Hume City Council, located in the northwest region of Melbourne, is promoting itself to potential investors as one of the lowest cost, highest revenue areas in the world.
As well as having an abundance of industrial, commercial and residential land at competitive prices, it is both the international and domestic transport gateway to Metropolitan Melbourne with the Hume Highway, Melbourne Airport, Tullamarine Freeway and Western Ring Road.
Agglomerations of firms already making use of its strategic location include aviation, freight, engineering, vehicle manufacture, steel, plastics, electronics, communications, food processing, vineyards, tertiary education, the list goes on.
Working with Business Victoria and a number of Commonwealth bodies, the City of Hume recently secured a $50 million investment by Belgium based global giant, UCB SA. A speciality plastic film plant to be located at Craigieburn will create 100 permanent jobs.
Speaking at a recent Business Breakfast, John Watson, Council’s Chief Executive Officer, said, “With business investment in Victoria booming, what better time to invest, and invest in Hume.”
Hume’s Mayor, Cr Carl Lewis, congratulated the strong business representation at the Breakfast. He said that economic development for investment and job creation cannot be done by Council alone but Council was pleased to be the facilitator of such activity.
He warned about job creation schemes, such as ‘Work for the Dole’, saying these are short term, finishing with a change of government or when the money runs out. The key is creating long term employment.
Keynote Speaker at the Breakfast was Phil Ruthven, Executive Chairman Ibis Business Information Pty Ltd. Speaking on the topic ‘Education and Industry into the 21st Century’, he said Hume, like other areas in Australia would like to see a return to full employment, that is below five percent.
He said that after the economic downturn in the late 80s and early 90s, it is astonishing that it is taking so long to get back to full employment, and that the current generation are going to say we were so stupid.
Phil Ruthven believes that outsourcing is the key to new industry and pointed to the potential of household outsourcing already occurring in the areas of gardening, maintenance, cleaning and so forth.
“If we do not outsource services then we are assisting to increase unemployment,” he said. “Similarly, businesses should be outsourcing non core services such as transport, accounting, reception and maintenance. They should be concentrating on their intellectual property, their enterprise uniqueness, systems, brands and culture.”
Information concerning a new Regional Export Development Program, developed in partnership with NORTHLink and the Cities of Darebin, Moreland, Whittlesea and Macedon Ranges Shire, was also provided at the breakfast. Under this Program, a Regional Export Manager has been employed to work one to one with local businesses.
A specialist trade broker, the Manager provides personalised advice to local business on export opportunities through to detailed export plans, as well as putting local businesses in touch with potential partners overseas.
