Competitive Advantage - Hunter
The Hunter region is home to over nine percent of the NSW population and is the largest growth centre in NSW outside the Sydney basin. The Hunter offers steadily growing employment and investment opportunities across the region as well as a quality lifestyle. It is predicted that the Hunter will become home to a population of 1,000,000 people within the next 30-40 years.
The economy of the Hunter enjoys a number of strengths and makes a significant contribution to the Australian economy. The region is rich in resources and underpinned by the world’s best quality coal, natural water resources, significant electricity generation capacity, an innovative manufacturing sector and a progressive business culture. The region boasts leading research and education facilities, world class wine and equine industries, vibrant cultural and tourism opportunities and a quality lifestyle for its population.
The Hunter is positioning itself strongly as a world-class regional centre. The Hunter’s location on Australia’s eastern seaboard, between Melbourne and Brisbane, and two hours’ drive from Sydney together with an impressive transport infrastructure gives the region a competitive edge in accessing Australian and international markets. Newcastle Port is experiencing continued strong trade growth and in 2009-2010 exceeded 100 million tonnes. Newcastle Airport now has more than one million passenger movements per year making it the 10th busiest airport in Australia.
Newcastle is poised to become a leading, globally competitive and sustainable city. Newcastle is Australia’s seventh largest city and as the regional capital serving the Lower Hunter and Upper Hunter and parts of the Central Coast, as well as the major city in the northern part of an integrated Greater Metropolitan Region. The transformation of the city is evident in the larger scale and efficient commercial, transport and residential construction investment and the associated improvements in productivity.
The RDA network throughout Australia has been tasked to know where opportunities lie and to identify key action priorities for their regions. The Hunter is a region that actively seeks economic growth and diversity and RDA Hunter works closely with regional partners and all levels of government to create opportunities that stimulate economic growth in the region and improve community well-being. The vision of RDA Hunter is for the growth of a vibrant and sustainable regional economy in a carbon constrained future.