eNews 9 July 2019 - Liveability and Business Attraction
FROM THE DESK OF CHDC'S BUSINESS AND INVESTMENT ATTRACTION MANAGER
What does liveability have to do with business investment and attraction?
In my world often is the case that business investment and attraction have strong linkage to liveability.
I thought about this some more and wanted to better understand what kind of indicators define liveability and I came across some recent work done by the Regional Australia Institute (RAI).
Attracting and retaining populations is a key concern for most towns and cities across regional Australia. Sustaining or building resident populations helps towns and cities thrive and plan for their future. Yet this planning is difficult because Australia’s population is highly mobile and Australians move from place to place at a higher rate than 80 per cent of other countries. For example, in 2015, around 15 per cent of Australians changed their address, which was almost double the comparable world average of 7.9 per cent. However, from 2011-16, globally, around 21 per cent of people move every five years, but in Australia, this rate is 39 per cent.
While job and career opportunities are key drivers for deciding whether to move to, stay in, or move from places in regional Australia, employment is not the only factor that drives these ‘location decisions’. Increasingly, people think about what a place is like to live in and the quality of life that a regional town or city can offer them. This means that people regularly and critically assess a place’s ‘liveability’.
As part of the RAI’s Shared Inquiry 2019, we started out by defining the term liveability based on what people in regions have themselves said matters to them. We’ve looked at national and state based survey work and found that while liveability assessments change from person to person, there are five key indicators of liveability that are common to most people.
These five indicators:
· Health services: Health care services and the quality of those services is a key component in all liveability assessments, although it is slightly more important for older age groups. This doesn’t necessarily mean that people expect that each town will offer exhaustive health services, but it does mean that a good range of them need easy access, even if they are located in a nearby town or city.
· Education: Education options are especially important for families with young children, and for those continuing education through University or TAFE. Studies show that families will seriously consider moving so that their children can have access to better schooling, particularly secondary schooling. The desire for access to accredited early childhood education is also important.
· Cost of living: The cost of living in a town is a common feature in liveability assessments. Even where residents have well paid employment, there is an important balance that needs to be struck between income and the cost of everyday goods and services.
· Amenity and lifestyle: People assess what a place looks like and whether it is an attractive place to live. This means that they consider the green space, whether they can access parkland, and even the size of land that their house will be on. They will also consider the kinds of things they can do in a town when they live there, including access to hobbies, shops, and even community or interest groups that they can join.
· Connection to community: The prospect of being part of a community is a common component of liveability assessments. People want to be socially included and connected to other people in the town, and a friendly, welcoming community is a key priority.
Take a look at the liveability of the Central Highlands through our video – Work, Play, Discover Central Highlands – better still, come for a visit and see it for yourself.
Paddock to Port Tour Snippet
In my last piece I identified the value of networks and collaboration.
I had a real experience of this with the opportunity to participate on the recent From Paddock to Port tour. Without stealing the thunder of CHDC Agribusiness Development Coordinator Liz Alexander, I want to express the value such an exercise gives to all involved.
From the partnership between CHDC and the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, to the sponsors and hosts, it was a unique experience. Well done!
Contact CHDC Business and Investment Attraction Manager Peter Dowling for more information
E: pdowling@chdc.com.au or T: (07) 4982 4386 or M: 0427 000 285.
