1. Workforce and Population Where are we at?
Gerard Van Emmerik
Manager Community and Economic Development

2. The Case for Taking Action
Clear Population Data
Corowa’s Economic Focus
What Can Council Do
The population and economic data tell us clearly that there needs to be a focus on population attraction.
Council has a clear roles in relation to population attraction but they can only do so much. As a result the Community and Business sector also have a role to play….Council is happy to support them where it is appropriate to do so. That why we were happy to support todays forum.

3. Current Population Figures
Corowa
Howlong
Mulwala
2012
2018
Change (#)
Change %
5772
5486
-236
 4.3%
These changes in population in Corowa are partly as a direct result of the proximity of the smaller towns to larger Centres and the services they provide.
Corowa is seen as a community in its own right whilst Howlong’s population is more likely to seek out work, social and shopping activities in Albury (Population 53,767) and Mulwala’s population is more likely to do so in Yarrawonga (Population 7929 in 2016).
This will change as population and economic factors change.

4. Key Demographics (2016)
There is a decrease in numbers across the first 3 key age groups (0 – 49) which represent the “family” years. These age groups have decreased from 32.2% to 26.7% of the overall population. Reductions in these years have a key impact on the economy
Almost 1 in 3 residents are over 60 which means that whilst they are growing the economy through spending, it means that economic growth from employment will be reduced as residents move to retirement. The over 60’s cohort has increased gone from 27.7% to 31.6% of the population since 2011.

5. Corowa Household Types (2016)
Corowa has
Less couples with children
More couples with no children
Less single parent households
More people living in homes on their own
These figures indicates a reduction in the need for services for families….
It also explains in part why the rental market in Corowa is so tight because there are less people on average in each dwelling

6. Federation Council’s Economy
Federation Council’s GRP (Gross Regional Product) at the end of 2018 financial year was $591m.
This was a fall from the previous year of 3.2% ($610m).
In 2001 the GRP was $710m. A fall of $119m or 16.7% in 18 years
The GRP is a measure of the net wealth of the local economy i.e.…how much the town of Corowa contributed to the region overall
This fall can be arrested by people spending locally in the local community. For this to happen, local businesses need to be meeting local consumer demand.

7. Industry Output by sector
Manufacturing contributes more financally to the economy than Agriculture despite the fact that Agriculture employs 260 more people. This is a reflection of the lower wages paid within the sector
What do all these stats tell us?
They tell us that something needs to be done to arrest the economic and population decline.
The Community, Business sector and Council need to be partners in addressing these issues. Any one sector cant do it alone
A look towards a migrant workforce is one way we can address this issue…but it is not the whole answer

8. What we know is happening
Community
Who is my neighbour group working to attract migrant workers to the area
Community based services being prepared to support and assist migrants when they arrive.
Industry
Rivalea
Employs 1200 people across the business, 400+ locally
Employing staff through 457 / 482 visa program
Sponsoring permanent residency applications
Assisting community assimilation for staff
Staughton Group (Cool Off)
Employs and expect up to 120 new jobs through expansion in Howlong over 12 – 18 months
Already employ a strong Nepalese and South Korean workforce
Rivalea – Vicki Clayton – Recruitment Manager
Staughton Group – Emma Webb – HR Manager
We know that community and industry are doing their bit….and so are we.

9. What is Federation Council Doing?
Population Attraction
Assisting where possible with migration attraction.
Encouraging housing development to ensure suitable housing stock is available
Encouraging retail diversification to address escape expenditure
Supporting a stronger tourism sector
Attract & Support New and Existing Business
Joint project with the Staughton Group to assist expansion
Lease of Airport for Pilot Training enterprise
Development of an Investment Attraction Policy
Sale of Industrial lots (17 in 2018/19)
Sanger Street streetscape review
Awareness / Leverage of Broader Regional Based Business opportunities
Inland Rail ($9.3 billion & 16,000 jobs)
Snowy Hydro 2.0 ($5.1 billion & 2,400 jobs)