FINALIST : Alexandrina Council 2023 South Australian Wooden Boat Festival – Port of Goolwa The South Australian Wooden Boat Festival ( SAWBF ) is a biennial flagship event for Goolwa on South Australia ’ s Fleurieu Peninsula and is critical to the local visitor economy . The Festival , presented by the Alexandrina Council showcases Goolwa ’ s historic Wharf , one of Australia ’ s most important river ports and celebrates the iconic river boating history and traditions , the Murray River environment , lifestyle , culture and heritage .
Due to the devastating 2022 Murray River floods and the scheduled redevelopment of the historic Goolwa Wharf Precinct , the Council with support of a variety of partners made the decision to re-locate the event to Coorong Quays – Hindmarsh Island . These new collaborations and partnerships were critical to bringing the 2023 event to fruition . It involved Coorong Quays providing critical infrastructure , Fleurieu Food igniting food business participation across the entire region and the support of the South Australian Tourism Commission . This collaborative approach resulted in over 12 000 visitors visiting the event , creating an economic impact of $ 2.8m for the Alexandrina district .
FINALIST : City of Monash in Partnership with Monash Tech School Monash Maker Faire – Making the Future Together There exists a need within Australia to create opportunities for the community to understand maker culture , entrepreneurial pathways , the start-up ecosystem , and highgrowth industry sectors .
Capturing the community ’ s interests and imaginations is critical to improving their awareness and engagement with these industries . The Monash Maker Faire is a celebration of creativity , craftsmanship , technology , and innovation , with a focus on hands on experiences . It creates opportunities for the wider community to meet , connect and collaborate within the local ecosystem . It promotes and showcases the capabilities and achievements of groups operating within the Precinct and raises the profile of the Precinct ecosystem globally through the Maker movement .
CATEGORY 4 : THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AWARD FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES BY REGIONS UNDER 15,000 RESIDENTS This category recognises programs or projects that have stimulated economic development activity in smaller regions .
WINNER : Murray River Council Australian Darts 2022
In 2019 , Murray River Council successfully secured a new International Darts Open Tournament that would offer the richest prize money in the Asia Pacific .
After the disruptions caused by Covid-19 , Murray River Council worked tirelessly to advocate for the return of the Australian Open Darts Competition in 2022 and successfully lobbied for it to be ranked as a world event with Platinum Status by the World Darts Federation . The tournament was placed in the top 4 ranked events worldwide .
Council invested in the prize pool , led negotiations for live-streaming and on demand viewing on Kayo and moved the event to be a free spectator event , all resulting in over 1400 visitors to the region and an economic impact of $ 2.7m .
CATEGORY 5 : THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES BY REGIONS OVER 15,000 RESIDENTS This award recognises programs or projects that have stimulated economic development activity in larger council regions . Entrants were required to describe the goals set and the outcomes achieved .
WINNER : Regional Development Australia Adelaide Hills , Fleurieu and Kangaroo Island Manufacturing isn ’ t Dead – the forgotten entrepreneurs
During an assessment of the region ’ s economic health in April 2022 , analysis showed manufacturing as a priority sector .
This sector adds the most jobs , is the second largest exporter , provides the greatest value-add and there was clear local competitive advantage .
It became apparent that there was a gap in business funding and supports for micro and small manufacturing business .
In response , RDA Adelaide Hills , Fleurieu and Kangaroo Island , pivoted their own existing Hills and Coast Business Grants program to focus on manufacturing , offering matched funding to support the procurement of new equipment to increase productivity and address barriers to growth .
The program represents a total sector investment of over $ 300,000 , has supported 9 businesses and the creation of new jobs .
VOL 16 NO 3 2023 28 www . edaustralia . com . au