Thanks for having your say. Councillors voted unanimously on Tuesday 25 May 2021 to adopt the Economic Development Strategy (2021) following the public exhibition.

We've put people at the centre of driving the city’s economic opportunities and recovery from COVID-19 in our new Economic Development Strategy.

The strategy has been developed with extensive stakeholder and community engagement that included targeted conversations with population groups most impacted by the COVID-19 economic recession, including young people and international students.

The vision for Newcastle is to strengthen existing and create new economic opportunities for all by investing in people, their skills, network and investments. The Economic Development Strategy’s delivery program highlights four priority areas including ‘Skilled People’, ‘Innovative People’, ‘City Shaping’ and ‘Vibrant City’ to make the vision a reality.

The delivery program will be inclusive and aims to provide a range of opportunities for locals, as well as attract new talent to the city where there are current or emerging skills gaps.

Newcastle is currently home to a range of economic opportunities which are identified as the ‘Innovation Arc’ within the Economic Development Strategy. The Innovation Arc names key sites including Williamtown, Port of Newcastle, University of Newcastle, Summerhill Waste Management Centre, John Hunter Health and Innovation Precinct, and the Broadmeadow Precinct as catalyst areas for new businesses to establish, and new talent to create opportunities.