Leaders hot on govt move

Bunbury would benefit from having a Government department relocated here, according to a Geelong business leader.

The Bunbury Chamber of Commerce and Industries held a video conference with four business leaders involved in the relocation of the Traffic Accident Commission to Geelong in Victoria.

Committee for Geelong executive and program director Peter Dorling said precedence proved the benefits for relocating a Government department.

The organisation is working towards improving Geelong’s social, economic and cultural life.

“A department like Traffic Accident Commission could do for Bunbury what it did for Geelong,” he said.

Mr Dorling said the relocation of a Government department would undoubtedly bring employment opportunities for South West residents, if some existing staff were unwilling to move.

“Clustering also begins to happen because you get lots of other businesses that move or open up around the department’s location,” Mr Dorling said.

The video conference was part of the recently launched campaign Now’s The Time, to get a Government department located in Bunbury.

Chamber chief executive Ray Philp said the conference was successful for two main reasons.

“They were able to give a good account of how the relocation, including what issues they found along the way,” he said.

“The other thing it demonstrated was the way you can do business without people actually being there in person.

“We brought four very busy people into a room for an hour and were able to go back to work and continue their day.”

Mr Philp said Bunbury stakeholders had undertaken feasibility studies and business cases for what a new Government building would look like.

“What we need now is the catalyst to start,” Mr Philp said.

Mr Dorling said he wondered why the State Government was still deliberating about the proposal, considering the Now’s The Time business case.

“When people of passion get together, they’re a hard thing to ignore,” he said.