Community

Report

Input

The Future of Orbost District project began with the prepara7on of a regional context analysis of the Orbost district. This drew on previous reports, a sta7s7cal analysis and most importantly, the exper7se and perspec7ves of approximately 60 local and sectoral stakeholders. The report is available on the project website at www.orbostregion.com.au/future.

The context analysis led to the iden7fica7on of a number of dis7nct innova7on opportuni7es that might warrant scru7ny through an Entrepreneurial Discovery Process (EDP), the next phase of the project. The EDP process is a means for undertaking an intensive ini7al review of innova7on possibili7es and determining whether or not they warrant further inves7ga7on by an Innova7on Group. Core to the EDP process is a series of one-day intensive workshops on the opportuni7es iden7fied as possible starters for the Future of Orbost District project, bringing together representa7ves and experts from government, industry, community, and educa7on. The context analysis also iden7fied specific opportuni7es that could be pursued in conjunc7on with other Gippsland-wide GS3 innova7on groups that are working under the auspices of Food and Fibre Gippsland (FFG), Gippsland Climate Change Network (GCCN), and Des7na7on Gippsland (DG).

The Innova*on Opportuni*es

The innova7on opportuni7es put forward for considera7on were:

a) The forma7on of a na7onal seeds ins7tute which draws on the breeding and produc7on exper7se currently held, or in development, by Gippsland Seed Services, Snowy River Seeds, Moogji Coopera7ve, VicForests and other local nurseries;

b) The development of a ‘13+’ learning facility which provides for ar7culated educa7on and training opportuni7es spanning Cer7ficate 2–Bachelor programs relevant to emerging local enterprises. The facility would be supported by the Department of Educa7on and Training (DET), TAFE Gippsland, and Federa7on University, offering individual learning support for a mix of programs that would be available;

c) There are several examples of high value-add or specialist agricultural opportuni7es, including protected cropping, new products (samphire, black garlic, edible botanicals, insects, na7ve grasses, seaweed), and a coopera7ve mal7ng facility. The la_er is already the subject of a Food and Fibre Gippsland (FFG) GS3 Innova7on Group. Other relevant FFG ac7vi7es might include vegetable waste processing, insect farming for protein, and seaweed harves7ng. Some Orbost district stakeholders are involved in those ac7vi7es already;

d) Na7ve forests are an important environmental asset that will require careful management following the end of na7ve 7mber logging. Promo7ng biodiversity, par7cularly suppor7ng threatened species, has been a key part of the decision-making underpinning the Forestry Plan. Work in Europe on a similar agenda could be very useful

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in promp7ng innova7on opportuni7es in forest management, research and protec7on ac7vi7es, and use of forest resources;

e) The coastal parks along Orbost’s nearby coastline are a stunning natural resource, accompanied by off-shore fishing, hun7ng, and diving resources that a_ract interna7onal visitors. While current regula7ons and management arrangements limit access to these assets, they offer an opportunity for innova7on if some of these constraints can be managed crea7vely;

f) The Snowy River flats are regarded as some of the most fer7le agricultural land in the world, yet many stakeholders view them as being significantly underu7lised. New ini7a7ves with regenera7ve farming demonstrate unrealised poten7al. Current constraints include fragmented land ownership, limited water supply, and problems with salina7on of the lower Snowy River. There is an opportunity for high value-adding agricultural development, possibly linked with the partnership being developed with the Netherlands by the LVA and FFG, if the land ownership constraint can be addressed;

g) Orbost Regional Health delivers home care support services in an agile and innova7ve way locally to keep aged residents in their homes and out of hospital and aged care facili7es. With the ageing popula7on, the importance of the workforce, limited access locally to specialist services, and an undersupply of aged care facili7es, there is poten7al for innova7ve facili7es and service models development;

h) Des7na7on Gippsland (DG) have extensive work underway on tracks and trails with GS3 Innova7on Groups focused on technologies that could enhance the visitor experience, and on seeng up a social enterprise that could employ unemployed forest contractors and workers and disengaged young people in trail construc7on and forest management. There are also opportuni7es for research to suggest new markets. There might be a poten7al extension of these ini7a7ves to the Orbost district;

i) Gippsland Climate Change Network (GCCN) provide oversight to several new energy ini7a7ves. Orbost district communi7es are engaged already in some of this work, and there is considerable poten7al for further engagement, par7cularly around biomass.

Some of these opportuni7es depend on sophis7cated technical knowledge. Others offer the opportunity for organisa7on or process innova7on. Some will have specific economic benefits; others will also enhance social and environmental outcomes. Each contributes to the achievement of the United Na7ons’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

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District Feedback Forum

On 30 June 2021, approximately 40 community members who had contributed to the prepara7on of the Regional Context Analysis a_ended a forum at which they were invited to share their thoughts on the 9 topics which could be the focus of EDP workshops.

Substan7al feedback was received on each of the opportuni7es. This document presents again the detail of each proposi7on that was outlined in the report, together with a summary of the feedback offered in the forum. This report will be shared with those who have par7cipated in the project to date, and with other key stakeholders from business, government and educa7on/research whose par7cipa7on will be cri7cal to the longer-term outcomes for the Orbost district. It informs the process of making decisions about the par7cular topics that will be the focus of the EDP workshops.

Next Steps

During July 2021, the district feedback will be collated with that from other key stakeholders in order to dis7nguish the priority topics to be considered in EDP workshops. To provide serious scru7ny of each set of innova7on possibili7es, each EDP workshop will bring together:

• Orbost district-focused business representa7ves,

• relevant government authori7es,

• educa7on/research representa7ves with necessary exper7se, and

• community representa7ves who contribute local knowledge, collec7ve wisdom and social license perspec7ves.

Par7cipa7on in the workshops will be by invita7on. It is an7cipated that the workshops will commence in mid-August.

Further feedback is welcome on an ongoing basis. Enquiries about the process to be followed in the next phase are welcome and should be directed to Tim Co_er at 7m.co_er@orbostregion.com.au.

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Possible Innova*on Opportunity 1: A Na*onal Seeds Ins*tute Possible Innova*on Opportunity 1 A Na7onal Seeds Ins7tute Basic Proposi*on: Orbost district businesses demonstrate globally significant exper7se in the breeding and produc7on of seeds for maize, sweet corn and popcorn. In addi7on, other organisa7ons have extensive exper7se in forest seeds and other plants. This exper7se could underpin a na7onal seeds ins7tute with global standing in seed breeding and produc7on.

Key Assets: Gippsland Seed Services, Snowy River Seeds (maize, sweet corn and popcorn) and VicForests (diverse hardwood trees) all demonstrate sophis7cated exper7se in either breeding, producing or harves7ng and nurturing seeds for commercial purposes. These companies have strong global connec7ons which reflect the absence of relevant exper7se in Australia, notwithstanding their unique global posi7oning. Moogji Coopera7ve has resources and access to develop exper7se in growing na7ve plants, and other businesses have specific exper7se in harves7ng seeds and nurturing dis7nct plants. The Orbost climate is very well suited to seed produc7on, poten7ally for a broader range of seed types.

Strategic Compe**ve Advantage: The Orbost district has a long history of producing maize and related products, providing the founda7on for the exper7se now apparent in seed breeding and produc7on. Similarly, forest rota7on of harves7ng has required the development of exper7se in seed harves7ng so that forests can be replanted successfully as part of the long-term plan for subsequent regrowth. The poten7al of local indigenous knowledge about plants and their poten7al culinary and health benefits has been increasingly apparent across the past decade. A na7onal seeds ins7tute would provide a focus for bringing this exper7se together and enhancing both exis7ng opera7ons as well as promo7ng the region’s achievements in this regard. The exis7ng global profile in rela7on to corn seeds will offer an opportunity for the seeds ins7tute to contribute to global development of seed quality and more general research on seed development.

Key Challenges: Currently, exis7ng enterprises are rela7vely small and focused on their immediate ac7vi7es. An academic partner (currently in France and the USA) would be needed to assist in both the scien7fic part of the ins7tute’s work, as well as the quality assurance processes for seeds produc7on.

District Feedback There was a high level of support for the overall concept. There were different views about whether the focus of the ins7tute should be principally on corn and perhaps vegetables or should encompass na7ves. The engagement of current local par7cipants is seen as cri7cal as a founda7on for bringing in the necessary research exper7se and investment from other sources. Other specific comments included:

• What would be the employment benefits?

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• Any environmental concerns? esp. re: climate change in terms of breeds for different climates.

• Risk of monoculture if only one seed variety and environmental impacts to be considered. • Opportunity for interna7onal expansion. • Interna7onal educa7on opportuni7es. • Na7onal training facility poten7al. • GMO free advantage. • Issues re: land ownership a constraint in terms of leasing and whether farmers would

receive sufficient reward to take up contract growing • Quaran7ne issues in terms of seeds from northern hemisphere. • Does this include links to cool room training and forestry sectors?

Design Principles/Workshop Takeaways: An Entrepreneurial Discovery Process (EDP) workshop would start with an overview of current seed-related ac7vi7es, and of the possibili7es for an ins7tute to add value to current opera7ons. On the assump7on that the ini7al part of the workshop agreed that this op7on had some substance, the workshop sessions would develop scenarios for the future development of the ins7tute, the kinds of resources that would enhance the likelihood of successful innova7on, and the barriers which would need to be addressed.

Conclusion: To be determined by the EDP workshop.

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Possible Innova*on Opportunity 2: A ‘P-Bachelor’ Educa*onal Precinct

Basic Proposi*on: The challenge of raising educa7onal achievement levels in the Orbost district offers a significant innova7on opportunity. The rela7ve physical remoteness requires rethinking typical educa7onal provision. This is occurring already with thinking about a ‘13+’ learning facility which would provide for enhanced educa7on and training opportuni7es. Current thinking could be extended to consider a range of offerings that spanned Cer7ficate 2 to Bachelor programs, in areas relevant to emerging local enterprises. The facility would be supported by DET, TAFE Gippsland and Federa7on University. Students would be enrolled in appropriate programs, with specialist material available online, supplemented by personal learning support for the mix of programs that would be available.

Key Assets: There are a range of emerging enterprises that may offer new employment opportuni7es in the Orbost district. Together with the apparent local need for greater access to learning, the poten7al employment opportuni7es demonstrate the need for an innova7ve post-school educa7onal centre. A new educa7on campus that brings together primary and secondary educa7on provides a base for developing a ter7ary component. Both TAFE and higher educa7on ins7tu7ons can deliver specialist exper7se online to the Orbost campus, with students supported in the learning on site by staff with sufficient exper7se to provide personal support to small groups of students.

Strategic Compe**ve Advantage: Exis7ng educa7on providers are thinking crea7vely about how to address local learning issues and enhance the op7ons available to current and poten7al students. Improving educa7on access is seen as a cri7cal driver for a_rac7ng and retaining employees with families. Both TAFE Gippsland and Federa7on University are developing strong regional profiles and have the capacity to offer specialist exper7se online, whether lectures or library resources. This in itself is not sufficient to encourage people to stay in the Orbost district while studying, but this could be addressed through a local facility which could provide both a collegial environment and sufficient local exper7se to support relevant student learning.

Key Challenges: The Department of Educa7on and Training would need to accept the challenge of developing an expanded educa7onal precinct which encompassed not only primary and secondary educa7on, but also post-school op7ons.

District Feedback There was strong support for the idea. It was important to clarify that the concept is about the crea7on of a specialised educa7onal support facility rather than reloca7ng an en7re ins7tu7on or campus to the district. People felt that it would be important to align the facility directly with current and future industry needs, poten7ally u7lising exis7ng educa7onal facili7es (Orbost PS and Orbost North PS site) and the extensive trades training

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facility at the Orbost Secondary College. Incorpora7on of industry placements seen as cri7cal to enable training-employment pathways. Other specific comments included: • Already have the infrastructure, and industry for on-the-job training. • Agriculture, health, tourism, forestry and marke7ng sectors could benefit from local

pathways to bachelor level programs. • Social and health benefits of students remaining in the region to study. • A local agricultural ins7tute would bring in people across the state. Need to promote as

different to the TAFE in Bairnsdale. • There is a lack of 20-25 year olds in the region, this would help to retain them. Need to

ensure there are jobs to go to aper study in the area. • Need trades or technical college for hands-on skills. Challenge of administra7ve capability

to operate and funding.

Design Principles/Workshop Takeaways: An EDP workshop would start with an overview of current learning needs, and of the possibili7es for an ‘P-Bachelor’ precinct to a_ract local students. It would draw on interna7onal best prac7ce for the delivery of regional and remote learning models. The workshop sessions would develop scenarios for the future development of the precinct, the kinds of resources that would enhance the likelihood of successful innova7on, and the barriers which would need to be addressed.

Conclusion: To be determined by the EDP workshop.

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Possible Innova*on Opportunity 3: High Value-add Agricultural Opportuni*es Innova*on Opportunity 3 High Value-add Agricultural Opportuni7es Basic Proposi*on: There are several examples of high value-add or specialist agricultural opportuni7es, including protected cropping, new products (samphire, insects, black garlic, edible botanicals, na7ve grasses, seaweed), and a coopera7ve mal7ng facility, that could prompt innova7on. The third of these is already the subject of a Food and Fibre Gippsland (FFG) GS3 Innova7on Group. Other relevant FFG ac7vi7es might include vegetable waste processing, insect farming for protein, and seaweed harves7ng. Some Orbost district stakeholders are involved in those ac7vi7es already.

Key Assets: Economic data as well as stakeholder input demonstrates the significance of agriculture in the district. The natural resources and climate which have supported this sector for genera7ons have been enhanced recently by experiments with new approaches, for example regenera7ve prac7ces and robo7c milking. Other farmers have been successful in iden7fying new products and exploring poten7al markets. The Orbost district has ready access to major markets in Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra with the Princes Highway on the region’s doorstep.

Strategic Compe**ve Advantage: The Gippsland S3 project has already demonstrated the importance of the food and fibre sector for future development. Its growing condi7ons, soils, agricultural exper7se, provenance and access to global and poten7ally interna7onal markets all point to compe77ve advantage depending on decisions about inves7ng in high value-add products. The Orbost district has all these characteris7cs and some early experience with new products that would enable it to make a major contribu7on to realising this poten7al.

Key Challenges: While some par7cipants expressed concern about access to markets, others spoke about the rela7ve proximity of Sydney and Canberra as well as Melbourne; some producers’ trucks from Lindenow drive through Orbost every day. However, challenges for the Orbost district will include being able to produce at the scale necessary to meet market demand for high value products. Infrastructure such as appropriate cold storage will be necessary to build stocks to efficient scale. Access to water and social licence for protected cropping are examples of other issues that will need to be addressed.

District Feedback The community was very suppor7ve of this proposal with innova7on in technology, product, logis7cs, marke7ng all seen to be cri7cal to success. Inves7ga7on of this proposal is supported, with challenges around land ownership, water security, and selec7on of best possible products to focus on. Other specific comments included:

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• Hard to build a sustainable business at a micro scale, this needs to be recognised in the framing of the opportunity.

• Climate change to be referenced and avoid use of chemicals. • Links to regenera7ve agriculture and seed banks. • Addressing transport and logis7cs challenges would be crucial. • Experience of local region and events through agriculture. Could have food bowl area,

website and local group to liaise between the small businesses to realise the ability to work together. Water will be a constraint.

• Logis7cs and seasonal labour a constraint if major markets are in city centres. • Need to have the financial capability to expand for small business. • Research to focus on niche and large-scale agricultural products. • Technology e.g. fungal fibres into fabric opportuni7es, need to consider more widely.

Saffron and herbs, need to consider climate aspect. • Long lead 7me for profit to be generated. Leasing of land would make this uneconomic. • Previous research in 1980’s on different crops might be useful. • Agroforestry opportunity - use of forestry products and skills. • Circular economy and growing of protein. Need organised market structure in mind.

Design Principles/Workshop Takeaways: An EDP workshop would start with overview of current experiments with high value products, and of the possibili7es for enhancing produc7on to scale. The workshop sessions would develop scenarios for the future development of the sector, the kinds of resources that would enhance the likelihood of successful innova7on, and the barriers which would need to be addressed. There would be an explicit link to Food & Fibre Gippsland, currently missing in much of the discussion.

Conclusion: To be determined by the EDP workshop.

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Possible Innova*on Opportunity 4: Future Forest Management and Use nova*on Opportunity 4 Future Forest Management and Use Basic Proposi*on: Na7ve forests are an important environmental asset that will require careful management following the end of na7ve 7mber logging. Promo7ng biodiversity, par7cularly suppor7ng threatened species, has been a key part of the decision-making underpinning the Forestry Plan. Access into the forests will have to be constructed and maintained whether for ongoing care, use, visitor economy, or for disaster management. Work in Europe on a similar agenda could be very useful in promp7ng innova7on opportuni7es in forest management, research and protec7on ac7vi7es, and use of forest resources.

Key Assets: The Orbost district sits on the edge of extremely large and significant forests. The phasing out of logging over the next decade offers many opportuni7es for rethinking how the forest is managed and how a broad range of social and ecological objec7ves might be achieved. There is an impera7ve associated with this in being able to gain access and respond quickly to bushfires and other disasters.

Strategic Compe**ve Advantage: A large part of East Gippsland Shire is covered by forest, and much of this is accessible directly from Orbost. The Orbost district has a long history as a service centre for logging and forest ac7vi7es, with local workers having sophis7cated experience in naviga7ng and working in the forests, not least in disaster management. The forests have unique ecological resources which could poten7ally contribute to the growing tourism and well-being sector in East Gippsland.

Key Challenges: There is great sensi7vity around the forests and at present, both government and community concern to protect the forest and threatened species has led to considerable cau7on about any interven7on that implies use of the forests. In any event, this is very difficult terrain which requires great skill with machinery to nego7ate some areas, especially in responding to natural disasters. Managing the poten7ally compe7ng interests of environmental and commercial interests will require considerable care.

District Feedback There needs to be more clarity on the “real” opportuni7es in forestry management aper logging of na7ve forests ceases. Management of the resources is not well defined at present and willingness for policy owners to work with the community, current forestry workers and visitor economy par7cipants (current and poten7al) will be cri7cal. There is a huge opportunity in this area due to the sheer scale of the forest on the district’s doorstep, but too many unanswered ques7ons at this stage. There is great willingness to inves7gate from most stakeholders. Other specific comments included: • Could include fire management, fuel reduc7on, workforce development.

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• Carbon credits could provide economic value to forests. • Need to ensure local skills are not lost and can transi7on to forest management. • More outdoor recrea7on opportuni7es, and local value add to niche logging licenses for

specialty 7mbers and furniture, with explicit links to ter7ary educa7on provision. • Inclusion of cultural issues of land. • Land access issues with track network no longer being available. • Current development of campsites, and local infrastructure, viewing plauorms could

provide opportuni7es for the employees in the logging industry to impart knowledge to the tourism sector.

Design Principles/Workshop Takeaways: An EDP workshop would start with an overview of exis7ng forest management prac7ces, and how they will be affected by the cessa7on of logging. Interna7onal best prac7ce will be presented. The workshop sessions would explore priori7es for access to and management of forest areas, ini7ally from 2024 and then from 2030. It would develop scenarios for the future management of the forests, the kinds of resources that would enhance the likelihood of successful innova7on and the barriers which would need to be addressed.

Conclusion: To be determined by the EDP workshop.

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Possible Innova*on Opportunity 5: Future Coastal Park Access

Basic Proposi*on: The coastal parks along Orbost’s nearby coastline are a stunning natural resource, accompanied by off-shore fishing, hun7ng, and diving resources that a_ract interna7onal visitors. Current regula7ons and management arrangements limit access to these assets, in order to protect their environmental condi7ons. They offer an opportunity for innova7ve thinking about how greater access to these places can be managed and supported crea7vely while protec7ng their environmental status.

Key Assets: Interna7onal fishing, hun7ng, and diving visitors bring considerable spending capacity. With increased access for these ac7vi7es, and improved infrastructure, this could bring considerable benefits to the Orbost district, not only in direct spending but in facilita7ng an expansion of associated visitor economy businesses, par7cularly meals and accommoda7on. At certain 7mes of the year, the quality of the fishing and of the diving environment is unique and unencumbered by excessively commercial prac7ces. As well, the coastal na7onal parks offer natural beauty that a_racts a loyal con7ngent of visitors for birds, wildflowers, hiking and swimming. Hun7ng is also a very popular recrea7onal pursuit with deer posing an environmental problem in the area, with current culling programs taking place.

Strategic Compe**ve Advantage: While other parts of Australia also offer excep7onal fishing, hun7ng, and diving opportuni7es, the Orbost district has an interna7onal reputa7on already, as well as greater proximity to the metropolitan centres of Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne. Access is rela7vely straighuorward with modest infrastructure improvements.

Key Challenges: The cri7cal challenge will lie in thinking crea7vely about how to increase the accessibility for rela7vely limited numbers of high value-adding ac7vi7es while maintaining the ecological balance and the current pris7ne environment. This might lead to innova7on in regula7on and facili7es.

District Feedback

Exis7ng policy constraints and management of land use were iden7fied as the main issues. Opportunity for sustainable employment using the coastal park resources with public/private partnerships which are blocked at present by current regula7ons and management arrangements. Bringing the regulatory players to the table is the key to seeing any movement occurring in the district. Other specific comments included: • Reference to private land interests and habitat restora7on projects to be included. • Improved public sector land management in terms of policy/agency silo’s. • Partnerships between private investment and agencies could be considered.

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• Insufficient local input into how parks are to be managed. • No men7on of current infrastructure in the opportunity outline. • Employment opportuni7es to be mapped e.g. across unskilled and highly skilled jobs. • Balance between preserva7on and use of the natural resources, developments need to

be sustainable. • Cultural issues and tradi7onal owners need to be involved in determining what can/

cannot be done.

Design Principles/Workshop Takeaways: An EDP workshop would start with an overview of current a_rac7ons and barriers to access, and of the possibili7es for innova7ve arrangements to manage the tensions between greater use and protec7on of the environment. The workshop sessions would develop scenarios for the future development of coastal use, the kinds of resources that would enhance the likelihood of successful innova7on, and the barriers which would need to be addressed.

Conclusion: To be determined by an EDP workshop.

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Possible Innova*on Opportunity 6: Snowy River Flats Op*ons

Basic Proposi*on: The Snowy River flats are regarded as some of the most fer7le agricultural land in the world, yet many stakeholders view them as being significantly underu7lised. New ini7a7ves with regenera7ve farming demonstrate unrealised poten7al. There is an opportunity for high value-adding agricultural development.

Key Assets: The Snowy River flats are at the heart of the Orbost district, yet current agricultural use is principally for dairy and beef farming, with some con7nuing maize produc7on. Several entrepreneurs see great possibili7es from intensive, high value-add vegetable produc7on.

Strategic Compe**ve Advantage: The Snowy River flats have some of the best agricultural land in Australia and have ready access to the major metropolitan markets of Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne. There are exis7ng established logis7cal op7ons. Orbost district producers could engage with Food and Fibre Gippsland, and benefit from the partnership being developed with the Netherlands by the LVA and FFG to address challenges associated with water.

Key Challenges: Current constraints include fragmented land ownership, limited water supply and problems with salina7on of the lower Snowy River. A sophis7cated cold storage facility would also be necessary to maintain produce quality en-route to market. While technological solu7ons might exist to the water-related issues, there would need to be the opportunity to invest at scale in order to overcome the exis7ng constraints.

District Feedback The community is interested in inves7ga7ng the opportunity for innova7ve prac7ces in land ownership, land use and policy innova7on around water. However, this opportunity was not dis7nguished clearly from the third opportunity. Other specific comments included: • Silos between state/federal departments and legisla7on re: ownership of land and

regula7ons. • Carbon credits as a source of income becoming an opportunity, but compliance costs are

significant. • Educa7on on current farming systems and how to make land more profitable alongside

poten7al for increased sequestra7on of carbon. Integra7on with strategic placement of forestry.

• Look again at hor7culture opportuni7es, more research needed. • Fragmented land ownership might not be a constraint. • Intensive farming needs smaller holdings. • Large farms locking in their water alloca7on affects smaller farms. • Climate change risk on the flats needs more research.

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Design Principles/Workshop Takeaways: An EDP workshop would start with an overview of historical uses of the flats, and of the reasons for the current usage. The workshop sessions would develop scenarios for the future development of the flats, the kinds of resources that would enhance the likelihood of successful innova7on, and the barriers which would need to be addressed.

Conclusion: To be determined by an EDP workshop.

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Possible Innova*on Opportunity 7: New Aged Care Facili*es and Services Models

Basic Proposi*on: Orbost Regional Health delivers home care support services in an agile and innova7ve way locally to keep aged residents in their homes and out of hospital and aged care facili7es. With the ageing popula7on, the importance of the workforce, limited access locally to specialist services, and an undersupply of aged care facili7es, there is poten7al for innova7ve facili7es and service models development.

Key Assets: There is extensive evidence about the higher propor7on of aged residents in East Gippsland and in Orbost. Previous reports have proposed that Orbost could be an ‘age friendly’ district. Orbost Regional Health offers a broad range of allied health and community-focused programs, including tele-health and home care support services that are responsive to people’s circumstances and needs. This has driven a commitment to flexible and agile service development. As people con7nue to age, there will be developing opportuni7es to design new facili7es and services in the Orbost district, poten7ally drawing on the experience in some European countries.

Strategic Compe**ve Advantage: The exis7ng aged care providers are thinking crea7vely about how to address the needs of the local aged popula7on, and how to enhance their op7ons as that popula7on con7nues to grow. There are opportuni7es to form partnerships with exper7se from outside the district to design new service models and sufficient scale to test new processes.

Key Challenges: Implemen7ng new service models would require support from key government agencies, the Shire and educa7on and training providers. Addi7onal resources would also be required to support new models as they were developed.

District Feedback This was not covered by the groups in much detail due to 7me constraints. The focus of discussion was open on marke7ng the town as age-friendly rather than innova7on in service delivery. The op7on to 7e this proposi7on in with the P-Bachelor proposal may be where innova7on and gains may best be served. Training offered from P-Bachelor alongside real-world industry experience in hospital, aged care and home care service areas, drawing on interna7onal best prac7ce. This could provide a training and employment pathway for local students, a point of difference to a_ract students to the area and a selling point for a_rac7ng the re7ree market. One concept could be to addi7onally match the students into aged residents/re7ree family homes to have an innova7ve share house, with the aged residents and students living alongside each other. This would add to the a_rac7on to study in Orbost and then to graduate post study into the community once longer-term

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accommoda7on is secured. Students would be pre-qualified for suitability into large, mostly underu7lised homes in the district. Other specific comments included: • Medical facili7es in the areas are limited. • Lack of specialists in the region is a constraint and incen7ves are needed to have doctors

remain also. • Emergency services are limited and lacking and need to be addressed • Promo7on of Orbost as a lifestyle des7na7on for semi-re7red people with recrea7onal

opportuni7es. • Need an educa7on facility to meet the families’ expecta7ons e.g. specialist village for

demen7a to get best care that people are interested in sending their family members.

Design Principles/Workshop Takeaways: An EDP workshop would start with an overview of current service provision, and of the possibili7es for new service models as the local aged popula7on expands. It would feature the experiment currently being undertaken in Tasmania with a residen7al care village. The workshop sessions would develop scenarios for the future development of the services, the kinds of resources that would enhance the likelihood of successful innova7on, and the barriers which would need to be addressed.

Conclusion: To be determined by an EDP workshop.

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Possible Innova*on Opportunity 8: Tracks and Trails Design, Construc*on and Maintenance

Basic Proposi*on: Des7na7on Gippsland (DG) have extensive work underway on tracks and trails with Innova7on Groups focused on technologies that could enhance the visitor experience, and on seeng up a social enterprise that could employ unemployed forest contractors and workers and disengaged young people in trail construc7on and forest management.

Key Assets: The forests and coastal parks both offer remarkable opportuni7es for trail development. Already, the East Gippsland Rail Trail has become an important part of cycling holidays between Sydney and Melbourne, and this will be enhanced with the restora7on of the Snowy River Rail Bridge. The Sea to Summit Trail is one major investment which already is being inves7gated as an op7on to add to the opportuni7es in the Orbost district.

Strategic Compe**ve Advantage: The Orbost district will offer the Visitor Economy part of the GS3 project addi7onal opportuni7es for developing a social enterprise that can build the exper7se for trail design and construc7on, as well as the ongoing need for trail maintenance. The new mountain bike (MTB) facility at Omeo will a_ract other MTB riders to East Gippsland, and the scale of the forests offers extensive capacity for new MTB and walking trails to be developed.

Key Challenges: One key issue is developing the exper7se necessary to undertake sophis7cated trail design and construc7on in Gippsland. Another is genera7ng arrangements that respect the environmental values of the natural environment while facilita7ng greater access. The GS3 Visitor Economy project has been addressing both the challenge of establishing a community-owned social enterprise to build this exper7se, as well as providing employment pathways for unemployed young people, and poten7ally unemployed foresters.

District Feedback

The feedback focused on visitor economy outcomes rather than sustainable employment opportuni7es related to tracks and trail development. There is a desire for more tourism infrastructure, but limited ideas about innova7on. Other specific comments included: • Need to develop cultural spaces and heritage experience, poten7al to package up and

market that. • Opportunity for 7mber workers to find employment. • All year care needed rather than seasonal required. • Emergency management to be considered to be able to bring people out. • Could build wilderness lodges, foster educa7on around tracks and trails, and focus on

bush foods.

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Design Principles/Workshop Takeaways: An EDP workshop would start with an overview of Des7na7on Gippsland’s current work as part of the GS3 Visitor Economy work, and of its poten7al relevance in the Orbost district. It will also look par7cularly at the proposed Sea to Summit trail, and whether it offers an opportunity for innova7on. The workshop sessions would develop scenarios for the future development of tracks and trails in the district, the kinds of resources that would enhance the likelihood of successful innova7on, and the barriers which would need to be addressed.

Conclusion: To be determined by an EDP workshop.

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Possible Innova*on Opportunity 9: Community Renewable Energy

Basic Proposi*on: Gippsland Climate Change Network (GCCN) provide oversight to several new energy ini7a7ves being undertaken as part of the GS3 project. Orbost communi7es are engaged already in some of this work, and there is considerable poten7al for further engagement, par7cularly around biomass.

Key Assets: There are a number of current ini7a7ves which explore the poten7al of bio-digesters as a means of managing waste and of genera7ng energy in the Orbost district. Clearly, emerging possibili7es with respect to different ways of managing forests could add impetus to these early ini7a7ves. Work undertaken in the GS3 New Energy work will be beneficial in suppor7ng these ini7a7ves and connec7ng them with a wider network of community energy innovators.

Strategic Compe**ve Advantage: Both agriculture and forestry management offer considerable resources for exploring the possibili7es of biomass energy produc7on. Drawing on the insights from the GS3 ini7a7ves, exper7se is available already in Gippsland to support these ini7a7ves in the Orbost district.

Key Challenges: Currently, exis7ng ini7a7ves are rela7vely small in scale and fragmented. The challenge is not only to explore the poten7al of biomass energy for the district, but to build partnerships at the scale necessary to enable this opportunity to develop fully.

District Feedback There was not a lot of discussion across the groups on this ini7a7ve, either because groups ran out of 7me or didn’t have the necessary knowledge on poten7al technology solu7ons or opportuni7es for the district. This proposal did not appear to have strong community interest in terms of innova7on poten7al. Other specific comments included: • There could be solar, biomass opportuni7es. Building a circular economy. • Sustainability and scalability e.g. biomass may not be best prac7ce. Why is biomass

referred to? • Concern re: monoculture for biomass. • Lack of men7on of solar and wind. Could look at 7dal and geothermal. • Circular economy is an opportunity e.g. Yarram.

Design Principles/Workshop Takeaways: An EDP workshop would start with an overview of current ini7a7ves, and of the state of developments in the wider GS3 New Energy project. The workshop sessions would

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develop scenarios for the future development of community energy in the Orbost district, the kinds of resources that would enhance the likelihood of successful innova7on, and the barriers which would need to be addressed.

Conclusion: To be determined by an EDP workshop.

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