recovery planning and resilience building strategies . This program connects local business owners and operators to the right services and provides them with administrative support where needed .
Council ’ s economic development team immediately initiated a triage of local economic impacts through phone and online surveys , revealing common issues facing businesses across the City . This informed the strategy which would address these issues and mitigate the worst impacts of COVID-19 restrictions .
By late April 2020 , the team had developed an Economic Recovery Program to deliver both emergency measures and strategic investments for the City and secured a $ 5million interest free loan from the Tasmanian Government to fund its implementation .
These business recovery strategies are unique to each participant and designed to help reactivate their business and develop sustainable business models to strengthen and grow through the recovery period and beyond .
:// www . melbourneinnovation . com . au / business-recovery-advisory-serviceadvisers
Highly commended - Cairns Regional Council Cairns COVID-19 Local Recovery Plan Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic , the Cairns economy was in a strong position . Gross Regional Product ( GRP ) growth was above Queensland and Australian averages with unemployment well below both the State and National levels . However , due to reliance on tourism and aviation connectivity , the Cairns economy was severely impacted by COVID-19 .
Led by Cairns Regional Council , using a proven recovery planning methodology from the Queensland Reconstruction Authority ( QRA ) and incorporating significant stakeholder engagement , the COVID-19 Cairns Local Recovery Plan was formulated as the road map for Cairns ’ economy to return to ‘ pre COVID-19 ’ levels but with a stronger , more resilient foundation .
The plan includes economic , human and social pillars as well as a diverse range of industries and initiatives to further diversify Cairns ’ economic base and inform longterm strategic economic outcomes for the Cairns region .
:// www . cairns . qld . gov . au / council / covid19 / cairns-recovery-planning
WINNER - Glenorchy City Council Glenorchy Economic Recovery Program Glenorchy ’ s first economic development strategy in thirty years was endorsed in February 2020 , and just three weeks later Australia ’ s borders were closed to all nonresidents and lockdowns were introduced to limit the spread of COVID-19 .
By June 2021 , the City ’ s economic resilience was significantly bolstered by the Economic Recovery Program through direct investment and building business confidence . Glenorchy has emerged from the economic crisis with a confident business community , record levels of development and plans in place for $ 1.9billion of private and public investment .
VOL 14 NO 3 2021 40 www . edaustralia . com . au