Let’s work it out for the future

THE City of Casey is working to improve longterm employment opportunities for its residents and has developed a business attraction policy.
Casey has a low level of unemployment and the municipality is generally in a comfort zone, but this needs to be protected.
Casey mayor Neil Lucas said the policy was a big step forward in consolidating Casey’s status as one of Australia’s largest and fastestgrowing municipalities.
He said the policy aimed at attracting business investment so that Casey’s growing workforce would have the best possible access to high quality employment and careerdevelopment opportunities.
“We consider this policy a key driver in attracting further business and maintaining steady growth in the City of Casey,” he said.
I am told the new policy has five objectives that complement the council’s existing commitment to business training, business networks and the homebased business sector.
These are to increase the supply of serviced land for business, promote Casey as a business investment place, encourage investment by existing Casey businesses, secure a government commitment to business development in Casey and to not disadvantage business through rates and other charges.
The final point is something for the Casey Rates Review Committee to evaluate. This is more important than many people realise and a move that should be welcomed.
Casey and the emerging Cardinia Shire are basically dormitory municipalities where people need to seek work across their borders.
This means more travel, more pressure on roads and more personal stress while less travelling means more quality time at home for families.
My view is that the idea needs to be taken a step further with more involvement between the council and business groups in both Cardinia and Casey.
Networking groups are working reasonably well and provide small business people with a means of trading with each other, but I wonder how many really do.
However, Casey Business Development Group (CBDG) longserving member Sjaak Kusters said they traded lots among themselves. The CBDG started out several years ago with high hopes similar to what Casey now plans, but needed more resources.
The Cardinia Business Development Group also has a solid history.
Monash University has its own business networking group, and a group across Cardinia and Casey, Women Making it Work, is well on the way to becoming a solid entity.
But there needs to be an overarching representative body working with both Casey and Cardinia to bring the work of these groups together.
The Berwick Chamber of Commerce is fired up, and while in its own words some of its ideas are a ‘bit of a gamble’, so what if the group is keen and active.
The chamber is bringing people into the village and that’s what it is all about.
If bringing people into a village can work then why can’t bringing big business into the two municipalities work?
Another step for the City of Casey and Shire of Cardinia would be to create a base for the business groups in the wider area to meet at highlevel seminars at least once a year.
Many people doing business in the area already have significant contacts throughout the world and they could provide a pathway to big things.
Large employers will come to the southeast if they are asked, provided the councils provide them with an attractive base.