Agenda of Business and Employment Development Committee

Minutes of the Business and Employment Development Committee

Meeting Date: Wednesday, 17 February 2021

Location: Council Chambers / Microsoft Teams

Time: 4.03pm

The following members were present:

Clr Patricia White

Clr John Wells

Clr Mark Kitchener – left 5.10pm

Clr John Levett – (Remotely) – left 5.20pm

Clr Nina Digiglio – (Remotely)

Mr John Lamont - Chairperson

Ms Alison Chiam

Mr David Goodman

Ms Lexie Meyer

Ms Jemma Tribe – (Remotely)

Ms Anna Finch – (Remotely)

Ms Fiona Hatcher – (Remotely)

Ms Kate Morris – (Remotely)

Ms Donna Payne – (Remotely)

Mr Paul Mitchell – (Remotely)

Mr Stephen Dunshea - Chief Executive Officer

Others present –

Kevin Voegt – Director City Performance

Robert Domm – Director City Futures – (Remotely)

Mr Greg Pullen - Economic Development Manager

Cathy Bern – Section Manager – Development Services

BE21.1 Election of Chairperson

HPERM Ref: D21/2223

Greg Pullen assumed the role of Returning Officer and called for nominations for Chairperson.

David Goodman and Jemma Tribe nominated John Lamont.

John Lamont accepted the nomination for Chairperson.

Greg Pullen called for any further nominations; no further nominations were received.

Greg Pullen declared John Lamont as Chairperson

John Lamont assumed the Chair and welcomed all members and staff to the meeting.

Recommendation

That the Committee elect a Chairperson for the period of February 2021 until the 2021 Local Government Elections ( scheduled for September 2021).

RESOLVED (David Goodman / Jemma Tribe)

That the Committee elect John Lamont as Chairperson for the period of February 2021 until the 2021 Local Government Elections ( scheduled for September 2021).

CARRIED

Apologies / Leave of Absence

An apology was received from Clr Gash, Tony Emery, Rob Crow and Peter Masterson.

Confirmation of the Minutes

RESOLVED (Clr White / David Goodman)

That the Minutes of the Business and Employment Development Committee held on Wednesday 04 March 2020 be confirmed.

CARRIED

Declarations of Interest

Nil

Reports

BE21.2 Significant Development Applications

HPERM Ref: D21/6445

Cathy Bern addressed the meeting and advised the following:

· Since COVID-19, we were expecting a decline in development applications, however developments and the Real Estate market have been strong.

· Happy to provide further advice outside of the meeting in relation to the development sheet.

· The value of (larger) development applications totals $643Million

Recommendation (Item to be determined under delegated authority)

That the report of the Director, City Development concerning significant Development Applications be received for information.

RESOLVED (Clr Wells / Clr White)

That the report of the Director, City Development concerning significant Development Applications be received for information.

CARRIED

Introduction of Items as Matters of Urgency

RESOLVED (John Lamont)

That the following addendum reports be introduced as matters of urgency:

1. BE21.3 Dine & Discover NSW

2. BE21.4 Performance of the Shoalhaven Economy - June 2020

3. BE21.5 Shoalhaven Export Hub

4. BE21.6 Employment Land Development by Council - status report

5. BE21.7 NSW Employment Lands Development Monitor

6. BE21.8 Boost for Maritime-Related Industry Delivered at Woollamia

CARRIED

The Chairperson ruled the matters as ones of urgency as they relate to urgent business of the Committee and allowed their introduction.

Addendum Reports

Note: Greg Pullen – Economic Development Manager addressed the meeting and provided a presentation in relation to the Addendum Report Items.

BE21.3 Dine & Discover NSW

HPERM Ref: D21/57008

Greg Pullen addressed the meeting and provided the following information:

The NSW Government is launching Dine & Discover NSW in March, every NSW resident aged 18 and over will be eligible for four $25 Dine & Discover NSW vouchers worth $100 in total.

Two Dine & Discover NSW vouchers can be used for eating in at restaurants, cafes, bars, pubs and clubs, and two vouchers can be used for entertainment and recreation, including cultural institutions, live music, and arts venues.

Eligible Small Businesses:

§ cafés and restaurants (not takeaways)

§ pubs, taverns, wineries, bars and clubs

§ scenic and sightseeing transport

§ cinemas

§ museums, galleries and historic sites

§ zoos, botanic gardens, wildlife parks and nature reserves

§ performing arts operations, theatres and entertainment centres.

§ amusement, theme and water parks

§ recreational activities such as go-karting, indoor climbing, mini-golf, billiards, bowling or ice-rinks.

§ outdoor adventures

§ travel agencies and tours

Recommendation (Item to be determined under delegated authority)

That the Committee receive the report on the Dine & Discover NSW scheme for Small Businesses within the Shoalhaven for information.

RESOLVED (Clr White / Kate Morris)

That the Committee receive the report on the Dine & Discover NSW scheme for Small Businesses within the Shoalhaven for information.

CARRIED

BE21.4 Performance of the Shoalhaven Economy - June 2020

HPERM Ref: D21/57199

Greg Pullen addressed the meeting and made the following comments:

· The Labour Market - is only showing until June 2020 as this is all the data that is available at the time of drafting the report.

· CAPEX:

o The current major Capital Projects by Government during the past year are:

§ Princes Highway – Bomaderry to Berry

§ Shoalhaven River Bridge Design/Construction

§ Shoalhaven Medical Precinct planning including Carpark construction.

o Impending projects (0-5 years) include:

§ Shoalhaven Hospital upgrade

§ South Coast Rail upgrade – Toolijooa passing loop.

§ Princes Highway – Jervis Bay Rd intersection upgrade

§ Princes Highway – JB Rd to Sussex Inlet Rd – design & construction

§ Princes Highway – Milton Ulladulla bypass – design

§ Princes Highway – Lake Burrill to Batemans Bay design

· Economic Indicators – Gross Regional Product (GRP) has increased per worker and per capita.

The Committee held a discussion, and the following points were raised:

· The Shoalhaven was in the higher percentile for the Job Keeper recipients across Australia.

· Some industries are keen to see the Job Keeper end, however, continuing to advocate for industries that have been affected like Travel Agents and others that have been most affected.

· It has been identified that some businesses have found it difficult to obtain part time/casual/holiday staff.

Recommendation (Item to be determined under delegated authority)

That the report on the performance of the Shoalhaven Economy – June 2020, be received for information.

RESOLVED (John Lamont / Lexie Meyer)

That the report on the performance of the Shoalhaven Economy – June 2020, be received for information.

CARRIED

BE21.5 Shoalhaven Export Hub

HPERM Ref: D21/57231

Recommendation (Item to be determined under delegated authority)

That the report on the Shoalhaven Export Hub project be received for information.

RESOLVED (David Goodman / John Lamont)

That the report on the Shoalhaven Export Hub project be received for information.

CARRIED

BE21.6 Employment Land Development by Council - status report

HPERM Ref: D21/57232

Recommendation (Item to be determined under delegated authority)

That report on the Status of Council’s Employment Land projects be received for information.

RESOLVED (Lexie Meyer / David Goodman)

That report on the Status of Council’s Employment Land projects be received for information.

CARRIED

BE21.7 NSW Employment Lands Development Monitor

HPERM Ref: D21/57529

Recommendation (Item to be determined under delegated authority)

That the report on the Employment Lands Development Monitor, a planning tool by the NSW Government be received for information.

RESOLVED (David Goodman / John Lamont)

That the report on the Employment Lands Development Monitor, a planning tool by the NSW Government be received for information.

CARRIED

BE21.8 Boost for Maritime-Related Industry Delivered at Woollamia

HPERM Ref: D21/57239

Recommendation (Item to be determined under delegated authority)

That the report on recent works delivered at the Woollamia Regional Boat Ramp Precinct be received for information.

RESOLVED (Clr Wells / Clr Kitchener)

That the report on recent works delivered at the Woollamia Regional Boat Ramp Precinct be received for information.

CARRIED

GENERAL BUSINESS

Note: Clr Kitchener and Clr Levett left during discussion in General Business.

The Committee held a discussion, and the following comments were made:

· Alison Chiam – Shoalhaven Arts Board Representative – Keen to apply for seed or grant funding or receive donations for infrastructure. Looking at raising funding for a Gallery

· Fiona Hatcher – Regional Development Australia – Migration to the area has been suspended, the current intake will be those onshore residents. Making twice weekly representations to the State Government to allow more people back into Australia.

· Stephen Dunshea – CEO – provided an update to the Committee on the new Organisational Structure of Council.

· The Strategic Planning Working Party has been established and will look at (but not limited too) what the Shoalhaven’s position looks like in the future and what its population growth looks like.

· Donna Payne - NSW Department of Premier & Cabinet – Some State Government Funds that have come to the Shoalhaven: Economic Recovery Fund, Bushfire Recovery. Working on the Regional Job Creation Funding application

· Kate Morris – TAFE NSW – advised information will go out shortly in relation to an initiative for employers for staff training.

There being no further business, the meeting concluded, the time being 5.49pm.

Mr John Lamont

CHAIRPERSON

Business and Employment Development Committee – Wednesday 19 May 2021

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BE21.9 Grant Applications by Council

HPERM Ref: D21/184449

Department: Economic Development

Approver: Robert Domm, Director - City Futures

Reason for Report

This report summarises Council’s income from contestable grants. Council is assiduous in sourcing and making applications to numerous grant schemes to enhance council’s capacity to meet community needs.

Recommendation (Item to be determined under delegated authority)

That the report on Grant Applications by Council be received for information.

Options

1. That the recommendation be adopted as printed.

2. An alternate recommendation be adopted.

Background

Council has been for many years now seeking out grant funding sources and making applications across numerous grant schemes to enhance council’s capacity to meet community needs. This report summarises council’s income from contestable grants.

It does not include the untied local government grants from state and federal governments.

Council is eligible for and receives grants from the Federal Government, NSW Government and philanthropic organisations (eg FRRR, Veolia Mulwaree Trust, Gordon Darling Trust et al)

Many grants are recurrent, with funding rounds every year. In 2020/21 there were additional local government grants to assist with bushfire clean-up and recovery and for Covid 19 business stimulus.

As part of monitoring and tracking of grants, the Economic Development Office has developed a register to allow analysis of grant success and establish a management tool to monitor the situation across all of Council. The register commenced on 1 July 2020 and all grants “active” at that point in time were captured.

Current Situation:

As of 10 May 2021 Council has lodged 180 grant applications for a total ask of $139.1million.*

Council currently has 118 grant funded projects that are ‘live”, that is, projects that are in receipt of grant funding, are in the project planning / design stages or are in progress / construction or are completed. This represents total Council grant income of $56.3million. This represents a success rate of 65% of applications.

Of the 180 applications lodged 16, or 9%, have been determined unsuccessful. A further 47 (26%) are yet to be determined.

Council’s successful grant seeking has leveraged $9.1m from sources, other than council.

The following table is a breakdown of the 118 successful grant funded projects by Council Directorate and Section

Responsible Directorate by Project		Total # projects	Total Project Costs ($)	Grant Funding ($)	Council Budget Commitment ($)
CEO Group	Bushfire Clean-up	2	3,713,664	3,713,664
City Services	Buildings	6	757,394	792,594
	Roads	5	1,937,250	1,469,750	467,500
	Natural Areas	7	4,079,050	1,462,212	1,337,838
	Energy & Sustainability	1	50,943	45,849	5,094
	Emergency Management	1	39,144	31,234	7,910
City Development	Assessment & Compliance & Rangers	1	24,600	19,420
City Development	Environmental Services & Natural Areas	7	1,567,281	1,493,681	73,600
City Futures	Urban Release Housing	1	2,492,000	2,492,000
	Tourism	4	7,425,000	5,715,000	1,630,000
	Economic Development Infrastructure & Employment Land	8	35,745,883	9,675,000	8,814,883
	Economic Development & Business Development	4	4,928,402	2,771,105	2,157,297
City Lifestyles	Arts & Culture	5	378,500	361,500	5,000
	Social & Community	33	5,427,933	4,313,496	984,437
	Sport & Rec & Well-being	32	5,182,906	4,510,684	45,795
Shoalhaven Water	Urban Release Area	1	44,565,000	7,400,000	37,165,000
Total		118	118,314,951	56,267,190	52,994,354

Notes:

* Excludes grants and projects received and completed prior to July 2019 and grants recently applied for that are yet to be registered in Council’s Grants Register

** The Total also includes $9,118,606 from funds other than council ie leveraged funding

Examples of grant funded projects

· Roads and Pedestrian Infrastructure– Shared user paths, road safety, bicycle infrastructure, car parks, road and street upgrades**

· Natural Areas – maritime – Recreational Boating infrastructure

· Emergency Management– Disaster and Emergency education

· Compliance Rangers – Illegal dumping clean-up

· Affordable-Urban Release Housing - Moss Vale Rd intersection access North and South Urban Release Area

· Tourism - Bushfire Recovery short promotional documentaries, Bushfire Recovery LGA-wide events to support businesses, Nowra CBD summer event (Covid 19 stimulus), Sustainable Tourism package

· Economic Development Infrastructure – Ulladulla Harbour upgrade, Woollamia commercial boating infrastructure

· Employment Land – Flinders Industrial Estate expansion (South Nowra) and Albatross Aviation Technology Park expansion (AATP, Nowra)

· Economic Development - Ulladulla Harbour Activation – Berthing Facility

· Business Development - showground livestock area upgrade, commercial placemaking upgrade, career and skills development, export hub

· Arts and Culture – Public art, gallery exhibitions, Covid Safe IT community education

· Social and Community – Community based bushfire recovery, playground and picnic area upgrades, pathways, community centre upgrades, skateparks and BMX facilities, youth and senior’s festivals

· Sport and Recreation and Community Well-being – sports field upgrades, Community Centre upgrades, showground upgrades, playgrounds, accessibility upgrades

· Shoalhaven Water – Infrastructure for Moss Vale Road Urban Release Area

Council will continue to seek funding from external sources to council to enhance the capacity to meet community needs, respond to disasters and to implement adopted plans and policies.

Business and Employment Development Committee – Wednesday 19 May 2021

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BE21.10 Progress Report on Shoalhaven Export Hub

HPERM Ref: D21/184480

Department: Economic Development

Approver: Robert Domm, Director - City Futures

Reason for Report

To inform the Committee about the progress of the Shoalhaven Export Hub - a project being undertaken by Council’s Economic Development Office to encourage local business to develop new export markets.

Recommendation (Item to be determined under delegated authority)

That the report on the Shoalhaven Export Hub project be received for information.

Options

1. Adopt the recommendation.

Implications: None

2. Propose and adopt an alternate recommendation

Implications: None

Background

The Shoalhaven Export Hub was launched in November 2020, after the Shoalhaven City Council received grant funding through the Australian Government’s Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Export Hubs Initiative. The initiative will help Australian SMEs to grow, export and increase local and regional jobs.

The Shoalhaven Export Hub is a collaborative business-to-business network that helps small and medium size businesses harness opportunities in global markets.

The Shoalhaven Export Hub will work with businesses to build their skills and know-how to harness global opportunities leading to economic growth including global reach through local infrastructure and job creation across the Shoalhaven by developing globally competitive SMEs. Seminars, workshops and networking activities to develop skills and contacts will be held for members.

Companies participating in the Shoalhaven Export Hub include:

· Air Affairs Australia

· Cherub Rubs

· Essence Group

· NowChem

· PhycoHealth

· Resilience Logistic Solutions

· Southern Highlands Brewing

· Stormtech

· The Quilting Patch

· Ulladulla Fishermen’s Co-op

· Eclass Boats

A steering committee has been established to provide guidance and recommendations on the roll out of the project. Steering committee members include Greg Pullen (Shoalhaven City Council Economic Development Manager), Peter Masterson (AusIndustry Regional Manager – Illawarra and South Coast NSW) and Rory McAlester (Senior Export Adviser – Investment NSW).

Milton Bazley, Shoalhaven City Council Export Hub Facilitator, is co-ordinating the delivery of the project. Milton Bazley brings a wealth of experience to the project having over 30 years’ experience in export sales. Milton has thus far coordinated three export meetings:

· Navigating the Export Journey (3 February 2021)

· Incoterms 2020 (3 March 2021)

· Duties, Tariffs and HS Codes (21 April 2021)

The Export Hub Facilitator has conducted 11 face-to-face meetings.

On the 11^th February 2021 the Shoalhaven Export Hub was asked to host a meet and greet and roundtable between hub members and Senator The Hon. Marise Payne, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Women and Senator Jim Molan. The Senators met with Export Hub members and were provided with a tour of the Advanced Manufacturing Centre. The meet and greet provided Export Hub members with an opportunity to showcase the capabilities of the Shoalhaven.

One of the key roles of the Export Hub Facilitator is to provide one-on-one support to businesses wishing investigate export opportunities. The foundation of this process is the development of business specific export strategies. Four Export Hub members are in the process of developing their Export Strategies. The Export Hub Facilitator has capacity to develop a total of ten strategies and members are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity while it is on offer. There is no cost associated with this activity.

Milton Bazley will attend the meeting and give a short presentation.

Financial Implications

This $300,000 project is jointly funded by Council’s Economic Development Office and Australian Government’s Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Export Hubs Initiative and runs for 2 years until July 2022.

Business and Employment Development Committee – Wednesday 19 May 2021

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BE21.11 Shoalhaven, the Economic Future

HPERM Ref: D21/187009

Department: Economic Development

Approver: Robert Domm, Director - City Futures

Reason for Report

This report was originally presented to the Council’s Strategy & Assets Committee in April in response to a Notice of Motion. Its contents were applicable to members of the Business & Employment Committee, so it is represented with some data being updated because of more recent releases.

Recommendation (Item to be determined under delegated authority)

That the report from the Director, City Futures, on Shoalhaven, the Economic Future be received for information.

Options

1. Accept the resolution as printed.

Implications: More opportunities to further advocate the Shoalhaven position

2. Propose an alternate resolution.

Implications: Change a winning formula or modify it.

Background

This report is in response to the following resolution (MIN21.84) passed by Council at its 23 February 2021 meeting:

That the Economic Development Department of Shoalhaven City Council prepare a report for the April Strategy & Assets Committee Meeting detailing the following:

1. How the “thinking” regarding economic development has evolved as a result of the recent infrastructure windfall.

2. The adequacy of our zonings to accommodate the expected future business and investment opportunities.

3. The potential for our city to establish itself, increasingly, as a “hub” in the hi-tech or even the traditional manufacturing type industries.

NOTE: At the end of this report is the resolution adopted at the April meeting of its Strategy & Assets Committee.

Over the last decade the subjects of “Economic Development” and “Regional Development” have emerged in importance at a political level owing to the “noise” being created from within the regions that they felt neglected, had greater influence and a potential to be part of a solution rather than a problem.

At the political level, the more populous regional Australia together with the outer metropolitan electorates became the areas that could shore up a government or provide the opportunity to move an opposition into government. Issues such as a hospital, an upgrade to a state or federal highway, improved facilities at a railway station, an upgrade or even a new school provided the fodder to sway electorates. There were always grants to Councils or community groups that were also in the mix, despite there being no “pork barrelling” but rather an identified community need.

Shoalhaven Council has played its part in this process. Lobbying for improvements to infrastructure has been something that this Council has done well. The fact that our economy has been steadily growing in Shoalhaven from $3.74b in 2013 to $6.15b in 2020 has demonstrated a 9.9% average annual growth in Gross Regional Product for the LGA. The following table shows the component industry sectors and the % that they contribute to this GRP.

Chart

The Infrastructure Windfall

The focus by governments, and oppositions, on the outer metropolitan and regional cities, has been to the benefit of the regional ring around Sydney. Council has been active over many years to drive its agenda and concentrate its lobbying on those assets that would return a social and economic benefit to this region.

Projects such as the upgrades to HMAS Albatross ($603m), the PH upgrade – Gerringong to Bomaderry ($1,062m), the building and subsequent upgrade to the South Coast Correctional Centre ($260m), have been great shots into the arm of the Shoalhaven economy. Today we see further major projects either underway:

· Shoalhaven River Crossing ($342m),

· Upgrading South Coast Rail – Berry to Bomaderry ($44m)

or being planned for commencement in the near future:

· Shoalhaven Hospital ($432m)

· South Coast Rail – Toolijooa passing loop ($125m)

· Jervis Bay Rd intersection (c$50m)

These capital projects represent major growth on the area and provide employment directly and indirectly as can be seen in the following graph:

As shown in the graph the average input of around $60m per quarter over the period 2017-2027 has been generating 250 FTE jobs consistently over this period.

This significant hard infrastructure has been able to demonstrate to many groups that Shoalhaven is on the up and that the success of securing this body of work represents co-operation between the 3 levels of government. From this a focus by other agencies to recognise Shoalhaven as a growth region, and one that demands to be considered, has been seen in reports and strategies from a local, regional and state perspective. Private analysts, like Bernard Salt and others, have been identifying Shoalhaven as one of the emerging growth centres.

The engine drivers of the growth of the Shoalhaven economy have been quick to respond to the impacts of COVID and experienced growth and employment shortages from mid-2020 and exist still today. This confidence in investment in production capacity comes about because of the infrastructure boom that they can see happening in this region. So, has this delivered, and being constructed, infrastructure that had an effect? It adds to the confidence of local entrepreneurs as well as instils confidence of the boardrooms of the bigger entities that make investment decisions which affect Shoalhaven.

This Council has endeavoured to be ahead of the strategic game required through the identification of the assets needed to accommodate growth and investment. If a business wishes to establish in Shoalhaven and employ 200+, it can be done. The major national brands have spent much locally to address the growing market: Woolworths, Bunnings, Harvey Norman, Aldi. They have not been courted, they look at the statistics and the government spend - and their dollars follow accordingly.

The new growth centre model, Special Activation Precincts, have been announced across the State, but in Shoalhaven these same strategists for government have not found where Nowra or Shoalhaven fits in their model. They have identified the aviation and defence support industry, now 25 years young in Shoalhaven; the recycling/reuse economy, a sector that Council has been involved in but has not yet secured an icon entity; and the Shoalhaven River waterfront at Nowra.

The time is right for one or two of these to take off, or might it be aquatic biotechnology and nutraceuticals that could be the next big industry sector in Shoalhaven, or could it be marine tourism?

Supporting winners

25 years ago, when unemployment was around 15-17%, and even 15 years ago when again unemployment was 10-12%, it was easier to seek funding based on social disadvantage and slower growth indicators.

In the last decade, the mantra has changed somewhat to reflect the successful results of the lobbying and hard work to that of “follow our indicators and be part of this growth”. The projects currently on the horizon total around $2.7b and reflect improvement in roads, rail, maritime, shopping precincts, medical and general employment lands. Through these initiatives around 4000 new direct jobs will be created by 2031. These capital projects will be funded by different mixes of Federal, State and Local governments.

The focus in the more recent pipeline of grants and subsidies is the deliberate criteria to grow regional economic development, and through this that new jobs will be created.

Shoalhaven has been able to demonstrate that the focus of the Council has always been on stimulating the economy proactively, and this strategy has been easy to sell to grant providers now that there is a definite bias by governments to support regional areas.

In more recent times, recovery and resilience have become the focus, but Council has been able to adapt and has become innovative in this space.

Forward planning is not all Plain-Sailing

Council has generally been ahead of the demand for employment lands, both commercial and industrial. The 80-hectare rezoning of rural residential land at South Nowra to industrial IN1 is probably the most significant example of this. The rezoning itself only goes part of the way in creating a resource for the future. The provision of adequate industrial infrastructure – roads, drainage, water, sewer, communications and electricity – are all necessary prerequisites and in the case of South Nowra could be in the order of $100m.

In this instance, and there are others, Council needs to step in as the infrastructure co-ordinator to bring these projects forward, and this role needs to be proactive and ongoing.

Changes to State and Federal legislation can also both be a double-edged sword. The introduction of the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 has a noble intent to secure our natural environment. However, this legislation could well seriously impede Shoalhaven’s strategic forward planning to identify and set aside areas as zoned employment precincts into the future. The BCAct has arguably rendered many of these future employment lands as unviable due to the fact that they are relatively forested lands and the Biodiversity offsets to be paid can inflate the cost of development to be around 500% of the market price, rendering the project undeliverable.

One such incidence is on Council’s own Flinders Industrial Estate. An area of approximately 6ha zoned IN1 requires an assessment under the BCAct. The initial appraisal by a qualified assessor was that the offsets could be in the order of $6.2m or $100/m². This amount can be reduced by undertaking specific studies to assess the quality of the habitat and the evidence of species occurring in the area. These studies are required to be undertaken during certain times of the year and may even require several years of study. So, for a parcel of land that has an assessed market value of $100/m², that has a further development cost of in excess of $500,000, could require around $200,000 in environmental studies, and may take 3-5 years to resolve, then the question needs to be asked should Council proceed with this development at all?

Similar parcels of IN1/IN2 land exist with other virgin bushland at South Nowra and across the City that are owned in the main by the NSW Government or various Local Aboriginal Land Councils. To eliminate or effectively withdraw these lands from future development could mean that with all the good intentions in the world, Shoalhaven may not have the capacity to create the right types of hi-tech employment and be unable to capitalise fully on the infrastructure windfall which now besets us.

This opens up a new challenge for Council to move on. Some years ago, this Council heavily lobbied for the Native Conservation Act to not apply to industrially zoned land. Council was successful in having industrially zoned land declared as “urban”, the same as residential and commercially zoned land, and thus became exempt from the provisions of the NC Act.

In this instance the BCAct is far more restrictive as it imposes an offset charge against the developer and around 80% of industrially zoned in Shoalhaven would be affected, with the greatest impost being upon the Crown and LALCs’ holdings, rendering their employment lands unviable.

Manufacturing is not Dead

Manufacturing in Shoalhaven has been strong for decades and represents one of the stronger industrial sectors generating many direct jobs, but also it is the strongest sector for generating downstream or indirect jobs.

The trend to more advanced methods of manufacturing has been adopted by local industry to achieve greater productivity. Automation does not necessarily reduce labour but allows greater output per unit of labour, something that has raised the $ output per worker from $130,027 in 2013 to $172,325 in 2020 or an average rise of 5% per annum. From the table below, the sectors that can be attributed to local businesses are Manufacturing, Construction and Wholesale Trade which strongly services those sectors as well.

Chart

It is true that this advanced manufacturing sector, the supporting industries and technologies, as well as the construction sector lifted Shoalhaven out of COVID and will be the mainstay of the economic value adding locally. The government and administrative sector is also very important, especially when the payroll is coming from the national or state expenditure streams.

Summary

The future for the Shoalhaven to remain a diverse and vibrant economy is for the opportunities to exist for the industry sectors with the higher local employment multipliers to grow in the local area. Manufacturing and Construction are the two strongest sectors in this regard.

Council as well as local business have been to the fore with regard to utilising grants and subsidies to drive this growth. Continuation of this strategy is supported by Council’s Economic Development Office.

The availability of employment lands is critical to achieve growth, and whilst the zones are in place, the cost of development is currently inhibiting this because of the implications of the Biodiversity Conservation legislation.

Advanced technology is the way forward, and local industry are willing to embrace and invest in this and have even established an Advanced Manufacturing Centre operated by Air Affairs P/L where modern trade skills are transferred to the up-and-coming technicians across a range of skill areas. It is these home-grown technicians of the future that will be the mainstay of the local growth as they explore national and export markets to sell their skills and technologies.

Shoalhaven has always been at the forefront with business innovation, something recognised by the higher levels of government and rewarded by successful applications for grants for Council and local business. This work will continue with projects such as:

· Flinders Industrial Estate stage 10

· Albatross Aviation Park stage 5

· Woollamia Industrial Estate stages 5 & 5A

· Ulladulla Harbour berthing facility

· Woollamia Maritime Precinct

· Ulladulla Boardwalk stages 3, 4 & 5

· Improvements to transport networks

o PH: Jervis Bay Rd – Sussex Inlet Rd

o PH: Milton Ulladulla bypass

o PH: Lake Burrill to Batemans Bay

o Upgrade of link from Nerriga to Tarago for HML vehicles

o Sth Coast Rail: Extending the home yard at Bomaderry station

o Sth Coast Rail: Toolijooa Passing loop

o Sth Coast Rail: new mid-point turnout for Dunmore siding

o Sth Coast Rail: Train turnaround siding between Unanderra and Coniston Junction

o Addressing issues relating to Nowra traffic congestion

· Economic Development business as usual

o Attracting new business to area

o Working with local business to expand and develop

o Co-ordinating training sessions for business

Local businesses will tap into these improved infrastructure assets and invest in their premises, their plant and most importantly, their people.

Community Engagement

Local business groups, in conjunction with the Economic Development Office, are supportive of the local economic growth and performance. The key industries that do deliver in this regard are not seeking local notoriety but rather ensure that their employees, their local suppliers are appreciative of and value their efforts.

Policy Implications

There are some policies at all levels of government that impinge on the productivity of business and the allowance of growth. It is incumbent on Council, through its Economic Development Office and others, to draw to the attention of governments where issues to allow business and employment to flourish are restrictive.

One such need is to address the negative impact that the Biodiversity Conservation Act is having on the ability to supply local employment opportunities.

Financial Implications

Council’s support for local industry needs to embrace the supply of goods and services. There is also an implication here for local businesses to offer “value for money” to Council. In the Civil contracting and building space the majority of Council works are won locally.

Risk Implications

By Council not remaining proactive in the Regional Economic Development space and just awaiting the next handout or grant, other regions, towns and localities will offer a better product in the diverse marketplace. Trying to maintain a diversified economy is the key. In recent times the vulnerability of certain smaller villages that had concentrated on tourism was and is clearly evident and there is a need to have these villages attempt to diversify their own economies away from the singular tourism product.

FOOTNOTE:

When the original report was considered by Council the following resolution was adopted on 13 April 2021:

That Council:

1. Accept the report of the Shoalhaven, the Economic Future.

2. Establish a comprehensive position, with examples, of the impact of the Biodiversity Conservation Act on the pricing and development of employment lands in Shoalhaven and report this to a future Strategy and Assets Committee including:

a. Prepare a strategy to lobby the NSW Government to address the implications of the Biodiversity Conservation Act on employment lands.

b. Case studies of where the impacts were detrimental to the creation of employment within Shoalhaven.

3. Continue to foster and grow its industry base and concentrate on extending this diverse industry mix across the City so that a greater level of economic resilience can be delivered in periods of economic adversity.

4. Investigate the initiative introduced by Sunshine Coast Council to acquire, manage and offset biodiversity assets in the 1990s as a strategy to enable City offsets to be used to enable development to occur for the 200,000 additional residents/workers that were planned to come to the Sunshine Coast. A report be prepared and come back to Council within three months.

5. Organise a Deputation with The Member for South Coast the Hon Shelley Hancock MP and The Hon Matt Kean MP, Minister for Environment to discuss issues pertaining to the Shoalhaven and State with the biodiversity offset scheme for zoned employment lands.

6. Councillors receive a Briefing from the Economic Development Manager to allow for questions in relation to this report.

Business and Employment Development Committee – Wednesday 19 May 2021

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BE21.12 spba Young Professional Mentor Program and Leadership Compass 2.0 Program update

HPERM Ref: D21/190050

Department: Economic Development

Approver: Robert Domm, Director - City Futures

Reason for Report

To provide the Committee with an update on the progress of the 2021 spba Young Professional Mentor Program and Leadership Compass 2.0 Program.

Recommendation (Item to be determined under delegated authority)

That the report on the progress of the 2021 spba Young Professional Mentor Program be accepted for information.

Options

1. Endorse the recommendation as written

Implications:

2. Propose and adopt an alternate resolution

Implications:

Background

spba Young Professional Mentor Program

The spba Young Professional Mentor Program mentor program is an initiative of the Shoalhaven Professional Business Association (spba) and is sponsored by Shoalhaven City Council, through the Economic Development Office, and supported by University of Wollongong, Shoalhaven Campus. The aim of the program is to increase knowledge and skills of young professionals in the Shoalhaven and provide them with greater connections and networks. The program is highly regarded and is now in its 8th year.

The 2021 program commenced earlier this year with 13 mentorees and 13 mentors. The program 50% complete. This month one of the mentorees left the program due to moving outside the region.

The following activities have been delivered:

· The Great Pitch Workshop – 30^th March 2021

o Knowledge Leader – Avalon Bourne

o Sophie Ray attended and spoke about the Shoalhaven Education Fund

o There are three pitch teams – Star Team, Legend Team and the Hero Team

· Knowledge Table 2 - 20^th April 2021

o Negotiation and Conflict Management

o Knowledge Leader – Lorraine Hayward, Kennedy & Cooke Lawyers

· Mentoree Experience Sharing – 20^th April 2021

· Mentor Experience Sharing – 21^st April 2021

Upcoming sessions include:

· Knowledge Table 3 – 25^th May 2021

o This is a Networking lunch. There will be a base topic on business planning. It is hoped that mentors are able to attend as well.

· Mentoree Experience Sharing – 1st June 2021

· Mentor Experience Sharing – 2nd June 2021

· Knowledge Table 4 – 22nd June 2021

· The Great Pitch – 15^th July 2021 (at the spba Breakfast)

· Mentoree debriefing – 20^th July 2021

· Mentor debrief – 21^st July 2021

· spba Young Professional Mentor Program - Date to be confirmed October 2021 – held in conjunction with the spba AGM Breakfast

Leadership Compass 2.0

The Leadership Compass 2.0 has 6 Diploma Participants coupled with 6 mentors.

The program commenced in October 2020 and is based on the previously successful Leadership Compass. Participants in the Leadership Compass 2.0 will receive a Diploma of Leadership and Management on successful completion of the course. Course participants are paired with a mentor and attend Leadership sessions presented by local industry leaders. Leadership Compass 2.0 combines Nationally Accredited Training (delivered in conjunction with Illawarra ITeC) with the benefits of peer mentoring and knowledge gained from Guest Leaders (spba members who volunteer their time).

An overview of the Course Topics and Guest Leaders is outlined in the table below (sessions in italics have been completed).

Session	Topic	Guest Leader
20 Oct 2020	Managing Work Priorities	Deb Langton, Director, Carter Ferguson Solicitors.
17 Nov 2020	Innovative Work Environment	John Lamont, Nowchem
19 Jan 2021	Emotional Intelligence	Shelley Hancock, MP, NSW Minister for Local Government
16 Feb 2021	Communicate with Influence	Grant Gleeson, NSW Office of Local Government
16 Mar 2021	Leading Teams	Avalon Bourne, Sonder Youth.
19 April 2021	Additional session for Communicate with Influence.	Presentations & Negotiations. Held at Sikorsky Board Room.
18 May 2021	Managing Effective Workplace Relationships	Dave Flemons, Climax Airconditioning
22 June 2021	Operational Planning	Ron Hockey - tbc
20 July 2021	Managing People Performance	Anna Finch, KardiaHR
17 August 2021	Continuous Improvement	Vice Admiral Tim Barrett (retired) AO, CSC
21 Sept 2021	Budgets and Financial Management	Darren Wearne
19 Oct 2021	Project Management	Warren Sharpe, Eurobodalla Shire Council - tbc
16 Nov 2021	Develop processes for the management of breaches in compliance requirements	Donna Payne, NSW Government

Community Engagement

Both projects have been developed and delivered in conjunction with the Shoalhaven Professional Business Association. The projects are made possible through the involvement of local business people who volunteer their time to be a guest leaders or mentors.

Financial Implications

Shoalhaven City Council has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Shoalhaven Professional Business Association. Shoalhaven City Council, through the Economic Development Office budget, provides the Shoalhaven Professional Business Association with $15,000 (GST exclusive) per year. The Shoalhaven Professional Business Association uses these funds to deliver the following:

· spba Networking Breakfasts

· spba Professional Snapshot

· spba Young Professional Mentoring Program.

The Leadership Compass 2.0 is paid for by course fees charged to mentorees undertaking the Diploma of Leadership and Management.

Business and Employment Development Committee – Wednesday 19 May 2021

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BE21.13 School to Industry Programs Update

HPERM Ref: D21/190440

Department: Economic Development

Approver: Robert Domm, Director - City Futures

Reason for Report

To inform the committee about School to Industry programs supported by the Economic Development Office of Shoalhaven City Council.

Recommendation (Item to be determined under delegated authority)

That the report on the School to Industry Programs be received for information

Options

1. Endorse the recommendation as written.

2. Propose and adopt an alternate resolution.

Background

The Economic Development Office supports a number of School to Industry programs in the Shoalhaven. These programs aim to showcase career opportunities available in the area to entice high school students to live and work in the area and to address skills gaps experienced by local employers.

The Economic Development Office supports the following programs:

spba Professional Snapshot

The spba Professional Snapshot is an annual event usually held in the first term of the school year. The day is targeted at high school students predominately in Year 10, though the day also attracts students from Years 11 and 12. Students are split into groups and spend time in three different professional businesses. The aim of the Snapshot is to enable students to experience what the profession involves on a day-to-day basis. The day is made possible through the generous involvement of local professional businesses who welcome the students into their workplaces.

The 13^th annual Professional Snapshot would have been held in the first term of 2021. Due to COVID this event was cancelled.

Teacher to Industry Tour

The Teacher to Industry Tour is held in the fourth term of every year. Teachers are invited to tour a variety of businesses to inform them of the variety of careers and occupations that are available locally. It is hoped that this information will help teachers guide students into local fulfilling employment and address business skill gaps.

The Economic Development Office co-ordinates quarterly Shoalhaven Career Advisor Network (SCAN) meetings. The delivery of School to Industry Programs has been disrupted through COVID and this has been discussed at the SCAN meetings. SCAN attendees provided feedback on the value of both programs and were keen to see these programs run in 2021. Organisers of the spba Professional Snapshot are in the process of selecting a date in Term 3 to hold the event. It is yet to be determined if the Teacher to Industry Tour will go ahead in 2021 and this will be dependent on the timing of the spba Professional Snapshot. Both events take a great deal of time to organise and are both reliant on the availability of local business.

South Coast School Steer Spectacular

The Economic Development Office would like to congratulate the South Coast Beef Producers for organising another successful Steer Spectacular which was held on 5 May 2021 at the Nowra Showground. The Steer Spectacular is the culmination of an in-school run steer rearing program. The program is open to any schools from any region. Schools are provided with steers to rear which are then judged at the Steer Spectacular, a hoof and hook competition. The aim of the program is to provide students in SE NSW with an opportunity to develop their skills, knowledge and understanding of the beef industry thereby encouraging a career in agriculture.

The event held on 5 May 2021 was a success despite the challenging weather conditions and having to reduce the event to one day to meet COVID requirements. Fifteen schools, over 400 students and in excess of 60 cattle were onsite for the event. There were many more students who were not able to attend and estimates are that over 1000 students participated in the raising and showing of the steers. Schools from a number of regions attended the event including the Highlands, Yass, Dapto, Narooma and Braidwood as well as Shoalhaven high schools.

The event was sponsored by Truck and Tractor and Manildra Stockfeeds with support from Shoalhaven City Council, the Department of Primary Industries, the Department of Agriculture and Local Land Services. The event is made possible through the generous donations of steers from NSW beef producers.

Community Engagement

The Economic Development Office has supported the South Coast Beef Spectacular since 2016.

In 2018, the Economic Development Office successfully applied for funding through the Regional Growth – Environment and Tourism Fund for Nowra Showground Enhancements. The grant was developed to support the South Coast Beef Producers and the Steer Spectacular along with Holstein Australia. The aim of the grant was to upgrade the cattle showing area, cattle judging box and the Family Café which in turn would help attract and retain agricultural events.

Financial Implications

Shoalhaven City Council is a financial sponsor of the South Coast Steer Spectacular.

Business and Employment Development Committee – Wednesday 19 May 2021

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BE21.14 The decentralisation of work and the Illawarra - Practical insights for business

HPERM Ref: D21/192611

Department: Economic Development

Approver: Robert Domm, Director - City Futures

Attachments: 1. EDO Deloitte Economics Decentralisation work Illawarra 210421 (under separate cover)

Reason for Report

To inform the Business and Employment Development Committee of a recently released report entitled ‘The decentralisation of work and the Illawarra”.

Recommendation (Item to be determined under delegated authority)

That the Business and Employment Development Committee accept the report for information

Options

1. Endorse the recommendation as written

Implications: None

2. Propose and adopt an alternate resolution

Implications:

Background

Deloitte Access Economics has released a report entitled “The decentralisation of work in the Illawarra – Practical insights for business”. The following information is extracted from Deloitte’s web site. The information below and a link to download the full report can be found here - (https://www2.deloitte.com/au/en/pages/economics/articles/decentralisation-work-illawarra.html).

The decentralisation of work in the Illawarra

Practical insights for business

Deloitte Access Economics has released a report prepared for Business Illawarra to understand the shift towards remote working during COVID-19 and what this means for employers. This report is aimed at analysing both employer and employee preferences for remote work and proposes a set of recommendations for employers to enable greater adoption of remote work.

COVID-19 has accelerated the shift towards decentralised working. With many businesses forced to temporarily close their physical workplaces, both employees and employers were forced to overcome the barriers to working from home, effectively embedding a remote working mindset in the process. Reflecting the notion that work is no longer bound by the physical office, decentralised working, capturing work that is undertaken outside the primary office of an employee, is fast becoming a more permanent feature of many Australian businesses - particularly those in the knowledge sector.

Given its high commuter workforce, relatively affordable housing, and natural amenity, the Illawarra region is well positioned to benefit from the accelerated shift towards remote working.

Approximately 38% of the Illawarra workforce could work entirely remotely in the future. If 11,900 potential remote workers in the Illawarra worked remotely for an additional 1.3 days per week, this could contribute $4.1 million in spending across the region annually.

85% of Illawarra commuters surveyed would like to work from home 3 to 5 days per week in the future, compared to 62% of non-commuters who would like to work from home 2 to 3 days per week.

For employers, the top benefits of remote working are a reduction in overhead costs, access to a broader talent pool, and higher employee engagement. Some of the biggest barriers to remote working include developing and maintaining company culture, increased salary competition and difficulty collaborating online.

Despite the rapid adoption of remote working, the office still holds value as a place for collaboration and socialisation that contributes to the culture of a company and wellbeing of the workforce.

(Published April 2021 – accessed 11 May 2021)

Although the report is primarily focused on the Wollongong Statistical District, some implications can be drawn for Shoalhaven from the report and the experience of the last 15 months demonstrate this. Workers out of Sydney with holiday homes on the south coast are taking up residence here as remote workers. How long this will last is unknown but for those that adjust to this work/lifestyle balance, it may become a more permanent move.

Business and Employment Development Committee – Wednesday 19 May 2021

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BE21.15 Federal Budget - impacts on Shoalhaven

HPERM Ref: D21/193648

Department: Economic Development

Approver: Robert Domm, Director - City Futures

Reason for Report

On 11^th May the Federal Budget was brought down with several specific impacts of relevance to Shoalhaven

Recommendation (Item to be determined under delegated authority)

That the report on Federal Budget – impacts on Shoalhaven be received for information.

Options

1. Adopt the recommendation as written

2. Adopt a different recommendation

Background

The Federal budget was brought down by the Treasurer on 11 May 2021. Within the budget there were some direct impacts of interest to Shoalhaven with some other announcements that will grow business in the area providing local business can implement the initiatives on offer.

As outlined by the Treasurer, and has been well received by commentators and subject experts, the Budget is the next stage of the Government’s economic plan to secure Australia’s recovery. It creates jobs, guarantees essential services and builds a more resilient and secure Australia.

It does this with:

· Personal income tax cuts;

· Business tax incentives;

· New apprenticeships and training places;

· More infrastructure; and

· Record funding for schools, hospitals, aged care, mental health and the NDIS.

This will secure Australia’s recovery and drive the unemployment rate down.

Transport Infrastructure

Key projects to be funded:

· Jervis Bay Rd intersection	$100m ($125m total project)
· Jervis Bay Rd to Sussex Inlet Rd – Stage 1	$400m ($500m total project)
· Far North Collector Rd Network	$19m ($32.8m total project)
· Mt Ousley Interchange	$240m
· Appin Rd	$18m/$68m ($68m total project)

Extending tax support for business

The Government will continue to support Australian businesses to invest, grow and create more jobs by extending the two tax incentives announced in the 2020-21 Budget by one year — temporary full expensing and temporary loss carry-back.

Temporary full expensing will now be available until 30 June 2023. Temporary full expensing allows eligible businesses with aggregated annual turnover or total income of up to $5 billion to deduct the full cost of eligible depreciable assets. Assets must be acquired from 7:30pm AEDT on 6 October 2020 and first used or installed ready for use by 30 June 2023.

Temporary loss carry-back will also be extended by one year. This will allow eligible companies to carry-back tax losses from the 2022-23 income year to offset previously taxed profits as far back as the 2018-19 income year. Companies with aggregated annual turnover of up to $5 billion can apply tax losses incurred during the 2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-22 and now the 2022-23 income years to offset tax paid in 2018-19 or later years. The tax refund will be available to companies when they lodge their 2020-21, 2021-22 and now 2022-23 tax returns.

Cutting taxes for small and medium businesses

The Government will deliver more than $16 billion in tax cuts to small and medium businesses by 2023-24 with around $1.5 billion flowing in 2019-20.

This includes reducing the tax rate for small and medium companies, from 30 per cent in 2014-15 to 25 per cent from 1 July 2021.

Building skills for the future

The Government is investing $6.4 billion in 2021‑22 to build the skills that Australia’s economy needs to thrive in a post‑COVID‑19 world. In this Budget, the Government is delivering more apprenticeships, building on the Government’s successive reforms and investments in skills, and providing a further investment in free or low-fee training places.

Increasing training places

The Government will commit an additional $500 million, to be matched by state and territory governments, to expand the JobTrainer Fund by a further 163,000 places and extend the program until 31 December 2022. The Fund will support training in digital skills and upskilling in critical industries like aged care.

The JobTrainer Fund was launched in 2020 and will support hundreds of thousands of job seekers, school leavers and young people by providing access to free or low-fee training places in areas of skills shortages.

Supporting Apprenticeships

The Government is spending an additional $2.7 billion to extend the Boosting Apprenticeship Commencements program.

The demand-driven program is expected to support more than 170,000 new apprentices and trainees by paying businesses a 50 percent wage subsidy over 12 months for newly commencing apprentices or trainees signed up by 31 March 2022. The subsidy will be capped at $7,000 per quarter per apprentice or trainee.

The extension will deliver on the Government’s commitment to building a pipeline of skilled workers by further supporting growing businesses to take on new apprentices and trainees.

This Government is also delivering pathway services for 5,000 women to commence in a non-traditional apprenticeship.

Aged Care

In response to the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, the Government is investing $17.7 billion over five years to ensure older Australians are treated with respect, care and dignity.

The Government is committed to equipping care workers with the right skills to deliver high-quality aged, disability and veteran care, as demand continues to grow for those skills.

Skilling aged care workers to deliver quality and safe care

The Government is supporting an additional 33,800 training places provided through JobTrainer to enable existing and new care workers to improve their qualifications. This will help deliver 80,000 additional Home Care Packages in this Budget.

An additional $216.7 million is being provided for additional training and financial support to encourage registered nurses to choose a career in aged care.

Expanding the care workforce

In this Budget, the Government is reducing red tape across care sector jobs by aligning provider regulation and worker screening. This will make it easier for carers to work across the sector, develop their careers, and meet the sector’s demand for jobs.

The Government is also providing an additional $13.2 billion to the National Disability Insurance Scheme which supports thousands of disability care jobs.

Boosting workforce participation

More affordable child care will support more parents into work

At 61.8 per cent in March 2021, the women’s participation rate is the highest on record, above its pre-COVID high of 61.5 per cent.

The Government is investing $1.7 billion to make child care more affordable and lift women’s workforce participation. By reducing disincentives to work, the investment will add up to 300,000 hours of work per week, which is the equivalent of around 40,000 women working an extra day per week. This will be good for the economy and boost the level of GDP by up to $1.5 billion per year.

The Child Care Subsidy will be increased by 30 percentage points for the second or subsequent child, up to a cap of 95 per cent. This will ease cost of living pressures for over 250,000 Australian families and address the higher out of pocket costs faced by families with multiple young children.

The removal of the Child Care Subsidy annual cap will also reduce barriers to working. With these changes, families are not penalised by hitting the cap.

Getting unemployed Australians into work

The Government is investing $4.6 billion dollars to assist vulnerable unemployed Australians into jobs and boost labour market participation.

Boosting of wage subsidies

The Government is increasing wage subsidies available through jobactive, Transition to Work and ParentsNext to $10,000 (GST inclusive). This will provide eligible job seekers, including youth, single parents, and the long-term unemployed, with greater opportunities to move into work and participate in the economic recovery.

Delivering foundational skills

Foundational skills are fundamental to getting a job. This is why the Government is committed to providing increased support for foundational skills training. The Government is investing an additional $23.6 million to uncap and expand access to basic language, reading, writing, maths and computer skills training for job seekers. The digital skills component of the Skills for Education and Employment program will be accelerated.

Investing in youth employment services

The Government is investing a further $481.2 million in the Transition to Work employment service to ensure young Australians have the best opportunity to secure employment. This specialist youth employment service helps unemployed Australians aged 15-24 move into work or education and since 2016 has provided assistance to over 145,000 young Australians.

Providing career advice

The Government is investing $7.6 million in extending the National Careers Institute to ensure that young people are better connected with further education, training and work options and help job seekers match their skills to priority jobs.

Expanding the local jobs program

The Government is investing $213.5 million to extend and expand the Local Jobs Program to all 51 employment regions across Australia. This program brings together expertise, resources and access to funding at a local level to help job seekers connect to employment, reskilling and upskilling opportunities.

Encouraging self-employment

Reforms and additional funding of $129.8 million for the New Business Assistance with New Enterprise Incentive Scheme (NEIS), Exploring Being My Own Boss Workshops and Entrepreneurship Facilitators will make self-employment support more flexible and easier for job seekers and existing micro-business owners to access. A broader range of services will be offered, including:

· small business workshops;

· formal business training; and

· other business support like idea generation, planning, and business health checks.

Delivering more Jobs Fairs

The Government is delivering a further 26 physical and virtual Jobs Fairs across Australia to help those looking for work to connect with local opportunities. Jobs Fairs provide opportunities for job seekers to learn about the employment, training and career options available in their area.

Digital Economy highlights

Growing technology skills

Recognising the need for specialist skills in emerging fields, such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing and robotics, the Government is supporting more than 460 advanced scholarships to skill-up Australians in these fields.

The Government is also providing $43.8 million to expand the Cyber Security Skills Partnership Innovation Fund. This will create a pipeline of cyber security professionals that can meet growing demand for cyber jobs across the Australian economy.

Growing our regions

Targeted industry support

Sector specific support is helping keep people in jobs and businesses in business.

This Budget is delivering a $1.2 billion package for the aviation and tourism sectors to help them recover from the impacts of COVID‑19.

Arts

This Budget is also helping to activate and support the successful re-opening of Australia’s creative and cultural sector with nearly $300 million in support.

This includes the $125 million Restart Investment to Sustain and Expand grants to kick‑start new productions, festivals and events supporting artists and organisations to get back in business – this funding will support around 230 projects.

International education

The Government is providing $53.6 million of targeted support for international education providers most affected by border closures to ensure the diversity of Australia’s education system is maintained and providers can respond to new opportunities. This support includes grants of up to $150,000 made available for eligible providers to invest in infrastructure, expertise and new teaching solutions.

$26.1 million will also support non-university higher education providers to attract more domestic students, by providing an additional 5,000 Commonwealth supported short course places in 2021.

Building Australia

The Government is supporting jobs now and into the future with a record $110 billion 10-year infrastructure investment pipeline.

The Government is building on its 10‑year infrastructure pipeline by committing an additional $15.2 billion to infrastructure projects over the next ten years which will support over 30,000 jobs over the lives of those projects. This builds on the 100,000 jobs already being supported by projects currently under construction through the existing pipeline.

In NSW there is $3.3 billion for projects, including $500 million for Princes Highway Corridor upgrades.

Additionally, $548.5 million is also being allocated to road safety and community infrastructure projects.

Summary

The Shoalhaven business community will benefit from the above initiatives.

Council’s Economic Development Office will work with business and industry associations to ensure that local businesses can avail themselves of this business assistance programs.

Business and Employment Development Committee – Wednesday 19 May 2021

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BE21.17 Update - Shoalhaven Business Chamber

HPERM Ref: D21/156317

Submitted by: Jemma Tribe – Shoalhaven Business Chamber

Recommendation (Item to be determined under delegated authority)

That the Committee receive the Shoalhaven Business Chamber Update report for information.

Details

The Shoalhaven Business Chamber have held the following events in recent months:

Event: Lunch N Learn – Instagram Influencers

Location: Online Event

Attendees: 70

Event: Women in Business: Cocktails & Conversations

Location: Bangalay, Shoalhaven Heads & Livestream

Attendees: 90

Event: Lunch N Learn – Tea Journeys

Location: Pleasant Way Motor Inn, Nowra

Attendees: 15

Event: Lunch N Learn – Disability Inclusion Discovery

Location: Quest, Nowra

Attendees: 15

Event: Women in Business: International Women’s Day

Location: The Growers, Worrigee

Attendees: 50

Event: Super Dinner

Location: Ponte Bar & Dining

Attendees: 110

Event: Business After Hours

Location: University of Wollongong

Attendees: 75

SBC are grateful for SCC’s ongoing support of our Lunch and Learn and Women in Business events. The feedback has been extremely positive. While the majority of our events have returned to face-to-face delivery, we are eager to adopt a hybrid model moving forward (such as the WIB event that was livestreamed on Facebook), to ensure inclusivity and maximise learning opportunities.

Upcoming Events:

Event: Lunch N Learn: Social Media 2021

Location: Quest Nowra

Date: Wednesday 29 April 2021

Event: Lunch N Learn: Copywriting for your business

Location: Quest Nowra

Date: Wednesday 19 May 2021

Event: Shoalhaven Business Awards 2021

Location: Shoalhaven Entertainment Centre

Date: Friday 20 August 2021

Event: Women’s Conference 2021

Location: Figbird Cottage, Terara

Date: Wednesday 15 September 2021