By Callum Ludwig
To help dictate the future of the region’s economy for the next 10 years, Yarra Ranges Council is seeking community feedback on its proposed Economic Development Strategy.
The first stage of engagement, undertaken in 2021, asked residents and businesses for their ideas on how to facilitate economic growth, strengthen business resilience, create jobs, attract investment and improve liveability in the Yarra Ranges and the resulting draft strategy is now open for feedback.
Yarra Ranges Mayor Cr Jim Child, said that strong strategic planning for the next 10 years would be crucial to economic growth in the Yarra Ranges.
“The economic conditions that enabled us to flourish in the past are changing, with new technology, climate change and global trends having impacts on our businesses and community,” he said.
“We’re setting out to build a sustainable economy, one that not only meets the needs of our community but also our environment.”
The strategy aims to add 1430 additional jobs with 50 per cent of those to be filled by local people.
Cr Child said that is the most important part of the strategy.
“In the Yarra Ranges at present as a whole, we’ve probably got about 60 per cent of our workforce that travels out of the municipality, a bloody big number. Employing locally will be a key piece of the strategy,” he said.
“We are the lungs of Melbourne, and we are not a growth municipality so we have to look at our existing industries and that’s the food, wine, tourism, health and wellness and agribusiness.To me, that’s where these jobs will come from.”
Over the next 18 months, the strategy aims to boost the capacity of business groups, trader groups and industry organisations.
Cr Child said they will be a key part of driving employment opportunities.
“It can be the Box Hill Institute, Cire, all of those great education providers which back up businesses, whether it’s training for front of house in a restaurant, compliant alcohol serving or anything like that,” he said.
“This is where I give a lot of credit to the Box Hill Institute, to have their facility in our region is just amazing, because they can provide and if we if we can establish appropriate six Centres of Excellence, like IT, agriculture, biosecurity for agricultural industries centrally located within our region, that is really going to help small business.”
A local development strategy to help the communities of Powelltown, Yarra Junction and Warburton with the transition away from native timber harvesting on Crown Land is also taking place in the next year and a half.
Cr Child said he has been a passionate supporter of the local timber industry and wants to support its workforce.
“It’s a responsibility of our municipality to support those workforces as their transition happens and the State government’s timber transition team is working collaboratively with us. But it’s going to be a long journey,” he said.
“If you look at Powelltown and Reid Bros in Yarra Junction, they employ in excess of 30 staff at each of those locations, that’s 60 frontline jobs, but it’s the jobs that sit behind as well. But with have opportunities, such as with the proposed Warburton mountain bike Destination, and thse type of projects will be crucial with the transition.”
Encouraging innovation and entrepreneurship is also a key part of the push to boost the local economy.
Cr Child said he thinks they are paramount to development in the area.
“What we want to be doing as far as Council and through our Small Business Office is promoting getting that strong connection locally, within Australia, but even got globally if we can do referrals through our small business office to support small business in that area,” he said.
“If we build up that strong piece about international recognition and reputation of our region, we put ourselves out there as the place that you come and visit and buy the wonderful products that we produce.”
Yarra Ranges residents and businesses are encouraged to have their say on the draft strategy by Sunday 11 September, and can submit their feedback here: www.shaping.yarraranges.vic.gov.au/economic-development-strategy
