Page 1745 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 13 May 2015
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trade and investment, both the ACT government and the business community have been working with our cross-border counterparts. On Monday in Queanbeyan the Chief Minister launched the Canberra region brand—a single brand for the combined south-eastern New South Wales and ACT region. He was joined by the Hon John Barilaro, New South Wales Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Skills and Minister for Small Business, and Councillor John Shaw, chair of the Canberra Region Joint Organisation, along with a host of regional champions displaying the rich diversity of our region.
The Canberra region includes the New South Wales councils of Bombala, Boorowa, Cooma-Monaro, Eurobodalla, Goulburn Mulwaree, Harden, Palerang, Queanbeyan, Snowy River, Upper Lachlan, Yass Valley, Young, and the ACT government. It showcases the city, the coast, the alpine region and the tablelands.
The Canberra region is growing in importance to all of us. Our economic fortunes are increasingly shared. If the region is doing well, so is Canberra—and vice versa. Cooperation in health is helping to deliver high quality, efficient services for our communities. Snowy Hydro SouthCare is emblematic of that high quality service across the Canberra region. By working together, we have a stronger collective voice to push for investment in important transport infrastructure and other priorities, particularly investment in the Barton, Kings, Monaro and Princes highways, the Lachlan Valley Way and Kosciusko Road, as well as digital infrastructure capability. Each investment enables greater economic development opportunities across the whole Canberra region.
The Canberra region is greater than the sum of its parts. That diversity which I spoke about—coast, alpine, tablelands, city—is a major asset for us. In marketing terms, our diversity is our unique selling point. This diversity of our Canberra region provides countless stories to be told under the Canberra region brand.
The tablelands, an agriculturally rich area that supports traditional and alternative farming and horticultural industries of the Canberra region, leads the Canberra region’s investment in renewable energy, supported by new technologies being developed in our own region. The natural resources of the alpine area underpin the economic activity in the area, greatly contributing to the Canberra region’s tourism offerings. The coast, a wonderful place that many Canberrans often enjoy visiting, has a strong focus on tourism, agriculture and fisheries, and the port of Eden’s growth will support the advancement of other key transport centres in the Canberra region, including Canberra airport.
The city of Canberra provides employment, services, retail and commercial activities, along with major sporting and cultural events for Canberra region residents and visitors. Our educational institutions provide opportunities to retain the youth within our region. Importantly, the Canberra region brand provides a strong platform upon which we can promote our competitive strengths to potential visitors, investors, students, residents and businesses.
As a combined Canberra region, we are forecast to grow to over 800,000 by 2030. Our economic prosperity will continue to be closely linked. Collectively, we need to
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