Rural City of Murray Bridge 1

Background:

The Rural City of Murray Bridge is responsible for an area covering 1,832km2 (including a portion of the River Murray and Lake Alexandrina) and includes 975km of trafficable roads (not including those roads maintained by the South Australian Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure).

The total population of the council area is estimated to be approximately 21,486 people. Our rural city is the centre of a major agricultural, transport, industrial and tourism district and is the gateway to the Murraylands Region, containing many attractions for people of all ages. Despite being only 75km from , Murray Bridge experiences challenges associated with attracting investment and population to a regional location.

Statistical Overview

The Rural City of Murray Bridge has commissioned statistical analysis, which indicates that this region differs significantly from the average in a number of measures when compared with Greater Adelaide, and Australia as a whole when measured on 2016 data.

The overview reveals, when compared to the national population:

 that the median age of Murray Bridge is older, at 41, compared to 40 for South Australia and 39 for Greater Adelaide;  Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population is higher at 4.6 % compared to 2.0% for South Australia and 1.4% for Greater Adelaide;  Couples with children is 23%, lower than the State figure of 27% and 29% for Greater Adelaide;  Median weekly household income is $974, significantly lower than the income for the rest of the State at $1,203 and $1,261 for Greater Adelaide;  Households renting stands at 32%, meaning Murray Bridge has a higher proportion of households who rent than when compared to the State and Greater Adelaide averages of 28%;  Households with a mortgage is lower at 29% than the State average of 34% and 35% for Greater Adelaide;  Only 15%, but rising, of the population are overseas born compared to 23% for South Australia and the Greater Adelaide average of 26%;  Only 10% of the population speaks a language other than English at home compared to 20% for Greater Adelaide, but this figure is rising;  Only 7% of the population has a university qualification against 21% for Greater Adelaide and 19% for the rest of the State;  23% have a trade qualification against the SA average of 20% and 19% for Greater Adelaide;  The level of unemployment, while improving, continues to be higher at around 7.01%, where the SA average is 5.9%; and  The labour force participation rate at 54% is lower than the South Australian average of 58% and 59% for Greater Adelaide.  In 2016, 69.8% homes in the Rural City of Murray Bridge had an internet connection compared to 79.3% for Greater Adelaide.

SEIFA index of disadvantage

The Rural City of Murray Bridge SEIFA Index of Disadvantage measures the relative level of socio-economic disadvantage based on a range of Census characteristics. It is a general view of the relative level of disadvantage in one area compared to others. The index is Rural City of Murray Bridge 2 derived from attributes that reflect disadvantage such as low income, low educational attainment, high unemployment, and jobs in relatively unskilled occupations.

The Rural City of Murray Bridge is rated as highly disadvantaged with a score of 894, with only 6 other areas in South Australia having a lower score out of the 70 areas recorded. Pockets within the Rural City of Murray Bridge have an index score within the range of 600 to 800.

OVERVIEW OF REGIONAL ISSUES

A principal cause of regional inequality arises through the economies of scale. Smaller populations in regional areas do not provide the level of economic viability to provide the same level of service that might be available in metropolitan areas.

Economies, whether metropolitan or regional, rely on infrastructure and business investment to build confidence and grow. The nature of the businesses and strengths of a region will differ, but the underlying economic theory remains the same.

It is not uncommon for there to be inequalities in opportunities between regional and metropolitan areas. Most often this seems to manifest itself in opportunities for employment and education, as well as a lack of access to health care and public transport.

Council acknowledges that in areas with smaller populations it sometimes is not economically viable to provide the same level for service, such as health care, for an area so resources (be they human or mechanical) are more centrally located in denser population centres, making access by regional persons more difficult.

Regional areas are often the focus of tourism, with the Murray Bridge region being a significant river based tourism centre. The tax / rate base remains low in line with the permanent population, but that population can swell with tourists at holiday times that have an expectation about the level of infrastructure and tourism experiences. Some business become dependent on tourism for survival and reputational risks can have a significant impact. The reputation of an area for tourism value can be impacted by many factors including:

• The level of infrastructure (physical, technological etc.) available;

• The safety of an area;

• The visual amenity; and

• Environmental factors (e.g. levels in the River Murray, safety)

Regional areas can also be heavily dependent on one particular industry or employer. A sudden change to that industry or employer can have a substantial impact on investor, business and community confidence. This has flow on effects with reputational damage that can last for an extensive period of time.

The way in which are states are geographically laid out, the nature of economic growth and government policy, including immigration policy, means infrastructure and business investment has been concentrated in areas of more dense population. As investment focuses in these areas, the level of investment in regional areas is less and the divide between the two continues to grow. Rural City of Murray Bridge 3

To bridge the divide, a re-focusing of infrastructure and business investment in regional areas, it is essential that various policy settings are pro-actively implemented. While policy settings can be stated at a local level, often they are enabled through Commonwealth or State Government policy and legislation, such as investment assistance and land use and zoning, and require co-operation at all levels to implement.

Land use and zoning controls must facilitate and enable business growth, but also ensure new development does not unreasonably encroach on existing. It is not a matter of “freeing up zoning and reducing red tape”. It is a matter of identifying new areas for economic growth and devising effective and efficient ways of providing the infrastructure needed to attract businesses. Zoning must enable growth, but not at expense of good planning. The current hiatus on planning zone changes in South Australia is hampering growth and preventing good planning outcomes, particularly in regional areas.

Distance is a significant issue, both positive and negative for regions. A greater distance between the regional and metropolitan area can be an advantage, if the area is a pleasant place to live and work. Where distance is such that travel becomes more difficult, it creates a necessity for the region to be more self-sufficient, driving investment and growth. However, where services are not available, for example, specialist medical services, distance and time required away from home and employment is a significant impost on the community and individuals.

The attraction and retention of large scale businesses drive the growth of regional economies. Incentives for businesses and skilled migrants to locate in regional areas benefit regional economies, while reducing stress on major urban areas. Examples of incentives for regional development could include business tax relief and infrastructure provision.

Provision of funding for infrastructure investment which drives growth and opportunities is a valuable policy and fiscal initiative for Local Government.

In response to the questions posed in the Discussion Paper:

1. What are the essential services in your community?

Health & Medical: Health & Medical services remain a major issue within regions, Australians living in rural and remote areas tend to have lower life expectancy, higher rates of disease and injury, and poorer access to and use of health services than people living in cities. There are demonstrated higher levels of demand for services surrounding mental and physical health and rehabilitation services.

There has been significant investment in our local health services, with a $7 million upgrade to the Murray Bridge Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital emergency department to begin shortly, complementing other upgrades and services over recent years, such as the ability to deliver chemotherapy, thus avoiding the need for patients to travel to Adelaide for treatment.

Education: The community experiences difficulty in accessing a wide base of secondary subjects, vocational education and tertiary education facilities.

The creation of the Murray Bridge Learning Campus and the River Murray Study Hub through the Regional Study Hubs Program, offers greater opportunity for our regional community. This Rural City of Murray Bridge 4 program aims to increase the number of rural and regional students attending tertiary institutions and has been a positive example of improved co-ordination between levels of government.

Community & Government: Banking & finance services have been removed from many regional centres over time, and while online services and some mobile services are offered by institutions, ability to interact on a personal level is desired for more complicated matters.

Government Services from state and Commonwealth levels has reduced over time as delivery has become more centralised and reliant on online service delivery.

Telecommunications: Lack of high speed internet services is a key constraint to business operation and development, especially for those operations outside of regional urban centres where they may need to rely on less reliable satellite technology rather than fixed wireless or wired service delivery. As noted above, the Rural City of Murray Bridge has a lower level of internet access (69.8%) compared to 79.3% for Greater Adelaide. This is indicative of a further issue of equality requiring address.

Transport: Access to transport, both private and public, is a key regional issue. Lack of transport options, particularly for youth, impacts on the ability to access employment opportunities. Transport options also impact on the ability to access health and education services.

Transport of goods in a timeframe that meets metropolitan consumers will be a key factor for regional business success.

2. How would they be best delivered

Government decentralisation is better enabled now through the use of improved technology. The location of government departments, or branch or back office facilities, in regional areas has the benefit of creating employment opportunities and strengthening communities by creating certainty amongst the community through guaranteed income and spending created by a stable workforce. A prime example is the location of the Crown Land SA regional office in Berri, South Australia.

Dedicated service centres that comprise essential community services from all levels of Government and private sector organisations should be developed in regional centres. Such facilities could be based on a Service SA model which offers a variety of State Government services, primarily related to financial transactions. However, a regional facility could be able to offer services such as Centrelink, NDIS, library, Local Government services, health clinics and medical specialty room, police, banking and financial services, State Government services, with these services offered as either dedicated or scheduled visitation.

Decentralisation provides, as an associated benefit, better growth in human capital, economies of scale, acts as an attractor to other business, and services, including education and health by underpinning local economies.

3. What priorities should drive government investment in infrastructure?

Population change and investment should drive government investment in infrastructure within Regional South Australia. Tourism and other forms of economic development require Rural City of Murray Bridge 5 infrastructure to support those sectors and ensure that regional populations stay in place to support the activities.

Support of alternative industries is important in regional localities as traditional industries undergo change or decline.

Murray Bridge is experiencing growth in population and investment and employment, so is in an ideal situation to provide an employment and service hub for surrounding areas.

4. How should regional infrastructure priorities be supported and funded? Is there a role for government here?

Infrastructure aimed at regional centres undergoing growth in population and economic development should have priority as it will underpin both the local and regional community. Growth will provide ongoing opportunity for the community and local business and create multiplier impacts throughout the region. The provision of opportunity will aid in retention of both local and regional populations though creation of service and employment hubs.

Regional Development Australia Murraylands and has recently completed an audit of regional infrastructure which has identified the strengths and gaps with in our region. Such an audit is useful for determining which infrastructure needs should be priorities for support and funding.

The State Government, through its’ various agencies, has a role in working with Regional Development Australia and Local Government to determine which projects are funded and the best way in which to deliver the projects.

5. How can regional South Australia retain its existing young and working age people?

There is demand for educational and employment opportunities and pathways within regional South Australia. Education needs to be accessible at secondary, vocational and tertiary levels, with associated employment opportunities and career development pathways.

Added to this, there is also a need for social, sporting and cultural development within regional South Australia. Development of programs aimed at younger persons in the regions around music, sports and multicultural and other identified needs will aid in the retention of youth and younger working age people, either single or in family situations.

Programs should be developed on within regions which bring together Local Governments, service providers and Regional Development Australia in a coordinated approach to address specific issues that impact on the retention of our younger population.

6. What is required to encourage greater overseas and city-to regional migration to regional South Australia?

A large part of the employment base of Murray Bridge is concerned with food production, primary, secondary and tertiary, with varying levels of work skills required across the base. A shortage of local workers or workers willing to travel to Murray Bridge from the Metropolitan area has meant that the region has been heavily reliant on overseas migration, via visa systems to fill vacancies. Rural City of Murray Bridge 6

A downside of that reliance occurs when there are significant events, such as the Thomas Foods International fire in January of 2018. The immediate loss of income saw a significant number of migrants leave the city as their visas were no longer valid. The fire and loss of population has had a significant impact on the local economy.

Migration has a broader benefit to the social and cultural development of the community, and it is the social and cultural aspects of a successful migration program that underpins the contribution of migration to the economy.

It is vitally important that the strategic, regulatory and political environment remains supportive of migration to enable both regional and metropolitan population growth which enables existing and new businesses to grow within the regions.

The introduction of the Designated Area Migration Scheme for Regional South Australia is one action in encouraging migration to the regions. However, this needs to be supported with broader educational opportunities, appropriate levels of health services and community engagement and welcoming programs. Transport is often identified as an issue for migrant communities, as well as the broader community. Assistance in the provision of local transport options will aid in attraction and retention of population.

Support for programs that aim to foster a culture and policy environment that makes it possible for people of all backgrounds to feel valued and to fully participate in social, civic, and economic life is essential. These programs create the means by which local councils, businesses and communities can embrace and integrate migrant communities for greater social cohesion and economic success. The Rural City of Murray Bridge undertakes a number of programs, including supporting the Migrant Resource Centre and welcoming events, in order to create an environment that is attractive to migrant populations.

7. How can we build a pool of the next generation of business and community leaders?

A supportive environment that is based around local business associations that is able to act as a forum to provide mentoring and collaboration. Skills development education and assistance in gaining the skills to access grant programs that would aid business development. The education and economic base needs to be developed to enable the next generation of leaders to remain in the community rather than leave for metropolitan areas to gain educational and career opportunities.

The Rural City of Murray Bridge works closely with Regional Development Australia Murraylands and Riverland, jointly supporting the Murray Bridge Business Alliance, which delivers opportunities for business leaders and community leaders to network and develop their skill base.

A continued partnership between the RDAMR and Council and educational providers will continue to build leadership within the region. As a regional initiative, the Murraylands Leadership Program has been created as a result of collaboration between the Department of Industry and Skills, Regional Development Australia and TAFE SA.

8. What skills do our future regional leaders require?

Regional leaders will require the ability to operate in a multicultural and multilingual business environment and have a high level of flexibility in responding to changing operational requirements. Rural City of Murray Bridge 7

In order for business growth and market access to expand, leaders will need skills in exporting and obtaining access to export market programs.

9. What capability development would be beneficial for regional business leaders so that South Australia’s regional businesses are successful in the modern economy?

This will include easily accessible and ongoing educational, development and training opportunities. They will need access to equivalent technology and systems at high speed to be able to compete in a “connected city” environment, while in a regional location. They will also require access to business and personal mentoring and skills delivery for the modern economy. There is the need for businesses to identify niches and gaps that they may be able to fill to succeed.

In many instances, businesses may be eligible for grant funding, however the time required to prepare an application, the skills and complexities associated and general operational requirements means that funding is not obtained. The ability to prepare grant funding applications is one area of capability development that would be beneficial; however, the complexity associated with grants should also be reduced.

Local Government and Regional Development Boards are in an ideal position to work with regional business leaders to develop capability through their ability to bring together different organisations and skills in identifying, accessing and applying for the most relevant grants.

10. Are the capability development needs of regional business leaders different from those in metropolitan areas?

Access to capability requirements needs to consider the cost, distance, physical and technological barriers for business leaders. Regional localities will be disadvantaged as metropolitan localities engage in the ’10 gig city’, ‘connected cities’ and ‘smart city’ economies. Addressing this gap will be a key capability for regional business leaders.

11. How can we ensure future regional workforce skills are identified and invested in?

There needs to be continued engagement with regional business and regional bodies to ensure that skills and requirements are identified.

Support needs to be provided to educational providers to ensure that they can offer relevant skills development to the workforce. Regional Development Boards are also in unique positions to access the skills requirements of the workforce due to their structure and close linkages with Local Government, employers and service providers.

12. How can we upskill or reskill the existing regional workforce so that they can transition into the jobs of tomorrow?

Changing requirements need to be able to be responded to quickly and efficiently. There needs to be a strong vocational education system in place that is accessible to the workforce and does not require travel outside the region to access the skills program.

As above, support needs to be provided to educational providers to ensure that they can offer relevant skills development to the workforce. Regional Development Boards are also in unique positions to access the skills requirements of the workforce due to their structure and close linkages with Local Government, employers and service providers. Rural City of Murray Bridge 8

13. What needs to happen to encourage investment in regional South Australia?

Investment will be encouraged by the ability to for governments to provide infrastructure – political, physical and social to support regional South Australia as being an attractive destination for investment.

Added to this, regional areas need to be included in promotional activities, whether by prospectus, trade missions or other attraction activities, with the benefits of locating in regional South Australia being a prime focus.

Strong relationships need to be developed and maintained between State Government economic development and infrastructure agencies, Regional Development Boards and Local Government. The Rural City of Murray Bridge has been successful in encouraging investment locally by having a strong internal focus on case managing investment proposals and through developing strong relationships with state agencies and having a strong partnership with Regional Development Australia Murraylands and Riverland to deliver positive outcomes for our community.

14. What factors would encourage innovators and entrepreneurs to remain or locate in regional South Australia?

The business and regulatory framework, such as the planning policy and assessment systems, need to be responsive to requirements of innovators and entrepreneurs. State and Local Government needs to have a culture that is supportive of these and all industries. The Rural City of Murray Bridge undertakes various approaches, including case management, to encourage the location of business within the region. We have a strong partnership with Regional Development Australia Murraylands and Riverland and believe that this united and coordinated approach delivers ongoing investment.

15. Are there other key enablers that will drive regional development and support our regional communities to thrive?

Local Government has a key role in driving regional economic and community development. Many State Government functions have been devolved to the Local Government level, without an increase in financial ability to handle these issues. This devolution impacts on the ability to provide all necessary programs and resources to drive regional development and to maintain services to communities.

The State Government is currently considering the Joyce Report ”Review of the South Australian Government’s International and Interstate Engagement Bodies and Functions”. One of the recommendations of this report was for “The State Government to confirm its target of 3% average annual growth in GSP, subject to any major external economic shocks, and review dates to test progress (suggest 5 and 8 years)” Local Government is in an ideal place to assist in achieving this growth target, however needs to be engaged with.

Other key enablers include:

 Ensure planning policy is adaptive and flexible and able to respond to global challenges; Rural City of Murray Bridge 9

 Ensure planning policy has the ability to enable various industries to respond to developing new operational models;

 Provide developers and the community with greater certainty at early stages to provide guidance and clarity;

 Ensure that pre-lodgement advice can be provided to developers so that overall associated development costs (such as holding costs)can be reduced and can also assist developers in obtaining project finance;

 Address regional population issues with the objective of increasing populations in the regions through employment initiatives such as decentralisation;

 Creation of policies enabling the easier establishment of business / incubator hubs; and

 Detailed policies are developed in conjunction with Local Government and State Government agencies that address primary production issues, including adaptive reuse, EFPA, value adding and minimum allotment sizes.