The Armidale Region’s largest employers include the education and training sector, health care, retail trade, agriculture and the accommodation and food services sector.

The industry sectors which drive the region’s economy in terms of regional exports, employment and industry value-added include Agri-business, Tourism and Education. These are the three ‘pillars’ of the Armidale regional economy.

Visitors to the South East and Tablelands Region enjoy year-round access to mountains, coasts and rural hinterlands, as well as Canberra’s world-class cultural institutions, such as the National Museum of Australia, the Australian War Memorial and the National Gallery
of Australia.

The tourism industry brings $1.2 billion to the regional economy each year. The Snowy
Mountains, the south coast and the rural hinterland offer recreational experiences including food, wine and cultural trails.

The Snowy Mountains tourism industry contributes more than $500 million to the regional economy each year. This market is geared towards winter, with more than half the visitation occurring during the peak snow period, making it the most seasonal tourism location in Australia.

Agritourism ventures such as farm stay accommodation, farm gate activities and farm
events enable farmers to diversify and value-add to their existing farming enterprises.

As part of a broader network covering NSW, Outback Arts is a non-profit regional arts development organisation covering the Local Government areas of Bourke, Brewarrina, Walgett, Cobar, Bogan, Warren and Coonamble.

Developed in 1999, Outback Arts is part of a network of 14 arts-based bodies all governed by Regional Arts NSW with funding distributed through Create NSW.
The organisation is based in Coonamble where there are two staff members, along with an outreach employee in Warren.

Outback Arts is also offering cultural development and support for Aboriginal artists. Their current project has been two years in the making.

"We are developing a living arts and culture snapshot of 30 artists and knowledge holders in the region which will be distributed to universities and libraries. We will also be selling it in order to put the money back into more copies, featuring more artists."

Tourism is a major industry in the Northern Rivers.

The region boasts some of the best beaches, spectacular walking tracks, top whale watching, snorkelling and fishing, and world heritage Gondwana rain forests. The diversity of our natural environment continues to attract a broad spectrum of tourist.

The tourism industry supports over nine thousand jobs in the Northern Rivers across a range of sectors. Almost two thirds of accommodation and food industry employment is in tourism. The industry also creates employment and revenue in retail and education.

The Northern Rivers, when included with the NSW Mid North Coast is Australia’s third largest tourism region based on domestic overnight stays.

Advanced Manufacturing in the region is largely based around food and agricultural products processing. But there is a growing ICT industry in the region focused on software and hardware development in support of agriculture.

Australia’s economy is becoming more dependent on ideas and problem-solving, with the largest increase in jobs in Australia being those that require higher-level qualifications.

The transition towards a ‘knowledge economy’ has been driven by globalisation and a re-organisation of business, with enterprises and individuals becoming specialised through the outsourcing of non-core business functions assisted by the use of new and constantly evolving digital technologies.

A circular economy is one that exchanges the typical cycle of make, use, dispose in favour of maximising re-use and recycling. The longer materials and resources are in use, the more value is extracted from them. The circular economy concept is best, and most often, applied in relation to resource consumption and regeneration.

There are many different types of manufacturing in the Orana, with suppliers for other sectors such as mining and agriculture being predominant. Retail outlets vary across the region, ranging from food, clothing and homeware suppliers to service providers catering to a range of business needs.

A circular economy is one that exchanges the typical cycle of ‘make, use, dispose’ in favour of maximising re-use and recycling. The longer materials and resources are in use, the more value is extracted from them. The circular economy concept is best, and most often, applied in relation to resource consumption and regeneration.

For the agricultural industry a circular economy presents possibilities for significant efficiencies and input cost reductions through energy generation and smart grid distribution, innovative off-grid energy solutions, recycled water use, and opportunities for renewables and waste solutions.

Broken Hill is Australia’s first Heritage Listed city and has a pivotal role in the mining industry. The ore-body that was discovered in Broken Hill is recognised as the largest and richest of its kind in the world and led to the establishment of the mining giant, Broken Hill Proprietary Company (BHP).

A sustainable mining sector in Broken Hill, Cobar, Wentworth and Balranald generates direct employment and provides flow-on benefits to communities. Growth in renewable energy - including wind, solar and bioenergy generation - promotes local jobs in smaller communities and provides opportunities for associated industries.

Much of the RDA Murray Regions’ economy is driven by agriculture, timber production, viticulture, horticulture, health care, retail, manufacturing, construction and tourism.

Of critical importance to the RDA Murray Region is water availability. The Region is situated on the Murray River and is reliant on the river system for its contribution to production, tourism and liveability.

The Australian nut industry is experiencing its largest expansion in a decade with the farm gate value expected to rise from $1billion in 2018 to $1.7 by 2025. Permanent nut tree infrastructure (including irrigation) and plantings are expanding significantly in the Murray Region

The Central Coast is recognised for its agricultural diversity, from citrus farms and poultry farms to flower farms and turf.

The Central Coast has many existing strengths and emerging capabilities in the food production and food services sector. Apart from its food and beverage manufacturing capability, it is home to a diverse sector covering smaller artisan food producers, high quality primary food producers together with food service companies in catering and hospitality.

It is represented in the fresh, dry goods, chilled and frozen supply chains which provides opportunities for exploration of food items or additives that can cut across all these supply chains.

There are two key points that differentiate the Central Coast from most other regions. The first is that it has the largest city population base in Australia, in Sydney, at its door step. Couple with this it has agricultural and industry lands to service the population base and beyond.

Secondly it has two major research facilities in its region with a third being built. The University of Newcastle has a campus at Ourimbah that has its food science school with research capability located there. On the same campus the NSW Department of Primary Industries has its Centre of Excellence for Market Access and Greenhouse Horticulture.

There are internationally branded food manufacturing businesses that produce on the Central Coast – including McCain Foods, Sara Lee, Mars, Sanitarium and George Weston Foods. The existence of these international brands put the Central Coast on the map for further potential investment and showcases that the region has the right ingredients for supporting big industry.

When it comes to health and wellbeing, the Northern Rivers is fortunate to have a number of hospitals and major health services within the region but gaps in specialist services, large distances and lack of public transport options impact residents’ ability to access the services they need.

The aim is for the region to be able to offer its residents a range of affordable, appropriate housing choices and access to health care, mental health care, aged care and other services that enhance wellbeing.

Health is a major industry in the Orana region which has benefited from government funding and private investment. It is inclusive of public services, medical centres and specialist facilities across the region and its growth is evidenced by the numbers of medical professionals choosing to relocate to the region.

Companies include:
• Marathon Health
• Western NSW Local Health District
• Catholic Healthcare
• Macquarie Women’s Health
• Burnside
• Centacare

UOW has a strong research focus, with over 270 academic and research collaborations worldwide. The UOW Innovation Campus is a dedicated technology precinct where organisations can co-locate with leading research institutions and access an ecosystem to create connections, build networks and fast track their growth. UOW has an impressive track record in collaborating with industry to drive new products and processes, giving local companies a competitive edge internationally.

Established in 2011 by UOW, the SMART Infrastructure Facility brings together experts from fields such as transport, water, energy, economics, modelling and simulation and provides a state-of-the-art facility to support this important research.
The dedicated team of researchers tackle infrastructure issues from an integrated and multi-disciplinary perspective, with a focus on how infrastructure and social behaviour intersect to ensure more liveable cities and regions.

An international leader in applied infrastructure research, the SMART Infrastructure Facility
is helping to address the challenges of infrastructure planning and management both now and into the future.

Northern Rivers Waste was established in 2000 and manages three waste facilities within the local government area, including the Lismore Recycling and Recovery Centre, the Nimbin Transfer Station and the Brewster Street Drop Off Centre.

Plastic waste had become a significant problem for the recycling industry due to China placing bans on the import of plastic waste for recycling. There is opportunity to create a local industry to make something from plastic waste instead of sending it to landfill now these recycling markets have closed. Such a project would offer a new industry and economic benefit to the local economy.

Investigation is underway to examine using the residual waste from the Commercial Waste Sorting Project to create a fuel source that can be used by industry. This would result in a significant reduction in waste to landfill.

Already home to the Southern Hemisphere’s largest renewable energy stations, both wind and solar, the region has many renewable projects currently in development. With ample amounts of sun and wind, there are great opportunities for the development of multi-generation energy hubs utilising these abundant natural resources.

The availability of water and the security of its supply is critical for continued economic development. Water is a key input for agriculture and mining, as well as for community sustainability. Coordinating and managing water requirements across business, industry, communities and the environment requires a better understanding of local water allocations and more resourceful water use.

Sectors such as tourism, agriculture, defence, health, education, aged care, retail and hospitality will remain important employers in the Far South Coast and Shoalhaven, and continue to make a critical contribution to the economy.

Sydney is recognised as Australia’s only global city and the leading knowledge-based economy in the nation.

Innovation districts, including health and education hubs, remain priority areas for building knowledge intensive jobs growth across the six cities. A number of current projects will set the scene for improved economic dynamism and future knowledge intensive jobs growth across the Central River and Western Parkland Cities. This includes the recently announced Advanced Manufacturing Research Facility at Bradfield, as well as investment in the Viral Vector Manufacturing Facility at the Westmead Health and Innovation District.

Focus industries will include agriculture, tourism, technology, health industries, defence and aerospace, renewable energy, advanced manufacturing and materials, smart freight and logistics, agriculture and tourism.

Innovation districts will complement the Aerotropolis, centred on semiconductors, defence, aerospace and modern manufacturing. Tech Central, which has a focus on deep tech, software as a service, quantum cyber and information and communication technology,
and Westmead, which drives health innovation, building on Westmead’s strengths in advanced therapeutics, translation cancer, immunology, vaccinology clinical trials and digital health.

The Broken Hill Waste Management Facility provides residents with the opportunity to recycle many items, operating as a "drop off facility" for recycling. Council operates a waste transfer station and community recycling centre for its residents.

The Illawarra has a well-developed ecosystem of organisations involved with defence related procurement activities including a range of manufacturing services as well as research activities.

Wollongong and Shoalhaven companies offer a wide-range of products and services with growing opportunities to service the defence industries. These include:
• Military-grade communications systems
• Armoured steel plate
• High-end welding and engineering
• Engineered plastics and polyurethane
• Electrical isolators and enclosures
• Specialist protective coatings
• Base safety systems
• Ruggedised medical computing devices
• Specialist labour services

The armoured steel for the Collins-class submarines, Adelaide-class frigates and the Hobart-class Air Warfare Destroyers (AWD) projects was manufactured in Wollongong. Leading defence research and development organisations in Wollongong include:
• Defence Materials Technology Centre (DMTC)
• The SMART Infrastructure Facility
• The Steel Research Hub
• The Centre for Computer and Information
Security Research