Some may find the idea of international businesses like Google or Amazon wanting to set up in Cessnock a little optimistic.
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But on the other hand, it wouldn’t hurt to ask.
Councillor Jay Suvaal will put forward a motion at tonight’s Cessnock Council meeting to ask the council to write to Google and Amazon, spruiking the benefits of moving their companies to the Cessnock local government area.
“As councillors we want to promote the city and try to bring jobs to the area… why not reach out?” he said.
Why not?
Well, you could start with the lack of infrastructure such as the national broadband network, which is forecast for completion in the Hunter by September 2018.
But the cost of living, the proximity to the Hunter Valley vineyards, Newcastle’s beaches and transport links such as the Hunter Expressway are among a long list of ‘pros’ for moving to Cessnock.
In the digital day and age, why should big business have to be located in big cities?
Google’s corporate headquarters are not even set in a booming metropolis.
The Googleplex is located on a ‘campus’ in the Californian city of Mountain View (population 75,000) – about 60 kilometres from San Francisco (about the same distance from Cessnock to Newcastle).
Employees who live in San Francisco are transported by shuttle bus to and from work.
As for Amazon, there are swathes of vacant land in the Cessnock LGA that would be an ideal location for its warehouses.
The former Hydro aluminium smelter site, the recently-rezoned industrial land parcel at Black Hill and the embattled Hunter Economic Zone are just a few.
If either of these companies made Cessnock their home, it could provide a huge opportunity for region to diversify its economy – which has relied on coal for so long.
It’s no secret that Cessnock needs to take steps to prepare for a coal-free future.
Outside-the-box thinking is required.
Just like recent motions to ask the Federal Government to consider relocating Commonwealth departments to Cessnock, or the request to move the new Lower Hunter Hospital to Kurri Kurri, Cessnock Council needs to continue to be proactive in its approach.
After all, if you don’t make an attempt, you’ll never know.
