By Aaron Cordy
FOOD manufacturing, exports, and growth despite an uncertain economic and volatile global political outlook were on the agenda of the Committee for Greater Shepparton’s (C4GS) first event for the year, on Tuesday, February 11, at the Woolshed.
C4GS welcomed almost 140 business and community leaders, members of state and local governments and agencies, and representatives from the Australian Gas Infrastructure Group and the Port of Melbourne, to see guest speakers NAB Senior Markets Wholesale Manager Troy Furlong and SPC Global Managing Director Robert Iervasi outline their outlooks for 2025.
C4GS CEO Linda Nieuwenhuizen was excited about the calibre of attendees to hear the guest speakers and to showcase that Greater Shepparton is and will continue to be vital if investment in infrastructure is made in the region.
“There’s a lot of people in the room tonight who are coming to this region because we matter in terms of scale, but also in terms of the unique proposition we provide for innovation and the future of energy in particular, and food manufacturing,” said Linda.
“The world will always need to eat. So, we are in a good place. We just need to solve some of the input issues around workforce, energy, water, basics. But we’re not like other regions where, say, a Ford leaving the region or end of fossil fuels in La Trobe Valley, our industry needs to continue, and so it’s solving those input challenges that will make the difference for us domestically and internationally.
“Campaspe, Moira and Shepparton’s combined annual manufacturing is five and a half billion dollars a year. That’s 6,500 jobs and half a billion dollars of salaries into those three LGAs [Local Government Areas] through the people they employ. So, we are significant in that sense, those three LGAs also use 8 per cent of Victoria’s industrial gas. So again, a significant gas user. And then we’re also a significant exporter of finished products through the Port of Melbourne. So, you know, there’s so many things we do that will continue into the future, we’ve just got to sort out a few little input issues.”
Linda described the fast and volatile start to 2025 with the C4GS Community Connector Program providing a barometer of activity and supporting more than 200 professionals in the various stages of relocating to the region since Christmas.
“That’s 200 professionals needing support with schools, housing and social connections in our region – but it’s also more than $50 million into our local economy every year and allows us to deliver services locally and to grow industry and business,” said Linda.
In welcoming NAB Head of Markets Troy Furlong, Linda noted interest rates were a very familiar topic for homeowners, investors and business, but the region’s exposure to international trade was equally important.
Each year Greater Shepparton exports more than $500M of product to the world and more than half is manufactured food and groceries followed by agriculture. The region also imports almost $1B of products with machinery, equipment and inputs for manufacturing making up nearly 90 per cent.
“What happens in international markets and what happens to the Australian dollar is very important to the competitiveness and prosperity of our local industry – Troy has given us much to consider as we adapt to a persistently volatile outlook,” said Linda.
SPC’s Managing Director Robert Iervasi also spoke to SPC Global’s export ambitions that have expanded following its merger with Nature One Dairy and the Original Juice Company last year.
