenda alone and positive collaborative partnerships are an essential ingredient of success . Local government and its partners in industry , government and the nongovernment sector provide a unifying voice for communities and for businesses when lobbying State and Federal Governments on key economic development issues . Local government has a key role to play in attracting government investment in enabling infrastructure by identifying strategic priorities and preparing business cases for key projects , which can be used to inform grant funding applications .
The Greater Whitsunday Alliance referred to above is just one great example of constructive , outcomes-oriented regional collaboration . The Joint Organisations model adopted by local governments throughout New South Wales is another .
Regional collaboration can take many forms and with a variety of outputs , all designed to progress a region ’ s economic development agenda . For example , in Outback South Australia , the Outback Communities
Authority , with the support of Regional Development Australia Far North , produced the oneOutback Prospectus – a short , sharp and engaging document targeted at government agencies and prospective investors . An evidenced-based document , the oneOutback Prospectus sought to attract investment into South Australia ’ s Outback to see projects of regional significance come to fruition .
In exploring how the region is best placed to leverage the Outback ’ s competitive advantage , the oneOutback Prospectus identifies and promotes four prioritised , innovative ‘ region-building ’ investment opportunities which are economically sound , and community verified . One of these projects , the proposed sealing of the Strzelecki Track , has since received $ 10 million in State Government funding to upgrade the first 50-kilometre section of the Track , with these works already underway . More recently , the Federal Government has committed $ 100 million to seal priority sections of the Track . This is a great example of a collaborative approach to identifying and addressing regional priorities which will have significant positive economic development outcomes over the long-term .
The four broad categories of economic development activity described above provide a framework for Councils , both as a lead and in partnership with other organisations , to plan for prosperity and the wellbeing of the communities they serve . They provide a general guide only . The particular activities that a Council does focus its energies on will be determined by the outcomes of its economic development strategy , planning process and the identification of priorities for action .
REFERENCES
Australian Government , Department of Regional Australia , Local Government , Arts and Sport ( 2013 ), Framework for Regional Economic Development , Canberra
Australian Government , Institute of Health and Welfare , Australian Institute of Family Studies ( 2014 ), Success Factors for Indigenous entrepreneurs and community-based enterprises
Government of South Australia - Outback Communities Authority ( 2017 ), OneOutback Prospectus
IBISWorld ( 3 June 2020 ), COVID-19 Economic Assessment
Lennon , S . ( 2017 ), In Pursuit of Prosperity : Local Government and Economic Development , in Local Government Focus , Volume 33 , Number 8 , August 2017
Lennon , S . ( 2014 ), Addressing the Determinants of Sustainable Economic Development , in Economic Development , The Quarterly Journal of Economic Development Australia , Volume 7 , Issue 1
:// www . greaterwhitsundayalliance . com . au /, viewed 21st February 2021
ABOUT THE AUTHORS