Comments from Sunshine Coast Business Council Chair, Sandy Zubrinich
The Sunshine Coast is often mooted as a region where it’s difficult to do business. This perception has been reflected in two consecutive Sunshine Coast Business Council (SCBC) surveys when seeking investor feedback.
I believe those perceptions are being reinforced within the investment community currently, with the strong community reaction to the proposed Sekisui and airport developments. I am also of the belief that communities have a right to express their opinion as to what type of development they want.
With our population expected to grow to around 500,000 residents by 2033 (OESR 2011), change and growth is a constant and our challenge is to find ways to determine what development is good for our region.
As custodians of the region we need to deliver a living and working environment long-term that is acknowledged for its excellence in quality sustainable development that resonates with the values, culture, ecology and environmental diversity of this region, and critically, will stand the test of time for future generations.
It is also essential that when engaging a public debate around growth or the merits of a specific development proposal, we interrogate the facts while taking into account the views of special interest groups. Otherwise, great opportunities that could have driven long-term economic, social and environmental prosperity will be lost, the exodus of our talented youth to our capital cities will continue and the Sunshine Coast that we all love will need to confront a much greater foe – that of escalating unemployment and economic stagnation.
The answer must lie in managing growth and development in a way that resonates with those living here and doesn’t compromise too heavily on the beautiful environment that brought many of us here in the first place.
Those who simply jump on the anti-development/anti-growth bandwagon or worse still, are part of the silent majority on the issue need to consider that the construction industry is one of the top three industries on the Sunshine Coast in regard to total jobs, employing over 17,000 residents. The slow-down of this industry will therefore have an impact on most Sunshine Coast families, either directly or indirectly.
What is needed is a concerted effort by all sides of the debate to get together to discuss where development and the environment can coexist, setting a new benchmark in sustainable growth. One which makes the Sunshine Coast unique.
To initiate the conversation, I recently met with members of Development Watch and the Sunshine Coast Environmental Council (SCEC) and was pleased with their willingness to work with the business community to consider options to better balance development with the management of our environmental assets.
This will definitely require ‘out-of-the-box thinking’ and we will be calling on leading academics and thought leaders to participate in a series of think-tank sessions to work this through.
In facilitating these think-tank sessions, we will take into consideration the views of the Sunshine Coast community previously expressed in independent research undertaken by Sunshine Coast Council over the past several years.
2015 is already on track to be another tough year for the national and state economy. Unemployment is on the rise nationally and it will likely impact the unemployment rate on the Sunshine Coast. We also have fluctuating business and consumer confidence which is impacting growth. We have had the disruption of a state election, have a new government and have local government elections less than 12 months away, but we cannot stand still as a region while the various levels of government try to address the unemployment and economic challenges.
We need to be working on our own behalf to make the most of the investment opportunities we have on hand to drive jobs while respecting and working closely with the groups who work to protect our environmental assets.