By BRIDGET COOK
WHAT do the numbers 3, 70, 2600 and 156,000 all have common?
They are the main figures that the City of Casey and Cardinia Shire will be throwing at potential investors over the coming years to encourage them to bring their business to the region.
A new framework was launched on Tuesday night that will see the two councils partnering in a new initiative to attract businesses to invest in the two municipalities.
What do those numbers mean?
The Casey-Cardinia region is the third fastest growth area in Australia, with 50,000 people moving in between 2006 and 2011.
About 70 per cent of the local population leave the area for work, meaning more local jobs are required.
The region has more than 2600 hectares of employment lands ready for development.
There is also a large residential labour pool of 156,000 people for possible employment with specialist skills in advanced manufacturing, logistics, healthcare and education.
The key focus of the Casey Cardinia investment attraction framework is to increase the number of jobs in the area, so that fewer residents will need to leave the region for work.
The councils are working together on a package to encourage a diverse range of new businesses to move into the area, with a focus on food production, processing and manufacturing as well as machinery and equipment manufacturing, transport and logistics, professional and business services and healthcare and community services.
Cardinia Shire economic development coordinator Andrew Pomeroy said 370 businesses had already been highlighted to them as potential investors and they would touch base with them.
“We also encourage businesses to talk to us if you have a business you’d like us to approach,” he said.
City of Casey manager economic development David Wilkinson said the partnership was all about creating jobs.
“Areas with low self-containment tend to become dormitory suburbs,” he said.
“Huge concern we have across Casey and Cardinia is it being a place people come to live but then go to work somewhere else.
“This is all about changing the lack of time we get to spend with our families as we are too busy travelling to and from work every day.
“It’s about allowing people time to get involved with local sporting clubs and groups and spending money within the community.”
A number of tasks are priorities for the partnership including establishing branding and a website that markets the Casey Cardinia region as a great place to invest, developing an economic strategy for the region and creating a prospectus for potential investors.
The councils will also be appointing local business ambassadors to help promote the region.
Both councils signed on to the framework in early April and the partnership will continue for a minimum of three years.
City of Casey mayor Amanda Stapledon welcomed the initiative saying it was vital that more jobs were created for residents of the Casey Cardinia region.
“Seventy per cent of working residents in the Casey Cardinia region currently travel outside the region to work, so one of the biggest challenges that our councils face is attracting new local investment and employment opportunities,” she said.
Cardinia Shire mayor Brett Owen said the framework would have a positive impact on residents and businesses in both municipalities.
“The growth corridor in the Cardinia Shire and Casey region is a fantastic area in which to do business,” he said.
“This initiative is about clearly communicating this message to the business community and fostering an environment that will encourage enterprises to set up shop here.”
