ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT QUARTERLY
The opening celebrations for the new $23m
Waltzing Matilda Centre highlighted by Winton’s
Way Out West Fest saw 8,000 visitors come to
Winton. An economic analysis of the event shows
that direct spend in Winton and the region for the
4 days of the Festival totalled $1.898m. Media and
marketing of the event reached over 86 million,
with social media reach in excess of 7.6million. The REAP is Driving Economic Development with
‘Game Changing’ Community Infrastructure in
Regional WA’ by:
Every major television network ran news coverage
on the event with the ABC televising its news
service from Winton and Channel 7 filming
its lifestyle programmes Creek to Coast and
Queensland Weekender from Winton. Economic
analysis estimates media coverage of the event to
be $1.6million.
The event was attended by the Governor General
of Australia and the Premier of Queensland
together with invited guests and dignitaries
including direct descendants of Banjo Paterson.
The Way Out West Fest headlined such artists
as Jessica Mauboy, Living End, John Williamson
as well as USA Country music stars Kip Moore
and Lee Brice. In addition to the headline acts,
free music entertainment was provided to patrons
in each of the Clubs and Licenced premises in
Winton.
• Attraction of large conferences to the City;
• Direct benefits to small businesses through
activation of the City Centre;
• Attraction of touring events to the North West;
• Small businesses hosting community events;
and
• Facilitation of the development of the tourism
industry through conference and event
attraction.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
STRATEGIC THINKING
WINNER
CESSNOCK CITY COUNCIL
Cessnock City Youth First Project and National
Toolkit
FINALIST
CITY OF KARRATHA
Driving Economic Development with ‘Game
Changing’ Community Infrastructure in
Regional WA
The City of Karratha’s vision is to become
Australia’s most liveable regional City. To achieve
this vision, the City must ensure that community
infrastructure meets the needs of the population
now and into the future and that the right
conditions are created to encourage growth in
business and employment opportunities.
The Red Earth Arts Precinct (REAP) was opened
on 28 April 2018 becoming the region’s only
dedicated performing arts centre and is having
a positive impact on the delivery of events and
the performing arts for the local community while
also delivering economic development outcomes.
The precinct is the only facility of its type in the
region, providing a 450+ seat theatre, rooftop
cinema, outdoor amphitheatre and state-of-the-art
library space. Innovative and unique, the REAP is
a focal point for the community, a place to share
our creativity and showcases the City to a wider
audience.
Launch of Cessnock City Youth First Project and National Toolkit
Youth unemployment is a national issue and youth
unemployment in the Hunter Valley (ex-Newcastle)
was rising well above national averages, sitting at
20.6% in November 2015. Cessnock City Council’s
Economic Development Unit (EDU) made the
decision that something had to be done.
The team researched and presented a discussion
paper with an open invitation to attend a Hunter
Valley Youth Unemployment Symposium. More than
100 people from all three levels of government,
industry partners, businesses, agencies and the
community came together to develop a robust
strategy to tackle youth unemployment. As work
turned toward finding innovative solutions, the need
for coordinated inter-agency collaboration was clear.
Seeking local action and driven by results, Council’s
EDU then developed the Cessnock City Youth First
VOL.11 NO.2 2018 | 12