Gippsland powers up global partnerships
L-R Professor Bruce Wilson - European Union Centre of Excellence; Mr David Meyer, Innovation Manager for Renewable Energy and Wind with the Bremen Government, Germany; Mr Pablo Gandara - IURC Team Leader; Mr Maciej Kolczynski- Regional Innovation Expert, Poland; Mr Simon Johnson - CEO, Food & Fibre Gippsland; Cr Nathan Hersey - One Gippsland Chair and Mayor, South Gippsland Shire Council and Ms Allison Jones - CEO, South Gippsland Shire Council.
Only two months after taking Gippsland’s story to the World Cities Summit in Singapore, One Gippsland has welcomed international partners to the region for a five-day study visit, focused on energy diversification and regional development.
The International Urban and Regional Cooperation (IURC) delegation travelled across Latrobe City, Wellington Shire and South Gippsland Shire from 17 to 21 August, meeting regional leaders and business owners, and seeing major projects, industries and communities firsthand.
One Gippsland Chair and South Gippsland Shire Mayor Cr Nathan Hersey said the inbound visit marked an important next step in the region’s engagement in sharing information and learning with other regions experiencing similar challenges to Gippsland.
“In June, we took Gippsland’s story to the world. This week, international partners through the IURC programme came to Gippsland to see our energy diversification, local industries and the incredible beauty of our region for themselves, which is exactly what practical regional cooperation should look like.” Cr Hersey said.
The delegation included Mr David Meyer, Innovation Manager for Renewable Energy and Wind with the Bremen Government, Germany; Mr Maciej Kolczynski, Regional Innovation Expert, Poland; Mr Andrew Abel, Senior Policy Advisor for Climate, Critical Raw Materials, Energy and Environment with the European Union Delegation to Australia; and Mr Pablo Gandara, IURC Team Leader.
The program began in Traralgon, where delegates attended the Gippsland New Energy Conference, and gave presentations to conference attendees to share learnings from a European perspective.
The delegation continued to Morwell and engaged with the State Electricity Commission (SEC), Federation University, TAFE Gippsland and then on to the Delburn Wind Farm, Hazelwood mine rehabilitation site, Yallourn, the Latrobe Regional Airport and the Morwell Innovation Centre.
One Gippsland hosted the delegation at Latrobe City Council, bringing the delegation together with members of the One Gippsland Board and regional representatives to discuss how Gippsland can retain local value from new investment while strengthening existing industries and productive landscapes.
The visit continued through Sale, Tinamba and Yarram in Wellington Shire and Port Anthony, Fish Creek, Sandy Point and Meeniyan in South Gippsland.
Delegates examined the opportunities and challenges associated with offshore wind, ports use, transmission, the Marinus Link project, low-carbon timber production, workforce development and regional supply chains and shared in valuable discussions around what is happening in Gippsland, whilst sharing of similar projects and transitions in Germany and Poland.
Mr Kolczynski said the delegation valued the opportunity to hear openly from people across the region.
“I was particularly impressed by the openness, commitment and strong community focus of the people we met across Gippsland, as well as their willingness to share both successes and challenges,” Mr Kolczynski said.
“Seeing the region’s transition first-hand provided valuable insights into how collaboration, innovation and strong local involvement can help communities navigate major economic change.”
Cr Hersey said the breadth of the itinerary demonstrated that Gippsland’s energy diversification in particular, is not confined to individual projects or locations.
“This is a whole-of-region change that touches our towns, workers, landholders, training providers, transport networks and established industries,” Cr Hersey said.
“Gippsland is not waiting for new industries to happen to us. We are actively shaping how change can deliver quality local jobs, stronger regional supply chains, skills, enabling infrastructure and genuine community benefit.”
Gippsland is one of only three Australian regions selected to participate in the IURC program, which connects Australian and European regions to exchange knowledge and explore cooperation in areas including clean energy, agrifood, circular economy and regional innovation.
Mr Gabriele Visentin, Ambassador of the European Union to Australia, said the IURC programme was extending the EU-Australia relationship to new regional partners.
“The EU-Australia relationship is moving into new territory, and to new partners across Australia,” Mr Visentin said.
“Regions on opposite sides of the world are grappling with the same transitions to ensure they support jobs, skills and communities, and the IURC framework brings Europeans and Australians together to build new industries, new supply chains and new jobs. More proof that together we are stronger also in order to face global challenges.”
Food & Fibre Gippsland CEO and One Gippsland Board Member Mr Simon Johnson said food and fibre needed to remain central to the region’s story.
“As new energy and infrastructure investment changes the region, agriculture will increasingly share land, workforce, freight and infrastructure with emerging industries,” Mr Johnson said.
“International exchange can help Gippsland learn from solutions already tested elsewhere, while showcasing the innovation and collaboration already happening across our food and fibre sector.”
“This is the next step in working towards a shared project between the EU and Gippsland,” Cr Hersey said.
“It will build on established relationships and the knowledge exchanged during the visit to support local jobs, skills, industries and communities across Gippsland.”
One Gippsland and its IURC partners will now build on the relationships, regional knowledge and areas of common interest strengthened during the visit and look to collaborate further with regions in Germany and Poland in the areas of Energy,
Separately, One Gippsland is working with other European regions on Resilient Agri-food and Forestry partnerships, also through the IURC programme.