Draft Economic Development Strategy now ready for feedback

Council, in conjunction with AEC Group, has developed a draft Economic Development Strategy to secure and shape the region’s growth for the next 5 years.

The key objectives of the updated Economic Development Strategy are to create a clear direction for economic development initiatives, attract new businesses and investment, foster job creation and ensure the region’s competitiveness.

To ensure the accuracy of the Strategy, discussion and input was sought from industry representatives, government agencies, and importantly local businesses and the community.

Deputy Mayor Kate Hastie said “To understand what mattered most to the community in terms of economic development, a survey was developed and conducted to help guide the Strategy.”

“This is a 5 year plan for our future, and we needed to find out what the community wants Council to prioritise,” continued Councillor Hastie.

Respondents completing the survey were asked questions to identify what they considered as the region’s key strengths and challenges, what improvements could be made to improve liveability, what challenges are local businesses facing, their priorities for investment, as well as how they believed Council could support business and investment attraction.

All contributions received have guided the development of three focus areas utilised to inform the Strategy; Regional Collaboration & Advocacy; Investment Attraction & Local Business Support; and Infrastructure Investment & Planning, providing a comprehensive framework for economic growth from 2025 to 2030.

“The Strategy is designed to guide the future of our diverse region, help our communities realise their full potential, and promote it as a desirable place to live, visit and invest.

“We’re now asking local businesses and the community to review the draft and let us know how we went so that we can consider any changes before it is adopted by Council,” added Councillor Hastie.

The draft strategy is now open for public comment until Monday, 3 March 2025 and can be viewed on Council’s Have Your Say portal at haveyoursay.charterstowers.qld.gov.au/.  Hard copies are also available at Council’s Administration Centre and Excelsior Library.

This document was developed with the funding support of the Queensland Government in association with MITEZ (Mount Isa to Townsville Economic Zone) Regional Economic Development Grant 2023-2025.

For more information on this project, please call Council on 07 4761 5300.