Bernard Salt believes job losses may act as a Sea Change 'trigger'
On the very first day back in the Live the Dream offi ce for the new year of 2009, the difficulties in writing an article about the impact of the financial crisis on regional Australia were perfectly encapsulated by two apparently contradictory experiences.
Before the working day had even begun, the editorial team had stumbled upon an interesting story on Channel Seven’s Sunrise program. A café owner from Moree in northern NSW was discussing the difficulties he was experiencing in finding a chef to accept a $110,000 salary package, together with free accommodation. There was no shortage of good jobs on offer in Moree, it would seem – just a shortage of people willing to fill them.
Later in the day, a call came through from one of the regional councils planning to advertise in the magazine. The advertisement, which was to profile the area’s many job opportunities, would have to be pulled. The two major employers in the mining-dependent region had been forced to close their operations, and the land of opportunity had suddenly become a land stricken with unemployment.
The point, of course, is that regional Australia is far from being a homogeneous entity. Just as the global meltdown has had its impact in the city, so too will it make its presence felt in the country and on the coast. Its influence, however, will differ greatly from region to region.
The experience of the mining community recounted above is instructive. Undoubtedly, one of the more frightening aspects of the economic crisis has been the speed at which the massive mining boom of recent years has collapsed, amid plummeting commodity prices and dramatically reduced demand. The result has been a significant number of mine closures and job losses, which have inevitably passed economic hardship down the line to the communities and small businesses supporting and servicing those mines….
For the full story the magazine can be purchased from newsagents.
Shelter From the Storm
Bernard Salt believes job losses may act as a Sea Change 'trigger'
On the very first day back in the Live the Dream offi ce for the new year of 2009, the difficulties in writing an article about the impact of the financial crisis on regional Australia were perfectly encapsulated by two apparently contradictory experiences.
Before the working day had even begun, the editorial team had stumbled upon an interesting story on Channel Seven’s Sunrise program. A café owner from Moree in northern NSW was discussing the difficulties he was experiencing in finding a chef to accept a $110,000 salary package, together with free accommodation. There was no shortage of good jobs on offer in Moree, it would seem – just a shortage of people willing to fill them.
Later in the day, a call came through from one of the regional councils planning to advertise in the magazine. The advertisement, which was to profile the area’s many job opportunities, would have to be pulled. The two major employers in the mining-dependent region had been forced to close their operations, and the land of opportunity had suddenly become a land stricken with unemployment.
The point, of course, is that regional Australia is far from being a homogeneous entity. Just as the global meltdown has had its impact in the city, so too will it make its presence felt in the country and on the coast. Its influence, however, will differ greatly from region to region.
The experience of the mining community recounted above is instructive. Undoubtedly, one of the more frightening aspects of the economic crisis has been the speed at which the massive mining boom of recent years has collapsed, amid plummeting commodity prices and dramatically reduced demand. The result has been a significant number of mine closures and job losses, which have inevitably passed economic hardship down the line to the communities and small businesses supporting and servicing those mines….
For the full story the magazine can be purchased from newsagents.