Supporting growth of targeted industry sectors

Weekend and night markets, events and festivals (such as food and wine shows, Vivid in Chatswood, Manly Jazz Festival, Northern Beaches Music Festival, Narrabeen Lakes Festival and Granny Smith Festival) attract visitors, promote the District’s lively centres, and contribute to the local economy. Centres such as Manly, Chatswood Kirribilli, Crows Nest and Dee Why also provide popular night-time destinations.

Manly also benefits from its ferry connections to the Sydney CBD. The walk and cycleway from Palm Beach to Manly will provide further tourism opportunities.

Improving public transport will give tourists and visitors access to significant natural, cultural and commercial tourist assets. Walking and cycling trails could expand tourism to destinations such as Manly, Palm Beach, Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, Lane Cove River and National Park, Middle Harbour and Pittwater.

Encouraging tourism in natural areas should not be at the expense of the environment. Tourism must be culturally appropriate and respect the District’s Aboriginal and European heritage.

A comprehensive tourism strategy for the District could identify local, national and international tourism markets, and the infrastructure needed to support economic growth, including improved public transport services, and walking and cycling routes, to facilitate accessibility in key tourist corridors and to significant destinations.

Rural industries

Rural industries in the North District include a multi-use horticulture cluster, growing vegetables and fruit around Middle Dural, Galston and Arcadia. This cluster extends into The Hills Shire in the Central City District. Other rural uses such as nurseries and the equine industry feature in the corridor between Duffys Forest and Ingleside.

Nurseries – both outdoor and undercover – are the most economically productive form of agriculture in the North District, while cut-flower and stone fruit production are the other main agricultural activities. These industries are to be supported and protected throughout the District.

Adapting to changing technologies

Rapid technological changes and digital advancements are disrupting established business models and the workplace worldwide. These are dramatically changing the way people and goods move around, providing more efficient transport services. While technological changes can reduce demand for certain types of jobs, they also help to deliver innovation, new knowledge-intensive jobs and business opportunities. Business and governments must continually engage with industry, assess regulatory barriers and manage data to update governance and policies to capitalise on changes.

The NSW Government has invested $18 million in the Boosting Business Innovation Program, giving small businesses access to research organisations to build strong local business communities and stimulate economic growth in metropolitan and regional NSW.

The Program is boosting:

• a networked innovation ecosystem across NSW
• additional external funding
• small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) which want to scale up and innovate
• the regional start-up sector and creating innovation clusters across the state
• access to high-tech equipment and technical expertise research for SMEs and start-ups through TechVouchers. 

In the North District, delivery partners include the Australian Catholic University, Macquarie University and CSIRO Lindfield. The Program will allow SMEs to connect with skills and research expertise to create a better, more collaborative, innovative future for the NSW economy:

• Australian Catholic University – ACU Collaborate Plus is establishing multidisciplinary collaborative spaces in North Sydney to facilitate sustainable partnerships with organisations.
• Macquarie University – the University is establishing co-working space providing access to expertise and technical equipment and undertaking other initiatives.
• Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) at Lindfield – CSIRO is offering collaborative work spaces at CSIRO’s high-tech lab, providing access to digital and analogue electronics, prototyping, general laboratory equipment and workshop tools, and various other initiatives.

Embracing opportunities to expand start-up and digital innovation can allow more people to work closer to home. Small businesses can be supported by providing infrastructure including smart work hubs and meeting spaces across the District. There are already smart hub business providers located in North Sydney.