Regional Plan 2012 -2020 Bogan Shire Council Bourke Shire Council Brewarrina Shire Council Cobar Shire Council Coonamble Shire Council Dubbo City Council Gilgandra Shire Council Mid-Western Regional Council Narromine Shire Council Walgett Shire Council Warren Shire Council Warrumbungle Shire Council Wellington Shire Council Regional Development Australia - Orana NSW Level 1, Suite 4, 47-59 Wingewarra Street PO Box 1357 | Dubbo NSW 2830 Ph: 1800 851 488 | 02 6885 1488 | Fax: 02 6885 1468 www.rdaorana.org.au [email protected] ABN: 28 264 534 206 Cover Imagery Courtesy MRTI, David Malin & David Kirkland Coonabarabran, Wellington Shire Council Silo - Dunedoo Courtesy - Graphical Constructions 5 Contents 7 Executive Summary 11 Vision 11 Mission 11 Key Goals and Priorities 12 Economic Goals 14 Social Goals 15 Environmental Goals 16 Integration and Engagement Goals 20 Introduction 20 The RDAOrana Committee in 2012 21 Organisational Structure 21 LGA’s 22 Roles & Responsibilities of RDA - Orana 22 The RDA Orana Charter and Government Priorities 24 Purpose of the Regional Plan 25 Regional Planning Process Overview 26 Consultation to Develop and Update the Regional Plan 29 The Orana Region 29 Geographic Profile 32 The Demographic Profile 34 The Economic Profile 36 The Environmental Profile 41 Education and Skills Profile 45 Health Profile 48 Strategic Framework 48 Strengths of the Orana Region 51 Weaknesses/Challenges in the Orana Region 54 Opportunities in the Orana Region 59 Recent Issues/Developments which have Impacted on the Orana Region 60 Forecast Issues/Developments in the next 2-3 Years which are likely to impact on the Orana Region 62 Action Plan 69 Annexes Regional Plan 2012 -2020 VisionA diverse region with unlimited opportunity to achieve your dreams. MissionTo act as a strong conduit to support, promote and disseminate information, and work in partnership with our community, local government and other stakeholders to ensure the long term, innovative and sustainable development of the Orana region. Clock Tower - Dubbo Courtesy Dubbo City Council 7 Executive Summary The Orana region is defined by its size and diversity and the importance it plays in the economic and social fabric of New Vision South Wales and Australia. While distance presents challenges, the vast open spaces provide the people of Orana with lifestyle, business and employment opportunities in agriculture, mining and service industries such as health and education with increasing opportunity around alternative energy production, carbon farming and the digital economy with the roll out of the NBN to the region from October 2012. Regional Development Australia Orana NSW is one of 55 organisations established across Australia as a partnership between Australian, State and Local Governments to strengthen John Walkom regional communities. RDA Orana comprises a Committee of twelve people appointed by the Minister who lead RDA Orana’s Mission Chair 30th September 2012 strategic efforts in economic development, social inclusion and the environment. Covering as it does, a large geographic area, approximately 25% of the land mass of NSW, it naturally follows that such a large region would have enormous diversity in geography, resources, agricultural and industrial production, employment opportunity and culture. While some parts of the region are thriving and even growing at barely sustainable rates, others face the challenge of achieving equal opportunity for all citizens due to issues of cultural or geographic disadvantage. However, the Orana Region is undergoing great change and around that change there will be enormous opportunity. It is the dream of the RDA Orana committee that all our people will be able to take advantage of these opportunities through equal access to education, training and employment to achieve their dreams. While there are skills shortages across the region and unmet opportunity for employment, there are still populations that experience higher than state average percentages of unemployment. These statistics are generally associated with social disadvantage and RDA Orana is committed to working with our stakeholders as they develop strategies for greater equality in employment outcomes. The major production focus for Orana is still agriculture. Ten years of drought impacted severely on the rural communities in the Regional Plan 2012 -2020 8 region and farmers face a more water constrained future with the foreshadowed implementation of legislation to adopt the Murray Darling Basin Plan. Good rainfalls from 2009 until 2012 have driven a strong return to agricultural production across the region that includes wine growing in the east, and grain, cotton and livestock production across the North, West & South of the region. There is potential in Orana for greater value adding of agricultural production providing unrealised business opportunity. Orana is experiencing unprecedented growth and development in mining with a variety of mining operations established or being expanded across the region. These include coal mining in the east, copper and silver in the west, rare earth & gold near Dubbo and massive expansion of coal mining around Mudgee & Gulgong areas. Associated with agriculture and mining, the inadequacies of transport infrastructure across the region are thrown into sharp relief. Strong production in the region can only translate to economic benefit when agricultural and mining products can be efficiently and cost effectively transported to markets and through ports. Continued development of the region is heavily reliant on transport infrastructure and its significant improvement in the near future. RDA Orana will continue to have open dialogue with both Australian and State governments on these issues. The Carbon Tax that has put a price on carbon from 1st July 2012, provides potential for alternative energy production and carbon farming initiatives across the region. Likewise the Mining Resources Rent Tax has the potential to provide development income to the region. It is a significant time for those with an entrepreneurial spirit in our region and one that comes with expanded business and employment opportunity. The digital economy has the potential to transform the way we do business in Australia, how business, health and education are delivered especially in overcoming distance, isolation and disadvantage and it has the potential to shift some development activity from the capital cities to the regions. The digital economy will also allow for the evolution of potentially undiscovered business to evolve within the region. Orana is one of the first regions to receive the roll out of the National Broadband Network (NBN) from October 2012 and will be able to benefit from early opportunities this presents as well as the ongoing development Regional Snapshots Courtesy MRTI, Dubbo, Warren, Narromine & Coonamble Councils Regional Plan 2012 -2020 9 opportunities the stronger platform will provide for participation in the digital economy. There are many employment opportunities in health with a natural focus on Dubbo as the centre for health services. Dubbo, the region’s hub needs significant investment to rebuild and up-grade its base hospital and ancillary health facilities. There are health employment opportunities across the region through a network of smaller hospitals, aged care facilities, Aboriginal health services and other health centres. Vast distances provide the region with challenges to health service delivery where doctor and health professional shortages exacerbate these challenges. The Royal Flying Doctor Service plays a key role in patient retrieval and transport and has recently established a mobile dental service for remote regions. The RDA Orana Committee recognises the unique role of local government in a region such as ours. Local government is the largest employer and the major provider of services in many LGAs and often has to step in when the Commonwealth or State government cuts costs to a region. This is locally referred to cost shifting that places a burden on regional councils. RDA Orana works closely with our 13 local governments through several networks and has included a two page summary of each of our LGAs as attachments to this Regional Plan. While Orana faces challenges, it also anticipates unprecedented opportunity around the recent structural changes to the Australian economy through the Mining Resources Rent Tax and the Carbon Price and with the return of good rainfall benefitting agriculture and the roll out of the NBN. The RDA Orana Regional Plan is a living document that was first developed in 2010. It has undergone a more extensive revision in 2012 to take account of the dramatic changes and opportunities the region faces in coming years. I am pleased to commend the Regional Development Australia Orana NSW Regional Plan and I am proud and pleased to commend the Orana region. John Walkom Chair 30th September 2012. Regional Plan 2012 -2020 Egret Park - Dubbo Courtesy Dubbo City Council 11 Vision A diverse region with unlimited opportunity to realise your dreams. Mission To act as a strong conduit to disseminate information and work in partnership with our community, local government and other stakeholders to ensure the long term, innovative and sustainable development of the Orana region. Key Goals and Priorities • Economic Goals • Social Goals • Environmental Goals • Integration and Engagement Goals 12 Key Goals and Priorities Economic Goals 1. Capitalise on the Region’s Strengths in Agriculture