Keith Suter tells: How Council can take advantage of a changing world

Wyong Shire Council was described as a “can-do Council” and challenged to be innovative at the second of the Shire Strategic Vision Forums..

With the topic being the Economy, around 100 people attended the forum held at the Wyong Civic Centre to hear keynote speaker, Australia’s leading socioeconomic commentator Dr Keith Suter.

Presentations were also given by Dr Anton Kriz, from the Central Coast Campus of the University of Newcastle, and Mary Doherty, the Regional Manager of the NSW Business Chamber Central Coast.

Dr Suter gave an entertaining speech, saying Wyong needs to come up with ideas “out of left field” to help in planning a 20-year Vision.

“I think the Council and the community here should be asking questions and laying out four scenarios as part of its planning … never three because people always go for the middle scenario,” he told the audience.

“It’s about looking at the predictions, looking at what’s preferred and then scenario planning.

“Old eras are dying and new eras are opening up and we are the people who can take advantage of that.

“The intention is not so much getting the future right, as to avoid getting it wrong.”

Dr Suter said Council needed to adopt the “blue ocean strategy.”

“If you look at the blue ocean strategy, the blue ocean is the new market space and the red ocean is contested,” he said. “Placing yourself in the blue ocean isn’t to beat the competition, but to make it irrelevant.

“Take Henry Ford, who invented the mass-produced inexpensive car rather than contesting the red ocean of expensive, elite automobiles at the time that were being manufactured by a Mr Rolls and Mr Royce.”

Ms Doherty said the first aim for the future was to ensure the Central Coast was recognised as a region.

“Most people would be surprised to learn that the Central Coast is the same size, in population, as Canberra,” Ms Doherty said.

“As the Regional Manager of the Central Coast Business Chamber, I would like to call on the state government to immediately release the Central Coast Regional Strategy.

“This is the key plan for the Central Coast showing what the State government will require from the region in terms of residential land, industrial land and so forth.

“We are always hearing about this plan and that plan from governments and suffering, somewhat, from paralysis by analysis. We need the Regional Strategy and then to get on with delivering.

“Wyong Shire is a ‘can-do’ Council, and this Vision program is all about looking at the future and getting the community involved.

“It’s about the community being proud and saying: ‘This is where I live, this is where I work, this is my community and this is what I want for the future’.”

Dr Kriz said Wyong Shire was a complicated region.

“You’ve got The Entrance for the sea changers, the Yarramalong and Dooralong Valleys for the tree changers, Tuggerah for commercial and retail, Wyong that needs revitalising and Warnervale that requires careful planning,” Dr Kriz said.

“When you start to look at a project as big as a 20-year Vision for the Shire, you start to have empathy for the Council because it’s such a big job.

“It’s not good being a little cousin to Sydney and if the Shire continues on its current trajectory, it will only marginally improve.

“It’s time to innovate or die.

“We need a Wyong Shire revered as an example of what can be achieved with passion and persistence and that’s what the Vision program hopes to achieve … there will be no shortcuts and it will take all of the 20 years.”

Wyong Mayor Warren Welham described the second of the Shire Strategic Vision Forums as a success.

“As with the first Forum, the speakers left us a lot to think about and their thoughts and information will definitely be fed back into the Vision project,” Mayor Welham said.

“We have one Forum left next Monday and given the quality of the speakers and the information we have got out of the first two Forums, I would encourage all local residents to attend because, after all, the process is designed to make this great area in which we live a better one.”

Shire Strategic Vision project manager Dan Smith said he had received some positive feedback from residents last night.

“In particular, residents expressed appreciation to be able to listen to such high quality speakers on key issues affecting us all and have the opportunity to continue to have input as the Shire Strategic Vision is developed,” Mr Smith said.

“Once again, all three speakers opened our eyes to the future issues facing us when it comes to the next 20 years.”

The last Forum will be held next Monday and feature former US Presidential appointee, Professor Ed Blakely, as keynote speaker.

The final topic is the Community and the evening will start at 7.30pm in the Tony Sheridan Function Room at Council’s Civic Centre.

Media contact: Cameron Bell (02) 4350 1667

Page last updated: 07/05/2008