Benalla has become one of 11 towns identified by the Victorian State Government to receive support to transform its economy. This transition follows the announcement of the Victorian Forestry Plan in November 2019.
As part of the plan, commercial harvesting of native forests will cease by 2030, which will have a significant impact on communities that rely on the industry. In response to this, the Future of Benalla & District project has been launched to develop a Local Development Strategy to help the town transition to a competitive regional economy.
The project is being supported locally by Benalla Rural City Council, in partnership with the Victorian State Government, and with help from RMIT. The Future of Benalla & District is a two-year project to develop a Local Development Strategy.
Matthew Currie has been appointed Project Coordinator of the Future of Benalla & District project. Matthew grew up in Benalla, completing his schooling at Benalla College, before spending the next 20 years living and working throughout the Northeast of Victoria, most recently as manager of the Bendigo Bank in Mansfield.
The initial phase of the project is a discovery process involving business, community, education and government with the aim of identifying innovation opportunities for further development.
During this phase, Matthew will be seeking to engage with as many members of the local community as he can. The success of the project depends on the local community being involved in the identification of innovation opportunities in the district as the foundation for developing a competitive regional economy.
“The beauty of a project like the Future of Benalla & District, is that it requires the local community to take ownership of its future. We really want locals to come and talk with us and help us identify what it is that makes Benalla a great place, and what its strengths are. The opportunities that are identified, will then be investigated further, and the community will then decide which ones are put forward to develop.”
