For the Peel region’s local economy to grow inline with its population growth, developing thriving industry is imperative. The Commission’s commitment to supporting, facilitating and advocating for thriving industry is evident with its inclusion as a Blueprint theme and brought to life by the stories in this edition of the magazine.
Collaboration is a constant hallmark of industries, projects and initiatives that thrive and the continued cooperation of stakeholders in the Transform Peel project is testament to that. The Peel Business Park Transition Strategy relied on collaboration between the Commission and GHD to identify the industry needs of the Peel Business Park and the support required for food and supporting industries to relocate to the park. This kind of collaboration is critical to ensuring the Peel Business Park is able to meet the industry needs of the future.
The appointment of the Peel Local Content Advisor, Tahlia Jones, has given us a tangible avenue to link local businesses to Government tender opportunities. The creation of the recent Peel based business register, resulting from collaboration between the Commission and LandCorp, means that local businesses will be given every opportunity to participate in the contracts generated from works on this project. Localised participation benefits our local businesses and the economic development of our region.
Innovation is another hallmark of thriving industries and it’s fantastic to see the evolution of organisations such as RED Appointments adapt and respond to the changing recruitment needs within the region. Developing a more customised approach to finding a solution for the resourcing challenges local farmers face, contributes to the creation of jobs and the economic development of the region.
Tourism excellence goes hand-in-hand with thriving industry and it’s so great to see so many quality tourism operators in the Peel capitalising on the vast natural attractions the region offers. The Commission has a strong focus on attracting investment in tourism infrastructure to stimulate economic growth and create more local jobs in the Peel tourism sector. Investment in tourism infrastructure will enable this industry’s continued growth and the region becoming more widely known as an esteemed, world-class visitor destination. The Peel Tourism and Investment Forum that was held earlier in the year provided great insight to the constraints and opportunities we face and provided the next steps in developing a tourism capital investment framework.
The Commission’s performance in facilitating and advocating the growth of the region is rated by our stakeholders via the client survey. I’m pleased to say that this year’s responses reflect the consistently professional and committed approach our staff and Board members bring to the work of the Commission. I’d like to acknowledge and thank them for their invaluable contribution to the Commission and to the region.
This Spring/Summer edition of the magazine highlights just a few of the great people, organisations, initiatives and projects within the region and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I have.
This article was first published in the Peel Magazine, Spring/Summer 2018 – vol 4.2 – to read and download the full magazine, click here.