Anthony Hogan, Adjunct Professor in Sociology at Charles Sturt University (formerly from Coonabarabran) writes:
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Once the announcement of the opening of a major industry in a small rural locality signalled jobs for locals and economic growth across the district.
Without doubt, the announcement of 800 jobs in a small locality would have seen that town booming.
And yet we learn, that for towns like Boggabri, despite large current and future business development in this rural locality, local businesses are closing.
The basis of the bargain has changed.
Once, major industries were clear and up front about how they would contribute to the social and economic fabric of a rural locality. But now, beyond the gesture of a few school whiteboards or sponsored sports shirts, one has to ask what exactly do these industries really contribute to our communities?
Their purchase of lots of local land simply means the loss of localised economic turnover – families leave and the local spend is reduced. The local economic pie gets smaller.
And because the corporates locate themselves within compounds, the economic turnover that should come to a town like Boggabri is lost.
The impact is a socio-economic by-pass.
A new socio-economic bargain needs to be struck between corporates and local rural communities that are impacted by the rapidly changing economic landscape.
The presence of such industries in such localities must result in a net local social and economic community gain. If not, one has to ask what is the purpose of having an economy if it does not provide for the livelihoods of its local people?
Western Australia’s Royalties for Regions program is one example where the social cost of mining, has been to some extent, been onset by some “give back”.
Is it not time we renegotiated the basis of this community enterprise bargain before anymore of our rural heritage is lost?