Wollongong City Council’s agreement to establish the peak economic body Advantage Wollongong is commended by the Property Council of Australia’s Illawarra Chapter as an innovative move to attract investment to the city centre.
Property Council Illawarra Chapter Chair Geoff Jones said the key to the success of Advantage Wollongong would be the unified voice of Local, State and Federal Government organisations, business groups such as the Illawarra Business Chamber and the Property Council and representatives of the private sector.
“A lot of these organisations coordinate their efforts in many ways but the Advantage model aims to bring them all together with business leaders with the aim to economically benefit Wollongong. If this city can indeed reach its State Government target of attracting 10,000 new jobs then the whole region will gain the rewards,” Mr Jones said.
Mr Jones said the type of success of new business and jobs growth was demonstrated by comparative bodies in Cairns, Townsville and Brisbane, cities that were visited by a council led delegation last year which included a Property Council representative.
“The autonomy of the model organisation while maintaining the involvement and support of government was one of the important factors for these models,” Mr Jones said.
He said Advantage Wollongong’s success would be aided by a clear business plan with targets and timeframes, and by using the strengths of each of the organisations and businesses involved in this body.
“Council is to be commended for coordinating and financially supporting Advantage Wollongong – a modern approach to attracting investment that will hopefully have long term economic gains not just for the city but the entire region,” Mr Jones said.
For more information contact:
Mr Geoff Jones, Illawarra Chapter Chair, Property Council , (02) 4229 5555 or 0418 421074
