Minutes of the Board Meeting of Regional Development Australia BGLAP Inc. held Wednesday 10th June 2020 at 3.30pm via Zoom.

Meeting commenced 3.30pm

Chair opened the Meeting and welcomed Members.

1. Attendance Record and Apologies:

Ivan Venning, Rolf Binder, Tony Clark, Martin McCarthy, Andrew Morphett, Belinda Cay, Stephen Balch, Anne Moroney (CEO) & Sue Merry (Minute Taker).

Apologies: Brian Carr, Henry Inat & Amanda Longworth.

2. Declaration of Conflicts: Nil.

3. Additional Agenda Items: Nil

4. Correspondence (Incoming):

a. Department of Infrastructure, Transport & Regional Development: Funding Agreement Changes.

b. Northern Rivers NSW: Thank you to Rolf.

Correspondence (Outgoing):

a. Mayor O’Brien (LRG): response to Mayor O’Brien’s letter to Mayor Redman (ToG).

5. Provisional Plans (DIRD & Regions SA)

Discussion on plans and potential impact of new Federal funding agreement on priorities and of COVID business shutdown and travel restrictions. One additional item under Strategic Objective 2: Local manufacturing of agricultural machinery parts: proposals and steps for addressing “just in time” inventory of critical replacement parts for agricultural machinery. (Potential for new industries).

6. Provisional Budget

Discussion of budget – no items of concern to address. To be reviewed by Finance Committee after end of current financial year.

Resolution:

Moved: _____ Stephen Balch ____ Seconded _____ Tony Clark __

that the Provisional Annual Plan and Provisional 2020-2021 Budget be adopted. All in Favour: Carried

Minutes of the Board Meeting of Regional Development Australia BGLAP Inc. held Wednesday 10th June 2020 at 3.30pm via Zoom.

7. CEOs Report

Anne spoke briefly to her weekly reports and the region’s disappointment at no success in the Building Better Regions Fund round announced this week. There were a number of very good projects, well presented, with strong economic growth opportunities. All Board members urged to speak with their Federal member to better understand the decision-making process and reasons for the region’s limited success over the years.

8. Other Business

Regional Growth Fund, Strategic Business Round due to open on 11 June. Part of the COVID Stimulus package. New guidelines with greater opportunity for businesses. RDA BGLAP has allocated additional resources to assisting business work up their application and present them well.

There being no further business the meeting closed at 4.00pm and was followed by a Workshop with Ifor Ffowcs-Williams on RDA assisting Clusters to be more successful, as an Economic Development Strategy.

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

CHAIRMAN

DATE

Next Scheduled Board Meeting: 8th July (TBC)

Monday 1st June 2020

Mayor Bill O’Brien Light Regional Council PO Box 72 Kapunda SA 5353

Dear Bill,

I write in relation to your letter of 18 May, addressed to Mayor Redman and copied to others including RDA, which addresses a number of matters relevant to the Board of RDA to which I believe a response is required.

Firstly, the letter is written in the context of ongoing discussions about local government boundary reform. I wish to make it clear that RDA works with and across the entire region and does not take a position in relation to the current debate, other than to be open to discussions at its board table that those involved wish to raise. Whilst RDA is willing to do what it can to assist those in dispute to a workable position, RDA does not involve itself in the matters in dispute.

Secondly, and importantly, some comments were made in that letter about a regional plan which I believe warrant clarification. RDA works and has always worked on evolving regional plans and priorities, which inform and facilitate future economic growth and jobs prosperity for the region. For the past eight months RDA has been addressing research and consultations for the next iteration of a Regional Roadmap with identified priorities. The timing of this work has been somewhat influenced by the timing of individual Councils’ economic plans. At a Board meeting in the second half of 2019, Brian Carr as CEO of Light Regional Council and a Board member of RDA, tabled Light’s “one page vision” for the region, comprising the regional map with a number of important potential investments noted against a background of existing growth industries.

A degree of confusion seems to have been created by a tendency to refer to this one page vision statement as a plan. Detail on this vision statement was only made available to the RDA Board after the recent May 13th Board meeting in the form of a discussion paper with valuable insights and proposals that will be incorporated into the work RDA is undertaking on a Regional Roadmap and Recovery and Transformation Plan post the current economic crisis.

ABN 70 509 677 325

The Institute 28 Murray Street, Tanunda PO Box 767, Tanunda SA 5352 Ph +618 8563 3603 www.barossa.org.au

The core project in the vision map, expanded upon in the discussion paper, most certainly addresses a priority for the region. Water been identified by RDA as a priority for the past 8 years and more. As a Board, we agree that broader distribution of fit for purpose recycled water is the most important infrastructure project for the region. Nor do we dispute the value of all the projects identified in the map. These are exciting projects for our region, along with other opportunities identified by RDA and its partners. The dissent is that the RDA Board does not agree with the description of the one page vision map as a regional plan and one that others have ignored or failed to engage in.

The confusion that has arisen regionally around this description is more than semantic, and is causing a distraction that is not helpful at a time when so much is to be done for a unified approach to economic recovery. It may be that the use of the term “plan” for the one pager was inadvertent, and so I hasten to bring it to your attention.

I look very much forward to our collective action in transforming and recalibrating our regional economy with the large number of opportunities to be activated and the excellent positioning the region has for the future. We have important discussions ahead of us and decisive action. It is important that there is true collaboration in this.

Bill, we live in exciting/challenging times and my full co-operation with you and your Council has and always will be total.

With kind regards,

Ivan Venning,

Chair.

Cc CEO Town of Gawler Mayor and CEO The Barossa Council

Mayor and CEO Adelaide Plains Council Mayor and CEO Playford Council Mayor and CEO Mid Murray Council Boundaries Commissioner Minister Knoll

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Cluster Development A Barossa Perspective

10 June 2010 Ifor Ffowcs-Williams

www.innova4onclusters.no

Clusters in remote environments

Winter tourism cluster, Northern Norway •  A destination with world-class winter experiences.

•  57 companies & 6 knowledge & development organisations

Arctic Maritime Cluster •  Developing Arctic effective, safe & environmentally robust

equipment.

•  29 companies & 8 knowledge & development organisations

Torquay, Vic

Clusters … start naturally Scone, NSW Population: 7,500

•  Accounts for 80% of

Australia’s thoroughbred exports

•  Only Kentucky, USA has more thoroughbred horses

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Buyingradishseeds? GotoCanterbury,NewZealand

50%ofworldproduc4on

Buyingcorkforsparklingwine?

GotoCostaBrava,Spain

70%ofworldsupply

Buyingsocks? GotoDatang,China 35%ofworldproduc4on

BuyingperfumeboRles?

GotoBresle,France 50%ofworldproduc4on

Buyingsubseatechnology?

GotoBergen,Norway

50%ofworld’ssupply

BuyingaircraUcoldweathertes4ng?

GotoManitoba,Canada

85%ofalllargeaircraUtested

Clusters … an international buyer's view Buyers are travelling to fewer places Places with a Go-To reputation in a specific field

Mackay, Queensland Mining Services Cluster A cluster under-done!

1. Clumps of isolated firms – Some supply chain links

2. Clutter of support agencies – Commonwealth + State + Municipal – Academic institutions + training organisations +

high schools + Public R & D

Successful Clustering Initiatives Four key principles

1.   Businessesinthelead2.   PublicAgenciesinsupport

3.   Knowledgeunderpinning

4.Teamwork…siloremoval

A Cluster’s Board

A voluntary coalition of preferred leaders; Integrating knowledge & perspectives.

Able to progressively work as a team; Aligned on the big picture.

Active governance … The players … not the spectators.

A Board dominated by: •  The clusters’ largest / loudest organisations …

or an ‘Old Boy’s Club’; •  Second level managers;

•  Public & industry association officials;

•  Same university; Same technical background; •  Same gender.

Cluster Board Danger signs

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Cluster Board’s Role

Not to develop the cluster’s strategy.

But to develop the process from which the strategy emerges …

Centred on the Wisdom of the Crowd.

And then to garner resources to implement that .

Upgrading to a

A strategic plan identifies the clusters’ priority activities to be undertaken within the resources that are available.

is not constrained by the current availability of resources: Highlights the priority activities; Seeks partners to resource implementation;

Underpinned by a Coalition of the Willing.

The Cluster Manager A cornerstone role

•  A change agent, a catalyst

•  Connector, relationship builder

– From solo players to collaborative actions

•  A Strategic Guide and a Critical Friend

“Triple Steelix acts as a junction box

and a port for projects”

Maria Engholm Cluster Manager

Sweden

Advice to a cluster manager Projects, the cluster’s engine room •  Broad range … there is no one silver bullet •  Address opportunities, not problems. •  Go with the passion, the interest. •  Projects with, not for, the cluster stakeholders

Cluster success … Three winning ingredients

1. Specialisation 2. Business collaboration –  Co-opetition, co-specialisation –  Facilitated by trust, proximity

3. Demand-driven business support –  Aligned organisations

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Food Valley Cluster, Netherlands

Food Valley Region • Within a 50 km radius: 1,440 food related companies: 20 research institutes; 15,000 scientists • Wageningen University: one of top-3 agrifood universities globally

Food Valley cluster Organisation, est. 2004 • Board: High level triple helix, incl. Uni President • Staff: 20