Draft Coffs Harbour Cultural Plan 2013 - 2016 - Coffs Harbour City ...
Draft Coffs Harbour Cultural Plan 2013 - 2016 - Coffs Harbour City ...
Draft Coffs Harbour Cultural Plan 2013 - 2016 - Coffs Harbour City ...
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Agenda - Ordinary Meeting 22 November 2012 - CITY SERVICES DEPARTMENT REPORTS<br />
Attachment 3<br />
such as engineering and health and in many trades. A conservative estimate of labour supply<br />
at 2030 identifies a national shortfall of workers of 530,000. 9<br />
Highly skilled people, from both Australia and overseas, will have a large number of choices if<br />
they choose to live outside a metropolitan area. Whilst <strong>Coffs</strong> <strong>Harbour</strong> has a number of<br />
lifestyle factors, such as proximity to beaches and national parks that are attractive to people<br />
considering a move, there is also a question of the opportunity for a fully-rounded lifestyle, of<br />
which cultural activities comprise an important part:<br />
“Lifestyle questions play a role in the pull of individuals to regions. There is a growing<br />
body of academic research on the role of consumption, as opposed to productivity<br />
factors in migration decisions. Production decisions – can I be more productive and<br />
earn more money? – have long dominated thinking about migration patterns, but now<br />
consumption factors – how is the weather and what kinds of restaurants can I find? – seem<br />
to be playing a larger role … Is there an exciting cultural scene, recreational opportunities?<br />
Pleasant climate and attractive physical surroundings? Open and tolerant attitudes towards<br />
ethnicity and lifestyles?” 10<br />
From this perspective cultural activities as a whole are integral, both as recreational<br />
opportunities and also as a visible expression of a welcoming and open community. Activities<br />
such as the Coast Out Festival, Harmony Day and Aboriginal community events are<br />
particularly important in this context.<br />
6.2 Culture and Tourism<br />
Overwhelmingly the visitors to <strong>Coffs</strong> <strong>Harbour</strong>, and the <strong>Coffs</strong> Coast Region as a whole, are<br />
domestic tourists who mainly visit here as families from elsewhere in NSW. They enjoy the<br />
beaches and scenery, although their satisfaction with their holiday is greatest if they visited<br />
Dorrigo or Bellingen as well. The key source market is other regional NSW with 34% of<br />
visitors, although Sydney and Interstate are only slightly less (29% and 28%, respectively).<br />
The tourism facilities in <strong>Coffs</strong> <strong>Harbour</strong> are now dated. Most of the development and<br />
investment in infrastructure such as resort accommodation occurred in the 1980s and 1990s.<br />
This lack of new or updated facilities may be contributing to the decline in visitor numbers.<br />
9 Ageing and Work in 2030: In or out of our hands? Louise Rolland, Professor Work and Ageing,<br />
Swinburne University of Technology<br />
10 A Tale of Ten Cities: Attracting and Retaining Talent, Michael Luis, prepared for the International<br />
Regions Benchmarking Consortium - www.internationalregions.org, 2009<br />
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