{"id":148183,"date":"2016-06-10T16:49:45","date_gmt":"2016-06-10T06:49:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=148183"},"modified":"2020-06-29T20:39:13","modified_gmt":"2020-06-29T10:39:13","slug":"turning-the-corner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2016\/06\/10\/turning-the-corner\/","title":{"rendered":"Turning The Corner?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>June 10, 2016<\/strong><\/p>\n

by Dafyd Martindale<\/strong><\/p>\n

The South Burnett’s economy has taken a bit of a hiding over the last five years.<\/p>\n

Things started to go south in 2011 with the floods, and they went even further south two years later when more floods ravaged our region.<\/p>\n

The $1 milk price war hit our dairies hard, and parity with the US dollar savaged the tourist trade.<\/p>\n

Result? All our towns now have empty shops in their main streets, and we are still losing our children to the big cities where their chances of getting a job are higher than they are here at home.<\/p>\n

But all economies move in cycles. <\/p>\n

And lately there have been some signs our local economy is set to move into positive territory again.<\/p>\n

Tourism – which has been flat as a pancake since 2011 – appears to be lifting. <\/p>\n

Not enough for most operators to give up their day jobs, but enough to inspire confidence that one day they might be able to.<\/p>\n

When we had a high dollar and it was cheaper to spend a week in Bali than a weekend at Noosa, it was no surprise that many Aussies did exactly that. <\/p>\n

But now that our dollar is back to 70c or so, more Aussies are holidaying at home, and foreign tourists are coming back. <\/p>\n

Business confidence in our major industries is also lifting.<\/p>\n

Proteco’s recent completion of a $3.2 million expansion to their factory is one example. <\/p>\n

So is the work being carried out at Swickers which will ultimately enable them to lift their own production even higher.<\/p>\n

And PCA, who had some tough times earlier this decade, have plans to move things into a higher gear in the years ahead. <\/p>\n

AGL are finally starting to make a move on their Cooper’s Gap wind farm project, which could create 350 jobs during its two-year construction phase.<\/p>\n

And the recently reopened Lady Bjelke-Petersen Community Hospital has already restored half the jobs that were lost when the previous operators left.<\/p>\n

Agriculture has seen an improvement, too, though how long this will last is as unpredictable as the weather.<\/p>\n

Our crop farmers have enjoyed some good seasons after a long period of poor returns or – even worse – no returns at all.<\/p>\n

And local cattle producers have benefited from some very strong prices over the last 18 months.<\/p>\n

None of these things by themselves will revolutionise our region or its economy, of course.<\/p>\n

But we think they’re promising green shoots that should make us hopeful the turnaround we’ve all been waiting for is closer than it’s been in a long time.<\/p>\n