Liverpool Plains Shire Local Government Area
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Liverpool Plains Shire Local Government Area NORTHERN INLAND NSW Liverpool Plains Shire Local Government Area At a Glance Centrally located in the north-west of NSW, our diverse and abundantly resourceful Shire is surrounded by picturesque mountain ranges and expands across the vast and bountiful Liverpool Plains. The population centres of Quirindi and Werris Creek are located at the heart of our Shire and are supported by a number of smaller villages and hamlets including Blackville, Caroona, Currabubula, Pine Ridge, Premer, Spring Ridge, Wallabadah and Willow Tree. These vibrant communities, rich in agricultural and indigenous heritage, form part of an emerging cultural hub. Our strong and prosperous communities are supported by excellent medical and educational facilities, making the Liverpool Plains region the perfect place to work, play and live. Land area (sq. km) Population Gross Regional Product ($M) 5,082 7,285 419 Major industries of employment Education & Training Agriculture Health care Retail trade Manufacturing Transport, postal & (broad acre cropping, and warehousing cotton, cattle) social assistance Average annual wage Average weekly rents Average monthly Median house price Average value of private & salary income (3 bedroom) mortage (3 bedroom) sector building development $41,833 $154 $1,364 $215,000 $375,000 Contact information for Economic Development Donna Ausling, Director of Environmental & Economic Development Services Ph: (02) 6746 1755 | Website: www.lpsc.nsw.gov.au Liverpool Plains Shire Local Government Area 3 Investment Opportunities Current Projects Recent and potential projects in the Liverpool Plains Shire include: • 1500 room Civeo Group Workforce Village at Werris Creek ($48.5m) - for mine workers at the Whitehaven coal mine; • Regional Water Supply Upgrade ($27m) – Quipolly Dam, Quirindi reservoir and the Willow Tree water supply pipeline; • 20 room Quirindi RSL Motel ($1.5m); • 152 Lot Subdivision at East St Quirindi ($5.97m) • Liverpool Plains Emergency Services Precinct ($6m) • Health and Wellness precinct ($5m) • Kamilaroi Highway Service Centre, Quirindi ($3.2m) Liverpool Plains Shire Local Government Area 5 Investment Opportunities Agriculture (irrigated cropping including cotton and extensive cattle grazing) on the famous ‘black soils plains’ have been the mainstay of the Liverpool Plains economy. There is considerable scope for mitigating the risks associated with a heavy dependence on agriculture by diversifying the regional economy. It is important to recognise that logistics pathways are changing in the digital era, and regional economies must take advantage of this change. The objective is to provide a more stable income base for regional economies to boost their resilience, and where possible to compete, to engage in more processing/value adding to capture a greater share of the value chain. There are several investment opportunities of significance the Liverpool Plains Shire: Agriculture accessing North Asia - food safety is becoming a critical unique selling point as Asian affluence grows. There are significant price premiums to be gained by becoming a trusted supplier. This is all about brand recognition – not just ‘branding’. There may also be opportunities so produce processed stock feeds for the Asian market as they seek to expand their animal-based protein consumption; Developing supply relationships with North Asia - when dealing with much of Asia, successful investments must begin with a relationship, not a specific business deal. Trust must be established. Local government has an important to advocacy role to play in this space. This requires time and patience. The objective is to overcome the vagaries of international commodity price fluctuations by establishing longer-term supply relationships with customers, rather than simply selling on the spot market; Mining – proximity to the Whitehaven coal mine presents opportunities for businesses which can service the mining sector. Significant expansion of coal production in the region, based on the approved Shenhua Watermark Mine would require additional investment in rail infrastructure to access Port Newcastle. In addition, opportunities exist for zeolite and hard rock quarries; Aged care – There is potential for further expansion of housing for the aged by private developers, such as Seniors Living and aged care support services; 6 Liverpool Plains Shire Local Government Area Rail transport – there is significant scope for reducing rail-freight costs in the order of $8-10/tonne by upgrading rail to cater for longer (1.2km) trains with a 25t axle limit (as opposed to the current 700-800m trains with 23t limits). Opportunities also exist for passenger rail and rail maintenance facilities; Rail loading facilities – rail optimisation is required to reduce freight costs and increase returns from agricultural production. This requires larger loading facilities which capture the economies of scale associated with longer trains; Guaranteed rail slots to Port of Newcastle – will allow just-in-time delivery, thus reducing storage costs and improving producer returns; Rapid container movements – would expand the scope for containerised local processing and value-adding opportunities such as blended grains. This would increase investment potential for secondary processing; Forestry – proximity to the softwood plantations in the Niangala/Nundle areas and cypress pine to the west, combined with access to the New England highway generates opportunities for sawmilling and other wood processing operations in the LGA; Tourism – As one of the most productive agricultural regions in Australia, there are numerous opportunities in the agri-tourism space, catering to domestic and international tourists; and Strategic Location – proposed new industrial and bulky goods retailing land development along the Kamilaroi Highway at Quirindi will open up investment opportunities with good transport access. This will give freight access to the Hunter/Newcastle/Sydney area to the east, and to the west through Gunnedah and Narrabri. Liverpool Plains Shire Local Government Area 7 Community Profile Population • Liverpool Plains LGA has a significant proportion of its population in the working-age category, which is a benefit to business investors in the region. Population by Age Bracket Lifestage (%) - Liverpool Plains 0-4 years 5-9 years 10-14 years 15-19 years 20-24 years 25-29 years 30-34 years Age 35-39 years 40-44 years 45-49 years 50-54 years 0-4 years (pre-school age) 6.10% 55-59 years 5-19 years (school age / dependants) 19.39% 60-64 years 20-64 years (working age) 54.12% 65 years and over 65-74 years (retirement) 11.46% 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 75+ years (elderly) 8.94% Males Females Education Highest Qualification (%) - Liverpool Plains • 16.1 % had ‘Certificate Level’ qualification • 4.5 % had ‘Bachelor Degree Level’ (New South Wales (State) • 4.3 % were ‘Advanced Diploma and Diploma Level’ qualified Certificate Level 16.10% Bachelor Degree Level 4.55% Advanced Diploma and Diploma Level 4.30% Graduate Diploma and Graduate Certificate Level 0.61% Postgraduate Degree Level 0.39% Other 74.05% Business Activity Businesses by Industry 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing Mining Manufacturing Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services Construction Wholesale Trade Retail Trade Accommodation and Food Services Transport, Postal and Warehousing Information Media and Telecommunications Financial and Insurance Services Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services Professional, Scientific and Technical... Administrative and Support Services Public Administration and Safety Education and Training Health Care and Social Assistance Arts and Recreation Services Other Services Currently unknown Over $2 million 4% $0 - $50,000 25% $50,000 - $99,000 20% Businesses by Turnover $100,000 - $199,999 19% $200,000 - $499,000 17% $500,000 - $1,999,999 15% Liverpool Plains Shire Local Government Area 9 Value-Added Value-Added ($M) - Liverpool Plains (Apr 2016) Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing by sector Rental, Hiring & Real Estate Services Mining This graph shows the value that is added Transport, Postal & Warehousing Manufacturing by industry sectors in Liverpool Plains to Education & Training intermediate inputs. The total value-added Wholesale Trade estimate for Liverpool Plains is $402.443 Health Care & Social Assistance million. Value-added is a reflection of the Construction returns to capital and labour generated by Public Administration & Safety Retail Trade each sector and hence the potential profits Industry Sector Electricity, Gas, Water & Waste Services which can be re-invested. Professional, Scientific & Technical Services Financial & Insurance Services Accommodation & Food Services Other Services Administration & Support Services Arts & Recreation Services Information Media & Telecommunications 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 $M Gross Regional Output ($M) - Liverpool Plains (Apr 2016) Product Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing Mining • Per Capita Gross Regional Product Manufacturing Rental, Hiring & Real Estate Services $58,000 Transport, Postal & Warehousing • Per Worker Gross Regional Product Construction $170,000 Wholesale Trade • The graph to the right shows the Electricity, Gas, Water & Waste Services gross revenue generated by businesses Public Administration & Safety and organisations in Liverpool Plains. Retail Trade The total output estimate for Liverpool Education & Training Industry Sector Health Care & Social Assistance