Supporting growth of targeted industry sectors

A Metropolis of Three Cities highlights the importance and role of the NSW Government in leading the development and coordination of sectorspecific industry development strategies to grow and globally position key sectors of the economy.

The NSW Government recognises that these sectors are important in fostering innovation in the development of highly-skilled jobs which drive productivity and global competitiveness.

The strategies are being developed in consultation with industry, government partners and other key stakeholders. They build on and leverage existing industry and government activities and plans, and focus on delivering high-impact practical initiatives to drive sector growth through industry, academia and government collaboration.

A Metropolis of Three Cities outlines the strategies to support industry sectors. They cover the areas of:

• industry skills and capacity building
• investment attraction
• export growth and facilitation
• industry showcasing and promotion
• opportunities through government procurement
• government and industry partnerships.

To support these strategies, Objective 24 of A Metropolis of Three Cities emphasises the need to work with internationally competitive trade sectors by considering the barriers to growth, including regulatory barriers.

This Planning Priority reinforces the need to:

• support the growth of internationally competitive industry sectors
• respond to changing technologies
• plan for tourism and visitation.

Tourism

The South District attracts tourists who visit the Royal National Park, the long stretch of beach from Boat Harbour to North Cronulla or the surf beaches of Cronulla and Wanda.

In 2015-16, approximately 715,000 visitors stayed overnight in the District, 90 per cent of whom were domestic visitors. Visitor spending in the District was almost $950 million in the same period²¹. In the Sutherland Shire, of the 1 million day-trip visitors each year, less than 400,000 people stay overnight²².

Visitors' experiences are shaped by major attractions and events, the places they visit, the facilities available and how their needs are met. Tourism provides widespread economic benefits, which can be enhanced by providing a better experience and facilities.

The Royal National Park is the District's major attraction, with visitor precincts at Audley, Wattamolla, Bonnie Vale and Garie. Wattamolla Beach is the most visited precinct in any national park in NSW²³.

Businesses such as ANSTO attract domestic and international corporate travellers to the District, many staying in the District during their visit.

The District has Aboriginal, European and natural heritage and could capture tourist interest associated with education, medical and business activities and international sports events.

Other tourism assets include:

• Cronulla's surf beaches and foreshore walks
• the Georges and Port Hacking rivers
• Kamay Botany Bay National Park, the Georges River National Park, Heathcote National Park and the Garawarra State Conservation Area
• whale watching at Cape Solander
• the wetlands along the Georges River, particularly the Ramsar-listed wetlands at Towra Point and the wetlands around Salt Pan Creek
• cycleways from Botany Bay to Kurnell and Cronulla and along the Cooks River
• the site of Captain Cook's first landing in Australia
• major sporting facilities such as Endeavour Field (Shark Park) and Jubilee Oval (Kogarah Park)
• a diverse range of centres with restaurants and eat streets, night-life and shopping.