Ref: 18.89.001 File: GR:sm

26 July 2019

Regions SA Primary Industries and Regions SA GPO Box 167 SA 500

Via email to: [email protected]

Re: Regional Development Strategy Discussion Paper – Submission

Alexandrina Council is one of the State’s largest regional Councils, as well as one of the State’s fastest growing communities. We believe a focus on regional development by all three levels of government is essential to both the wellbeing of our community, but also the prosperity of the State, and we welcome the renewed focus and energy being directed toward regional development by the Government of .

The following table provides a snap shot of Alexandrina Council and what our district contributes to the Fleurieu region and the State of South Australia.

ALEXANDRINA AT A GLANCE …

 Federal Electorate of Mayo  State Electorates of Finniss, Heysen, Hammond and Mawson

 Home of ‘Storm Boy’ and the Coorong,  Home of the SA Wooden Boat Festival at Lower Lakes and the iconic Goolwa Wharf

 One of the largest regional Councils in SA  Population of 27,000 residents at average with approximately $50 million annual growth rate of 1.3% (sea change and tree turnover change impacts)

 $1 billion local economy driven by  Ageing region with a median age of 51 agriculture, tourism, health and social years (being 11 years above the State services average of 40 years).

 Strong social capital with 28% volunteerism  High seasonal visitation to pristine natural rates attractions and appealing destinations

Service Provision Whilst the core, essential service needs of any community are very similar no matter where they are located, the unique geography and demographics of a particular region will have significant implications for the optimal method and mechanisms of service delivery. A strong focus on the effective and equitable delivery of essential services targeted to the particular demographic and geographic characteristics of each region should be a primary focus of the State’s whole-of-government approach to regional development.

We welcome the recognition that all South Australians should have access to key government services, and emphasise the importance of all three levels of government working together to deliver these services in a collaborative and coordinated way, without unsustainable cost-shifting to the local government sector which creates additional cost-of-living pressures for regional communities. Councils deliver a range of services which have a significant impact on the liveability and prosperity of our communities, but the burden of supplying essential services cannot be borne by ratepayers alone. Where councils are involved in the delivery of state services, this should be supported by service level agreements which document agreed responsibilities, cost sharing and funding arrangements.

Please find comment below on the following essential services of critical importance to the Alexandrina community (Questions 1, 2, 3): a) Health and Wellbeing b) Education / Employment c) Road networks / transport routes d) Public transport e) Emergency Services a) Health and Wellbeing Alexandrina Council is a region with an increasingly ageing demographic, higher than many communities in Australia, in what is the fastest ageing state in mainland Australia.

Since the 2011 Census, the majority of change in age structure in Alexandrina has been an increase in those aged between 50 – 74 years (the ‘sea change’ phenomena). We have an older age structure than the State average with a median age of 51 years (being 11 years above the State average of 40 years). The 2016 Census found that the 60-69 age group was the largest age demographic in Alexandrina, making up over 18% of our population. The 70-84 age group makes up almost 16%. Indeed, Seniors aged 70-84 years are the fastest growing age demographic in Alexandrina.

This trend has seen the rise of the Health and Social Services sector as our strongest employing industry. This presents opportunities for Alexandrina to be a leader in ageing well, and caring for our aged well, and for attracting younger people to reside and find employment locally in the health, wellbeing and aged care sector.

Although ageing is a significant trend here in Alexandrina, Council is also very conscious of ensuring that younger people in our community are also afforded the type of health services they need such as support with mental health issues.

In considering how health and wellbeing services would be best delivered, we put forward the following considerations:

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 Delivery models which provide for optimal utilisation of existing facilities and service providers within our communities. This can be achieved not only through existing medical centres and hospitals but also libraries, community centres and also schools, where health and wellbeing has a significant focus and can extend to the wider school community and not just the students.

 Delivery models which embrace councils as part of the solution for creating healthy, resilient, and vibrant communities. This includes supporting the development of libraries and/or community centres as community hubs via State Government contributions to operating costs, capital improvements and preventative, public health programs for young and old. Good examples include the now-defunct but very successful OPAL program and our continuing Community Connect program which encourages activity, social interaction and healthy lifestyles for older people.

 Support for ageing in place. Integrated State and Federal government planning and investment is required to ensure adequate aged care infrastructure and services are provided across the regions in response to changing demographics. Prior to recent announcements on funding support for new aged care facilities in Strathalbyn and , we estimated there was a current shortfall of 75-100 aged care beds within the Alexandrina Council district based on the Commonwealth aged care provision ratio. Integrated solutions should also include funding to better support local and community-driven care delivery in regional communities, such as via the maintenance of home support and community transport programs to assist vulnerable groups from smaller communities to age in place, with equitable access to health and wellbeing services located in regional service centres.

The “hub and spoke” model mentioned in the discussion paper is indeed one way of delivering essential services however another approach could be the identification of regional towns which might not be the obvious location for developing a holistic regional service centre, but are instead best placed to deliver on a particular service based on their demographics and/or existing services and infrastructure. This could mean that some services may not be best based in the larger regional centres if a particular service already exists or a particular asset is present that can be further utilised or re-purposed. Focussing on larger population centres can sometimes be at the detriment of sustaining smaller communities as they are unable to attract economies of scale and therefore funding opportunities. b) Education / Employment Access to quality education is essential for community wellbeing and resilience, and is also a critical factor in retaining young people within the region and attracting and retaining working families as long-term residents. For these reasons, we place a high priority on working with the State and Federal governments to ensure that the educational needs of our community are being appropriately planned for and delivered. We have some of the fastest growing regional townships in South Australia, but two of our key challenges relate to education and employment, namely the lack of local jobs growth (meaning our population has to travel elsewhere for employment) and correspondingly, a significant number of young people leaving the region for tertiary education and employment. Between 2016 and 2026, the population for Alexandrina Council is forecast to increase by 13% or almost 3500 people and this is likely to include an additional 200+ school age students in the Goolwa/Middleton/Port Elliot area and an additional 125+ students in the Strathalbyn area.

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To address these challenges, the top two priorities for Alexandrina within the education portfolio are (1) ensuring that primary and secondary school facilities keep pace with, and attract, population growth in both Goolwa and Strathalbyn, and (2) improving regional accessibility to higher education, training and skill development opportunities which are matched to the needs of local industry, building on our strengths in health, agriculture and tourism.

The importance of providing people living in regional areas with access to appropriate education, training and employment opportunities that enable them to remain in their own communities if they wish, should form a key element of the State’s Regional Development (Question 5). Although there is a focus on providing these education opportunities for the young, such opportunities should also be accessible for an ageing population who may wish to retrain or continue learning and can be great mentors and role models within a learning environment.

This could be achieved through the continued support of VET in schools, providing or re-purposing or co-existing facilities for tertiary education including universities and TAFE, the establishment of business hubs and importantly, a public secondary school in Goolwa. In order to support this, regional areas must be able to access fast and reliable technology because with good accessibility, education and training can occur anywhere and not just in the larger centres. With Alexandrina residents being distributed across an 1800km2 district, regional education infrastructure needs to consider and embrace innovative technological, transport and outreach solutions to address these accessibility challenges.

All of these options could deliver meaningful education outcomes and employment opportunities. In achieving a sustainable economy it is vital that the community is provided with the right tools in order to be able to help themselves.

With respect to tertiary education delivery models, Alexandrina Council and our community have long recognised the opportunity and need for a local research institute which could play a key role in coordinating the large body of scientific work required to identify, understand and respond to the twenty-first century threats and opportunities associated with the sustainable use, management and protection of freshwater and estuarine wetlands with a particular focus on the Coorong and Lower Lakes. Using a cooperative research and/or centre for excellence type model, a local facility such as this could support not only the research and monitoring necessary to facilitate an ecologically sustainable future for our region and the many threatened species which call it home, but also act as an interpretive and educational resource for promoting the environmental and cultural heritage of our region to visitors from around the world. c) Road networks / transport routes Alexandrina Council has one of the largest road networks in regional South Australia – they are the arteries of economic development servicing our agricultural and tourism industries, as well as being fundamental to the substantial commute of daily life associated with living in the regions, including to Adelaide and the regional centres of Victor Harbor, Mount Barker and Murray Bridge.

Investment in safe and efficient regional road networks which reduce travel times to the metropolitan area are a priority for economic development in the regions. Tourism and primary production are key employers and drivers of economic activity with the Fleurieu Peninsula being the State’s top day-tripping destination outside of metropolitan Adelaide. Shorter, safer commutes will also bolster population growth, by improving the liveability of regional areas such as ours which are in close proximity to Adelaide. Importantly, arterial roads also play a serious role in transporting our children to regional schools, especially with no current public high school in Goolwa.

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Regions therefore need the ongoing support of State and Federal government to fund safety and efficiency upgrades to key transport and tourist routes, with a key role for State Government in the maintenance of arterial roads. d) Public Transport Public transport is virtually non-existent within the Fleurieu region and is regularly raised as an issue by the community. Residents are highly dependent on private vehicles to attend school and employment and social activities making it particularly difficult for those who are disadvantaged, the elderly and the youth. The services that do exist are not frequent enough and make it difficult for people to attend appointments, particularly if they are in Adelaide or even other regional service centres such as Victor Harbor, Murray Bridge or Mount Barker.

As indicated above in the health and wellbeing section, access to public and community transport is a critical aspect of ageing well and this is a clear area of need within the Alexandrina region. While local government does what it can with community transport, the scale of the issue if significant and the impact it can have on accessibility to services and social inclusion is profound.

With the number of school buses that operate within the region, there is an opportunity to explore the extension of these services to the general public allowing people to travel to and between towns for employment or medical appointments. e) Emergency Services Police, fire and ambulance services are essential services that all communities need and it is important to ensure that they have a presence. In delivering these services Council is interested in ensuring that there is cross-organisation cooperation when facility upgrades are needed to ensure that co-location opportunities can be explored.

The provision of centralised and professional emergency services for the townships of Goolwa, Middleton, Port Elliot and surrounding areas is an existing gap. The population serviced by Goolwa’s voluntary ambulance service has increased significantly over the past decade, stretching the capacity of local volunteers.

Investment in Infrastructure - Questions 3 & 4 The key priority driving government investment in infrastructure should be the sustainable creation of ongoing employment opportunities which harness the unique strengths and demographic service needs of the regions. This can be achieved through a number of areas such as education, health services, investing in transport routes and public transport options, and key infrastructure projects that will promote tourism, jobs and private sector investment. Investment is also needed to help industry and communities adapt to, and harness the opportunities associated with, a changing climate.

Regional councils build and maintain a significant amount of infrastructure including roads, wastewater schemes, open space and playgrounds as examples. Many of them also need to service two to three times their population during peak holiday periods. This adds significant pressure to these facilities with respect to maintenance, and maintaining a balance in the provision for services of residents and visitors. Statistical data extrapolated from the census, from which a lot of external funding is based, is gathered outside of these peak periods and therefore for councils with high, second-home ownership have absentee land owners that are not accounted for in the census data.

In 2018-19, Alexandrina Council received $1.424m in financial assistance grants, similar to a number of metropolitan Councils. To compare, as a regional Council, Alexandrina has obligations that metropolitan Councils do not (such as maintaining local roads, waste water management and

5 stormwater) – which ultimately affects the bottom line burden for the ratepayer. In addition, the high seasonal visitation (which is not taken into account in formulas based on per capita) means that the Alexandrina ratepayer must fund additional capacity in infrastructure to cope with spikes in population growth. The net effect is that metropolitan Councils have a greater ability to offset rate increases with Financial Assistance Grants. This often leads to confusion and complaints from ratepayers with property in Alexandrina and metropolitan Adelaide who cannot understand why their rates are higher in a regional Council with a perceived reduction in services.

One of the key issues for those regions that are key tourist destinations such as Alexandrina Council is the sustainability of businesses outside of peak tourist periods. Without a strong permanent population base, businesses can struggle through the winter months. If they are unable to stay open this takes some services away from local people who then have to access them elsewhere. To that end Council always ensures that it has a number of ‘shovel-ready’ projects that are designed to help promote year- round population growth, business and tourism within the area. This includes:  Improved tourism and boating infrastructure which capitalises on our status as the gateway to the iconic Lakes and Coorong region. Current investment-ready projects include revitalising Goolwa Wharf, creating an iconic tourism destination at Sugars Beach, increasing capacity of the Goolwa Beach Tourism Precinct, creation of the Alexandrina Business Enterprise Centre plus a number of foreshore upgrades at Clayton Bay.  Streetscape, parking and traffic improvements which improve productivity, safety and/or liveability. Current investment-ready projects include the sealing of Dry Plains Road, extension of the Encounter Bikeway along Kightly Road in Goolwa, upgraded access to the Goolwa Waste & Recycling Depot, scoping of a Middleton Freight Bypass and construction of Stage 2 of the River Angas Shared Use Path in Strathalbyn.  Improved sporting and recreation facilities. The purpose of these projects is to encompass activities for all ages, support and attract new and existing residents, and enhance tourism appeal for visitors to the region. Current investment-ready projects include the Goolwa Sporting Complex, Strathalbyn Town Hall and Strathalbyn Dog Park. Council has also been part of a group of Councils within the seeking to obtain World Heritage Listing to acknowledge the systematic colonisation story of the region and how that has influenced the settlement patterns and agricultural activities evident today. It has been identified that through this listing significant economic returns can be achieved particularly through marketing and branding of products and tourism. Our regional areas are where a significant proportion of our food is produced. For Alexandrina Council, primary industries are the second biggest employer with premium food and wine experiences central to our tourism offering. Investment in roads and transport routes are critical to the ongoing viability of these enterprises for not only freight but for farm machinery and tourists to easily and safely travel through the area. Appropriate planning policy is vital to protecting our food bowl, promoting economic development and retaining the unique features which attract residents and visitors to our region. Ultimately the priorities that are set need to be targeted within a whole of government policy approach that should be informed by regional strategies such as these. The focus should therefore be on those areas that will assist in sustaining communities into the future. Connectivity through road infrastructure and technology are areas that will enable good accessibility for those living and working within the regions and to better service visitors through the regions. Opening up good education opportunities provides all age demographics with options but in particular can encourage younger people to stay within the regions.

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As indicated earlier, Government plays a key role in supporting and funding regional infrastructure. This can be achieved through partnership funding programs which work particularly well within the health sector providing holistic benefits to not only the individual but communities as a whole. Other funding through grant programs and financial assistance that is accessible to the public and private sector enables key infrastructure projects to be achieved such as aged care facilities, programs and events. There may also be opportunity to explore other incentives for attracting investment into the regions through offering land tax or payroll tax relief. Government should also take a lead role in setting policies where there needs to be a state and national approach in such areas as water security and climate change. Although this can be addressed at a local level there needs to be a state and national commitment to help drive programs. If not addressed, communities continue to be vulnerable to the impacts of climate change particularly the Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth and coastal localities as well as industries critical to our economic wellbeing such as agriculture and tourism.

Regional Enablers To encourage anyone into the regions there needs to be job opportunities, schools, services and infrastructure to make people of any age to want to live and work there. By retaining people in the regions it ensures there is a level of succession when it comes to developing the next generation of leaders. Mentoring programs, job opportunities and flexibility in the workplace all assist in developing and sustaining leadership, and we encourage the State Government to look at existing regional leadership programs such as the Fleurieu Future Leaders Programs for an example of what works. Introducing learning environments in schools that make students ready to enter into business and provide local opportunities will assist in their retention. These learning environments should be targeted to the predominant industries within the region such as agriculture, tourism and health care as an example. In addition there should be business training services available for the predominately small to medium size businesses that are located in regions. This could include topics such as how to establish an online marketing presence, utilising new technologies or human resource management (Questions 7-9). As indicates above with respect to infrastructure investment, another key enabler (Questions 4, 15) would be to address the imbalance in the Australian taxation system and restore the level of funding provided to councils through untied Financial Assistance Grants (FAG) to an amount equal to at least 1% of Federal taxation revenue, so that councils can get on with the job of providing the local infrastructure and services needed to drive regional development and support our regional communities to thrive. Support from the Government of South Australian for the local government sector’s advocacy in relation to increased FAG funding would be very welcome. A more equitable and efficient distribution framework would also help to alleviate the infrastructure burden felt by regional communities such as ours with high seasonal visitation. With an existing reputation as a leader in renewable energy, and an emerging Green Adelaide brand, climate resilience could also become, with targeted investment, a key South Australian competitive advantage for attracting greater overseas and city-to-regional migration (Question 6). This is of particular relevance to the Fleurieu Peninsula, where our favourable climate, proximity to Adelaide and unique coastal/agrarian lifestyle is likely to increase our status as a location of choice for residents and tourists alike, in contrast to other areas of the State where liveability is likely to suffer more dramatically in a changing climate. In this context, a focus on climate ready development could help deliver affordable living for our citizens, make our liveability a drawcard for tourists, students and skilled workers, and attract investment in emerging and disruptive sectors like renewable energy and the circular and purpose economies (Questions 13, 14).

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Summary Ultimately, what Alexandrina seeks from State and Federal government is co-investment in infrastructure and human services which will drive and support regional visitation, population growth and economic development, all of which have far-reaching benefits for regional communities. Our top priorities with respect to essential services are health and wellbeing, secondary and further education and training as well as public transport, whilst our top priorities with respect to infrastructure investment are aged care facilities, roads, and project funding for public infrastructure which will facilitate local population, business and tourism growth. Council has developed an Economic Development Strategy, which is attached for your information, which outlines priorities at a local level for harnessing the unique characteristics of the Alexandrina region to attract business and investment into our economy and thus deliver an improved standard of living for our community. We appreciate the opportunity to provide comment and look forward to reviewing the outcomes of the consultation.

Yours sincerely

Glenn Rappensberg Chief Executive Officer

Enc: Alexandrina Council Economic Development Strategy 2016-2022

Cc. Mr David Basham MP, Member for Finniss Mr Josh Teague MP, Member for Heysen Mr Adrian Pederick MP, Member for Hammond Hon Leon Bignell MP, Member for Mawson

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