When the OEDC/French Government World Congress on Local Clusters was staged in Paris earlier this year, South Australia’s City of Playford was invited to present a paper. The Congress attracted some 1,000 delegates representing over 40 countries.
Since launching its Economic Plan, ‘An innovative City’ in 1999, the City of Playford’s achievements have been recognised widely, both within Australia and overseas.
“This comes at an important time when the role of Local Government is being redefined and local communities and businesses are expecting more from their elected members,” said Rodin Genoff, Industrial Strategist at the City of Playford. “Whether it is jobs, investment, or export development some Local Governments are taking a much more active role in forging a future which is their own.”
Rodin Genoff is adamant that Local Government can influence the pace and direction of investment, and play a role in export and employment generation. He believes that Local Government cannot afford to fail to drive regional agendas.
“In a global economy, it is the regions which are the drivers of local growth and prosperity,” he said. “To build local capacity and competitive capabilities, it is critical to think globally and act regionally.”
The City of Playford has been instrumental in the creation of a Food and Manufacturing Cluster. In his report, ‘Clusters Innovation and Investment’, economic development consultant, Rod Brown, describes the cluster concept as a strategy for extending capabilities, resources and responses to levels that would not be achieved by an individual firm. With 70 percent of South Australia’s manufacturing and 40 percent of the State’s horticultural output coming from its region, Playford has worked with Rod Brown to develop 33 regional action agendas.
“As a result, six Councils in this region are now working together and, for the first time, they have prioritised road infrastructure expenditure to facilitate economic development,” Rodin Genoff said. “New market development and export networking are also being formed as part of our clustering work.”
The City of Playford has also played a key role in the establishment of Clusters Asia Pacific Inc (CAP).
“This connects industry practitioners, academics and government agencies from across the region to develop new and innovative industry cluster approaches to address issues of economic and industry development,” Rod Brown said. “Playford has been vital in the establishing of CAP and is currently developing its web site.”
The inaugural City of Playford Industry Bulletin was released in May. This covers a range of projects and initiatives to keep stakeholders informed on industry developments.
On 10 July, Council also hosted the third annual Manufacturing Prosperity Conference – Regional Innovation Systems. Featuring international speakers from OECD and national experts, it covered innovation, technology and industrial developments.
Federal Industry Minister, Senator Nick Minchin, used the conference to announce the Commonwealth’s $100 million Technology Access Program. South Australian Treasurer, Rob Lucas, also officially launched Produce Direct Australia, a new joint venture initiative between three Playford companies to develop new export markets in Singapore and Hon Kong.
Another important outcome of the conference was the part sponsorship of a Phd scholarship for research on industry clusters.
“The recipient of the scholarship is Nancy Chung of the University of Adelaide,” said Rodin Genoff. “The City of Playford’s support toward this research symbolises our investment in the future, and the ideas driving industry development in the years ahead.”.
For further information contact Rodin Genoff, at the City of Playford, telephone (08) 8254 0229.
