Economic Development Australia (EDA) presented the 2009 Economic Development Awards at a gala dinner attended by 250 practitioners, held in Melbourne on 29 September. Attended by more than 250 economic development officers, managers from Local Government, regional development agencies, State departments, industry including consultants, as well as Councillors from across Australia, the awards ceremony was held on the evening of day one of the National Economic Development Conference.
More than 50 councils, regional bodies, State Governments and private sector organisations submitted entries to the 2009 awards.
“This is the fourth year that we have run these awards and the judging gets more difficult every year,” said EDA Chairman, Stephen Chapple. “The strong quality of submissions highlights the diverse network and innovative nature of those working across the profession.”
He also thanked the judging panel for their contribution and acknowledged the generous support of sponsors.
This year, Victoria won the lion’s share of awards highlighting the strong commitment and achievements of those working to advance and sustain communities across the State.
The winners of the five categories to receive awards are listed below, together with a brief profile of their award submissions.
Strategic Economic Development
Award – Regional
(Sponsor – Regional Development Victoria)
Finalists: City of Wodonga (A Place to Call Home), Cardinia Shire Council (CREP), Gold Coast City Council (GC Fashion Incubator)
Winner: City of Wodonga
An initiative of Alpine, Indigo, Towong, Wangaratta and Wodonga councils, in conjunction with the region’s premier daily newspaper, the Border Mail, and the Age, the ‘North East Victoria – A Place to Call Home’ publication promotes the many benefits of living and working in the North East of Victoria to a metropolitan audience. The North East Victoria project sought to address the low level of unemployment and subsequent skill shortage through the targeted promotion of key industries and their employment opportunities to the Melbourne area as well as the promotion of the unique liveability aspects of the North East. These messages were depicted through a range of features within the publication. Rather than fighting each other for workers, encouraging migration from the nation’s capitals was viewed as a way to introduce new labour, new skills and new people to regional towns, thus stimulating the growth of businesses, school enrolments, amenities and capital investment.
More than 110,000 copies of the regional publication were distributed to targeted suburbs in Melbourne that displayed the characteristics of those people most willing to consider a tree change. Using real view technology, the publication was also placed online on the North East Victoria website and 230 websites giving access to a national and international audience.
Environmental Economic Innovation
(Sponsor – Telstra)
Finalists: Kingston City Council (Stormwater Project), Towong Shire Council (Pure Towong Energy)
Winner: Towong Shire Council
Towong Shire Council has had a long term focus on sustainability derived from its natural environment and reflected in its ‘Pure Towong’ brand. In recent years, Council has been keen to adopt a leadership position in relation to sustainability and deliver a project on a major scale. Pure Towong Energy is that project and is an Australian first to deliver triple bottom line benefits through a Local Government facilitated group solar energy system purchase. Pure Towong Energy (www.puretowongenergy.com) has revolutionised the way in which the Towong community powers itself, with over five per cent of all solar energy in Victoria ultimately being generated in a Shire possessing only 0.1 per cent of the population. This is being achieved while also delivering capital savings and an ongoing electricity cost saving to each participant. Not only does the program introduce environmental sustainability, the program has been developed to deliver economic sustainability through industry development and community sustainability via innovative financing options as well as the delivery of a community benefits fund, derived from the program.
Economic Development Marketing Strategy
(Sponsor – Essential Economics)
Finalists: Dubbo City Council (Time to), City of Greater Bendigo (Bendigo and Region Skilled Migration Program), and Hume City Council/City of Whittlesea (Plenty Food OnLine)
Winner: City of Greater Bendigo
The Bendigo and Region Skilled Migration Marketing Strategy was developed over a six month period in early 2008; it was implemented during the 2008–09 financial year, and is now ongoing through to June 2010. It is part of a three year business plan developed to strategically align Victorian State Government objectives of increasing skilled migrant numbers in Victoria with the specific needs of the economies that the Bendigo and Region Skilled Migration Program represents. The program sits within the Economic Development Unit at the City of Greater Bendigo. Through consultation with existing strong networks, it was able to develop a marketing strategy that includes a suite of branded marketing collateral that became the hub from which all campaigns associated with the program would hang. The successful development and launch of the marketing material was a catalyst for educating industry and community of the economic and social benefits that flow from employing a skilled migrant. Additionally, it raised the
region’s international profile as a place that welcomed people from overseas with the skills local employers required.
Indigenous Economic Development Award
(Sponsor – Australian Made Campaign)
Winner: Indigenous Business Australia (Homes for Indigenous Australia)
As part of its objective of providing quality leadership in facilitating and enabling Indigenous Australians’ engagement in the wider economy, Indigenous Business Australia (IBA) operates a Home Ownership program to assist Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to participate in home ownership. For many reasons, Indigenous Australians have not been able to participate in home ownership at the levels enjoyed by the broader Australian community. Currently, 36 per cent of Indigenous households own or are purchasing a home, compared with 70 per cent of non Indigenous Australians. The Home Ownership program aims to close this gap by providing affordable home loan assistance to Indigenous Australians who would otherwise not be able to obtain, or who have difficulty in obtaining, a housing loan from a mainstream home lender. The program is operated in accord with sound commercial business principles. The asset base of the program has grown significantly to approximately $550 million in capital, which has bee
n re-lent since 1975 to the tune of $1.3 billion. All funds obtained can only be invested in home loans.
Since its establishment, the Home Ownership program has assisted more than 13,000 families to buy their own home. In 2008–09, IBA approved 348 new loans, valued at $86.7 million. IBA currently has 3,364 active home loans across Australia.
Economic Development Partnership Award
(Sponsor – RMIT University)
Finalists: Ararat Rural City Council (Film Ballarat Hepburn & Beyond), Lake Macquarie City Council (Town Centre Program), Gold Coast City Council (Yatala Enterprise Area)
Winner: Ararat Rural City Council
Film Ballarat Hepburn and Beyond is the leading Local Government film partnership in Australia, and has set the benchmark for attracting and supporting film activity into provincial locations. Major Hollywood backed productions such as Ned Kelly, Charlotte’s Web, and Ghost Rider were shot in the region, along with Australian features such as Lake Mungo, My Brother Jack, Love’s Brother and Dalkeith. The film cluster has also been instrumental in attracting lucrative television productions such as ‘The Saddle Club’, ‘The Man From Snowy River’ and US production, ‘Salem’s Lot’, along with commercial work, with the recent Victoria Bitter Commercial being shot in the region, together with ads for Ford, Nike, Nissan, McCains, Goodyear Tyres, Transport Accident Commission, ANZ Bank and dozens of others. The partnership involves six councils in Central Western Victoria, including Ararat, Ballarat, Hepburn, Moorabool, Northern Grampians and Pyrenees. The cluster of councils has worked in partnership with Film Victoria to establish a film attraction support program that is the standard bearer among Local and State Government, and is now being emulated across Victoria and interstate as the true value of film activity in regional areas becomes more understood.
