The Townsville Hospital and Health Service (THHS) provides a crucial role in delivery of public health services to the North Queensland community, operating 18 hospitals and community health campuses as well as two residential aged care facilities servicing an area of around 148,000 square kilometres with a resident community of over 230,000 people. THHS also attracts patients from a broader catchment extending from Mackay in the south to the Torres Strait Islands in the north, and west to the Northern Territory border. The socio-economic significance of THHS to the region extends well beyond the health care services they provide. THHS is one of North Queensland’s largest employers, directly providing jobs for around 6,250 staff, and provides a significant contribution to the North Queensland economy. AEC examined the important economic contribution of THHS to the North Queensland economy through operational activities of THHS and the expenditure of patients and visiting friends/ family attracted to the region for health services, as well as construction works undertaken to maintain a high standard of patient care. The results of this assessment are being used by THHS to grow awareness of the important direct role and broader socio-economic contribution THHS provides to the North Queensland economy. If you have any queries related to this study or require evidence-based research to demonstrate the socio-economic contribution of your business or industry, please contact Ashley Page ashley.page@aecgroupltd.com.

Drone technology and its use is one of the fastest growing sectors in the global economy. Sales of recreational and commercial drones are expected to grow from a base of $8.5 billion in 2016 to $12 billion by 2021 (41%). Drone-related industries are also expected to grow at similar rates. AEC, and our project partner Aviation Projects, recently worked with a Queensland local government client that sees the development of a Drones Strategy as a key economic driver for its region. The aim is to be at the forefront of developing a vision and objectives to maximise economic and social benefits. When considering your own situation and whether you can build a case to attract investment related to the drone industry there are lots of issues that need consideration. For example: Does your region offer any competitive advantages to attract drone-related business including political and organisational commitment? Is your location and terrain suitable, offering differing natural environments and urban areas? Drones and airports are not compatible so need to be effectively separated, so is there greenfield/ brownfield space available for drone-related uses? Is there an available, trained and motivated workforce with supporting services to accommodate expansion and growth in drone-related activity? A detailed and pragmatic investment attraction and sector development program will deliver real and tangible outcomes for the local area. Key focus areas to consider include: Having consistent and constructive policies supporting recreational and commercial drone operations. Increasing community awareness about the benefits and use of drones including regulations and privacy rules. Having the infrastructure needed to drive and support industry growth. Having appropriate incentivisation, grants and promotion programs in place. Making sure there is an effective collaboration and advocacy strategy in place to garner broader support.

It is with great sadness that we farewell Dr Peter Crossman. Peter had a significant influence on the founding directors of AEC. He was honours supervisor to Carey and employed both Carey and then Simon on the Queensland State Modelling (QSM) Project at the Centre for Applied Economics and Research (CAERA) at James Cook University. Simon then relocated with Peter to Queensland Treasury in Brisbane in 1991 before starting the Brisbane office of Australian Economic Consultants (AEC) in 1995. In more recent years Peter worked with AEC on various model development and client projects that required innovative yet intellectually grounded solutions. Carey said, ”I was privileged with the time and patience Peter invested into me and was fortunate to learn from the best and Peter was without doubt one of the best economists I have ever met. I am sure Peter will be up there with a coffee in one hand and a red marker in the other solving problems and making statistics perform magic.” Simon kept in regular touch with Peter after leaving Treasury visiting the Crossman family on several of their overseas excursions at Cambridge University, UK and in Abu Dhabi. After Peter semi-retired Simon invited him to assist AEC on many challenging product development projects and tricky client problems. Simon commented “Aside from being a great economist, Peter was a damn fine fellow. Aside from economics, our discussions would vary widely including diverse topics such as WWI, technology, cricket and rugby. I also always came away with an economics angle to think about.”

AEC’s Visual Communication team are excited to announce that the Townsville City Council Annual report has once again been awarded Gold at the Australasian Reporting Awards (ARA). The Australasian Reporting Awards exists to improve continually the standards of reporting. The annual report especially, is an essential mechanism of accountability, a vital element in the governance process. The challenge for the person preparing the report is to interpret that information for their own organisation’s peculiarities and communicate it in a way that is effective for their stakeholders. AEC’s Visual Communication team have designed the report for several years and have picked up several Bronze Medals, a Silver and now two Gold Medals. This being a very significant achievement as in the 66 years of these ARA Awards, Townsville City Council is only one of a small number of local governments in Queensland ever to win a Gold Award. This years Annual Report was designed by AEC Designer Kirubesh Ganeshan. “Creative Director Lyndon Berresford said. “It’s great to work on these projects and not only us get the recognition but our clients hard work is recognised to. These awards also showcase the diversity of our creative projects. AEC’s philosophy has always been ‘to be regonised through the success of our clients’. That means that an award for our clients means a win for us”. For Further information contact: Lyndon Berresford, AEC Creative Director lyndon.berresford@aecgroupltd.com

The City of Greater Geelong’s economy is shifting from a traditional manufacturing and industrial base to a strong focus on knowledge, innovation and research-based industries. The City hosts a number of key offices in the disability and injury services industry, including the Transport Accident Commission and the National Disability Insurance Agency head office, and the impending establishment of headquarters for WorkSafe in Central Geelong. AEC was engaged by the Council to develop a Market Analysis and Investment Attraction strategy that focused on the disability and injury services industry. This initiative was quite unique in that it was focused entirely on the growth of one particular industry and it’s associated supply chain. Council instigated the development of the Market Analysis and Investment Attraction Study to determine whether there are flow on opportunities for the growth of this sector and to identify if and how it could contribute to the ongoing diversification of the local economy. In developing this strategy AEC undertook the following steps: The Market Analysis defined the industry, the major stakeholders, the various sectors of the supply chain and the economic value of the industry to the City of Greater Geelong. The purpose of this stage was about providing an evidence base that would either support or refute the belief Council had about the opportunities associated with this industry. The Opportunities Assessment built an understanding of the opportunities, gaps, strengths and challenges the City would need to address and focus on in order to be successful in achieving investment attraction outcomes in identified target markets. The final piece of the process is about building an Investment Attraction Framework that provides clear direction and realistic actions on how to take the project forward and facilitate tangible economic outcomes for the City. Some of the key learnings obtained in the development of this strategy include: As an Economic Development professional when you have a belief that investment attraction opportunities exist within a particular industry it is important to establish an evidence base that defines the current presence and contribution that industry makes to your local economy. After this identify how your economic capabilities and strengths compliment the ongoing attraction of businesses. Where Keys to facilitating an economy in transition gaps and challenges exist, identify and implement solutions to address these. Establishing the evidence base, identifying the extent of the opportunities and preparing the framework provides the platform and direction for success. However, like with all investment attraction initiatives, the successes come from building and maintaining targeted relationships. The value of a strategy such as this one is that it will provide clarity around which sectors, stakeholder groups and regions to focus your energy on. The City of Greater Geelong has worked diligently to build a local network of key stakeholders across this industry. It is important that all of these stakeholders continue to be engaged in the implementation of the strategy so that where possible they can help with generating and pursuing leads and where relevant they can benefit from opportunities as well. The City of Greater Geelong economy is going through a transformation. It would not have been as effective to launch directly into investment attraction activities without the appropriate direction. The development of this strategy is allowing the City in partnership with other key stakeholders to go forward based on informed decision making and actions that will help to make sure the City is well positioned to take advantage of their capabilities and the associated opportunities. If you are interested in identifying and pursuing investment attraction and economic development opportunities for your city or region, please contact AEC's skilled team.

AEC is delighted to have worked with the project team on the Parramatta Light Rail in delivering integrated land use planning advice on this $1 billion project. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian unveiled the project’s preferred route to service 16 proposed stops from Westmead to Carlingford via the Parramatta CBD. The Parramatta Light Rail is set to transform the transport needs of people living in Western Sydney. Construction on the first stage is scheduled to begin next year and is expected to open in 2023. Full details on the announcement can be seen at: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/parramatta-light-rail-route-revealed-but-olympic-park-not-included-20170217-guff06.html

On Thursday 9 June 2016, the Logan City Council was awarded the Parks & Leisure Australia (QLD) Award of Excellence for Research Project for the 'Active Logan Participation Study'. The award acknowledges outstanding research achievement by a group, who have made a significant contribution to the parks and leisure industry through expanded knowledge enhancement promoting the benefits or importance of the parks and leisure sector in Australian society. The PLA Award of Excellence, is great recognition of the calibre and expertise of the Logan City Council leading the way in Local Government through the development and delivery of this innovative research project. The award is also a great recognition of AEC’s hard work and ingenuity in developing research methodologies which are innovative and original, are of best practice within the industry, are sustainable, are measurable and achieve objectives. Logan City Council commissioned the research to assess sport, recreation and physical activity participation levels across residents in the City. The findings from the research were to inform priority areas and aspirational participation targets outlined within Council's 15 year Active Logan Strategy. The strategy would ensure infrastructure and programs meet community needs and increase participation. AEC utilised a custom-made approach and expanded the methodology to include a mixed-mode survey approach to cater to the diverse demographic profile of the Logan City Council. The first approach was to utilise telephone surveys as well as face-to-face and online surveys to ensure a representative sampling of the population and to ensure results were statistically valid. We also utilised social media to promote the survey and expand our reach to the target audience. The next step was to further validate the quantitative survey results by undertaking in-depth consultations with key selected stakeholders and focus group sessions with key community groups to investigate in greater detail and refine the views and opinions of residents regarding sports and recreation activities, the key motivators for and barriers towards participation in sports and recreation activities. We then went one step further and ensured AEC’s approach was carefully crafted for comparative analysis with pre-existing national studies. Our goal was to provide additional context to the findings by benchmarking the survey results against nationally available data on sport, recreation and physical activity participation levels. The findings of the 'Active Logan Participation Study' provides the Council with critical insight into the levels and drivers for participation in sport, recreation and physical activity by Logan residents. The innovative and award winning 'Active Logan Participation Study' is a key component in informing Council with its development of a long‐term vision ‐ being the Active Logan Strategy. The study is now running for the national Parks & Leisure Australia Award of Excellence for Research Project to be announced in September 2016….stay tuned!

It happened… I’m not entirely sure when. Maybe it was last year or the year before? Not so long ago my biggest concern whilst producing projects for clients located further away than walking distance was ‘how many megabytes can your email take?’… and then as I said, ‘it happened.’ Although producing and delivering creative projects nationally and internationally is nothing new, they used to involve lengthy phone conferences, early morning flights, incomprehensible faxes, lonely nights in a travel lodge and lots of waiting. Then suddenly we find ourselves working on global projects with a time frame less than the time it took change the paper in the fax machine (we don’t use that anymore by the way). Like a switch being flicked on, the technology was there to create and deliver HD Video Productions anywhere on the planet almost instantly, share files and ideas and once I had figured out what Dropbox was, that seemed to help as well. I thought “all this technology was great,” “we can do anything, anywhere” … so we started to do it. While virtual borders were getting easier to cross, there were still barriers that kept popping up when producing our creative projects overseas. Email communication can be fraught with misunderstanding, even among fellow English-speakers. So it’s sometimes easier and faster to jump on the VOIP and clear up any miscommunications. We have all heard of cultural design faux pas’ happening along with amusing cases of mistranslation. While most of these are all giggle worthy, it’s staggering how these embarrassing and potentially costly mistakes could have been avoided with some simple upfront research into the culture of the country and client you are working with. In my experience, even colours and font styles can have different meanings and interpretations when viewed by a different culture. But don’t let this scare you. Just work together with your client on this. More often than not they are also looking for your advice as they make sure that the project ticks all the boxes in your culture as well. Having worked on several international design and video production projects now, it’s easy to forget that your clients are literally a world away. But with the technology now capable of working on projects seamlessly across oceans and time zones, it has definitely been a rewarding experience. We are constantly being told that this is the future for the creative industry and I am inclined to agree. Surprisingly, I was recently contacted by a client from the USA to work on a project, and the client actually had no idea of my physical location. The fact that this is happening certainly changed my perspective of the creative industry and what we can deliver from sitting in front of our computers. I still get the odd Skype call at a funny hour, and a question of “what day is it there?”, but the ability to design and deliver a project on a global scale is worth getting up early for. This integrated and experienced approach in developing and delivering projects nationally and internationally is what makes AEC’s Design, Marketing and Advertising division stand out from the rest. Should you require assistance regarding any aspect of your company’s visual communication requirements, please contact Lyndon Berresford, Creative Director on 07 4771 5550 or lyndon.berresford@aecgroupltd.com

Client: Honeycombes Property Group State: QLD AEC was engaged by Honeycombes to undertake an update of the economic impact assessment previously conducted by AEC. The project will replace the current Breakwater Terminal to facilitate an integrated tourism experience for North Queensland. It will include expanded ferry capacity, retail and commercial premises, education office accommodation, a four and a half star hotel, expanded car parking, a new long haul and local bus hub and public spaces.

Client: Rural City of Wangaratta State: VIC Under the National Competition Policy, local government owned significant businesses must ensure that they do not enjoy any competitive advantage simply because they are publicly owned. Significant businesses are ones that are large in comparison to the market in which they operate or have the ability to influence or competitively impact the market. Examples can include Livestock Exchanges, Child Care Centres, Aquatic and Leisure Centres in fact any business activity that charges a fee for use. If a business activity is deemed to be a significant business, full cost pricing principles must be applied. Complaints about unfair pricing are common and can be made against local government owned businesses, potentially resulting in action being taken by State Governments. A review of the Wangaratta Livestock Exchange identified that while the activity is a business activity for the purposes of competitive neutrality legislation, it was not a significant business due to its share of the market and its inability to influence and impact that market. The findings of the review were reviewed by Better Regulation Victoria and found to be logical based on the evidence gathered.

Client: Liverpool City Council State: NSW In 2018 AEC updated Liverpool City Council’s updated Economic Development Strategy, Investment Profile and Economic Profile documentation. Since the release of these documents, State government strategies identified two additional industry sectors (Agribusiness and Defence) which are opportunities for New South Wales as a whole. Council engaged AEC to expand Council’s industry profiling to include these industries. AEC focused on providing an understanding of the existing industry within the Liverpool LGA as well as potential businesses in these industries’ supply chains. The industry profiles included: Discussion of the potential implications for the local region of these two sectors. Estimation of employment and Gross Vale Add in these sectors. Identification of local businesses who are able support the future development of these sectors. Comparison of the local industry to that of South West subregion, Western Sydney, Sydney SD and New South Wales. Summarise the outcomes for the project in a document which is appropriate for dissemination to media.

Client: Aqwest State: QLD Aqwest has been servicing the people of Bunbury for over 100 years and is responsible for the delivery of high quality and sustainable water services to approximately 17,000 properties in the City of Bunbury. Aqwest commissioned an Employee Engagement Survey (EES) to measure employee perceptions of leadership, relationships, motivation, engagement, and overall satisfaction with Aqwest as an employer. Results from the survey will provide insights into motivating and engage staff to perform their best at work each day. More specifically, the study objectives included: Employee profile including age, gender and length and tenure at Aqwest. Perceptions across various aspects including strategy and leadership, communication, innovation and growth, work and life balance, and working environment at Aqwest. Satisfaction with Aqwest as employer, overall job satisfaction and recommending Aqwest as an employer. Quantitative online research methodology was adopted to appropriately target employees across various divisions and involved the following processes: Communication plan: to engage with employees prior to AEC approaching them. Reminder emails: three (3) reminder emails over a period of three weeks to boost response rates. Online surveys: online surveys administered with employees achieving a 95% response rate. Source: Shutterstock