Following the Merimbula Town Summit in February, organised by the Merimbula Chamber of Commerce, there are plans to present the findings to council and then to hold a meeting with those people who agreed to be part of the leadership group.
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President of the Merimbula Chamber of Commerce Nigel Ayling said the leadership group could then start work on the 10 point plan.
The summit brought together a wide range of stakeholders to discuss the issues facing the town, to prioritise them and come up with a plan for it's future.
The report covers an extensive look at key issues, and culminated in a 10 point plan, which the chamber wants to take forward with the support of all levels of government.
Read also: Merimbula to hold town summit
Mr Ayling said now the report had been finalised, the chamber would be calling for those people who put their hand up to be part of the leadership group to come together.
"The summit was timely and was followed by the release of a paper launched by the National Farmers Federation focusing on Regionalisation. The paper quotes 'Regional Australia has a one in 100-year opportunity to set the agenda for what is needed to achieve a brighter and more prosperous future for the bush' (and regional areas)," Mr Ayling said.
"The NFF-led regionalisation agenda proposes more than a repeat of the tired thinking of relocating city jobs to regional areas. It charts a vision for regional Australia where regional economic activity and jobs are designed to thrive in the unique economic and geographical conditions of that region," he said.
Member for Eden-Monaro Kristy McBain also made a speech recently to Parliament saying that the time was now for regionalisation.
She said the federal government could and should be playing the leadership role in the development of our regions.
"The summit was another powerful example of the leadership, unity, and cooperation that is so critical to our future. Working together - following the example set in Merimbula - let's develop a renewal plan for Australian that starts in our regions," Ms McBain, who attended the town summit, said.
Mr Ayling said the summit was a great success, but now it needed to be followed up with actions.
"We had all levels of government show their support at the event, but now they need to get behind the community's wishes and come to the party with funding and commitments that will enable regional communities like ours to prosper."
"Whilst the area has been plagued with a number of disasters over the last two years, it has also suffered from lack on investment and planning for decades. It's time to start investing in to our regions and plan for sustainable growth in to the future", he said.
"The chamber is planning to hold a Sea Change Expo later in the year to attract people to move to the area, so we need to show them that there is a strong future for them here," Mr Ayling said.
The 10 point plan covers
Revitalisation of the CBD
Events and activations
Transport and Accessibility
Signage
Branding and Identity
Retaining Youth
Housing and Accommodation
Business Collaboration
Merimbula Lake Foreshore Activation
Establishing a leadership group
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