Submission: The operation, effectiveness and consequences of the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability [Location of Corporate Commonwealth Entities] Order 2016.

Regional Development Australia Whyalla and Eyre Peninsula (RDAWEP) and the Eyre Peninsula Local Government Association (EPLGA) are contributing to the Federal Government’s enquiry into the location of Australian Government Agencies.

RDAWEP is the lead agency for driving economic, business, tourism and workforce development in the Whyalla and Eyre Peninsula region, whose mission is to facilitate the achievement of sustainable development outcomes and promote the region as a quality destination to live, work, invest and visit.

The EPLGA is a subsidiary under the Local Government Act, established to represent its 11 Member Councils, working closely with the Local Government Association (LGA) to be a strong voice and forum for the delivery of community services across Eyre Peninsula.

Placement of government employees into the region can protect and grow the existing economy and stimulate new economic opportunities and exports.  In addition, placement of government employees within the region will lift the effectiveness of those employees to government and the community and create long term budget savings.

Improvements to the way the Australian and South Australian Governments conduct business with each other, Local Government, industry and community can be affected by decentralising control of planning, policies and activities connected to every day regional issues.

Many government agencies relevant to fishing and aquaculture, agriculture, health, aged care, energy, education, defence, transport, etc., are ideally suited to fit very comfortably into the Whyalla and Eyre Peninsula region.

Cost effective joint regional governance can be supported to efficiently align planning and strategic objectives between the three tiers of government and industry to create direct lines of investment and funding into the region. This can positively affect the way the Australian Government and South Australian Government currently conduct business with each other, Local Government, industry and community. Essentially more jobs and industry investment can be created.

There is a long term policy imbalance directing excessive public and private project funding towards projects [primarily passenger transport related], aimed at propping up failure in functionality of capital cities and connecting residents to workplaces rather than growing a sustainable national economy. Reference to Infrastructure Australia’s priority list supports this statement. Greater than seventy percent (>70%) of the current High Priority Projects list is addressing urban congestion. Only two of the eighteen High Priority and Priority Projects, a miserly 11%, are classified as Opportunity for Growth.

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