During 2018, Cradle Coast Authority (CCA) facilitated the development of the Cradle Coast Regional Futures Plan (the Futures Plan), on behalf of its Member Councils and the broader region.

The Futures Plan was endorsed by Member Councils in late 2018 and forms the basis of a collaborative approach to economic development activities in the region. The consultation that lead to the development of the Regional Futures Plan identified some deeply embedded systemic, structural challenges that need to be overcome to ensure the workforce is well-placed to provide the skills and capabilities to take on the jobs that are coming including:

• High unemployment rates
• Low educational attainment levels
• Shrinking working-age population
• Regionally dispersed population
• Significant labour demands

The Cradle Coast Regional Futures Plan (Futures Plan) has been created in response to these challenges. It establishes a shared narrative to guide collective regional and local action, aimed at improving living standards in the region by boosting regional growth and fostering a more resilient economy – with a sharp focus on creating more jobs and better jobs.

More information on the challenges and strategic response summarised from the Futures Plan is available here:

The Futures Plan and proposed governance arrangements provide a crucial platform for working collaboratively across sectors, organisations and boundaries on the complex challenges that are not effectively being dealt with separately. While the responses to these challenges often need to be industry led, CCA and our councils have an important role in championing these new ways of working better together.

A Regional Economic Development Steering Group (the Steering Group) has been established to provide overall systems leadership and guide the implementation and review of the Futures Plan, and to provide advice to Cradle Coast Authority’s Board (and Tasmanian and Australian Governments when requested) on related regional economic development matters, including prioritising regional investment opportunities through the Investment Framework. Five Working Groups have been established from sector experts in the region and are supported by a core team of regional economic development staff provided by the nine Councils in the region and Cradle Coast Authority.