Council engaged AEC to complete full cost pricing for Council’s utility services – being water, sewer and waste and resource recovery services. The future capital requirements for each service were identified and costed, as well as demand projections expected to drive revenue and operating costs for the services. Options were considered for pricing to achieve the full cost price of each service.

Following options analysis and siting studies, AEC was engaged by Council to complete a detailed business case for the development of a recycling enterprise precinct in Townsville, including the development of a bulk waste transfer station. AEC completed market analysis for the supply and demand for recycled materials, including market sounding for commercialisation of products and the potential to enhance the local circular economy. Detailed designs for a strata-titled precinct were developed and costed to encourage the recyclers and manufacturers of recovered resources to increase activity. Site plans were also developed for Council to develop a bulk waste transfer station to improve the recovery of materials across the region.

With the challenge of predominantly legacy depot operations from pre-amalgamation, AEC was engaged to provide an assessment of the current depot operations, determine service growth frontiers, and develop a strategy for future depot operations to enable responsive and efficient provision of services for the community. AEC prepared and costed preferred and alternative concept plans for new and redeveloped major and satellite depots, based upon optimised provision of services from various depot locations.

Council engaged AEC to complete a financial sustainability review of one of the fastest growing local governments in Australia. A detailed assessment of historical financial performance assisted the Executive and Councillors to understand the current financial position and the key drivers of historical performance. Given the fast growth of the region, AEC completed detailed analysis of the developer contributions and contingent liabilities, as well as demand for renewal of existing infrastructure, and projected the impact on future availability of cash to deliver future infrastructure and service requirements.

Council engaged AEC to develop a business case for a proposed Entertainment Centre and Cultural Centre, as outlined in the Riverside Wagga Wagga Strategic Masterplan. The project involved stakeholder consultation, site analysis, concept reviews, traffic/parking/pedestrian assessment and financial modelling. A multi criteria assessment and cost benefit analysis were completed to support the Centre’s economic and social justification, along with a project prospectus to assist with advocacy and investment attraction.

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

The City of Sydney released its strategy vision for Sydney, which has the potential to unlock up to 2.9 million square metres of additional floor space for retail, hotel, cultural and office needs to meet long-term targets for the city centre’s growth. AEC provided land economics advice to assist the City with its review of the Central Sydney Planning Framework. The City recognised the need to ensure planning controls in Central Sydney both support and accommodate sustainable growth into the future. Specific issues AEC advised on: · Central Sydney’s locational strengths and challenges. · Investment drivers and trends that influence demand for major floorspace types in Central Sydney. · The tension between demand for different types of employment floorspace versus demand for residential uses and what the implications are for growth and future sustainability. · Financial feasibility of development opportunities and future outlook for new development. · Charting of historic market cycles against development activity to understand a range of market conditions under which future growth could occur. The draft Central Sydney Planning Strategy was released in July 2016, proposing to update Central Sydney’s planning controls and is the first comprehensive plan since the City of Sydney Strategic Plan in 1971, which shaped the skyline and character of Sydney today. Read more about the City’s vision http://www.sydneymedia.com.au/skyline-vision-to-boost-economy-and-employment/ Read about it in the Sydney Morning Herald http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/cbd-boom-time-city-of-sydney-says-the-only-way-is-up-20160713-gq4vhb.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!

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimates output from advanced economies in 2016 will be slower than previously forecast. In the October edition of the World Economic Outlook, the IMF shaved its advanced economies’ growth estimate from 1.8% to 1.6%. This revision was driven by slower than anticipated growth in the US (1.6% compared to 2.2% in the July edition) and Canada (1.2% compared to 1.4%), despite improved growth estimates for the Euro area (up from 1.6% to 1.7%), Japan (up from 0.3% to 0.5%) and the UK (up from 1.7% to 1.8%). The outlook for 2017 is marginally firmer than 2016, with global growth estimated at 3.4% in 2017 compared to 3.1% in 2016. As is the expectation for 2016, global growth is anticipated to be driven by emerging and developing economies, while advanced economies’ growth remains subdued (at 1.8%). The IMF warned persistent stagflation (high unemployment, high inflation and low economic growth conditions) could result in increased protectionist sentiment, which would be detrimental to economic growth, productivity and innovation. The IMF called for monetary policy conditions to remain loose and for governments to invest further in education, technology and infrastructure in order to support growth. The outlook for Australia’s most prominent export destinations is mostly firmer, with increased growth expectations for Japan, emerging and developing Asia and India as well as unchanged expectations for China in 2016. Similar outcomes are anticipated for 2017. The IMF estimates Australia will post real economic growth of 2.9% in 2016 and 2.7% in 2017 (compared to 2.4% in 2015).

The Victorian Government recently announced financial support for the planning of three tourism projects in the Daylesford & Macedon Ranges region. $195,000 was secured via the $103 million Regional Tourism Infrastructure Fund (RTIF). This announcement comes off the back of a Tourism Product Development Plan completed by AEC for Daylesford & Macedon Ranges Tourism (DMRT). The three projects to which the funding for further planning will be applied include: Development of a Mineral Springs Feasibility Master Plan. A feasibility study to look at creating opera events on Lake Daylesford. A feasibility study to identify the potential for a new health and wellness retreat. AEC has also been appointed to undertake the feasibility study into the new health and wellness retreat. So there is a lot going on in this beautiful neck of the woods. The Product Development Plan, delivered by AEC, as part of a broader Destination Management Plan (DMP), was developed in consultation with an extensive range of regional stakeholders. The plan identified new and existing visitor products and experiences, across diverse tourism zones throughout the region. The plan supports extended brand positioning to be more inclusive of other attributes of the region and appeal to a greater range of consumers, over broader visitation time frames and locations within the region. The Product Development Plan seeks to leverage the existing regional strengths, while unlocking many of the regions additional attributes and expanding consumer awareness and access across the region.

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

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.