By Lucy Waldron
The Stanthorpe Chamber of Commerce’s May Networking Event featured a keynote speech by Mayor Melissa Hamilton, focusing on Regional Economic Development Plans.
Throughout her election campaign, Mayor Hamilton emphasised the implementation of portfolios within the council, advocating for leadership in strategic areas affecting the community.
Her portfolio primarily covers economic development, external advocacy, and intergovernmental relations, making it more of an outward-facing portfolio but just as important to the community.
“I think economic development is basically creating a vibrant local economy and a liveable community,” Mayor Hamilton said to the chamber audience.
“Council’s role is looking at the strengths for economic development, identifying what’s stopping it in particular focus industries in our region, and figuring out what we can do to solve those constraints.”
Mayor Hamilton highlighted several key constraints, including housing, water security, and tertiary education.
She identified housing as the number one constraint, noting that companies struggle to accommodate the staff they need to bring to the region.
“While housing is not principally a council issue and is more a state and federal government issue, if we as a council on the ground don’t help solve it, we can’t have significant industries and businesses setting up,” she explained.
Water security is the second biggest constraint, with Stanthorpe facing challenges similar to those Toowoomba encountered before the construction of the Toowoomba pipeline.
“Businesses were saying, ’We would like to invest here, but you don’t have certain water in drought,’” she said.
“As soon as the pipeline went to Toowoomba, they started to boom. They got investment from businesses that required that 100 per cent certainty on the ground.“
Mayor Hamilton expressed optimism about the potential impact of the Toowoomba to Warwick Pipeline, which has already sparked interest from industries that were previously not viable.
“We are already seeing interest from industries that were not possible without that announcement,” she said.
“While it’s not necessarily a popular option for many people, relying on a dam doesn’t give you 100 per cent certainty. With the Warwick pipeline, some significant industries can now invest in Warwick.“
Another constraint being actively addressed through Study Hubs is the limited options for tertiary education in the region.
“Students in our region can study at any university across Australia and do that based at Warwick,” she stated.
The council is also exploring future funding to establish a satellite campus in Stanthorpe.
“We’re not giving up on the idea of expanding to Stanthorpe as well,” Cr Hamilton said.
To tackle these constraints, the council is in the process of adopting a new planning scheme.
“You need a planning scheme that encourages the establishment of new businesses and a clear economic development strategy,” Mayor Hamilton said.
“When investors come looking, they look at the planning scheme and the economic development strategy. At the moment, we can’t give them either of those things.”
The prime focus for the council is to ensure both elements are in place to attract investment into the region.
Mayor Hamilton emphasised the importance of collaboration with local chambers of commerce.
“Both the Warwick and Stanthorpe Chamber of Commerce are not just stakeholders in this process but partners to build a strong relationship with and involve in the process,” she concluded.
