$60 MILLION TO BOOST RAIL FREIGHT FOR THE NSW FOOD BOWL

Left to Right: Member for Murray Austin Evans, NSW Minister for Roads, Maritime and Freight Melinda Pavey, Junee mayor Neil Smith and Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke.

Photo: Anthony Stipo

Over $60.4 million is being invested into the Junee to Griffith Line upgrade to improve efficiency for freight carriers and reduce costs for producers and consumers as part of the Fixing Country Rail Program.

In Leeton today, Member for Roads, Maritime and Freight Melinda Pavey said the upgrade of 174 kilometres of the Junee to Griffith line will allow heavier trains carrying up to 25 tonne axle loads to use this track.

“The increased axle loads will mean line speeds will increase from 50km/h to 80km/h,” Mrs Pavey said.

“This will cut delivery times, allow more goods to be transported by rail and reduce costs for producers and consumers.”

Member for Murray Austin Evans said the project upgrades include improving passing loops and sidings, renewing level crossings and strengthening bridge structures.

“This work will remove trucks from our roads, shifting more than 200,000 tonnes of freight onto the rail network,” Mr Evans said.  

Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke said the project would enable rail freight operators to use heavier locomotives to operate without a fuel carrying limitation.

“It’s just sensible investment, so producers and businesses in the Riverina will benefit from a more efficient and lower cost logistics chain, improving their domestic and international competitiveness, as well as create benefits to our consumers at the till of their local supermarkets” Mrs Cooke said.

Fixing Country Rail Program aims to relieve bottlenecks by upgrading parts of the regional rail network which are constraining effective freight movement

“This is a great win for the communities in the Riverina. Our roads will be much safer and will also mean capacity to expand our freight industry,” Mr Evans said.

Mrs Cooke said the economic growth in areas like the Riverina relies on food, produce and raw materials, which feed and power NSW, being able to move to market efficiently.

Jobs Riverina Launched

RDA Riverina has invested in a new employment platform to provide free access for potential job seekers and employers in the Riverina.

The platform – Jobs Riverina (www.jobsriverina.com.au) – is a one-stop-portal allowing job seekers to easily find work opportunities and apply online. It also gives employers a cost-free way to expand their recruitment activities to an audience specifically interested in working in the region.

To visit the Jobs Riverina website, click here.

Trade Mission to Singapore

Smart Cities and Suburbs Round 2

The $50 million competitive Smart Cities and Suburbs Program was announced as part of the 2016 election campaign. The program will support projects that apply innovative technology-based solutions to urban challenges. The program encourages local government agencies and bodies to deliver collaborative smart city projects that improve the liveability, productivity and sustainability of Australian cities, suburbs and towns. There is approximately $22 million in total funding for this round.

• The minimum grant amount is $250,000.
• The maximum grant amount is $5 million
• The grant amount will be up to 50 per cent of eligible project costs.
• You must complete your project by 30 June 2020.

To learn more, visit the program homepage here.

Workforce Futures Development Forum

RDA Riverina, along with Griffith City Council are running a forum for Development Officers and interested parties around the future of our regions workforce.

Where: Rural Fire Servies, Wakaden St, Griffith

When: Thursday, 10th May starting at 9:30am

For further information, download the agenda for the even here.

CSU Community-University Partnership Community Grant Program

Charles Sturt University Community-University Partnerships Community Grant program has been announced.

The CUP Community Grants program represents an investment in community-university partnerships.

The goal of the program is to support the development of our regions through contributions to cultural, economic, sporting and related activities and build higher education aspiration and awareness particularly among young people in rural and regional communities.

Taste Riverina: New Year-Round Format

Visitors and locals can now enjoy the best of Riverina produce any time of year with Taste Riverina being transformed into a 12-month calendar of food and wine events across the region. Formerly a month-long festival in October only, the new year-round format kicked off on Sunday 8th April at the Piccolo Family Farm’s Autumn Festival. The event featured locally sourced food including organic rice, locally made salami and smoked meats, as well as local Murray Cod and cheese from Coolamon. Even the entertainment was homegrown with the soulful Ben Ceccato, local legends Malikah and the smooth Zac Robertson Band.

“Taste Riverina has been so successful that we’ve decided to extend it to a year-round celebration of the region’s remarkable produce. This opens the doors for seasonal events and experiences at any time of the year,” said Mr Craig Sinclair, Chair of the Taste Riverina committee.

“This exciting development means that operators and organisations across the Riverina that want to be included in the Taste Riverina calendar can register their event now or at any time that suits them,” said Mr Sinclair.

“The one thing that remains the same is our commitment to Riverina grown and made produce. Wherever you see the Taste Riverina logo, you can be assured that the event serves local produce almost exclusively,” said Mr Sinclair.

Over the past three years, the award-winning Taste Riverina Festival has brought a total of 110,673 visitors and $4.57 million in revenue to the Riverina, during October. 

Drought Transport Loan Announced

The NSW Rural Assistance recently announced new drought transport loan through their Drought Transport Fund.

Low-interest loans of up to $20,000 to cover 100% of costs (GST exclusive) to transport stock, fodder, or water to/from drought affected properties.

The first two years of a 7 year loan are interest and repayment free.

More details about submission and to apply please refer to the website .

Snowy Hydro 2.0 - Lobs Hole Tourist Evaluation

If you are a regular visitor to Kosciusko National Park, and would like to have your say, follow the link below:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/VLPJJQC

Destination Riverina Murray NSW Event Development Workshops - EOI

Regional Development Australia - Riverina is calling for expressions of interest from young people residing in RDA Riverina rural communities to attend the Destination Riverina Murray NSW Event Development Workshops.

Destination Riverina Murray has partnered with regional tourism and marketing consultant Krista Hauritz to deliver workshops in Griffith, Wagga and Albury. This series of Event Development Workshops is designed to expand the knowledge and skills of event owners and organising committees in the Riverina Murray.
RDA-Riverina is proud to announce its support for the 2018 Event Development Program and is now calling for expressions of interest from young people working and residing in RDA Riverina region aged 18 – 35yrs to be involved in this year’s event.
Eligible RDA Riverina Local Government Areas are:
Bland, Carrathool, Coolamon, Griffith, Cootamundra Gundagai, Hay, Junee, Leeton, Lockhart, Murrumbidgee, Narrandera, Snowy Valleys, Temora, and Wagga Wagga.
RDA-Riverina is a strong advocate for youth leadership. This year RDA-Riverina is offering to sponsor four delegates in total – 2 delegates to attend the 2018 Event Development Workshop held in Griffith and 2 delegates to attend workshop in Wagga.
This program is designed to provide you with the skills required to:

• Develop a business and strategic plan
• Successfully apply for grants and funding
• Become an expert on cost effective event marketing
• Measure event impact and success

 The RDA-Riverina offer will cover:

• workshop registration fees
• travel expenses (ATO reimbursement rate/km)
• accommodation

For more information about 2018 Event Development Workshops visit:
 

New Format for Taste Riverina

Visitors and locals can now enjoy the best of Riverina produce any time of year with Taste Riverina being transformed in to a 12-month calendar of delicious food and wine events across the region. Formerly a month-long festival in October only, the new year round format will kick off on Sunday 8th April at the Piccolo Family Farm’s Autumn Festival.

“Taste Riverina has been so successful that we’ve decided to extend it to a year-round celebration of the region’s remarkable produce. This opens the doors for seasonal events and experiences at any time of the year,” said Mr Craig Sinclair, Chair of the Taste Riverina committee.

“This exciting development means that operators and organisations across the Riverina that want to be included in the Taste Riverina calendar can register their event now or at any time that suits them,” said Mr Sinclair.

“The one thing that remains the same is our commitment to Riverina grown and made produce.
Wherever you see the Taste Riverina logo, you can be assured that the event serves local produce almost exclusively,” said Mr Sinclair.

The Autumn Festival on Sunday 8th April will be the official launch of the new Taste Riverina format. Hosted by Piccolo Family Farm, the event features locally sourced food including organic rice, locally made salami and smoked meats, as well as local Murray Cod and cheese from Coolamon. Even the entertainment is homegrown with the soulful Ben Ceccato, local legends Malikah and the smooth Zac Robertson Band.

Over the past three years alone, the award-winning Taste Riverina Festival has brought a total of 110,673 visitors and $4.57 million in revenue to the Riverina, during October. With this new year-round format, those positive results are set to continue.

For more information about registering an event or to purchase tickets for the Autumn Festival, visit tasteriverina.com.au.

Destination Riverina Murray launches Riverina Destination Management Plan

The Riverina Murray Destination Management Plan (DMP) is a new document, released by Destination Riverina Murray (DRM). The DMP is designed to guide and assist DRM in their ongoing efforts to stimulate growth in the regions visitor economic sector.

Destination Riverina Murray was established by the NSW Government in 2017. Their key objective is to drive the growth of the region’s visitor economy. The region Covered by Destination Riverina Murray includes; Outback Riverina, Central Murray, Albury-Hume, Snowy Valleys, Eastern Riverina, and Western Riverina.

The DMP has five key outcomes which are all built around DRM’s core objective of boosting the regions visitor economy. These five outcomes include:

Strategic Development Themes which provide a framework for the identification of development opportunities across the region.

Priority Projects that will be a catalyst for driving increased visitation to the region.

A suite of Destination Development Opportunities.

Consideration of Strategic Cross-Border Projects which will have an impact on both sides of the river.

A number of Regional Positioning Projects which aim to strengthen the Riverina Murray region.

The full report is available for download here.

For further details about Destination Riverina Murray, visit the Destination NSW website.

RDA Riverina Annual Report 2016/17 released

RDA Riverina have released their annual report for 2016/17.  Highlights of the report include Message from the outgoing Chair Diana Gibbs, Riverina population and statistics, Case Studies on Majors Mulch, Limone, Piccolo Family Farm, Courabyra Wines, Building Better Regions funded projects, Snowy Valleys Tourism, Grow Our Own, Vetafarm and introducing RDA Riverina’s Workforce Development Plan.

New solar pumping checklist to help irrigators get the best value from solar

NSW Farmers, in conjunction with Riverina and Murray Regional Development Australia, has released a detailed checklist for anyone considering installing a grid-connected or diesel hybrid solar pumping system. 

Solar-PV-powered pumping systems use solar energy when the sun is shining, and can be coupled with grid-connected or diesel generated power at other times to ensure reliable, cost effective power for the duration of the pumping season.

Significant energy savings can be made if this solution is adopted. But before investing in a solar-PV powered pumping system, it’s smart to do your homework.

The new checklist, devised by NSW Farmers and various experts in the field, helps ensure you’ve ticked all the important boxes before opening your wallet.

The checklists build on the resources for irrigation and stock and domestic solutions previously developed by NSWFA in collaboration with the NSW government as part of the Solar Powered Pumping Initiative. The initiative involved research into a range of renewable technologies and the practical factors involved in selecting and installing solutions. A technical guide to installing solar for irrigation, quick reference solarpumping system brochures and a range of case studies are available. The NSWFA team are now seeking to advance a second stage of the project as a national program in collaboration with National Irrigators Council.

NSW Farmers advises that irrigators and installers use the new checklist as a reference “to ensure you’ve done the basic groundwork, checked warranties, asked the right questions, and can compare quotes from solar pumping businesses on a like for like basis”.

Download your checklist now – 

• Grid Connected Solar Pumping Systems: A checklist for solar irrigation quotes
• Solar Diesel Hybrid Pumping Systems: A checklist for solar irrigation quotes

For more information on solar pumping in agriculture, visit the Solar Powered Pumping Initiative on AgInnovators at www.aginnovators.org.au/project/solar-powered-pumping-initiative

Regional Growth Fund

The Regional Growth Fund is a $272.2 million investment program to provide grants of $10 million or more for major transformational projects, which support long term economic growth and create jobs in regions, including those undergoing structural adjustment. 

The Australian Government’s grant funding, through this Program, is expected to leverage investment from the private sector, not-for-profit organisations and other levels of government in the region. 

The expected outcomes of the Program are to: 

• create jobs
• drive economic growth
• build stronger regional communities. 

Click here to download the Fact Sheet and the Presentation

Thrive Riverina 1st Board Meeting for 2018

Our Director of Regional Development and CEO Rachel Whiting has joined the Board of Thrive Riverina.

Thrive Riverina (formerly known as Riverina Regional Tourism) is the local tourism organisation for the Riverina. Working in collaboration with Destination Riverina Murray, Thrive Riverina's purpose is to be a marketing collective for the visitor economy in the Riverina aimed at 'experience enthusiasts'.

The first Board meeting for 2018 was held in West Wyalong on the 20th February.  Pictured here is the Thrive Board and staff Feb 2018.

Left to right: Articulate Pear Tourism Officer Oumi Karenga-Hewitt, Board Members Luke Piccolo, Sara Morley, Craig Sinclair (President), Michael Harper, Rachel Whiting, Jennifer Connor, Brent Lawrence and Paige Campbell.

http://www.riverinatourism.com.au/about-rrt.aspx

Regional communities deserve better

RDA Riverina reaffirms its support of the Murray Darling Basin Plan following a Disallowance Motion passed in the Senate last week.

Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young moved a Disallowance Motion to overturn recommendations by the Murray Darling Basin Authority to reduce by 70 gigalitres the water recovery target for the Northern Basin within the Murray Darling Basin Plan (MDPB). The Motion passed with the support of the Labor Party and some of the cross-bench.

Despite this Disallowance Motion, RDA Riverina has pledged its support for the plan as the correct long-term option for the region.

“There is no factual basis for the Disallowance Motion,” Director of Regional Development and CEO Rachel Whiting said.

“When the Basin Plan became law with bipartisan support in November 2012, it contained a requirement for a Northern Basin Review. The outcome of this review was a recommendation that the recovery target should be reduced by 70 gigalitres to reduce unacceptable socio-economic impacts at a ‘cost’ of very slightly reduced environmental outcomes.

“This was triple bottom line thinking in action, all within the Plan's overall objective of creating a ‘Healthy, Working Basin’.  It is not correct to say 70 gigalitres is being taken away from the environment. Water use is being rebalanced to deliver more water to the environment, and the Northern Basin Review did exactly what was originally proposed, by adjusting the recovery target in the light of the best available information. 

“There is no basis for saying that this recovery reduction rewards bad behaviour by irrigators. The fraudulent use of water by certain irrigators who just happen to be in the Northern Basin is a matter for the states, to ensure compliance with existing regulation, and is nothing to do with the Plan.”

Ms Whiting said the impacts of NSW withdrawing from the Plan are unclear, and would certainly reduce levels of confidence and certainty for our community, as well as putting future funding from the Australian Government in doubt.

“While we acknowledge there has been some pain involved in the adjustment and rebalancing process, the Plan has been and will be beneficial to the Riverina community overall. There is no doubt the Plan has delivered certainty to the Riverina region, as witnessed by the levels of investment made in the Riverina over the past five years." 

“Change is not easy, but the Plan is a long-term strategy that will deliver a highly productive and efficient irrigation industry, with an effective water market. Investment based on this new ‘business as usual’ will deliver jobs and growth for the Riverina.

“To now cast doubt on the future of the Plan is not helpful. Playing political games with the future of our people must stop. Our regional communities deserve better.”

RDA Riverina hosts PNG dignitary

RDA Riverina hosted The Hon Dr Willian Tongamp MP, Governor of Jiwaka, Papua New Guinea, during his trip to Wagga Wagga on Wednesday 14 February.

A former academic and mining engineer, Dr Tongamp is leader of the People’s Party and is presently serving his second term as Governor of Jiwaka.

Director of Regional Development and CEO Rachel Whiting said discussions during the visit were wide ranging.

“RDA Riverina presented Dr Tongamp with our Riverina Regional Profile and our Horticulture Skills Study.  We also discussed how the Country Change campaign works to encourage people to move to the Riverina and our work with Skilled Migration. 

“As well as agriculture, Dr Tongamp is interested in how different levels of government work together, early childhood and primary education, women’s programs for remote areas and distance education. He is also interested in getting skilled workers to his region.”

As part of the visit, Governor Tongamp also met with representatives from the Graham Centre, Charles Sturt University CSU Agriculture academics, The Riverina Anglican College and Wagga Wagga City Council Mayor, Cr Greg Conkey.

Profile Provides Snapshot of the Region

With a focus on facilitating the growth and prosperity of the region, RDA Riverina has produced a Regional Profile to help local government, industry, small business and community groups better understand the region in which they operate.

The Regional Profile includes population, demographic, employment, industry, tourism and housing information presented in an easy-to-read format.

As RDA Riverina Director of Regional Development and CEO Rachel Whiting explains, the Regional Profile was compiled from a range of sources including REMPLAN, ABS Census data, .id Forecast and Destination NSW.

“RDA Riverina sees enormous value in supplying up-to-date information for local government, industry, business and community groups to enable them to better understand the region they work in and for use in business planning, tenders, grant applications, proposals and capability statements. 

“This information will also assist regional entrepreneurs and emerging business leaders to explore new opportunities to grow local jobs in the region by focusing on their competitive advantage.”

The Report includes statistics such as:

• Population forecast: the region’s population is expected to grow by 14.5% from 2018, reaching 187,500 by 2036
• Industry information: the total output generated by the Riverina’s economy in 2016 was estimated at $21.678 billion, with Manufacturing and Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing the two key drivers of the economy
• Tourism data: visitor numbers increased by 12.1% in 2016-17, with visitor expenditure increasing by 11.4% to $661 million

Member for Riverina Michael McCormack said the Regional Profile provides a single point for people to easily access important information.

“The statistics collated by RDA Riverina give organisations and businesses in the region vital knowledge to apply best-practice solutions to localised issues," Mr McCormack said.

“I commend the work the RDA Riverina team does to help better understand the part of the world in which we live.”

While the Regional Report provides a snapshot, RDA Riverina can also provide more specialised data for individual entities on a fee-for-service basis, such as investment impact analysis, cementing its value as the go-place for regional data and investment information.

Families make a Country Change

When Andre and Keryl De Hann moved to Coolamon with their young family, it was a big change from the lives they had in Sydney – and they couldn’t be happier.

Andre and Keryl, owners of Sweet Briar B&B, share their story as part of a new campaign promoting the Riverina as the ideal place to make a Country Change.

“We came to Coolamon to visit a friend and moved here. We accidentally walked into Sweet Briar and we just jumped in boots and all,” Andre said.

“Coolamon is a great place. We get to be a lot more involved in the boys’ lives and it’s just been easier to connect in everyday life. It’s not separate; I’m not going off to work and only seeing them in the evening.”

An initiative of Regional Development Australia (RDA) Riverina, the Country Change campaign is jointly funded by RDA partnering with 10 regional councils and is supported by the NSW State Government’s Regional Growth – Marketing and Promotion Fund.

Click here for the full media release