SUBMISSION BY SHOALHAVEN CITY COUNCIL
TO THE
SELECT COMMITTEE ON REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND DECENTRALISATION
Prepared by Economic Development Office Shoalhaven City Council, Nowra NSW
Contents
Inquiry into Regional Development and Decentralisation ...... 3 Part A – Best practice approaches to regional development ...... 3 The Economy of the Shoalhaven ...... 3 Impacts of regional relocations of government entities or functions ...... 6 The benefits of economic growth and opportunity being shared right across Australia ...... 6 The importance of Defence and defence support industries in the Shoalhaven . 8 Best Practice in identifying and committing to long term opportunities – a place based approach with top down support ...... 10 The importance of Manufacturing in the Shoalhaven ...... 11 Best Practice in developing the capabilities of regional Australians – Aerospace Training Services and innovative delivery of training ...... 12 Build it and they will come, eventually – leveraging long-term private investment ...... 14 Best Practice in growing and diversifying the regional economic and employment base ...... 14 Our people, our assets – a vibrant, cohesive and engaged regional community ...... 15 Best Practice in promoting and supporting Shoalhaven’s professional needs .. 16 Part B – Decentralisation of Commonwealth entities or functions, as a mechanism to increase growth and prosperity in regional areas...... 17 Examining the potential for decentralisation to improve governance and service delivery for all Australians ...... 17 Identifying the characteristics of entities that would be suited to decentralisation without impacting on the ability to perform their functions...... 18 Identifying the characteristics of locations suitable to support decentralised entities or functions, including consideration of infrastructure and communication connectivity requirements...... 19 Considering different models of decentralisation, including: ...... 20 Part C - Actions of the Commonwealth that would encourage greater corporate decentralisation and what can be learned from corporate decentralisation approaches ...... 21
Submission By Shoalhaven City Council To The Select Committee On Regional Development And Decentralisation - September 2017 1 Considering the role of the private sector in sustainably driving employment and growth opportunities in regional areas in both existing and new industries ...... 21 Comparing the access to early stage equity and or debt finance of metropolitan and regional businesses for both start up and established businesses and ...... 21 Examining access to capital for regional business, including agribusiness, manufacturing and technology ...... 21 Considering the adequacy of regional businesses access to early stage accelerators and incubators, including access to business mentors, business networks and capital (debt and equity)...... 22 Considering the adequacy to support the private sector to attract and retain skilled labour to regional areas...... 24 Examining the extent to which employment and growth can be supported by growing existing and new industries in regional areas, leveraging strong transport and communications connectivity ...... 24 Attachment 1 – Submission to the Inquiry into National Freight and Supply Chain Priorities ...... 26
Submission By Shoalhaven City Council To The Select Committee On Regional Development And Decentralisation - September 2017 2 Inquiry into Regional Development and Decentralisation
Shoalhaven City Council welcomes this opportunity to provide input into the Inquiry by the Select Committee on Regional Development and Decentralisation. The Committee has been tasked with inquiring and reporting on three key aspects being the best practice approaches to regional development, the decentralisation of Commonwealth entities and supporting corporate decentralisation.
Shoalhaven City Council has operated a specific Economic Development Office since 1978 and has had much experience in building economic capacity and wealth generation to grow the economy and the doubling of the workforce from 17,980 in 1986 to in excess of 36,000 today. Council long ago realised the importance of identifying key regional assets and on building on the region’s strengths. Since the inception of the Economic Development Office within Shoalhaven City Council the Council has committed to a number of economic development projects, many of which could be considered best practice.
The Economic Development Office of Shoalhaven City Council is also fortunate in that the current Economic Development Manager is one of the longest serving council staff. The Economic Development Manager has over 30 years’ experience in working in the Shoalhaven and during that time has delivered many projects that continue to support economic growth of this region to this day. The Economic Development Manager has seen a plethora of government projects and incentives come and go and is able to provide a first-hand account of the success or otherwise of each.
Recommendation: That the Committee consider the Economic Development Manager of Shoalhaven City Council as someone with expertise in this field and call on him to contribute to the inquiry where possible.
Part A – Best practice approaches to regional development The Economy of the Shoalhaven
The economy of the Shoalhaven is diverse. Our largest employing industries are Health Care and Social Assistance, Retail Trade and Public Administration and Safety. But this just tells part of the story. Council has long recognised that a healthy economy is based on the creation of high value jobs and the growth of high output industry sectors. Shoalhaven City Council has recently adopted its third 10 year economic development strategy Productive Shoalhaven Economic Development Strategy 2017-
Submission By Shoalhaven City Council To The Select Committee On Regional Development And Decentralisation - September 2017 3 2026. This document outlines Shoalhaven’s regional advantages and identifies key sectors that have the greatest return to the economy.
The following graph was created to identify those sectors that should be supported in order to increase the creation of high value positions. The grey bar represents key sectors in the Shoalhaven by number of jobs. The blue bar is the indexed value-add of each job to the economy. From this we can determine that Public Administration and Safety (including defence) and Manufacturing are key economic powerhouses within the Shoalhaven. Wholesale Trade, Agriculture/Fishing and Transport/Warehousing are high value industry sectors, though currently small in terms of employment, which as they grow will contribute proportionally more to the economy of the Shoalhaven than other industries.
Shoalhaven LGA Productivity Index
Public Admin/Safety 3,138 1.59 Wholesale Trade 547 1.59 Manufacturing 2,314 1.35 Agriculture/Fishing 571 1.13 Transport/Warehousing 786 1.11 Professional/Technical 1,333 1.10 Admin/Support 714 1.08 Construction 1,882 1.08 Education/Training 2,351 0.80 Health/Social Services 4,480 0.75 Tourism 2,482 0.71 Retail Trade 3,743 0.60 Other Services 1,059 0.60 Accommodation/Food 1,257 0.53
Value add per job as compared to the average Shoalhaven job =1.00 Key sectors in the Shoalhaven by number of jobs
Figure 1: Shoalhaven LGA Productivity Index1
1 Table modelled from figures derived from REMPLAN Economy Economic Modelling Tool, La Trobe University
Submission By Shoalhaven City Council To The Select Committee On Regional Development And Decentralisation - September 2017 4 “While new job opportunities are being created in regional tourism and services, including health and aged care, not every regional city is experiencing new opportunities”2
Regional tourism and services including health and aged care are part of a diverse economy. However there are a number of other important industries that require support if we are to create economically vibrant rural and regional towns. There is significant risk to rural and regional areas on overreliance on sectors such as tourism and aged care in generating economic growth and stimulation.
Recommendation: It is critical to recognise that not all jobs and all industry sectors contribute equally to a healthy economy. Focusing on the growth of industries that have a low output and create lower paid positions can contribute to a decline in the socio-economic status of rural and regional areas.
It is not necessarily the number of jobs created but the type of job that can shape the economic future of a region. Positions created in Public Administration and Safety, Wholesale Trade, Administration and Support Services are comparatively more highly paid than other industry sectors. These are the types of jobs that can support families and lead to increased spend within a community. This is also why decentralisation of Commonwealth entities or functions will have such a positive economic impact on rural and regional areas.
2 Commonwealth of Australia Smart Cities Plan 2016 Commonwealth of Australia
Submission By Shoalhaven City Council To The Select Committee On Regional Development And Decentralisation - September 2017 5 Shoalhaven Average Wages and Salaries per employee by industry Public Administration & Safety $150,508.29 Wholesale Trade $122,936.01 Administrative & Support Services $121,663.87 Manufacturing $103,937.34 Professional, Scientific & Technical… $96,438.11 Education &Training $87,529.56 Health Care & Social Assistance $80,254.69 Transport, Postal & Warehousing $71,924.94 Construction $71,834.75 Other Services $51,487.25 Tourism $49,058.82 Retail Trade $48,272.78 Accommodation & Food Services $42,202.07 Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing $30,359.02
Figure 2: Shoalhaven average Wages and Salaries per employee by industry3
Recommendation: That it is acknowledged that employment generated in rural and regional towns through the decentralisation of Commonwealth entities or functions generate high value jobs, a significant economic return for those areas.
Impacts of regional relocations of government entities or functions
The benefits of economic growth and opportunity being shared right across Australia
Decentralisation of government entities and functions does stimulate rural and regional economies and provides opportunities for rural and regional Australians.
Since 2000 Council has pro-actively assisted in the relocation of 6 government business operations to the Shoalhaven. This has consisted of a mix of relocations and
3 Table modelled from figures derived from REMPLAN Economy Economic Modelling Tool, La Trobe University
Submission By Shoalhaven City Council To The Select Committee On Regional Development And Decentralisation - September 2017 6 the establishment of new facilities that have been competitively placed after Expressions of Interest have been called either formally or informally.
Council’s Economic Development Office actively seeks out opportunities, bids for and assists agencies to establish within the local area.
The following agencies have been assisted:
Naval Aviation Systems Project Office – relocation from Sydney Helicopter Training Office – from Canberra AIR9000 Phase 7 – new facility Office of Local Government – from Sydney South Coast Correctional Centre – new facility Department of Primary Industry - Fisheries – from Sydney
These relocations have created a direct increase of in excess of 865 jobs in the local area within Public Administration and Safety. The following impact summary table has been generated by REMPLAN (11 September 2017) to demonstrate the boost in the local economy through government relocations/decentralisations.
Table 1: Impact Summary of the creation of 865 jobs in Public Administration and Safety4
Impact Direct Industrial Consumption Total Type 1 Type 2 Summary Effect Effect Effect Effect Multiplier Multiplier
Output ($M) $258.295 $86.515 $121.839 $466.650 1.335 1.807
Employment 865 237 427 1,529 1.274 1.768 (Jobs)
Wages and $130.190 $20.980 $28.000 $179.170 1.161 1.376 Salaries ($M)
Value-added $172.586 $34.512 $69.299 $276.398 1.200 1.602 ($M)
4 Table modelled from figures derived from REMPLAN Economy Economic Modelling Tool, La Trobe University
Submission By Shoalhaven City Council To The Select Committee On Regional Development And Decentralisation - September 2017 7 These figures on the economic impact are only just part of the picture. For 4 of the 6 government agency relocations, new facilities were built totaling in excess of $300 million for an employment impact of 1450 during the various construction phases. This type of investment in rural and regional Australia has a proportionally greater impact in these regions. Regional relocations of government entities and functions is a way to drive rural and regional economic development and provide more equitable access to these opportunities.
Recommendation: That regional relocations of government agencies to the Shoalhaven be investigated more fully to demonstrate the benefits to rural and regional Australia
The importance of Defence and defence support industries in the Shoalhaven
The Shoalhaven has a long association with defence commencing in 1939 with a decision to build an airfield on the land occupied by the Naval Air Station. HMAS Albatross has grown to become the largest operational Naval establishment and the Navy’s only Air Station. HMAS Albatross is still expanding with the government investing over $500 million to upgrade facilities including the establishment of the new Helicopter Aircrew Training System (HATS). This investment means that defence will continue to remain one of the strong foundations of the economy of the Shoalhaven.
Shoalhaven City Council appreciates the value of the defence industry sector to the Gross Regional Product of the area. If one was to compare the effort required and the effect of stimulating 500 jobs in the defence sector with the same result for say the Tourism sector it would be seen that defence provides a higher order benefit to the local community.
Some comparative figures are based on 2011 Census:
Shoalhaven & JB Defence Industry Sector Tourism Industry Sector Territory Employment 1672 5.70% 3284 11.30% Wages & Salaries $344.0m 14.10% $140.7m 5.80% Contribution to GRP $479.8m 10.70% $220.5m 4.90%
Submission By Shoalhaven City Council To The Select Committee On Regional Development And Decentralisation - September 2017 8 Shoalhaven City Council has been proactive on leveraging off of the asset which is HMAS Albatross. Council made a commitment to supporting our defence sector by creating Albatross Aviation Technology Park (AATP). AATP is an industrial park located adjacent to HMAS Albatross. It was established in 1998 as a specialised estate for the defence support industry. Due to contractual difficulties between the Commonwealth of Australia and a contracted supplier, activities at the AATP stalled for some time but has now grown to house businesses such as BAE Systems, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and Australian defence suppliers Air Affairs, Scientific Management Associates and Partech Systems. Availability of land at AATP is a key reason for attracting defence support businesses to the region and the park is now also home to Sikorsky Australia who deliver the Through Life Support (TLS) for the RAN’s recent acquisition of 24 MH-60R (Romeo) maritime helicopters.
In summary Council has recognised the importance of defence to the economy (and social fabric) of the Shoalhaven and has supported growth in this sector by undertaking a number of actions. For example Council has:
Developed and adopted a Shoalhaven Defence Industry Sector Strategy Supported Defence CapEx projects and made supportive submissions to the Public Works Committee and appeared before that committee several times Liaised with the Project Office regarding various platform rollouts – SEA1411; AIR9000; JP7 Assisted in the redevelopment of HMAS Albatross through the various stages Been involved in the relocation to Nowra of NALO (now NASPO) from Sydney and the establishment of the Helicopter Aircrew Training System (HATS) to Albatross Established the Albatross Aviation Technology Park at the request of the RAN and have invested in excess of $12 million in this project Obtained over $2 million in NSW Government assistance towards the AATP subdivisional works Worked with Scientific Management Australia, BAE Systems, Raytheon, Air Affairs, and more recently Lockheed Martin/Sikorsky to establish at the AATP Managed a gate interface between the AATP and the airfield for Defence contractors to access runways
Submission By Shoalhaven City Council To The Select Committee On Regional Development And Decentralisation - September 2017 9 Best Practice in identifying and committing to long term opportunities – a place based approach with top down support
AATP was created through a long term commitment from Shoalhaven City Council with support from State and Federal governments. Development at the AATP did stall for several years but has now grown to employ approximately over 400 people with another 600 adjacent at HMAS Albatross in the defence support and aerospace sectors. Without the vision and long term commitment and support from all levels of government AATP would not exist and the Shoalhaven would not be in a position to leverage on recent significant government investments in defence.
Recommendation: That all levels of government continue to commit to projects such as the development of the Albatross Aviation Technology Park and understand that there could be possible lag time in returns.
That all levels of government acknowledge that the private sector will not generally invest in the development of industrial parks in regional areas as the return is too low and any benefits that may accrue are realised over the longer term.
Use the creation of AATP as a best practice case study in regional development
1.13 ‘Top-down’ models have focussed on ‘attracting industry and capital to a region from elsewhere’, whereas ‘bottom-down’, ‘place-based’ models promote ‘community empowerment and the development of local industries, based on local resources and closely tied to the local community.’ Speaking to this point at the Committee’s public hearing on 7 August 2017, Andrew Beer noted that: Good practice in regional economic development is accepted as focusing upon endogenous growth – that is, growth that takes place because of the assets, abilities and talents of the region and the people within it.5
The above statement tends to oversimplify the drivers of regional economic growth. Council, as the level of government closest to the residents of the Shoalhaven, acknowledges the importance of community empowerment and is cognisant of the regions’ assets and resources. However, it may be a mistake to believe that the local
5 Commonwealth of Australia, House of Representatives Select Committee on Regional Development and Decentralisation - Issues Paper,
Submission By Shoalhaven City Council To The Select Committee On Regional Development And Decentralisation - September 2017 10 community can do it alone and that it should concentrate solely on endogenous growth. Attracting industry and capital from elsewhere still remains a key component of regional economic growth that needs to stay within the mix.
Leadership and vision are also key attributes. Councils or other regional development agencies need to be aware, be prepared to accept some level of risk and keep an eye on the long term rather than seek instant results.
Recommendation: That government do not take an either/or approach to regional economic development in terms of top-down vs place-based models. A combined approach, such as that used to develop AATP, may be the most effective in driving economic development.
Combining vision, leadership and a responsible appetite for risk are essential ingredients for achieving long term regional economic development.
The importance of Manufacturing in the Shoalhaven
The manufacturing sector of the Shoalhaven has remained steady despite declines in other areas. Manufacturing, along with defence, form the foundation of Shoalhaven’s strong and diverse economy. Our manufacturing sector employs over 8% of Shoalhaven’s workforce but contributes disproportionally over 21% of the Shoalhaven’s $9.172 billion output.
Our strong manufacturing sector has not suffered the downturn as experienced elsewhere. The manufacturing sector of the Shoalhaven, being based in a regional area, has to be innovative and responsive to the needs of their customers. In addition, due to smaller runs and bespoke manufacturing requests, our sector does not ‘put all their eggs in one basket’ and has a diverse client base. For example, local engineering firms develop working prototypes for large multinational corporations because the corporations’ internal processes do not have the capacity to change entire manufacturing runs to test new ideas. These demands mean that our manufacturing sector has to be capable of developing a wide variety of smaller run goods for various clients, a task that relies on the innovation, quality and varied skillset of local people.
A key consideration of the sustainability of regional manufacturing/processing in a global marketplace is foreign exchange rates. With exchange rates now returning to more beneficial levels, the Shoalhaven is seeing local industry undertaking small run
Submission By Shoalhaven City Council To The Select Committee On Regional Development And Decentralisation - September 2017 11 tasks competitively, and with quality production methods, repeat business is being secured from overseas.
Recommendation: That government acknowledges that innovation happens in businesses that are agile with a multi skilled workforce and that these businesses are located in rural and regional Australia.
That government consult with regional agile businesses when developing incentive programs that seek to increase productivity and innovation in Australia’s business sector.
The manufacturing sector (and the defence sector) have been successful in attracting skilled staff into the region. However, there is a need for increased delivery of training and skills in the Shoalhaven in order to meeting the growing demands of this industry sector. Traditional offerings through TAFE and other Registered Training Organisations are not meeting demand in this regional area. Tertiary education providers should be encouraged to investigate innovative methods of delivery including a greater reliance on Recognised Prior Learning gained through on-the-job training and potentially the use of flying squads that go into rural and regional areas to train rather than having students travel to metropolitan areas for block release. Delivery of innovative training schemes, to build the capabilities of regional Australians will rely on a coordinated approach between federal and state government agencies.
Best Practice in developing the capabilities of regional Australians – Aerospace Training Services and innovative delivery of training
Aerospace Training Services (ATS) was established in 1996 to provide quality aviation maintenance training and training support to Australian General Aviation, Regional Passenger Transport industries and the aviation elements of the Australian Defence Force. Currently, ATS is a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) and a Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) Maintenance Training Organisation (MTO). ATS also has Government Smart and Skilled Funding for Apprenticeships, traineeships and other aviation related courses. As the company has grown Aerospace Training Services has developed a dedication to providing initial aviation training to young people through its innovative Higher School Certificate programs, aviation traineeships, external studies for long distance students and its apprenticeship training programs, and more recently the eLearning
Submission By Shoalhaven City Council To The Select Committee On Regional Development And Decentralisation - September 2017 12 online platforms which allow even further flexible delivery options for students and employers. Aerospace Training Services is committed to the educational needs of both individuals and companies throughout all levels of the aviation industry by providing quality nationally recognised and accredited aviation training. This training includes: Pre-apprenticeship training – Certificate II in Aeroskills offered as part of the Higher School Certificate in NSW; Apprenticeship – Certificate IV in Aeroskills (mechanical, avionics or structures) offered as classroom based or online; Licenced Aircraft Maintenance Engineering – Diploma of Aeroskills (mechanical or avionics) offered as classroom based or online; CASA Aircraft Types courses including aircraft used by small operators, regional airlines, and domestic and international airlines. Clients include Jetstar Airways, Qantas, Air Affairs and Qantas Link; Cabin Crew (Flight Attendant) qualifications – Certificate III in Aviation (Cabin Crew) offered as classroom/ practical or online/practical. Previous graduates are now working as cabin crew for Qantas, Qantas Link, Tiger Air, and the RAAF. With the Higher School Certificate course being implemented within local schools for over 17 years and the apprenticeship training program underway, more young Australians have the opportunity to start their careers in the maintenance sections of the aviation industry, ensuring the continual development and growth of the Australian aviation industry as a whole. The schools program was extended in 2010 to include Cabin Crew training which has proved very popular with local students and may be extended to other regional and remote students through online training and practical sessions. Shoalhaven has high youth unemployment. The Aerospace Training Services program is arguably the most effective EVET course in terms of employment outcomes. Aerospace Training Services offer CASA accredited training providing high school students with an ‘in’ into the aerospace industry. Of the 2016 high school graduating class:
10% of Statement of Attainment towards a Certificate II in Aeroskills students have since gained work in the industry (not all students studying this course intended to enter the aviation industry, but have since entered other similar industries). At least one student from the current 2017 course has already obtained employment in aviation maintenance.
100% of Certificate II in Aviation (Cabin Crew) have either cabin crew positions or are currently working in customer service positions.
Submission By Shoalhaven City Council To The Select Committee On Regional Development And Decentralisation - September 2017 13
Aerospace Training Services (ATS) is working closely with CASA to assist more rural and regional people with accessing training through the ATS Webinar system, which allows students to attend virtual classrooms in real time. This system allows rural and regional students the advantage of remaining in their place of employment for all their theory training and only attending ATS facilities for short periods of practical training. This same webinar system can be adapted for rural and regional HSC students across the state.6
Recommendation:
That government encourages innovation in delivery of quality tertiary education and training programs to increase the capabilities of regional and rural Australians.
That government supports innovative education providers that deliver quality outcomes through improved access to funding that is commensurate with the cost of service delivery.
Build it and they will come, eventually – leveraging long-term private investment
A key factor in the expansion or attraction of a number of industries is available land. Many industries such as manufacturing, defence support, logistics & warehousing, wholesale trade and construction require available industrial land on which to operate. The Shoalhaven has available industrial land and this is an attracter to new industries and facilitates the growth of local industries. Private investment in the Shoalhaven economy is leveraged through having available assets and being made available at competitive prices.
Best Practice in growing and diversifying the regional economic and employment base
Flinders Industrial Estate was created in the late 1970’s supported by the NSW Department of Industrial Development and Decentralisation as a joint venture partner to Council. The Council bought out the Dept’s interest in the 1990s at the request of the NSW Government.
6 Aerospace Training Services, pers comm., 11 September 2017
Submission By Shoalhaven City Council To The Select Committee On Regional Development And Decentralisation - September 2017 14
At this South Nowra employment precinct there have been a number of expansions with Stage 9 almost being sold at the time of writing and stage 10 in planning for development. Sales of industrial land are heavily influenced by external economic factors. For example no sites were sold for several years following the GFC but recent economic upturns have resulted in the sale of 8 blocks in the last 15 months.
The private sector cannot wait years for a moderate return; nor can they carry the costs tied up in an industrial land development particularly through extended periods of hiatus. Shoalhaven City Council considers industrial land as ‘employment lands’. The aim of the development of industrial sites such as Flinders is to generate employment. The motivation and return to the community comes through employment generation not land speculation and profits. It is this key difference in the objectives between government and the private sector which means that government has the ability to commit to such a long term return and is best placed to support these developments.
Recommendation:
That government acknowledges that the development of industrial land facilitates economic growth and diversification by supplying the assets needed to attract new industries and support the growth of local businesses.
That all levels of government commit to the development of industrial land (employment lands) in regional and rural Australia.
Our people, our assets – a vibrant, cohesive and engaged regional community
The Shoalhaven is fortunate to have a vibrant, cohesive and engaged business community. There are a number of networks that businesses can take advantage of, for example, the Shoalhaven Business Chamber, the Milton Ulladulla Business Chamber and the Shoalhaven Professional Business Association. Networks provide peer to peer support and advice to business members. Businesses in regional and rural areas are a part of the social fabric of the areas in which they operate and they invest heavily in the local community. Shoalhaven businesses are at the forefront of charitable and community works and readily contribute to providing financial and other support to community groups, sporting groups, events and education programs. Apart from financial support, many business owners and their staff volunteer their time to any number of worthwhile projects. It could be assumed that this would be a business trait found in many regional and rural areas.
Submission By Shoalhaven City Council To The Select Committee On Regional Development And Decentralisation - September 2017 15
Best Practice in promoting and supporting Shoalhaven’s professional needs
The Shoalhaven Professional Business Association (spba) is a group of local professionals, with support from Council, whose vision is to promote the Shoalhaven to professionals and potential professionals as the place to live, work and play. The spba was established in 2009 by Council’s Economic Development Office and a small group of likeminded professionals to discuss the idea of establishing a network to promote and encourage people with a professional qualification to consider the Shoalhaven as the place to further their careers and to retain professionals in this regional area. The spba also support and encourage young people to pursue a professional career in the hope that after tertiary education that they, and their capabilities, will return to the area to practice. The spba run a number of programs to achieve this outcome.
The spba Mentor Program is for young professionals who are committed to continuous learning. The program matches young professionals with experienced local business people eager to share their secrets to success. Over 55 mentorees have gone through the program over the last three years gaining increased confidence, stronger professional (and social) networks and increased knowledge and skills. spba believe that networks are the glue that help to retain young professionals in the local area.
The Professional Snapshot Day is aimed at Yr 10, 11 and 12 students. The day consists of placing the students in three different businesses where they get an in depth insight into day to day operations to help them decide on a career path. The program is now in its 8th year and has been extremely successful. This program has exposed students to a variety of professional careers including professions that they know little or nothing about. For example in 2017 12 students were exposed to Surveying as a career choice. Prior to the session only one student had considered this as a career path while after the session all 12 were considering Surveying as a career option. This is extremely important as there is a national skills shortage in this area. Other careers highlighted were valuing, planning, IT, architecture, law, allied health, accounting and communications. The day is not possible without the support of our local business community and the time that they give to this program.
“The best part of the session was learning about the different opportunities available to surveyors. Also learning that surveying is closely related to civil engineering.”
-2017 participating student
The Shoalhaven has a variety of successful businesses and often members of our community aren’t even aware of the scope of jobs available in the local area. The Teachers Industry Tour was developed to increase awareness among local high
Submission By Shoalhaven City Council To The Select Committee On Regional Development And Decentralisation - September 2017 16 school careers advisors and teachers so that they can better inform our high school students about the opportunities that are available in the local area.
“I was surprised at the range of jobs at these businesses”
-2016 participating teacher
Recommendation:
That government acknowledges that vibrant, cohesive and engaged regional communities are underpinned by economically viable regional and rural business communities.
That government acknowledges that economic vibrancy of regional communities underpins social wellbeing.
That a best practice case study be developed on the work of the Shoalhaven Professional Business Association and its workings with Council in terms of attraction and retention of professionals and student support.
Part B – Decentralisation of Commonwealth entities or functions, as a mechanism to increase growth and prosperity in regional areas.
Examining the potential for decentralisation to improve governance and service delivery for all Australians
There are two types of government service provision. There is firstly the provision of services that relate to population and economic/community need such as policing, health, education, Centrelink, … The second type of government service can be delivered at any location within reason such as defence, corrections, research, back room administration, call centres, …..
It is this second type of service that can bring benefit to regional communities. Within this group there again two different characteristics of service. The services that require modest accommodation do bring benefit but also can be relocated at the whim of a successive government administration. The other group are those that require specialised facilities that are difficult to replicate or walk away from such as airfields and support services; gaols; wharves and docks; power stations, etc. This latter group will usually add growth and stability to a regional centre.
Submission By Shoalhaven City Council To The Select Committee On Regional Development And Decentralisation - September 2017 17
2.7 While decentralisation policies generally aim to address population imbalance – that is, the issue of more people living in capital cities than regional and rural areas – and provide employment opportunities, other benefits of relocations public sector jobs to non-metropolitan areas include:
Bringing government services closer to the people; Tapping into specialist skills and experience of people living in regional and rural areas; Better aligning government agencies to specialist regional areas and resources; and Potentially lower operating costs for government7
Shoalhaven City Council agrees with the above statement and acknowledges that there are many benefits apart from direct and indirect employment outcomes from decentralisation of government agencies and services. Of key importance to regional and rural communities is that decentralisation leads to improved service delivery and more informed program development. Utilising the knowledge of those people who are affected by, or are the intended recipients of, government policy changes and incentive programs will result in more effective outcomes.
Government agencies should be located where their services are most used and where the community can provide specialised information and/or resources. For example strong staff representation of the Grains Research and Development Corporation should be present in grain growing areas. AgriFutures Australia is appropriately located in regional Australia at Wagga Wagga where their staff ‘live and work in the regions and represent the interests and aspirations of farmers and rural communities’ (http://www.agrifutures.com.au/about/).
Identifying the characteristics of entities that would be suited to decentralisation without impacting on the ability to perform their functions.
With the roll out of the NBN and access to quicker internet speeds practically all administrative based agencies can be relocated to a number of regional areas. The NBN and the rise of teleworking has meant a number of functions can be decentralised. Other entities, whose prime purpose is to develop policy and programs to support rural and regional Australians should be decentralised so that agency staff can gain a better understanding of the needs of rural and regional Australians.
7 Commonwealth of Australia, House of Representatives Select Committee on Regional Development and Decentralisation - Issues Paper,
Submission By Shoalhaven City Council To The Select Committee On Regional Development And Decentralisation - September 2017 18
Identifying the characteristics of locations suitable to support decentralised entities or functions, including consideration of infrastructure and communication connectivity requirements.
Infrastructure requirements will differ and be dependent on the needs of the relocating agency, functions or services. Connectivity is extremely important and provides the necessary tools required to maintain communication with other regional offices and staff, and to enable effective service delivery.
One of the most important considerations is liveability. It can be assumed that a significant proportion of relocating staff will move into rural and regional areas with their family. In order to attract these staff and their families the new location will have to have certain liveability traits such as;
Access to schools and medical treatment Sporting clubs and other community associations so that newly moved staff can embrace strong community bonds and support that are found in so many regional and rural towns. Lower cost of living and housing affordability Open spaces, clean air and access to unspoilt natural areas such as beaches, bushland or big sky country Reduced commute time and less traffic
Many regional and rural areas have these characteristics. Shoalhaven City Council has an active strategy focusing on the liveability of place for younger people and families in order to attract these cohorts to our area and address the imbalance of youth out migration and an aging population.
Another key consideration is the employment prospects for the spouses/partners of relocating staff. Shoalhaven City Council has found that this is a key concern for people thinking about relocating to the Shoalhaven. In fact the spba identified this issue early on as one of the main reasons that professionals move back to capital cities. spba members will often find employment opportunities within their own network for spouses and partners. Strong business networks such as the spba are essential in retaining professionals and their families in rural and regional areas. Unlike the impersonality of the city, country areas are built on strong communities and this has some interesting consequences. For example just under half (49.5%) of jobs in the Shoalhaven are not advertised and are filled through recommendations and word of mouth. It is not just about attracting staff to regional and rural areas but once they are there you need to be able to keep them there. Strong business and community groups are the glue required to retain staff in country Australia.
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However in reality, a high proportion of employees of the government agency being relocated do not move! There is a range of reasons given but most centre back to not wanting to leave family, friends, social networks, assets etc. But the benefits to the “gaining” area will still be realised. The jobs will be filled by locals or others relocating to the area to take up a position and so the economic benefits will be delivered, but in a different way to that which was expected.
Considering different models of decentralisation, including: Relocations of all or part of a Commonwealth entity to a regional area Decentralisation of specific positions, with individual employees telecommuting, considering any limitations to this in current Australian Public Service employment conditions and rules and Co-location of decentralised Commonwealth entities or employees in existing regionally based Commonwealth or State Government offices Examining the family, social and community impacts of decentralising.
Relocation of all or part of entities and co-location provides rural and regional areas with a number of valuable jobs that will contribute to local economies. Field officers and extension staff are also valuable as they offer services and provide advice and information to local communities.
Shoalhaven City Council has doubts about the effectiveness of the sporadic placement of one or two telecommuting individuals. While the creation of even one or two jobs is in itself quite valuable there is little in the way of other benefits. For example telecommuting does not bring services closer to the community nor does it enable the community to inform and influence decision making and these are key benefits of agency relocation.
Impacts on relocating families are specific to each individual circumstance. The Shoalhaven has a number of stories from people who have chosen to make the Shoalhaven their home. Relocations to rural and regional areas can be very beneficial for many families and provides many opportunities in terms of connecting with the natural environment, contributing to a region and becoming part of a community.
When I am overseas people can’t believe I can run an international business and still enjoy a lifestyle like this
We have definitely made the right decision for our future and our children’s future. Every time we drive back to Sydney, these trips confirm we have made the right move.
My client base is still in Sydney but I’ve found a wealth of talent to help me service them here in the Shoalhaven.
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Part C - Actions of the Commonwealth that would encourage greater corporate decentralisation and what can be learned from corporate decentralisation approaches
Considering the role of the private sector in sustainably driving employment and growth opportunities in regional areas in both existing and new industries
The private sector is pivotal in driving employment and growth opportunities in regional areas. Government relocations provide rural and regional areas with a kick start to economies. The private sector then leverages off of increased spend in communities.
Larger private sector investments are in the way of relocating or expanding business operations with sectors like manufacturing contributing significantly to the economy. However manufacturing businesses need access to serviced land. As demonstrated earlier there is a role for government to play in ensuring that there is an adequate supply of available employment lands to facilitate private sector investment.
A significant disincentive for business relocation or decentralisation is the business cost of the move. Paying out employees not wishing to move, the physical cost of relocating plant and equipment and paying employee relocation expenses all detract from the business bottom line. The larger the business, the bigger the cost.
A more effective philosophy is to attract, for both business and government, new or introduced function that can stand alone to be established or expanded into regional areas.
Comparing the access to early stage equity and or debt finance of metropolitan and regional businesses for both start up and established businesses and Examining access to capital for regional business, including agribusiness, manufacturing and technology
Council is not well placed to provide input on this. This is best addressed by industry and financial institutions.
Council previously participated with the NSW government, through the Country Industries Assistance Fund, by providing loans to industry on the basis of 60:30:10 with NSW government loans being 60% and Council being 30%. This project was extremely successful and attracted numerous and varied industries to the Shoalhaven with many of the business assisted under this program still in operation today. The program was in place during the 1960’s through to the 1980’s.
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Council would resume this practice if state or federal government arrangements were in place to do the financial assessment.
In the early 1990’s, Council was working with the ASX to formulate a methodology for small businesses to raise capital on a second tier board. Local accounting houses were keen to become involved and pool capital (from local superannuation schemes) to invest in their local community. Just prior to implementation the ASX withdrew from the proposal.
Recommendation:
That government investigates the formation of an equity capital raising mechanism for small to medium businesses that can demonstrate financial outcomes and growth.
That government investigate the development of regional funds to invest in small to medium businesses on an equity basis.
Considering the adequacy of regional businesses access to early stage accelerators and incubators, including access to business mentors, business networks and capital (debt and equity).
There has been much discussion, and confusion, in the differentiation of accelerators vs incubators. For the purposes of this submission both terms ‘accelerators’ and ‘incubators’ will be used interchangeably and will refer to government funded and/or university supported collectives that ‘assist start-ups development new products and services’ by ‘providing hands on support’.8
Some of the most important aspects of business incubators are businesses access to skills and expertise, networking and mentoring. These can occur independent of a physical space though face to face contact is important. There needs to be a critical mass for this to be effective.
Businesses in the Shoalhaven are able to access a variety of networks such as business chambers, the spba and specialised industry groups. Each of these groups provide access to mentoring and peer to peer sharing but do not by their nature foster
8 Senator the Hon Arthur Sinodinos AO, Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science, Media Release, $1.4 million in incubator grants to benefit Australian start-ups, 30 May 2017
Submission By Shoalhaven City Council To The Select Committee On Regional Development And Decentralisation - September 2017 22 start ups in the same way as experienced in an incubator. Larger businesses are well serviced by specialist business development agencies/officers such as Export Advisors through NSW Trade and Investment and by a Business Development Manager through Department of Premier and Cabinet. Small businesses are supported through government funded agencies such as Business Enterprise Centres. Incubators in cities have met with a variety of success and it is not clear if the Shoalhaven has a critical mass of businesses that would benefit from a physical incubator. What businesses in the Shoalhaven do need is greater access to advice and support from Business Enterprise Centres. Small business advisory services should be adequately funded so that they can develop small business networks, provide appropriate advice, information sessions and training and providing intensive one-on-one support.
Recommendation:
That both State and Federal Governments continue to support business advisory services for new, continuing, large and small businesses.
Ensure that Business Advisory services are located and available where required
An alternative approach is to work with a group of likeminded businesses that can co- operate and complement each other. One such innovation group is Blue BioTech Shoalhaven.
Blue BioTech Shoalhaven is an industry group that has been established to promote innovation and the capability of our member businesses in aquatic biotechnology - from growth through to processing. Shoalhaven businesses are delivering quality controlled product with established providence grown in one of the cleanest environments in the world.
Blue BioTech Shoalhaven was formed to advance aquatic biotechnology in the Shoalhaven and Australia. As a new collaboration in 2014 between local industries and government to promote the growth of aquatic biotechnology within the region, the shared vision of the group has created a unique, dynamic and future facing industry with infrastructure and resources found nowhere else in the world.
The members include business leaders in growing, harvesting and processing aquatic resources as well as others that can add value to the supply chain including specialists in the formulation of natural flavour enhancers, pharmaceuticals and specialty food and nutraceutical ingredients all adhering to the highest quality standards.
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Other areas of opportunity include prototyping capability, existing and expanded production infrastructure as well as leveraging the leading research expertise in applied phycology and biotechnology.
Blue BioTech Shoalhaven contains many innovative and dynamic members that deliver quality products, capability and services to the international marketplace. This industry network was created to enable members to create opportunities in the marketplace that they couldn't access in isolation.
"Research and production - a great recipe for developing an emerging industry."
"Business collaboration is the key to industry growth - in the Shoalhaven, businesses know and talk to each other."
Cross-pollination and networking within the membership have already proved to deliver far more benefits compared to operating alone.
Considering the adequacy to support the private sector to attract and retain skilled labour to regional areas
Individual entities within the private sector may not be able to attract and retain skilled labour in regional areas. However, private sector collaboratives and networks are able to address many of the issues associated with the retention of skilled staff. The Shoalhaven business community has access to a number of supportive networks and industry groups that can provide assistance in staff retention. The spba was specifically set up for this purpose and has been successful in attracting and retaining professionals in the Shoalhaven. Please refer to page 16 of this report for more information how the private sector can work together to attract and retain skilled labour in regional areas.
Examining the extent to which employment and growth can be supported by growing existing and new industries in regional areas, leveraging strong transport and communications connectivity
There is no doubt that access to communications connectivity is an enabler for the relocation of a number of industries. Professional services such as financial, legal, communications through to engineering are all able to work in regional areas while meeting the needs of their Australian and international clients. The Shoalhaven is home to a number of businesses that have international clients made possible through quicker internet speeds and increases in the size of data shared.
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Effective transport links through roads and rail are needed to support the private sector and the movement of goods. On the 24th November 2016 the Australian Government announced that it will develop a national freight and supply chain strategy to increase productivity and efficiency of Australia’s freight supply chain.9 Effective and productive movement of freight is essential for the Australian economy as a whole let alone rural and regional areas that contain, or in order to attract, manufacturing sectors and to support primary production. Shoalhaven City Council made a submission to this inquiry and this has been included as an attachment (Attachment 1 - Inquiry into Freight and Supply Chain Priorities).
One key point from the submission which relates strongly to regional economic development is that transport links for freight should link region to region. The current rail and road networks are generally metropolitan centric and do not favourably support a freight task that moves millions of tonnes pa from Gunnedah to Nowra to Shepparton to Sydney & Melbourne.
Recommendation:
That all levels of government work together to identify the freight needs of rural and regional Australia as a priority. Interregional freight movement needs to be particularly recognised.
9 Australian Government Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development, National Freight and Supply Chain Strategy,
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Attachment 1 – Submission to the Inquiry into National Freight and Supply Chain Priorities
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SUBMISSION BY SHOALHAVEN CITY COUNCIL
TO
INQUIRY INTO FREIGHT AND SUPPLY CHAIN PRIORITIES
Prepared by Economic Development Office Shoalhaven City Council, Nowra NSW
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Contents
Road transport corridors – the haulier’s workplace ...... 3 Rail Freight pathways – the preferred alternative? ...... 6 Freight generation – the manufacturing effort ...... 6 Regional Growth in the Manufacturing sector ...... 7 Manufacturing as a Regional economic generator ...... 8 Access to Seaports ...... 8 Summing up ...... 9 Sample List of Road Freight Tasks required for Shoalhaven Based Industry ...... 10
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Background and context
Road transport corridors – the haulier’s workplace
Shoalhaven City is on the eastern seaboard of NSW with the major administrative centre and manufacturing node at Nowra which is 160km south of Sydney.
Nowra is primarily serviced by the Princes Highway. This State Highway is currently undergoing a major upgrade by the NSW government and will in the near term be a 4 lane corridor from the industrial precincts at Nowra/Bomaderry into Sydney and Wollongong.
The road network is based on the Princes Highway (north-south) running to the east of the Illawarra escarpment. Freight between Nowra and the main southern corridor out of Sydney, the Hume Highway, requires crossing of the escarpment from the coastal plain to the southern tablelands, a vertical distance of 800m. To cross this escarpment and move freight between Nowra and say, Yass, the following options are available to hauliers:
Corridors across Distance (time) Max Truck type Vertical Escarpment climb/descent Mt Ousley/Picton Rd 308km (3hr B-doubles 800m 16m) Kangaroo Valley 207km (2hr Semi-trailer 600m+600m 27m) +800m Nerriga/Tarago 234km (2hr <15 tonne 800m 40m) Nerriga/Braidwood 264km (3hr Semi-trailer 800m 22m) Batemans 333km (4hr Semi-trailer 800m Bay/Braidwood 20m)
The preferred route is a link from Nowra to Nerriga, onwards to Tarago and Gunning via Collector. This route requires a progressive upgrade to meed B-double standard. The route is 217km in length and in an improved state would take approximately 2hr 30m to travel.
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The next graphic shows dramatically the disadvantage of the route through Kangaroo Valley as opposed to the preferred option via Nerriga and Tarago.
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Sassafras 800 METRES Nerriga
600 A L T Enderick I River T 400 U Nowra to Canberra via Tarago D E Altitude in metres Tomerong turnoff 200 KILOMETRES 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 Moss Vale 800 METRES
Cambewarra Canberra Lookout Road 600 A L T I T 400 U Nowra to Canberra via Moss Vale D Altitude in metres E Kangaroo Valley
200
KILOMETRES 0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Rail transport is also important to the Nowra manufacturing hub with almost 50% of freight being hauled by that medium. Council and the local industries are aware that access to a road/rail intermodal around Goulburn/Gunning/Yass would allow freight to move across the escarpment by road and then to the southern states by rail.
Therefore efficient access to the Hume corridor in the southern tablelands is important to Shoalhaven businesses.
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Rail Freight pathways – the preferred alternative?
The understanding of the rail freight are not as great by local government as the operations of this network do not involve Councils except for physical interfaces with the assets – bridges, under/over-passes, level crossings, stations etc.
Shoalhaven Council is aware of some of the issues with industry operating a rail receival and distribution network within a suburban passenger rail network which exists on the NSW South Coast line where Bomaderry, on the northern (Sydney side) of the Shoalhaven River.
Issues such as freight slots outside of the Sydney commuter peaks, the increasing peak commuter curfew windows, possessions for maintenance, different track owners are just some of these but it is anticipated that there are a lot more that exist on freight trains jointly utilising the same commuter network.
The operations within the seaports also has a range of issues as a single train may have a need for multiple Container deliveries to different stevedores…..
To have rail as a viable freight alternative to roadhaul, the system needs to be readily useable and from all parts of the network.
Freight generation – the manufacturing effort
The northern portion of the Shoalhaven based around Nowra has a broad industrial base, more metropolitan in nature than regional. The Shoalhaven has a Gross Regional Product (GRP) of $4.895billion. The economic output of the Manufacturing sector is $1.989billion and represents 21.7% of the output of the Shoalhaven LGA.
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Manufacturing produce is concentrated around foodstuffs, chemicals and building components, each sector requiring bulk raw materials inwards and semi or finished product outwards. The freight task is quite large and is externally focused in its origin and destination. Any improvement in efficiencies in the supply chain will reflect in the companies viability and ability to supply the Australian and export market at a competitive landed price.
Regional Growth in the Manufacturing sector
Much has been written and speculated about the erosion of the manufacturing effort in Australia. The experience here in Shoalhaven and in many other regional centres is, that manufacturing whilst it is not growing dramatically, is also not declining but rather has been quite stable and may have in fact increased in correlation with the lower value of the Australian dollar against the USD.
In Shoalhaven, whilst there have been a few closures of older manufacturing businesses that did not modernise, those companies that have sustained their competitiveness through investment are growing. A new group of industries that have introduced modern practices or new product lines are appearing to do well not only on the domestic market but also in the traditional markets of USA and Europe.
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The above fact is important to understand and when combined with the fact that raw materials or ingredients mainly come from other regional centres and the outputs similarly go to regional centres or ports, the core point of Shoalhaven City Council’s point to this inquiry is based. Freight routes between regional centres is all important to the “manufacturing effort” of this nation.
The use of the National and State highway networks are key to the logistics framework. The first and last mile, usually the domain of the local government road network are also critical.
HOWEVER with the improvement in heavy vehicle technologies certain preferred haulage routes are not being upgraded to allow these productivity gains to be attained. The requirement to add 15% in time and distance to an interstate link to allow the efficiencies of a b-double over a traditional semi-trailer needs to be reviewed.
The next criteria is then to examine the tonnages involved. A route that could divert 10,000t/wk of national freight may warrant consideration of an upgrade, but may not be required if it is only for the school bus and the occasional livestock task.
Manufacturing as a Regional economic generator
The manufacturing/processing industries deliver far more relative economic activity within a regional context than a metropolitan one. To sustain a regionally based supply chain can lead to many primary jobs being sustained as well as having a greater impact on the flow on effects in a regional economy.
Many regional and rural economies are based on a single product eg timber, fish, grain livestock … However there are concentrations of manufacturing activities that do feed off each other and then offer support industries like transport and warehousing to gain a greater number of operators and competitiveness.
Access to Seaports
Australian seaports are predominantly located in or adjacent to metropolitan centres. As the metropolitan areas grow and congest, the slowing of the supply chain for the “last domestic mile” of the export journey is quite often the most inefficient.
Government realisation that this last leg of this journey is best attracted to rail freight and consolidating containers in the outer suburbs or at inland ports to allow rail passage is to be commended.
From Nowra/Bomaderry there is the ability to rail straight into the Ports of both Botany and Kembla. The ability of this to continue is requested and support for a greater
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effort in this regard is sought. There is a likelihood of establishing at the hailhead at Bomaderry a road/rail intermodal for general use and this is supported by Council but could be countered by a requirement to assemble all containers to Moorebank.
Summing up
Shoalhaven City Council is aware that it has a role in the “first and last mile” of the supply chain. With the assistance of the Federal Government through the Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity Program and the NSW Government’s Fixing Country Roads and Fixing Country Rail programs, Council has implemented several projects over the years specifically to address the needs of industry and the haulage contractors.
As a regional centre, Nowra has a quite diverse economy and Council, and industry, see the need to adopt HML technologies and configurations to maintain competitiveness in the global economy. This change requires that existing freight routes need to be reviewed and upgraded and where warranted, new linkages need to be developed. Two major rail projects have done just that in the Adelaide to Darwin line and the proposed inland rail line between Melbourne and Brisbane. Access to non-metropolitan ports such as Newcastle, Kembla and Eden needs to be also kept to the fore.
Economic growth in regional areas can relieve the pressures on overcrowded and sprawling metropolitan centres. It does however take a proactive approach by governments and others to achieve such growth and entice manufacturing and processing industries to consider a regional context rather than one of our near Asian countries.
Shoalhaven Council does provide advocacy on these supply chain and other regional issues. The sustainment of our industry base and the provision of employment opportunities for our community is paramount.
Greg Pullen Economic Development Manager Shoalhaven City Council Bridge Rd, Nowra Ph +61 2 44293388 E [email protected]
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Sample List of Road Freight Tasks required for Shoalhaven Based Industry
Product Type/tonne From To Carrier Calf feed 25 pallets Bomaderry Traralgon Willaton/Morwall Liquid Alum Bulk – 25t Nowra Canberra ChemTrans/Unand erra Grouting resins 50 pallets Nowra Mackay Dunns/Nowra Packaged 10 Pallets Sth Nowra Eastern Creek Unicorn/Nowra cheese Sandy loam 40t bulk Bungendore Nowra Turfco Chemicals 40 bulk bags Nowra Wetherill Pk NowChem/Nowra Flour 1500t bulk Gunnedah Bomaderry National Rail Carbon dioxide 45t bulk Bomaderry Wetherill Pk IOC Liquid sucrose 25t bulk Bomaderry Shepparton Hitchcocks/Bomad erry Liquid 25t bulk Bomaderry Morwell McColls/Altona Milk 48t bulk Nowra Wetherall Pk McColls/Altona Calf supplement 40x40’ Bomaderry Europe National rail containers Whitegoods 20t Ulladulla Wagga W Storey/Ulladulla Ethanol 45t bulk Bomaderry Botany McColls/Altona Silage 25t bulk Meroo Goulburn Warren/Terara Livestock 25t Wagga Milton Various Groceries 25t Wetherall Pk Ulladulla Bonnacord/ Bairnsdale Roof trusses 20t Sth Nowra Campbelltown Various Concrete Blocks 45t Sth Nowra Albury, Kerdons/Nowra Grafton Mining Equip 200t Nowra Mt Isa Dunns/Nowra Meat 25t Milton Campbelltown Various Aggregate 25t bulk Yalwal Moss Vale Boral Kitchen furniture 45t Pallets Gosford Sth Nowra Borg/C Coast Saw logs 45t Braidwood Sth Nowra/ Various Ulladulla Timber 45t Sth Nowra/ Various Various Ulladulla Custom Yachts 20t Sth Nowra New Zealand Specialist carriers Brewers syrup 45t Bomaderry Syd/Melb McColls/Altona Keg/Package 25t Nowra Wollongong to Sthn Transport beer Bega Nowra Greenwaste 30t Wollongong Nowra Soilco
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