Sponsored: Onkaparinga forging global trade links

City of Onkaparinga

Sponsored Article

In the City of Onkaparinga, South Australia, almost 90% of all businesses employ less than five people, generating millions in economic activity and providing most of the 35,000 jobs in the area.

For this reason, City of Onkaparinga council’s new economic growth and investment strategy focuses heavily on job generation and on creating the best possible environment for small businesses to grow, thrive and connect.

‘There are three pillars that underpin our approach to driving growth in our region – growing business; growing investment; and growing tourism and communities,’ says council CEO Mark Dowd.

‘To successfully grow business, we need to help our established operators flourish and attract new business and investment to our city.

‘To grow investment, tourism and our communities, we need to promote the amazing benefits of our city in terms of location, affordability, and the incredible tourism drawcards of the McLaren Vale wine region and our spectacular coastline.

‘We also need to build relationships with investors here and abroad, and facilitate introductions leading to development, export deals and jobs growth in our city. These efforts will ensure that Onkaparinga is seen locally, nationally, and globally as an ideal place to live, work, play, visit and invest.’

To deliver the business support required for success, the council is in the final stages of preparing its ON Business Partner Program.

The program enables members to connect with one another to develop ideas, share information and meet with investors and potential customers. The program also serves as the foundation for other initiatives based on the idea of ‘co-opetition’, where businesses work closely together to build capacity and identify new market opportunities, while enjoying the benefits of a healthy business environment where competition and collaboration co-exist.

The council is also exploring a range of incentives for small business including opportunities for co-development projects with council, training and employment support, and subsidised lease agreements and ‘rate holidays’ while new businesses establish themselves.

To promote the region and encourage investment, the council has also forged significant relationships in China, exposing the Onkaparinga region and its local businesses to one of the world’s largest markets.

‘China presents an unparalleled opportunity for new growth in key sectors of the South Australian economy, particularly in waste and sustainability, water management, food, wine and tourism. A prerequisite of doing business with the Chinese is the need to invest time in building relationships, and this is precisely what we’ve done and will continue to do.

‘Our formal government relationships – such as our Sister City Agreement with the Changli county in Hebei and the Memorandum of Understanding with Jinan city government – enable us to seek investment from China and connect our local businesses with international investors.’

‘Recently we arranged for six local businesses to visit Shandong with us as part of SA’s largest China trade mission, introducing them to prequalified investors and suppliers. This is an opportunity that wouldn’t be available to our local businesses if we did not have a strategy for international investment or the relationships in place.’

Brought to you by City of Onkaparinga