The Mid North Coast is a country region in the north-east of the state of New South Wales, Australia. The region covers the mid northern coast of the state, beginning from Port Stephens 160 km north of Sydney, and extending as far north as Woolgoolga, 562 km north of Sydney, a distance of roughly 400 km. It also includes the World Heritage Area of Lord Howe Island, about 600km east of Port Macquarie.

The Mid North Coast lies between the Great Divide and the east coast. The landscape is typified by winding rivers that feed lush hinterland, and over one hundred kilometres of pristine beaches. It benefits from a high rainfall and is considered by many to have the most ideal climate in Australia. Taree, Coffs Harbour, Port Macquarie.

Over the last twenty years the NSW Mid North Coast Region has evolved from a coastal retirement and tourist destination with a significant agricultural base - forestry, fishing and farming to a region with a diversified service- based economy.

On a local scale agriculture in the region will provide further opportunity for education of communities on how their food is produced and the challenges facing farmers. This education is important for consumers who might not otherwise understand how their food is produced and the intricacies of the food production chain.

Urban farming is important in promoting the contribution of agriculture to the supply of fresh food, reducing food miles, providing an alternative supply of food and greening an area. Informal production systems such as community gardens, market gardens, orchards, bee keeping, edible streetscapes and verge gardens can be important contributors to food security and amenity and an important means of educating the community.

Southern Cross University’s National Marine Science Centre (NMSC) in Coffs Harbour is a local hub of scientific research for our aquaculture industry.

The location of the NMSC (adjacent to the Solitary Islands Marine Park) is unique in that
it supports an enormous diversity of marine life, owing to the confluence of tropical and temperate water currents. This allows researchers to grow and study a vast range of marine species.

One such species is the sea urchin. While virtually unknown in Australian cuisine, edible sea urchins are highly prized in Japan, China and Korea. The particular sea urchin that we are growing is a species that is also native to Japan and has received the thumbs up from Japanese seafood importers.

Agriculture is a key industry for the Mid North Coast both economically and for the scenic and environmental qualities attributed to the rural lands on which agriculture is undertaken.

The Mid North Coast is richly diverse in agricultural commodities and highly innovative in the processing and development of food and beverage products. The area is particularly important for horticultural activities, beef and dairy farming. Fruit and nut production is the dominant industry, including blueberries, bananas and avocadoes. The Mid North Coast also produces cut flowers and milk.

Blueberries are labour intensive, requiring hand-picking, in turn generating seasonal labour opportunities locally. The OzGroup Co-operative operates a purpose-built packing facility in Woolgoolga and a larger packing facility in Coffs Harbour employing over 30 permanent employees and hundreds of seasonal workers each year.

The Costa Berry is at the forefront of genetic growing and innovation and exports to some of the most demanding markets in the world. They are a major employer with more than 6,000 workers across their growing regions during peak season. Costa also have a close relationship with a number of universities across Australia and offer an extensive formal and informal graduate program and a range of university scholarships.

The Norco milk factory at Raleigh, near Bellingen is dedicated to producing dairy based products including Norco branded milk, cream and custard.

Greenleaf Farm at Clybucca is a large-scale intensive horticulture operation with over 600 greenhouses in vegetable production.

Mayfield Farm produces a variety of free-range meats and eggs, but pork is their primary product. They sell their gourmet produce at the farm gate and through local independent supermarkets, specialty shops and growers’ markets.

The Nambucca River is an exceptional environment for growing Sydney Rock Oysters due to a healthy catchment system that supports good growth, survival, condition and taste.

Prime Water Oysters is a new oyster farm with big ideas. The farm is located in a growing area known as Middle Nambucca, situated midway between the townships of Nambucca Heads and Macksville. It currently holds 600,000 oysters, up to half of which are harvested each season.

Food and Beverage Manufacturing is the largest sub sector of our region’s Manufacturing industry. Add in the Agriculture & Fishing sector, of a comparable size, and it’s clear the food industry is a crucial one for the Mid North Coast.

Food and Beverage Manufacturing has a particularly large flow on effect for the regional economy and for local jobs. Every time a new job is created in Food and Beverage Manufacturing, an additional 2 jobs are spawned in other industries.

Wingham Beef Exports have been processing prime quality beef since 1995, when Japanese company, Nippon Ham Foods, purchased the processing sites at Wingham and Macksville.
With almost 400 workers engaged across the two sites, Wingham Beef Exports is an important part of the local economy.

The Raleigh milk factory near Bellingen is one of two milk factories run by Norco. The factory is dedicated to making dairy based products such as the range of Norco branded white milks, flavoured milks, cream, sour cream and custard. The factory produces 41 million litres of bottled milk every year.

Saxbys is Australia’s oldest family-owned soft drink manufacturer. Saxbys produces its own brands of traditional flavours as well as contract packing for others. In recent years they have added some new styles such as ginger lime and bitters, ginger and pineapple, ginger and cranberry, and fun seasonal styles like toffee apple, snazzberry and grape.

The Nestlé factory at Smithtown still produces the MILO we drink in Australia, as well as exporting to New Zealand. The Smithtown factory also produces a range of other popular Nestlé products, most recently the new NESCAFÉ Café Menu range. Around half of the raw materials used at the factory are still sourced locally, including barley, rice, sugar and milk powder.

Our region is home to a diverse range of population groups, including Aboriginal people, culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) people, refugees, people on low incomes, people living in small, isolated communities, people with disabilities and other minority groups.

Is Australia’s housing crisis self-inflicted? If so, then we need a series of reforms to reverse it
The best long-term solution to the structural problems of the rental crisis is to build more public and/or affordable housing.

Make renting more Sustainable. Increase rent assistance or look at rental caps, similar to countries in Europe and some US states, long term tenancy agreements with incentives for all parties to the agreement.

Build to Rent
The Build to Rent property sector is growing in Australia – this new class of housing is focused on providing high quality purpose designed and built rental stock, creating an additional housing choice for Australian renters with greater security and service.

Build to Rent developments are typically owned by institutional investors for the long term and the owner could be the developer/ongoing building manager. The format provides tenants with the flexibility of renting with the security of home ownership.

Build-to-Rent developments are usually large-scale residential properties specifically designed, built and managed for long-term ownership and rental.

Social Housing
In the 40 years between 1981 and 2021 the percentage of all Australian households living in social housing (i.e. state owned and managed public housing or community managed housing) has ranged from 4.9 per cent in 1981 to 3.8 per cent in 2021. Such a drop in the proportion of social housing raises the question of has Australia achieved the balance right, and also just what is the right level of social housing for Australia?

In 2018 Statistics Canada said 628,700 Canadian households, more than one in ten renter households nationally (13.5% of 4,652,500), were living in social and affordable housing.
In New Zealand, as of 30 June 2021, there were 74,337 public housing households. This equates to 4.0% of households living in social housing.

In England (in 2018) 17% of households (3.9 million) lived in social housing, while the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development publishes that 1.2 million households live in public housing, which is 0.98 per cent of all housing.

Between Nelson Bay and Woolgoolga, the coast is riddled with lakes and shot through with swaths of coastal eucalypt and rainforest, much of it protected in national parks.

The joy here is forsaking the Pacific Hwy for leafy roads that cut across to the coast, taking detours and switching back. What you'll find at the end of the road are wonderfully unpretentious beach towns, basic campgrounds beside dunes and rivers, and miles and miles of lush nothing.

The big towns here are Port Macquarie and Coffs Harbour, which can appear busy and built-up but nevertheless manage to maintain a languid holiday pace.

The Worimi people are the traditional custodians of much of the land in this region and a visit to the Worimi Conservation Lands at Stockton Bight is a beautiful spot to learn about their cultural heritage.

A circular economy is one that exchanges the typical cycle of ‘make, use, dispose’ in favour of maximising re-use and recycling. The longer materials and resources are in use, the more value is extracted from them. The circular economy concept is best, and most often, applied in relation to resource consumption and regeneration.

For the agricultural industry a circular economy presents possibilities for significant efficiencies and input cost reductions through energy generation and smart grid distribution, innovative off-grid energy solutions, recycled water use, and opportunities for renewables and waste solutions.

Dealing with the impacts of climate variability is a challenge for our whole community. We need to prepare for increasing variability in our region’s climate and make ourselves more resilient to extreme weather.

It’s never been more important to get together as a community and help each other manage and bounce back from climate-related challenges.

Based on long-term observations, temperatures in the Murray Murrumbidgee Region have been increasing since about 1950, with higher temperatures experienced in recent decades.

Spring and summer are projected to experience the greatest increases in maximum temperatures, increasing by 2.4°C in the far future. Increased maximum temperatures are known to impact human health through heat stress and increasing the numbers of heatwave events.

Rainfall is projected to decrease in spring and to increase in autumn. Severe and average Forest Fire Danger Index is projected to increase. Severe fire weather for the region is projected to decrease in autumn in the near future.

Managing climate risk is about being ready to adapt to changes. For future generations in Albury and the region to enjoy the quality of life and experiences we currently have, we need to become more resilient to the impacts of climate variability.

This exciting new community venue is dedicated to the presentation of experiences that nurture creativity, connection and curiosity in an accessible and inspiring environment. It is a place where the community of Wodonga, together with visitors to the city, can encounter, discover and connect with ideas, skills and knowledge.

Hyphen features several galleries – Artspace Gallery, Playspace Gallery and Community Gallery – as well as a full library service.

It also features three meeting rooms - the Community Studio overlooking the courtyard suitable for workshops, meetings and presentations, Creative Studio for resident artists, Tech Studio and Sound Studio, and, a Sculpture Terrace.

Murray Art Museum Albury hides one of Albury’s best kept retail secrets! MAMA Store is a showcase of independent Australian designers, local makers and artists, with a spotlight on the Murray region.

Much of the RDA Murray Regions’ economy is driven by agriculture, timber production, viticulture, horticulture, health care, retail, manufacturing, construction and tourism.

Of critical importance to the RDA Murray Region is water availability. The Region is situated on the Murray River and is reliant on the river system for its contribution to production, tourism and liveability.

The Australian nut industry is experiencing its largest expansion in a decade with the farm gate value expected to rise from $1billion in 2018 to $1.7 by 2025. Permanent nut tree infrastructure (including irrigation) and plantings are expanding significantly in the Murray Region

Albury-Wodonga is a vibrant regional centre situated on the border of NSW and Victoria. It is home to a great range of shops, theatre, cafés and restaurants, and just a stone’s throw from snowfields and wine regions.

Thurgoona has received international attention for its environmentally sensitive design and focus on sustainable living. It stretches over 87 hectares including wetlands and has a distinct focus on native flora and fauna, and a herbarium.

The Albury City site includes networked libraries, anatomy and physiology laboratories, and a podiatry clinic.

The Snowy 2.0 - Pumped Hydro Expansion project is an expansion of the existing hydro system, linking two dams and constructing an underground power station between them that will ensure clean affordable energy.

There are two large projects to construct high-capacity electricity interconnectors that will enable greater integration of renewable energy in the National Electricity Market, improve security of electricity supply and reduce costs to business and households.

Balranald has two of the largest solar farm projects in the southern hemisphere underway -
Sunraysia - 255 megawatts, and Limondale - 349 megawatts.

Agriculture is a key industry in the Murray, both economically and for the unique scenic and environmental qualities of the rural lands.

There is a rich diversity of agricultural commodities and highly innovative in the processing and development of food and beverage products. The area is particularly important for broadacre crops, pigs, beef, dairy and wool production.

The Mediterranean climate, reliable high-quality water supplies, mostly flat ground and well-drained soils provide important agricultural lands suitable for cropping, horticulture and grazing.

Water trading has driven water into higher value irrigated businesses and environmental water recovery has reduced water availability throughout the Murray Darling Basin.

Challenges for agriculture are connected to climate change, commodity prices and in some areas, land use conflict and right to farm.

Is Australia’s housing crisis self-inflicted? If so, then we need a series of reforms to reverse it
The best long-term solution to the structural problems of the rental crisis is to build more public and/or affordable housing.

Make renting more Sustainable. Increase rent assistance or look at rental caps, similar to countries in Europe and some US states, long term tenancy agreements with incentives for all parties to the agreement.

Build to Rent
The Build to Rent property sector is growing in Australia – this new class of housing is focused on providing high quality purpose designed and built rental stock, creating an additional housing choice for Australian renters with greater security and service.

Build to Rent developments are typically owned by institutional investors for the long term and the owner could be the developer/ongoing building manager. The format provides tenants with the flexibility of renting with the security of home ownership.

Build-to-Rent developments are usually large-scale residential properties specifically designed, built and managed for long-term ownership and rental.

Social Housing
In the 40 years between 1981 and 2021 the percentage of all Australian households living in social housing (i.e. state owned and managed public housing or community managed housing) has ranged from 4.9 per cent in 1981 to 3.8 per cent in 2021. Such a drop in the proportion of social housing raises the question of has Australia achieved the balance right, and also just what is the right level of social housing for Australia?

In 2018 Statistics Canada said 628,700 Canadian households, more than one in ten renter households nationally (13.5% of 4,652,500), were living in social and affordable housing.
In New Zealand, as of 30 June 2021, there were 74,337 public housing households. This equates to 4.0% of households living in social housing.

In England (in 2018) 17% of households (3.9 million) lived in social housing, while the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development publishes that 1.2 million households live in public housing, which is 0.98 per cent of all housing.

The Defence Riverina Murray Alliance (DMRA) is a regional network of government, partner organisations and industry operating throughout the Riverina Murray regions of NSW.

Although Defence facilities in the Murray Riverina are predominantly centred around Wagga Wagga, there is a strong industry base in the Albury Wodonga region in advanced manufacturing, communications and technologies. Defence industry in the Murray Riverina is focused on military training, specialised contract engineering, propellant and military explosive manufacturing and includes design, engineering remote control systems and munitions disposal.

Defence investment is already one of the drivers of employment and economic growth in many regional centres. The defence industry is a major employer and attractor of skilled workers in regional NSW and the local economy also benefits from the movement of skilled workers out of Defence and defence industries into local education and technology-dependent sectors.

The Murray region is home to the winding Murray River and its waterways, Lake Hume - six times larger than Sydney Harbour, an array of food, cultural icons, contemporary museums, linkages to our migrant history, our indigenous people and with secret resting spots around every corner.

New South Wales is transitioning to a circular economy over the next 20 years. This means we will minimise what we throw away and use and reuse our resources efficiently, making them as productive as possible. We will end up with less waste, less emissions, less harm to our environment and more jobs. The move will boost innovation and help drive our economy.

Advanced Manufacturing in the region is largely based around food and agricultural products processing. But there is a growing ICT industry in the region focused on software and hardware development in support of agriculture.

Australia’s economy is becoming more dependent on ideas and problem-solving, with the largest increase in jobs in Australia being those that require higher-level qualifications.

The transition towards a ‘knowledge economy’ has been driven by globalisation and a re-organisation of business, with enterprises and individuals becoming specialised through the outsourcing of non-core business functions assisted by the use of new and constantly evolving digital technologies.

Armidale Regional Council declared a Climate Emergency at the Ordinary Council Meeting on 23 October 2019.

A report - A Framework for Climate Action - was subsequently prepared by a working group of the Environment and Sustainability Advisory Group, the Climate Emergency Working Group.
The report provides recommendations on current initiatives and additional future actions that may be undertaken in the short, medium and long term.

These include:
1. Reduce greenhouse emissions aiming, by 2030, for no additional contribution from our region to the global temperature rise;
2. Adapt to current and anticipated climate change impacts;
3. Reduce atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases, e.g. Sequester and store carbon in trees and soils.
The Climate Emergency Working Group (CEWG) was formed in March 2020 and an Interim report was provided to Council in April 2020 with their final report A Framework for Climate Action (PDF 856.3KB) tabled at the ESAC meeting on 10 August and as part of the committee minutes at the Ordinary Council Meeting on the 19 August 2020.
A $60,000 budget allocation in alignment to the Community Strategic Plan and Delivery Program was provided in the 2020/21 budget. Any further initiatives identified in the report developed by CEWG would need to be considered by Council and funding allocated in future budgets. The final funding split has been allocated to:
• Solar panels at Monckton Aquatic Centre; community education and risk analysis on outcome of climate change