We were excited to join Geelong Mayor Cr Stretch Kontelj, and local leaders last week to help forge a vision for the city over the next 25 years at the City’s Shared Future Forum.
It was great to see manufacturing leaders front and centre on the panel to discuss some of the key challenges and opportunities in charting a prosperous future for our region.
Cobram Estate’s Claudia Guillaume joined our own CEO Jenn Conley, Deakin University’s Vice Chancellor Iain Martin, City CEO Ali Wastie, Barwon Health CEO Frances Driver, and Geelong Gallery CEO Humphrey Clegg on the panel.
The conversations centred around managing our region’s rapid growth to ensure we maintain social cohesion while preserving the unique qualities that make our region great.
One of the keys to supporting prosperity in our region are the foundational sectors that support jobs and skills. Manufacturing is central to this, playing a critical role in harnessing innovation, developing skilled workers and maintaining sovereign capabilities. Long-term planning requires careful consideration about how we develop and protect industrial spaces to ensure this foundational sector can operate and manufacturers have the space to continue operating and growing.