Economic Report · MCU18/0019

3 Assessment of Project Impacts

This section presents an assessment of project impacts in terms of:
•   Its compatibility and contribution to the strategic priorities of the Local Economic
    Plan; and
•   The estimated direct and indirect economic impacts arising from the
    construction and operational phases of the project.

3.1 Relevance to Local Economic Plan
There is no doubt that the further development of aged care facilities in Noosa
contribute to meeting a national and local need. It also takes advantage of the fact
that Noosa’s ageing population already lays the foundations for a region with
significant competitive advantage in the provision of aged care and allied services.
According to the Noosa Shire Economic Plan:
       “This Plan looks beyond tourism-driven economic growth and employment,
       towards a more resilient and diverse economy. … The Noosa Shire Local
       Economic Plan’s aim is to broaden the economic structure of the local
       economy by achieving growth in ‘smart’ industry sectors that offer high
       economic value and low environmental impact” (p. 5).
The Noosa Shire Local Economic Plan goes on to observe:
       “Fundamental to a shift towards a smart economy is the attraction and
       retention of skilled and talented people, and the development of
       collaborative institutional alliances and connections” (p. 5).
The Noosa Shire Economic Plan further comments on key industry sectors that can
deliver employment by exploiting competitive advantage. In doing so, it articulates a
clear set of priority industry sectors as follows:
       “Healthcare and wellness, digital economy, environmental industries, rural
       enterprise, creative industries and professional services are recognised as
       priority industry sectors of competitive advantage that will support economic
       growth and provide employment opportunities” (p. 5).
We note that healthcare and wellness is identified as the lead or first of these
industry sectors with a competitive advantage.
The proposed development goes towards meeting the strategic priorities of the
Noosa Shire Economic Plan, specifically in relation to:
•   Diversification of the local economic structure;
•   Creating employment in high value and low environmental impact sectors; and



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