Thursday 26 April 2012

Moyne Shire 'lucky' to have boom

www.abc.net.au
19 Apr 2012

The chairman of Rural Councils Victoria, Ken Gale, says the Moyne Shire, in the state's south-west, is experiencing a boom. The organisation is hosting the annual Rural Summit in Port Fairy. Councillor Gale is also a councillor on the Moyne Shire and says it has been blessed with large industrial developments while other small municipalities are struggling. He says gas and renewable energy developments are driving growth.

"We're very lucky here, we've got very low unemployment, we're in an excellent situation, we've got the wind farms, the power companies are setting up a range of projects throughout the shire", he said. "I think there's something like 17 projects on the go at the moment, so we're very lucky that we've got that to boost our economy".

He says most rural councils have a small rate base and need help. "We want them to really survive and thrive", he said. "They're doing an excellent job but they need a really big boost I believe from the Federal Government. "I don't think there's a lot of money around, state or federally, so we'll just have to wait and see but I would urge,.. mainly the Federal Government, to look at our smaller municipalities".

0 comments: