RDASI Newsletter - July 2022
CEO Report
We’ve seen some wild weather across the Southern Inland over the last month and it doesn’t look like letting up anytime soon. With winter in full swing, we’ve seen extremely cold temperatures, snow falls and incessant rain battering the region. Some of our wine growers have lost another vintage, and stock are suffering with footrot and other ailments due to the unusually wet season.
Big news for our region is the announcement of the $391.3M State Government investment in the Snowy Mountains Special Activation Precinct. The Master Plan has taken months to finalise, and I’ve been a regular participant in the community engagement sessions during its creation. Providing on the ground intel and listening to community sentiments and concerns, RDASI also provided a written submission as part of the process. It’s been a long journey to get to this stage, and we’re pleased to see the promised level of investment in this very special and completely unique area of our region.
There are some changes taking place with our team this month. Phil Gibson completed his contract at the end of June and I’d like to thank Phil for all he achieved during his time with us. Commencing next week is our recently recruited Events and Communications Officer, Suzie Presswell. This is a new role and Suzie is coming to us from the Wingecarribee Shire Council. Suzie was the best candidate out of a very high calibre of applicants for this role. I wish to congratulate Suzie and we’re looking very forward to having her join our team.
The Connect events in Southern Highlands, Goulburn and Yass Valley have moved to a quarterly timetable with the first ones to commence in September. With winter illness taking hold of many of our communities, we hope that pushing back the events to Spring will see more participants confident to attend.
RDA Southern Inland Southern Highlands Stakeholders Dinner - A Great Success!
RDA Southern Inland's Southern Highlands Stakeholders Dinner held at Southern Highlands Brewing & Taphouse on 23 June was a great success! Almost 50 locals joined us to network and meet the new business support people servicing the Wingecarribee Shire. A big thankyou goes out to Lisa Miscamble for the Council General Manager's update, Jessie Strong from Department of Regional NSW, Andrew Negline from Business Australia and Naomi Smith from The Disability Trust who are all new to their roles in helping regional businesses improve their outcomes. We welcome them and look forward to working with them to create stronger, regional economies and communities.
Have you heard about Grow Our Own?
An extension of the successful program run by RDA Riverina, RDA Southern Inland are working to connect job seekers and school leavers with local careers and training.
The program aims to encourage local businesses to invest in local people through employment, training, mentoring and support for sustainability and success.
Currently being piloted in the Goulburn-Mulwaree LGA, RDASI is seeking to increase alignment between the provision of education and local businesses by building local awareness of local pathways into local industries.
Our workplace excursions will soon be launching with interactive visits planned to Warrigal Care, Tribe Brewery and Divall's Earthmoving. If you are interested in learning more about this program and how it may benefit you, please contact us at workforce@rdasi.org.au.
FREE Workshops: How to Supervise your Apprentice or Trainee
The Department of Education & Training are offering free workshops in our region! Dates are as follows:
26 July 2022 - Goulburn
25 October 2022 - Queanbeyan
Both workshops run 9am - 1pm and you will learn how to help your apprentice or trainee complete their training by learning how to:
• effectively supervise and ‘coach’ apprentices and trainees
• understand the importance of effective communication in the workplace
• understand the relationship with the training provider – arranging training that works for you and your business
• address workplace bullying and harassment issues
Visa Information Sessions
RDA Southern Inland in conjunction with Department of Home Affairs will be holding visa information sessions in Goulburn and Queanbeyan on 11 and 12 August. More information will follow soon so save the date!
Building Better Regions Fund Round 6
With the announcement from the Australian Government that the caretaker period has not finished and the new Ministry announced, an update on the status of Building Better Regions Fund (BBRF) Round 6 is expected in coming weeks.
he BBRF receives hundreds of applications each round and each application is checked for eligibility. Eligible applications are subsequently assessed against the assessment criteria and then reviewed by a Ministerial Panel in consultation with Cabinet.
The status of an applications can be obtained any time through the business online portal https://portal.business.gov.au/ under 'my applications'.
NEW Women's Return to Work Toolkit
The NSW Government has launched a Return to Work Toolkit bringing together a range of resources to help women find reliable information on entering or re-entering the workforce, upskilling or starting a business.
Click here to access the toolkit
Export Market Development Grants Open
Small to medium enterprise exporters are invited to apply for round 2 of the EMDG program, opening on 6 July 2022 and closing on 17 August 2022.
Goulburn Schools Participate in Workplace Excursion
On 22 June, RDA Southern Inland attended the workplace excursion hosted by Divall’s Bulk Haulage, Vacvator and Gunlake Quarries. A total of 52 secondary school students from Goulburn High, Mulwaree High and Trinity Catholic College attended and were presented with career pathways available to them through these local employers. The feedback received was very positive and the kids were engaged and eager to learn more.
Snowy Mountains Master Plan Finalised
The Snowy Mountains master plan has been finalised and released by the NSW Government, along with the announcement that $391.3M will be provided to support the delivery of the Snowy Mountains Special Activation Precinct that will enable the region to become a year-round tourism destination and the alpine capital of Australia.
With the Precinct will now moving into a delivery planning phase, the Department of Planning and Environment and Regional Growth NSW Development Corporation, alongside partner agencies including Snowy Monaro Regional Council and National Parks and Wildlife Service, will prepare and consult on a Jindabyne Catalyst Precinct Delivery Plan, Jindabyne Growth Precinct Development Control Plan and Alpine Precinct Development Control Plan to provide design guidance for development in the Precinct.
Development applications within the three precincts will continue to be assessed under current planning frameworks until the Delivery Plan and/or Development Control Plans are finalised.
Visit the website for further information and to view the master plan
