The Casino Industries Activation Project will deliver critical infrastructure needed to secure major business investment that will drive significant economic and social outcomes for the region.
In November 2020, Federal Member for Page Kevin Hogan and State Member for Clarence Chris Gulaptis announced $9.969 million would flow from the co-funded Bushfire Local Economic Recovery Fund to deliver the industrial precinct.
The project is focused on extending essential infrastructure to two industrial activation locations in Casino.
Components of the project include:
• Major upgrade of a critical electricity infrastructure and connection to the sites;
• Water and sewerage connections; and
• Road and access infrastructure.
This upgrade of critical infrastructure, now underway, will facilitate the development of 46ha of land which will meet current and forecasted land demand for industry purposes.
Work on developing one of the two sites, on Reynolds Road at Nammoonna, commenced in January 2021.
This project is about providing the opportunity for a diversity of employment generating business industries which is crucial for building the resilience of the community, and the establishment of these new businesses will represent a step change for the Richmond Valley economy.
These new businesses have the capacity to create 630 direct FTE jobs which will have a significant impact on the regional economy.
In addition, the project will deliver a range of ancillary benefits which include:
• Addressing the higher than average unemployment rate and lower than average educational attainment across the region which will flow-on to an improved ranking on the SEIFA rate of disadvantage;
• Increasing the rate of population growth in the Richmond Valley and the Northern Rivers Region through retention and attraction of population;
• Driving environmental outcomes through the creation of a renewable energy activation;
• Linking with universities for research and development to drive innovation in the health, education and agriculture sectors.