Contents
Introduction
Regions by WRRG and councils
SV contacts for regions (December 2014)
Acronyms
Map: Strategic Cordinators and WRRG's
Hume
Regional features
Key facts
Demography
Political context
Regional priorities
Economic profile
Funded sustainability project examples
SWOT analysis
Further reading
Sustainability Victoria
Level 28, Urban Workshop
50 Lonsdale Street Melbourne 3000
T 1300 363 744
E
sustainability.vic.gov.au
© Sustainability Victoria 2014
Printed on 100% recycled paper
Disclaimer
Information in this document is current as at February 2014. While all professional care has been taken in preparing this document, Sustainability Victoria accepts no liability for loss or damages incurred as a result of reliance placed upon its content.
Introduction
This document provides a snapshot of the Hume region. It is not an exhaustive compilation of regional information, but instead focuses on information that is considered relevant to SV’s priority outcomes in integrated waste management and resource efficiency.
It has been produced by SV’s Strategic Coordinator based in the region. Information has been drawn from plans and strategies, including regional strategic plans andgrowth plans, and other documents, as well as discussions with key regional personnel.
This document aims to assist SV staff to understand regional conditions so that SV and our stakeholders (e.g. Waste and Resource Recovery Groups) can
•Work more effectively across the portfolio
•Design and develop relevant programs and projects
•Prepare their business plans.
Regions by RWMG and councils
Region
/WRRG and Executive Officer
/LGA/councils
Barwon South West / Barwon WRRGEO Sandra McClelland / Colac Otway Shire Council
Greater Geelong City Council
Queenscliffe Borough Council
Surf Coast Shire Council
Corangamite Shire Council
Glenelg Shire Council
Moyne Shire Council
Southern Grampians Shire Council
Warrnambool City Council
Gippsland / Gippsland WRRG
EO Mathew Peake / Bass Coast Shire Council
Baw Baw Shire Council
East Gippsland Shire Council
Latrobe City Council
South Gippsland Shire Council
Wellington Shire Council
Grampians / Grampians Central West WRRG
EO Philip Clingin / Hindmarsh Shire Council
West Wimmera Shire Council
Ararat Rural City Council
Horsham Rural City Council
Northern Grampians Shire Council
Yarriambiack Shire Council
Ballarat City Council
Central Goldfields Shire Council
Golden Plains Shire Council
Hepburn Shire Council
Moorabool Shire Council
Pyrenees Shire Council
Hume / Goulburn Valley WRRG
EO Nick Nagle / Campaspe Shire Council
Greater Shepparton City Council
Mitchell Shire Council
Moira Shire Council
Murrindindi Shire Council
Strathbogie Shire Council
North East WRRG
EOBrooke Hermans / Alpine Shire Council
Benalla Rural City Council
Indigo Shire Council
Mansfield Shire Council
Towong Shire Council
Wangaratta Rural City Council
Wodonga Rural City Council
(and three Alpine resorts)
Loddon Mallee / Loddon Mallee WRRG
EO Karen Fazzani / Greater Bendigo City Council
Macedon Ranges Shire Council
Mount Alexander Shire Council
Buloke Shire Council
Gannawarra Shire Council
Loddon Shire Council
Swan Hill Rural City Council
Mildura Rural City Council
SV contacts for regions (December 2014)
Division
/Barwon South West
/Gippsland
/Grampians
/Hume
/Loddon-Mallee
Engagement
Statewide Engagement TeamManager : Andrew Straker (03) 8626 8813
Strategic Coordinators / Amy O’Brien
0418 149068 / Luke Wilkinson
0427 850 478 / Trish Kevin
0409 060109 / Martina Rienzner
0408 110 431 / Kristy Roche
0419 311 765
Education Team
Manager : Kate Greer(03) 8626 8878
Claire Ruedin
(03) 86268747 / Simon Hum
(03) 8626 8793 / Candyce Presland
(03) 86268774 / Simon Hum
(03) 86268793 / Candyce Presland
(03) 86268774
Integrated Waste Management
Waste and Resource Recovery StrategyManager : David Cocks (03) 86268765
Barwon South West
Andrew Buzacott
(03) 86566701
Marcus Fogarty
(03) 86268788 / Gippsland / Grampians Central West
Nick Bailey
(03) 86268824
Ben Stephenson
(03) 86268807 / Goulburn Valley
Nicola Thom
(03) 86268726
NorthEastDavid Cocks
(03) 86268765 / Loddon Mallee
David Cocks
(03) 86268765
Nick Bailey
(03) 86268824
Kelly Wickham
(03) 86268820
Resource Efficiency
Business Productivity TeamManager: Katrina Woolfe (03) 86268823
Yolanda Sztarr
(03) 86268843 / Nick Katsanevakis
(03) 86268755 / Andrew Haus
(03) 86268874 / Helen Scott
(03) 86268855 / Kel Dummett
(03) 86268729
Acronyms
ABS / Australian Bureau of StatisticsALP / Australian Labor Party
CBD / Central Business District
CMA / Catchment Management Authority
DSDBI / Department of State Development, Business and Innovation
DEECD / Department of Education and Early Childhood Development
DTPLI / Department of Transport, Planning and Local Infrastructure
DEPI / Department of Environment and Primary Industries
EEIG / Energy Efficiency Information Grant
EPA / Environmental Protection Agency
HACC / Home and community care
IWM / Integrated waste management
kV / Kilovolts (equivalent to 1000 volts)
LGA / Local government area
LP / Liberal Party of Australia
LPO / Litter Prevention Officer
MAC / Ministerial Advisory Committee on Waste and Resource Recovery Governance Reform, 2013
NP / National Party of Australia
RDA / Regional Development Australia
RDV / Regional Development Victoria
ResourceSmart AuSSI Vic / ResourceSmart Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative Victoria
RMF / Regional Management Forum
RWMG / Regional Waste Management Group (now Waste Resource and Recovery Groups)
SME / Small to medium sized enterprise
SV / Sustainability Victoria
SV2015 / SV’s Strategic Plan 2012–15
TAFE / Technical and Further Education
VECCI / Victorian Employers' Chamber of Commerce and Industry
WRRG / Waste and Resource Recovery Group
Strategic Regional Coordinators / Luke Wilkinson
DEPI office, Traralgon
T 1300 363 744
M 0427 850 478 / Martina Reinzner
DEPI office, Seymour
T 5735 4330
M 0408 110 431 / Kristy Roche
DEPI office,
Epsom
T 5430 4544
M 0419 311 765 / Trish Kevin
DEPI office,
Ballarat
T 5336 6856
M 0409 060 109 / Amy O’Brien
DEPI office,
Colac
T 5233 5549
M 0418 149 068 / Kim Johnson
Ray Liversidge
SV office Melbourne
T 1300 363 744
Region / Gippsland / Hume / Loddon Mallee / Grampians / Barwon South West / Metropolitan
Population / 260,766 / 309,986 / 278,395 / 224,636 / 373,191
Regional Profiles – Hume |1
Hume Regional features
Features
/Details
Subregion / Goulburn Valley WRRG / Campaspe Shire CouncilGreater Shepparton City Council
Mitchell Shire Council
Moira Shire Council
Murrindindi Shire Council
Strathbogie Shire Council
North EastWRRG / Alpine Shire Council
Benalla Rural City Council
Indigo Shire Council
Mansfield Shire Council
Towong Shire Council
Wangaratta Rural City Council
Wodonga City Council
Alpine Resorts (Falls Creek, Mt Hotham and Mt Buller Mt Sterling)*
+Resorts are included as they have waste management responsibilities and are members of NevRwaste)
These can be further subdivided to create the following four regions:
•Central Hume: Wangaratta, Benalla, Alpine, Mansfield
•Goulburn Valley: Greater Shepparton, Moira, Strathbogie and Campaspe**
•Upper Hume: Wodonga, Indigo and Towong
•Lower Hume: Mitchell (including Seymour) and Murrindindi (including Beveridge and Wallan)
** Under some planning frameworks Campaspe is part of the Loddon Mallee rather than the Hume region
Geographical features / •Goulburn, Broken, Murray, Ovens, King and Kiewa river systems
•Large areas of environmental value including National Parks
•Alpine National Park and resorts including Falls Creek, Mt Hotham, Mt Buller Mt Sterling and Lake Mountain
Transport / The region is linked to the rest of Victoria, and Australia, through the Hume and GoulburnValley transport corridors (rail and road). Most prominent example is the road to/from Sydney across the NSW border.
Significant freight and logistics hubs in Barnawartha (Upper Hume) and Mooroopna (Goulburn Valley)
Rail service and infrastructure requires investment.
Major roads and travel times / From / To / Distance (km) / Travel time (hours)
Melbourne / Seymour / 110 / 1:18
Melbourne / Shepparton / 189 / 2:07
Melbourne / Benalla / 211 / 2:14
Melbourne / Echuca / 225 / 2:34
Melbourne / Wangaratta / 251 / 2.38
Melbourne / Wodonga / 323 / 3:11
Key infrastructure / •Puckapunyal (near Seymour) and Bandiana (near Wodonga) Military Areas
•Mangalore Airport (near Seymour)
•Western Composting Technology regional facility, Shepparton
•Wallan and Wodonga best practice Resource Recovery Centres
•Food and fruit processing facilities in Goulburn Valley
•Biodiesel Producers biofuels plant, Barnawartha
•Goulburn Valley Water + Diamond Energy biogas plants (Tatura and Shepparton)
•Albury Waste Management Centre (in NSW)
•Freight and logistics precincts, existing and emerging, at Beveridge, Seymour/Mangalore, Mooroopna, Barnawartha, Wodonga, Ettamogah (NSW) and Tocumwal (NSW)
Key facts
Structure
•Hume has no single dominant regional city.
•The region has four distinct subregions, each of which has access to a city and/or as per details in table
•Councils/shires range from well-resourced and quickly expanding (e.g. Mitchell) to severely under resourced (e.g. Murrindindi). This is directly reflected in local waste infrastructure and services which range from best practice (Wallan and Wodonga) to requiring investment (Kinglake).
Land
•Goulburn Valley is the food bowl of the Murray-Darling Basin, producing about 25% of the value of Victoria’s agricultural production.
•More than a quarter (28%) of Goulburn Valley and over half (54%) of the North East is public land.
•Hume was severely affected by the Black Saturday bushfires in 2009, particularly throughout Murrindindi Shire.
•Many of the region’s urban centres are located within the floodplains of major rivers including Benalla on the Broken river, Shepparton on the Broken and Goulburn rivers, Seymour on the Goulburn river, Wangaratta on the Ovens and King rivers and Echuca and Wodonga on the Murray river.
Demography
Population: 310,000 (two-thirds in Goulburn Valley).
•Population growth is a slightly lower than the Victorian average.
•High amenity areas experience a significant influx of Melburnians seeking a rural lifestyle (weekenders and commuters).
•High proportion of part time residents in areas of natural beauty (e.g. 50% of rate payers in Mansfield Shire are part time residents, similar in Alpine Shire)
•Structural ageing as farmers get older, young people migrate to cities and retirees migrate to the region. Most significant in Strathbogie followed by Towong, Alpine and Benalla shires.
•Shepparton-Mooroopna has the largest Indigenous population in provincial Victoria
•Further cultural diversity resulting from past and recent settlement of migrants, including large Arabic speaking communities in Shepparton and Moira
•Relatively low levels of social disadvantage. Of 270 relatively disadvantaged towns in regional Victoria only 40 are in the Hume region (and none in the top 24). However, disadvantaged towns include al l of the region’s centres – Shepparton and nearby Mooroopna, Wodonga, Wangaratta, Benalla and Seymour.
Political context
LevelRepresentativeFederal
Cathy McGowanIndMember for Indi
Rob MitchellALPMember for McEwen
Sharman StoneLP Member for Murray
State - Victorian Legislative Assembly
Tim McCurdy NP(Murray Valley)
Cindy McLeish LP (Seymour)
Jeanette Powell NP (Shepparton) Minister for Local Government,
Minister for Aboriginal Affairs
Dr Bill Sykes NP(Benalla) Parliamentary Secretary for Primary Industries
Bill TilleyLP(Benambra)
Paul WellerNP (Rodney)
State - Victorian Legislative Council for Northern Victoria
Candy BroadALP
Kaye DarvenizaALP
Damian DrumALP
Kaye Darveniza LP
Wendy Lovell LP
Amanda Millar LP
Regional priorities
The June 2013 Draft Hume Regional Growth Plan provides a regional approach to land use planning and identifies opportunities for growth and change over the next 30 years.
Principles under the plan include:
•Ensure land use planning decisions adopt a triple bottom line approach and are based on the best available land capability data
•Support rural towns by providing access to key community infrastructure that can respond to changing needs over time
•Ensure future development makes a positive contribution to sustainability and embraces good urban design
•Support innovative and flexible service delivery models and improve access to facilities and services
•Support the expansion and diversification of the region’s economy
•Capitalise on national transport links and tourist routes
•Support industrial growth through value adding
•Provide for efficient and effective transport movements within the region and to Melbourne and other key urban centres outside of the region.
The growth plan is guided by The Hume Strategy for Sustainable Communities 2010-2020. Directions under the strategy include
•harnessing renewable energy sources, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and pursuing innovative waste management approaches
•adapting and diversifying agriculture in an environment of change
•facilitating research and innovation in tourism, manufacturing and industry to encourage new and evolving business
•developing energy infrastructure that builds on existing competitive advantages
•developing a proficient land transportation system
•maximising use of existing infrastructure and services and facilitating strategic investment in future infrastructure and services
•ensuring efficient use of land use planning resources in the region.
NB: These documents have been guided by 12 local councils excluding Shire of Campaspe which is reflected in the Loddon Mallee Regional Growth Plan.
High
Economic profile
The economy is based on access to water and productive land, the national freight corridor and significant areas of natural beauty. Related key industries are agriculture/primary production, manufacturing (primarily food and beverage) and tourism (including ski resorts).
Manufacturing and agriculture are the most significant economic sectors, contributing over 30% ($3.1b) to the region’s gross value added and providing 75% of the region’s exports.
Significant and growing employment sectors include retail, construction, health care, education and accommodation/food services.
Significant and declining employment sectors include manufacturing and agriculture.
Transition/emerging opportunities include intensive agriculture (broiler farms, piggeries, feedlots, horticulture) and agricultural clusters, greenhouses, forestry, renewable energy generation including bioenergy and conservation activities.
Opportunities also exist in the waste sector for localised waste management solutions (including composting, recycling and reuse), specifically around towns with industries processing food and fibre and near clusters of intensive animal raising industries.
Sub region
/Industry and service base
/Local industries
Central Hume / Wangaratta, supported by Benalla. / Softwood plantationHigh-value agriculture
Viticulture
Goulburn Valley / Shepparton. / Food and vegetable processing
Agriculture
Grazing
Viticulture
Forestry
Upper Hume / Wodonga.
Albury-Wodonga is one of Australia’s 18 major cities. / Freight transport and logistics
Passenger transport
Manufacturing
Agriculture (mostly grazing)
Viticulture
Defence force
Lower Hume / Seymour (nominally).
Melbourne based manufacturing is a key employer for commuters living along Hume Freeway.
Melbourne’s Urban Growth Boundary now encompasses Beveridge and Wallan in the Lower Hume. / Viticulture
Aquaculture
Agriculture
Timber
Defence force
Funded sustainability project examples
Recent SV projects / •Alpine Living Bin project•Fluoro Collect – Driving Investment for New Recycling fund
•Sustainable organics management in Goulburn Valley
•Inaugural SV@ your doorstep (Alpine Shire)
Current SV projects / 25 projects at a total contract value of $2.7m funded by SV since July 2012, including:
•Green and food waste collection in the Goulburn Valley
•Tallangatta Eco Education and Integrated Services Hub (co-funded by DEECD andLiving Libraries)
•Education and engagement campaign for Wodonga and Indigo
•Away from Home behaviour study, North East.
Third party sustainability projects / Seven Hume projects under Victorian Adaption and Sustainability Partnership Program, including:
•Virtual Renewable Power Stations, feasibility study into decentralised electricity generation and distribution infrastructure (Moira Shire partnering with Swan Hill Rural City)
•Climate smart agricultural development, long term data to inform agricultural industry transformation (partnership of six Goulburn Broken councils)
•Climate change resilience and adaptation.
Over 15 Hume projects under Australian Government’s Clean Technology Fund, including:
•Energy efficient evaporator technology for Kagome Foods, Australia’s largest tomato processor, based in Echuca
•Tri-gen plant for Wodonga Rendering (abattoir)
•Consolidation from Port Melbourne to Shepparton for chemical manufacturer Pental Ltd
•Energy efficient cooling technology for Victorian Alps Wine Company, based in Myrtleford.
Four Hume projects under Australian Government’s Local Government Energy Efficiency Program, for solar and/or heat pump hot water systems at Alpine, Indigo, Mitchell and Strathbogie Shires.
$2.9m from Australian Government for ‘Watts Working Better’ street lighting project (total value $4.6m). Lead by Shepparton Council with Campaspe, Benalla, Moira, Strathbogie, Mansfield, Mitchell, Murrindindi and Wangaratta as partners. Managed by Goulburn Broken Greenhouse Alliance.
SWOT analysis
Strengths•Multi-centred and somewhat diversified economy with strong interregional linkages
•Opportunities for business development due to geographical location of Hume between Melbourne and Sydney
•Strong agricultural base and established role in food production
•Good collaboration between most councils/shires
•History of shared resource use and collaborative procurement for waste services
•Towns/regions with good transport links and existing infrastructure can accommodate growth e.g. Seymour
•Consortium approach to ResourceSmart AuSSI Vic taps into a strong local network in the Hume region. / Opportunities
•Multi-centred structure and strong transport links are a good fit for a ‘hub and spokes’ waste management model
•Hume can be an early adopter of Getting Full Value, based on functional regional waste groups and active local support for MAC recommendations
•Significant changes earmarked totransport networks (e.g. the GV Link project)
•Towns/regions with slowing economies can provide infrastructure and population for emerging industries
•Waste industry can provide training and employment opportunities for displaced, semi-skilled or unskilled workers
•Integrating resource awareness into planning and new infrastructure where councils are actively reinventing and restructuring the local economic mix
•Albury/Wodonga and other border towns provide opportunities for interstate knowledge and resource share as well as joint infrastructure projects
•Some areas are willing to invest in emerging waste management technologies and may find it easier to maintain buffer distances.
Weaknesses
•No sizable regional city and no ‘natural centre’ for the region. This affects funding support which is often based on population size and city-based models and makes it difficult to invest in centralised infrastructure
•Distorted ‘waste market’ from lower landfill fees in NSW-Albury and two councils (Wodonga and Indigo) that do not pay landfill levy
•Community education difficult in high tourism areas with transient populations and areas with part-time populations
•Slowing economies and employment opportunities in previous ‘agricultural centre’ towns
•Limited access to technologies that city-based agencies may take for granted e.g. internet access
•Limited access to commuter rail services restricts population growth and has caused high dependence on private cars
•Small councils with relatively limited resources, e.g. they don’t employ waste education officers. / Threats
•Changing weather patterns and increases in droughts, floods, bushfires and other extreme weather events can be a higher priority than resource efficiency for local organisations, businesses and householders
•Income from agriculture is volatile, subject to climate change impacts (see above, plus reduction in water, seasonal changes, and increase in frost), direction of the Murray-Darling Basin plan and global and local economic conditions.
•Downturn in manufacturing has lead and will lead to successive rationalisation
•Ongoing and significant regional issues include water security, ageing infrastructure, information and communication technology demand and supply, and barriers to establishing renewable energy supplies
•Pressure for urban and rural residential development can present a threat to environmental assets but also provides opportunities for tourism and other economic diversification. Balancing these pressures, along with natural hazards and potentially prohibitive infrastructure cost, is a key challenge for regional and local planning.
1 |Regional Profiles – Further reading