Governance and Framework
A series of governance and framework documents help inform the ongoing development of regional NSW and towns such as Merriwa. These documents are set out below.
UHSC Merriwa Revitalisation Plan
UHSC Merriwa Revitalisation Plan
The Merriwa Town Centre Masterplan sets out “a strategic framework to revitalise the town centre and establish the key direction for the town over the next 15+ years, with the aim of creating a safe, attractive and thriving town centre well into the future.
The purpose of this Masterplan is to provide Council and the community with a roadmap for positive change. It identifies the key components and implementation steps needed to realise the vision”
Ref: Page 5, The Merriwa Town Centre Masterplan.
The Destination Managment Plan
The Destination Management Plan
The Upper Hunter Shire Destination Management Plan (2021) (DMP) for the Upper Hunter is the result of community and industry consultation from November 2020 – February 2021.
“A variety of workshops and meetings have been facilitated to enable as many stakeholders as possible to contribute. In addition, extensive research and analysis has been carried out to determine the destinations points of uniqueness and difference and to help ensure that points of difference are captured between the various communities throughout the shire who reside in or close to Aberdeen, Merriwa, Murrurundi and Scone.”
Ref: Page 2, The Upper Hunter Shire Destination Management Plan.
Golden Highway Corridor Strategy
Golden Highway Corridor Strategy
The Golden Highway Corridor Strategy sets out the plan for a more productive and integrated corridor for NSW communities and road users.
According to the strategy, key benefits of the strategy are to
- increase safety, traffic efficiency and freight access
- improve travel reliability for all road users and limit the effects of flooding
- support regional freight movement for productive agricultural and mining industries.
Click here for full details of the strategy.
NSW Regional Development Act
NSW Regional Development Act 2004
The object of this Act is to provide a framework for strategic intervention in the economies of regional New South Wales for the following purposes:
(a) to help fill gaps left by the market system,
(b) to promote economic and employment growth in regions,
(c) to assist regional communities to capitalise on their regional strengths, to broaden and reposition the industry base of their regions and to develop new products and new markets,
(d) to develop regional or local solutions for regional or local business development problems.
Click here to see the Act.
Regional Development Legislation and Framework
Regional Development – State and Federal
The Federal Government conducted an inquiry into the best practice to approach:
- regional development
- the decentralisation of Commonwealth entities
- and how to support corporate decentralisation.
The final report, entitled Regions at the Ready: Investing in Australia’s Future (June 2018) was released and is available as a PDF (click here).