Diamantina Shire Economic Development Strategy 2018-2021 and Action Plan Diamantina Shire has the strategic infrastructure and services to realise our economic potential and support job creation while preserving our heritage, environmental and community values. Acknowledgements Contents 2 Diamantina Shire Council acknowledges the significant contribution of the A message from the Mayor 3 Central Queensland Regional Office of the Queensland Government’s Department Diamantina Shire Economic Development Strategy 2018-2021 4 of State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning (DSDMIP) in The Diamantina Shire 5 preparation of this strategy. Diamantina Shire demographic and economic infographic 6 Disclaimer This strategy has been prepared using quantitative and qualitative data from Strengths, challenges and opportunities 7 reliable sources. Diamantina Shire Council does not guarantee or represent that the Theme 1: Agriculture 10 data and information is accurate, up to date or complete. Any representation, Theme 2: Tourism 12 statement or advice in the strategy, whether express or implied, is made in Theme 3: Small business and not-for-profits 14 good faith. Diamantina Shire Council does not accept liability for any losses, damages, costs and other consequences resulting Theme 4: Economic infrastructure 15 from reliance on any data, information, statement or advice within the strategy, Roads 16 whether expressed or implied. Rail 17 Communications 17 Aerodromes 17 Energy infrastructure 18 Water infrastructure 18 Flood mapping 18 Theme 5: Liveability 19 Theme 6: Retaining population 20 Implementation, monitoring and evaluation 21 Action Plan 22 Appendix A – Demographic and economic data 26 Demographic data 26 Economic data 26 Workplace 27 APPENDIX B – Diamantina Shire’s [In]Sight competitiveness rankings with 29 indicators for each measure Endnotes 31 2 A message from the Mayor It is with the greatest pleasure that I associate myself with this the Diamantina Shire Economic Development Strategy. This very important document was born from the community’s vision to create a strong and sustainable outback community. We live in a very special part of Australia with our natural wilderness and open spaces, from the harshness of the Simpson Desert to the vast grazing areas of the channel country. It is we, the community, whose responsibility it is to nurture this great area and encourage people to come, live, work and play within this great Shire. The plan will guide our community’s collective effort on agreed priorities to take our region forward to better times in the future. Community consultation during the development stage of the strategy saw community members coming together to identify the strengths, challenges and opportunities facing their community. Population decline was identified as one of the main challenges facing our community and statistic show that this trend will continue without change and intervention driven by our community. In the last 10 years alone there has been a 10% decline in the population of our community. If this decline is not arrested it will begin to impact on service availability. It is important that with everything we do and every decision we make, we create economic and social opportunities to retain and attract people to our communities. Council is working hard to deliver essential infrastructure to support the economic sustainability of our communities. In the past few years Council has delivered Optic Fibre to Birdsville and Bedourie, a sealed road to Bedourie and continued emphasis on sealing the road to Birdsville, upgrading of the airports, maintained or improved community facilities and streetscapes in both towns, all with a view to making the place a better place to live. These are great achievement but there are many more challenges ahead, Council cannot fix this alone and we need the support of the community. We need to create a new economic future and this strategy helps us to take the first steps on a different path leading to a more prosperous and dynamic Diamantina Shire, in which our youth have new job opportunities, families have choice in housing and education, our businesses are thriving and our agriculture and tourism sectors are flourishing. I encourage you all to be part of this journey to make Diamantina a strong and vibrant place going forward and to create a better future for ourselves. Our community will need to be open to ideas and opportunities, be prepared to work together, and have confidence in each other and the resilience of our community. We should not underestimate the size of the challenge, however these are the first steps to a brighter future. Mayor Cr Geoff Morton 3 Diamantina Shire Economic Development Strategy 2018-2021 The Diamantina Shire Economic The strategy has been informed by a number of existing plans and reports which have influence on or implications in relation to the Development Strategy (DSEDS) responds DSEDS. They include: to the Diamantina Shire’s aspiration for a • DSC Corporate Plan 2014–2019 and Operational Plan 2017–2018 sustainable economy which supports job • The Outback Queensland Destination Tourism Plan 2017–20202 creation and population growth. • RAPAD Strategic Plan 2018–20203 • The Pathfinder Project 20174 undertaken for RAPAD by the Regional The Diamantina Shire is challenged by limited economic diversity and Australia Institute (RAI) low economic growth which is exacerbated by the shire’s remoteness. • Pathways to the future: Building local strategies for regional It is important to note the resilience and passion of the shire’s most resilience and sustainable development in Central Western important asset – its people. The DSEDS has been developed to assist Queensland5 the Diamantina community and the Diamantina Shire Council (DSC) to grow the shire’s economy in a planned and strategic manner. DSEDS • Smart Central Western Queensland: A digitally enabled community provides a robust discussion of the future opportunities and challenges strategic plan6 and identifies short to medium term actions to be undertaken to • Outback Regional Roads and Transport Group achieve the Diamantina community’s economic vision for its future. In the DSEDS, statistics from a range of sources have been used The futurist Sohail Inayatullah says that a different future to the including from the Australia Bureau of Statistics (ABS). Due to the small expected requires people to challenge the expected, change behaviours population size of Diamantina Shire there is a greater risk that these and develop an underlying narrative which supports the desired vision statistics will have large fluctuations between time periods and higher for the alternate future1. In other words, the people of Diamantina Shire error rates than for larger populations. Further, due to confidentiality will need to challenge the region’s predicted future and develop the rules, there are a number of statistics which are not available or narrative which reflects the future they want. reported as zero. This can lead to tables where figures do not appear to sum to totals. 4 The Diamantina Shire Located in the far west of Queensland, Birdsville was established in 1881 and originally named Diamantina Crossing. The name Birdsville possibly resulted because of the large Diamantina Shire covers an area of flocks of birds which congregated around waterholes in the Diamantina River. Four heritage listed sites are associated with Birdsville and include 94,823 square kilometres or about one the former Australian Inland Mission Hospital, Birdsville Courthouse and a half times the size of Tasmania. and the Royal and Birdsville Hotels9. Birdsville has the largest resident population in Diamantina Shire with approximately 140 people10. The shire is the second largest local government by area in Queensland. Bedourie is located on the Eyre Creek, 191 kilometres to the north of The Shire shares local government boundaries with Boulia, Winton and Birdsville. In the 1880’s, the town was a major watering and rest stop Barcoo in Queensland; MacDonnell and Central Desert in the Northern for cattle moving from the north to the customs collection point at Territory and the Outback Communities Authority in South Australia. Birdsville. Bedourie is the administrative centre for the shire, although Poeppel Corner, on the south west boundary, marks the intersection of Birdsville held this role until 1953. the Queensland, South Australian and Northern Territory borders. Once a Cobb and Co change station, Betoota hosts the annual Horse and The eastern edge of the Simpson Desert extends along the western Motorbike Gymkhana and the Betoota Races, which is one event in the boundary of the shire. It contains the world’s longest parallel sand Simpson Desert Racing Carnival. The Betoota Hotel is the last remaining dunes7, including the largest ‘Big Red’, 35 kilometres from Birdsville. building in the town which has not had any permanent residents since For thousands of years, the Channel Country of south west Queensland 2004. The hotel is undergoing renovations and is anticipated to open in has been part of a complex Aboriginal trading system. Hundreds of time for the Betoota Races at the end of August 2018. people gathered at places like Wirrarri (Birdsville) to trade for weapons, DSC is a member of Remote Area Planning and Development (RAPAD) grinding stones, ochre and pituri. Prior to white settlement, three which is the peak regional economic development body for Central traditional owner groups inhabited the land within the shire. Birdsville West Queensland. The RAPAD Board is comprised of the mayors of is Wangkangurru and Yarluyandi country. The Wangkamadla people the seven local governments and acts as a regional organisation of inhabited areas of the Simpson Desert including an area of the shire to councils. RAPAD undertakes regional projects and actions on behalf of the north west of Bedourie. The Karanja people of the Channel Country, its member councils. are estimated to have had tribal lands extending over approximately 6,200 square kilometers including Bedourie8. The Mithika people occupied lands in the south east of the shire including the area around Betoota.