Regional Development Australia Central Coast (RDACC) has partnered with Infrastructure Australia to highlight the gaps that hinder growth and prosperity on the Coast.
According to the two organisations, the most significant gaps holding the Coast back are access to further education and skills training, capacity, quality of public transport and availability, affordability and diversity of housing.
RDACC Chair, Lawrie McKinna, said that that leveraging the region’s strengths and addressing identified gaps is vital for the future prosperity of the Central Coast.
“In recent times, government investment in healthcare research and training facilities on the Central Coast has created major opportunities in employment, education and healthcare services.
“With a strong manufacturing sector contributing $300M to our local economy and a $1.2B local tourism industry, we need to do everything we can to support and foster growth in these areas to make us a more resilient region.
“Similarly, we need our federal and state governments to stand up and address the gaps identified in education, public transport and housing to improve the quality of life for all Central Coast residents,” he said.
RDACC drilled down into what it has identified as good, and ongoing, examples of where growth could stem from.
It said that recent hospital developments, such as those at Wyong, will support growth through greater regional capacity for healthcare services, while the food and beverage manufacturing industry, which already contributes $300 million to the local economy, should be an area of investment and opportunity.
It revealed that a Central Coast Food Innovation Initiative will establish a “food innovation hub” to revitalise regional manufacturing.
“To further progress the liveability and growth profile of the Central Coast, the region needs to provide education and skills training which can drive local industry innovation and support emerging industries,” it suggested.
The report highlighted that, in 2016, 52.7 per cent of unemployed residents in the region had no post-secondary qualifications.
“With skills shortages in a variety of industries, including tourism, hospitality and health and aged services, there is a need for the Central Coast to further develop the education and skills base of its workforce to support growth and drive innovation across the region.
“The Central Coast is home to the University of Newcastle Ourimbah campus and TAFE NSW campuses in Wyong, Gosford and Ourimbah – the region would benefit from a greater capacity to offer courses which match growth potential,” it said.
RDACC CEO and Director Regional Development, John Mouland, said RDACC appreciated the opportunity to play a pivotal role in gathering this significant regional data and what matters now is how this information is acted on.
“Our position as a conduit between all levels of government and key regional stakeholders enabled us to facilitiate the discussions needed and gather the information required to accurately identify this regional data.
“What’s important now is what is done with this information – we are calling on all levels of government to address these findings and to work collaboratively with all regional stakeholders to help make our region the best it can be,” he said.
Nicola Riches