Great Southern Worker Accommodation Strategy (2024)

On behalf of the Great Southern Development Commission (GSDC), Keston Economics is currently investigating the needs, challenges, and options associated with the current worker accommodation shortage throughout the Great Southern region. 

Work to date has included survey development, delivery and interpretation alongside two dedicated stakeholder workshops with all eleven regional local government authorities; as the Housing the Workforce Working Group (HtWWG). Information has been collected from these LGAs to help inform the strategy and complement survey outputs.

A long list of initiatives and projects is emerging and will be reduced through weighted criteria assessment and a priority matrix approach. Weighted criteria have been determined in collaboration with GSDC and the HtWWG. Once shortlisted, revised criteria and weights will be established with the HtWGG to prioritise the short-listed projects over the short-, medium- and long-term.

Adventure Freak Tour Operations (2023)

As part of Tourism WA's National Park Tourism Experience Development program, Keston Economics were engaged to develop a business plan to determine the most viable options for development of for Adventure Freak mountain bike tour products throughout Western Australian national parks, with an initial focus on the Perth and Peel regions. Six different tour operational models were investigated as part of the planning exercise.

Keston Economics developed a number of targeted tools for the extraction and interpretation of options, including:

• Option identification templates to determine the overarching need, market, impact, establishment cost, approval requirements, income streams, and expenditure.
• Weighting of ten criteria in two categories (difficulty and impact).
• A scoring template for determination of weighted average scores across all determined criteria for each given option.
• A visual matrix that plots each option against its level of impact and difficulty to assist in determining the most viable option.
  

The Astronomy, Space & Defence Sector in Australia's Mid West (2023)

One Degree Advisory, Biddington Research, CSS Strategic, and Keston Economics were engaged by the Mid West Development Commission (MWDC) in September 2022 to study the economic impact of the region’s astronomy, space and defence economy to provide an objective assessment of future related economic opportunities. The study was one of four related investigations being undertaken by the MWDC.

The consultant team supported one another to develop the overarching report, with Keston Economics' role to model the economic benefits to be derived from the presence of astronomy, space and defence activity in the region, including current and prospective direct and indirect dollar value and job creation.

Pivot Support Services Strategic Business Planning (2021)

Pivot engaged Keston Economics to undertake a business plan with the purpose of assessing the viability of the NDIS funding the operations of the Community Hub and being a sustainable source of income into the future. 

The investigations were driven by two core factors: (i) the lack of available support services for persons with complex needs (e.g. released prisoners and general community members suffering from more than one critical need, such as financial, relationship, mental health, drug and alcohol, accommodation, etc.); and (ii) the potential to lose a high value contract that underpins Pivot's operational and financial performance due to government restructuring over the next three to five years. Only 27.6% of persons in the Great Southern with a significant disability are supported by the NDIS. Under moderate growth projections (Australian Department of Social Services), there is an unmet demand for Capacity Building Supports of at least 360 and up to over 1,000 people in the region.

The business planning methodology included a review of existing operations (organisational, operational and financial structure and early success of the trial Community Hub program), market identification and specification (client needs and level of complexity in the region, general context of core disadvantage in the region, and Great Southern service provision - supply vs demand), and investigations of growth opportunity (Pivot development and expansion options, organisational model options, and operational / financial model options). These foundations culminated in drawing several conclusions and recommendations, and establishing an action plan for future Pivot directions.

Following external review of the financial models from Lincolns Albany, the Pivot board unanimously agreed to adopt the recommendations made in the strategic business plan.

Great Southern Strategic Economic Development Plan (2021)

Working on behalf of the Great Southern Development Commission, Keston completed a Strategic Economic Development analysis for the Great Southern region of Western Australia. 

The Great Southern, in common with regions across Australia, faces a number of key opportunities, challenges and threats over the coming decade that require responses at all levels of government, industry and the community. To help inform these responses, the analysis aims to help guide strategic investment by government and the private sector and to improve planning.

The analysis was intended to provide overarching strategic guidance to inform actions that would build upon the economic strengths of the region and to respond to the opportunities for, and threats to, the economy.

Economic development is about harnessing the natural, industry and community resources and opportunities to stimulate sustainable economic activity. 

Among other issues, the analysis considered.

• The development of the regional economy.
• The support of existing business and industry.
• The facilitation of sustainable and innovative practices.
• The creation of an environment that is conducive to business and industry development and attraction.
• The building of partnerships, business networks and alliances.
  

Preliminary Assessment of Emerging Energy Options in the Great Southern (2016)

This study assessed a number of emerging energy options in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, including:

• Extension of the Dampier to Bunbury natural gas pipeline to Albany with various alternative routes being considered and/or favoured by different interests.
• Consolidation and expansion of wind energy options.
• A major proposal from a private/public sector partnership for a micro-grid solution along the South coast incorporating solar, battery storage and wave energy.

The study aimed to assess these options in terms of their respective costs, benefits and, in particular, risks. A multi-criteria approach was used, which provided the basis for balancing the pros and cons of such diverse projects, with differing outputs. A tool was developed for ranking the options across four different broad criteria:

1. Energy factors: the ability of each option to meet forecast total demand and peak demand and the estimated reliability of each option for power generation.
2. Financial factors: the level, phasing and funding sources of capital investment required, and the estimated financial feasibility.
3. Economic factors: the estimated contribution of each option on the regional economy, both during the project construction phase as well as ongoing benefits.
4. Risk factors: the perceived risks of each option (technology, implementation, market, regulatory and societal).
   

Impact of the National Anzac Centre as a Major Cultural Attraction (2015)

This research report was commissioned by the City of Albany to investigate the impacts of the National Anzac Centre (NAC) as a major cultural attraction to Albany and the surrounding region. Heritage and cultural tourism is one of the largest and fastest-growing global tourism markets in Australia and the development of heritage and cultural assets is a means for creating comparative advantages for tourism destinations such as Albany.

The research focused on the economic impacts to Albany and the region, though the core roles of the NAC in remembering, respect, dialogue, public participation, preserving history and education are also recognised.

The findings of the research were that the NAC is providing an economic benefit to Albany, and the wider region, principally through attracting visitors from outside of the region who then spend money in the region that otherwise would not occur. The principal economic benefits were quantified as part of the study.

Katanning Economic Development Strategy (2013)

The Katanning Economic Development Strategy (KEDS) drew on strategic work undertaken as part of the SuperTowns program to define a strategy to harness natural, industry and community resources and opportunities to stimulate sustainable economic activity.

To do this, the KEDS examined the economic opportunities and challenges for Katanning within the context of the broader vision for the community, to identify the directions the town should try to develop its economy, and the strategies that will enable it to do so.

The novelty in the study arises from the continuous consideration of economic implications of each dimension of prior work (particularly the Katanning SuperTowns Growth Plan), the identification of key gaps in prior work (and there are a number of significant gaps despite the breadth and depth of that work), and most importantly, the design of a set of complementary economic development strategies that will enable Katanning to achieve its economic and broader vision.

The KEDS addressed Economic, Sustainability and Societal objectives for the town and its surroundings, recognised the key challenges over the coming decades, including: population growth and demands on housing, amenities and infrastructure, an ageing population, environmental concerns, including climate change, water shortages and dry-land salinity, globalisation and tackling social issues.

The KEDS was developed through background research and analysis and through consultation with the Shire and industry. From this, the strategic and tactical responses required to address issues were identified.  

Other Strategic Activities

Keston has been involved in a number of other regional strategic development activities and initiatives, including but not limited to:

• Business plan for the Albany motorsport Park
• Strategic planning for the Southern Medical Group.
• Business plan facilitation for the Albany Leisure and Aquatic Centre.
• Operations plan for an innovation hub for Digital Innovation in the Great Southern (DIGS - now Fathom Co).
• Contributions to the development of the 2015 Great Great Southern Regional Blueprint, on behalf of GSDC
• A strategic plan for the University of Western Australia (UWA) Great Southern campus.
• A 2012 Regional Economic Development Strategy for the Great Southern, on behalf of GSDC
• Central Great Southern Economic Development Strategy, on behalf of the GSDC
• An export infrastructure blueprint for the Great Southern, on behalf of the GSDC
• A study into the factors influencing innovation in regional WA, on behalf of the Department of Commerce
• Investigations into collaborative multidisciplinary research facilities in the Kimberley region, in collaboration with the Centre of Excellence for Natural Resource Management (CENRM) of the University of Western Australia (UWA).
• Feasibility Study and Operational Plan for an Innovation Network in Yorkshire, UK