Re-Building the Local Economy
We can’t rely on the local economy just returning to normal in six months or even twelve months by itself. The Federal and State governments have done what they can; the rest is going to be up to us and, to a degree, fate. According to Ken Henry, the former head of Treasury, the economy is not in hibernation, but is on ‘Life Support’. Local business and former employees need help.

We need to work together to ask what we all can do to kick-start the local economy after we have controlled the pandemic. The tourism industry has been devastated, most of retail is in crisis (food is an exception), and the many service industries are in serious trouble. The economy has not only tanked, but collapsed as badly as in the Great Depression (The Job Keeper program will mask the impact). It took a war to recover from the Great Depression.

Clearly, we need to make some big decisions about our interdependence in global logistics chains. We need to address climate change. We need to focus on growing sustainable local economies. We need to address the opportunities thrown up by the emerging low-carbon economy.

We need to start a conversation about developing a shared collaborative strategy to stimulate the revival of towns, to restart tourism, housing and construction and services.

We need a collaborative local plan and strategy developed in partnership that focuses on: Place making and what it takes to help towns and businesses restart Being strategic about council investments that can rebuild confidence in the local economy Have a proper capital investment strategy for tourism and not one-off bets without any transparent criteria Addressing the failure in some of council’s economic polices How we capitalise on new opportunities of the emerging low carbon economy

What we do together matters. Council has, unfortunately, dropped the ball on key aspects of economic development. There is no collaborative structure that brings business, farmers and communities together with council, despite council’s so-called commitment to work collaboratively. Council has developed its plans with cursory consultation with key stakeholders. Investments have been piecemeal and lack rigour and substance.

The administrators need to take charge and not be dictated by council staff.

Council needs to establish a structure that facilities work with the community and business in genuine partnership and developing a strategy.

We’ve had enough of one-off ‘thought bubbles’. What we need is a proper capital investment strategy which: Establishes clear and transparent criteria for investments and transparently evaluates all projects Reconsiders Agnes Falls cantilever investment. The Long Jetty has exceeded expectations, which was ignored by council staff and administrators despite it being pointed out to them. The excuse of saying it was not on council land belies the fact that investments like the rail trail are on similar government land Reconsiders the obvious economic and employment benefits of the equestrian and expo centre Reconsiders the short-sited decision to put the hub in Korumburra on a poor site not large enough and less able to stimulate further investment and tourism Reconsiders the offer for the tourist rail group to build a rail for free and restore a tourist rail

We need to address the failure in economic policy by developing: A real hardship policy that does not exploit people with excessive interest rates and allows for write off A proper best practice local tendering policy that is based on local multipliers, not just 5% tolerance

Pursue new opportunities by: Having a focus on import substitution Attracting more people with second homes to work remotely focusing on local investment and Shop locally

Adjusting to the opportunities in a low carbon economy by: Building distributed low-cost renewable energy for shops, businesses, farms and households Extension of low carbon in regenerative farming and carbon sequestration Pursue overall energy efficiency

The time to act is now, not in six months’ time. Council needs to work with community business organisations and establish a collaborative structure and land for the future.

Andrew McEwen Former South Gippsland Shire Councillor Meeniyan

Reprinted from Just Communities Newsletter with Permission