ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT QUARTERLY
Development at the City of Wanneroo (The City),
Ian has been the instrumental driving force behind
the City’s new strategic economic approach. He
has transformed:
•
•
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City Administration and Elected Members’
understanding, awareness and focus on
strategic economic outcome driven goals.
The provision of economic development within
the City from operational business support to
strategic economic projects, catalysing growth
and development within metropolitan Perth.
The State Government’s awareness
and understanding of outer metropolitan
employment hubs’ critical role for the
sustainability of the Perth metropolitan area.
Most prominently, Ian’s agent of change influence
has resulted in:
• $552 million WA State Government commitment
to projects in the City; generating 1,440 jobs.
• Commitment by 171 key local stakeholders –
businesses, education, not-for profits, industry
bodies, state and local government to a
common goal of achieving 100,000 new local
jobs.
• City Councillors requesting all major land
projects focus on strategic economic outcomes,
as opposed to purely financial gain.
entrepreneurial flair. He has a big picture vision
and the ability to share it with others. The skill of
communicating effectively with both internal and
external stakeholders ensures he enlists broad
support for his projects. Peter is a people person
whose passion for small business is infectious.
The Bendigo Inventor Awards, Career Horizons
and the Business Help Desk are all projects which
illustrate Peter’s status as an agent of change.
The Bendigo Inventor Awards are an innovation
development program to assist the region’s
entrepreneurs and create employment opportunities
for Central Victoria, (EDA Award Winner, 2013).
Now in its seventh year, the awards include
support events, an awards night, an exhibition, and
mentoring assistance for the twenty finalists, with
the vision to create central Victoria’s next largest
employer.
Career Horizons is a website listing a wide range
of workplace engagement and work experience
opportunities for secondary and tertiary students,
streamlining administration for employers and
educators. An Australian-first, the initiative was
designed to be a replicable business model, its
intellectual property available to share with other
councils through template documentation. To date,
local employers have listed over 2000 opportunities
on the Career Horizons website. In 2015 the
program was awarded $300,000 funding over 3
years from the Victorian government.
The Business Help Desk is a single-point concierge
service to help businesses understand the City’s
regulatory requirements and access support
services. It provides a suite of 11 initiatives including
a business support directory, events calendar,
education videos, mentor programs, business
incubation, business-friendly meeting spaces,
business distress service, digital business community
FINALIST
PETER JEFFERY Supporting Local Business Bendigo via blog,
Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and the Australian-
first initiatives Small Business Health Check, Bendigo
Peter Jeffery has
Funding Finder and Career Horizons.
worked with the City of
Greater Bendigo
Key to the success of Peter’s initiatives is his
(COGB) since October
ability to understand and adapt to other personality
2009. Peter was
types. He gets the best out of committee members,
appointed Coordinator
employees and internal and external stakeholders
of Small Business
by understanding that people operate in different
Development in July
ways. He built a successful team by balancing
2014.
personality types and skill sets to help the initiative
meet its goals. Peter has demonstrated experience
Peter’s work
in gaining the trust, co-operation and assistance
demonstrates strong
of relevant stakeholders within the diverse local
project management
business community and government departments.
combined with
•
Three WA State Government departments
refocusing critical projects based on improved
knowledge and understanding of economic
development in outer metropolitan Perth.
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