Hay Shire Council sets sights on attracting investment

By Tertia Butcher

Hay is on an upward trajectory, and Council has embraced the need to be ready.

The focus now is on efforts on attracting the investment best suited to the area.

At the recent Hay Shire Council meeting, the updated Investment Attraction Strategy was presented to council. The 2022 – 2027 IAS was adopted in 2022 and has guided the economic development function of Council.

The IAS identified four key focus areas for Hay : Agriculture, Renewable Energy, Visitor Economy and Transport and Logistics.

Over the past 12 months council has worked on each identified opportunity within the focus area.

Some of the key outcomes have included, the Hay Housing Strategy, Labour Attraction Strategy and the development of a number of business cases including Hydrogen for Heavy Vehicles, Solar Array and Battery Storage and the continued development of the Hay Resource Recovery and Eco Park.

General Manager, David Webb said Council has identified investment attraction as one of the key focus areas for economic development.

This aligns with the community and stakeholder feedback which revealed a desire for Council to foster a strong local economy that sustains existing, and attract new business, industry and employment opportunities.

Mr Webb said the work over the past 12 months has seen some of the focus areas change.

“The more connections and discussions we have with industry, the more directed the focus areas have become,” he said.

“In an open market, we have to adapt to the opportunity presented.

“It is an exciting time for Hay.

“Technology and the energy transition are presenting opportunities for capital investment in our region that we have never witnessed before. Council is working to ensure that those opportunities are maximized for Hay.

“The key objective of the strategy has been to focus our efforts around strategic opportunities that attract investment rather than a scattergun approach.

“We are using economic analysis, business cases and industry connections to ensure that the investment is both economically sustainable and viable.”

Mr Webb also noted that one of the key opportunities for the region was to support local established businesses to grow.

“Any opportunity, program or investment that helps our local businesses grow is being explored.”

Mr Webb said the strategy will be reviewed every 12 months to maintain relevance, with a complete review conducted at the four-year mark.