RDA Murray CEO Sarimah Hellyer with Amaranth Foundation chief executive, Julieanne Whyte, both strong advocates for bringing people together to share ideas and collaborate.
Lack of housing and employment challenges are standing in the way of economic growth in Federation according to local businesses, and retailers are suffering from the shortfall.
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Hetherington Plumbing’s Ella Ferris said a lack of housing in Corowa seemed to be the repetition going around the tables at a recent Roundtable meeting in Corowa, and just one of the challenges identified that needs to be overcome if the town is to move forward.
“The short-term accommodation we do have in Corowa has been turned into employee housing by bigger companies,” Ella said.
“We thought about buying property to accommodate staff, but in the current climate, input and wage costs have gone through the roof.
“We want to reward our staff, but we need to be careful.
“Housing infrastructure needs to happen first so the town can grow.”
Luke Hetherington said the real issue was the retail situation in Sanger St, where there are shops sitting empty, and retail and tourism foot traffic is at an all-time low.
“Sanger St feels like it’s dying,” Luke said.
“A lot of retailers are owner-operators, so they can’t afford to close their doors to come to these types of meetings and be part of the discussion.
“If you want more people shopping in town you need more people living in town, which means more housing and more industry.”
Ella Ferris and Luke Hetherington from Hetherington Plumbing say it was worth their time to be at the recent Roundtable, collaborating with other businesses and organisations about the region’s economic future.
Corowa businesses and Federation Council came together with Regional Development Australia Murray Inc to collaborate on what the economic future of the Murray River region could look like with everyone working together.
Dubbed ‘Roundtable’, the discussions play a critical role in informing RDA Murray’s advocacy and ensuring regional voices are reflected in decision-making at state and federal levels.
Three of four key questions asked participants to identify opportunities, challenges holding back economic growth, and key industries driving economic activity in Federation Shire.
The fourth table discussed which local initiatives or partnerships were working well with a view to replicating them to build economic resilience.
Tourism and over 55 living were identified as the biggest potential growth areas and everyone agreed a collaborative approach was the best way to overcome challenges.
Ms Ferris said tourism led a lot of discussions and she was encouraged by the positivity, which led to other ideas, such as a shared workforce, that could benefit the town.
“A lot of people on the tables were saying the same thing,” she said.
“Do we try to have a tourism board similar to North East Victoria that looks at how to do it well.
“With the agriculture we have here we can tap into the ‘paddock to plate’ concept and also lean into the cycling and winery trails.
“Over 55 living was heavily discussed; the median age of people in Corowa is high, and there’s potential there to employ them in mentoring roles.
“And I liked the idea of a shared workforce; we have times when it's raining and we've got no work for the boys.
“Other people might say, ‘we've got plenty of work indoors today, but not enough workers’.”
The region was represented by about 30 people from businesses in a variety of industries, including JBS Rivalea, Hetherington Plumbing, Amaranth Foundation, Riverine Plains and Federation Council.
Amaranth Foundation founder and chief executive, Julieanne Whyte said there was a lot happening that people don't know about, and these meetings were important to bring everyone together to share knowledge and collaborate on ideas.
“RDA have brought together people who care about the community,” Ms Whyte said.
“They’re passionate about being (in Corowa) and growing it for our families and the future.
“Being here today is important to be part of the conversation and not to be on the periphery, to say ‘I love the community and want to see it grow’.”
Regional Development Australia, Murray, is a non-profit organisation supporting partnerships between locals in the Murray region and governments.
They work with stakeholders to identify and respond to local priorities and needs across local government areas along the NSW side of the Murray River.
“We can't represent the region if we don't talk in the region and learn what's actually going on.”
“We can't represent the region if we don't talk in the region and learn what's actually going on,” CEO and Director of Regional Development, Sarimah Hellyer said.
“They can't be as effective if they don't collaborate, build partnerships and listen to each other.
“It works because we're representing communities and introducing people who may not know what the others are doing.
“There's always a, ‘we should have a coffee and talk about that project’, or ‘I didn't know you were doing that, I'd love to come and see that in operation’.
Speaking after the Roundtable, Ms Hellyer said RDA Murray could approach businesses with the opportunity to share advocacy and take statistics and anecdotal evidence (from these meetings) to government.
“We can reach out (to local businesses) ‘You were in this program so won't you come and talk to Department of Home Affairs about what's actually happening’; it's a connector role.”
Federation Council general manager, Adrian Butler with deputy general manager, Jo Shannon, mayor Cheryl Cook, and deputy mayor, Rowena Black.
Council officers participated in the workshop style meeting, bringing valuable input to the discussions.
Federation Council mayor, Cheryl Cook, said there was a lot to take away and the exercise represented a valuable opportunity for Corowa to work together to grow for the future.
“It was an extremely valuable interaction today with RDA Murray,” Cr Cook said.
“A great crowd, terrific interaction, and some amazing ideas that came forth from community that can help grow our Federation Council area and bring greater economy to our area.
“Well done to everyone who came, and congratulations to Regional Development Australia for bringing this forum to Corowa”.
Local businesses are encouraged to attend these kinds of events in the future, as it will give a broader representation of the local economy and give them the chance to speak out about what they feel is happening in their region.
“Now that we know what these meetings are all about, we can pass that message on to other business owners,” Ella said.
“We can let them know that it’s worth their time to be here and have their say.”
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