With harvest well underway, and the Victorian border to reopen soon, the Gunnedah economy is set to be in a strong position.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Gunnedah mayor Jamie Chaffey and Gunnedah Chamber of Commerce president Juliana McArthur agree that this year's great harvest will be beneficial to many local industries.
Cr Chaffey said harvest was especially great for contractors as it had been a long time since they'd been able to work in that particular sector.
"It's a just reward for primary producers as many haven't had crops for the last few years, so this harvest is a just reward for their confidence in their industry," he said.
Read also:
Mrs McArthur said the instant asset write-off included in the federal budget could also boost spending in the town's businesses now that harvest was a success.
"Our economy started to pick up once we had rain earlier in the year and farmers got spending to put the winter crop in and that spending goes right access the economy to ag supplies, machinery parts, fuel," she told the NVI.
"There will be that full asset write-off available and it's a once in a lifetime opportunity to upgrade your ag equipment if you can.
"Hopefully that makes it more affordable for producers and contractors and not only are we harvesting a winter crop, they're also sowing a summer crop and that brings confidence into the economy that in a few months time hopefully it will go well too."
The Victorian border will reopen on November 23, which the mayor said would also further prove beneficial to harvest workings. It's been closed since July this year.
To have our borders open is a great encouragement to those people in the Gunnedah shire that rely on visitation from throughout Australia but also those businesses that are based in Gunnedah but trade all over the nation of Australia.
- Gunnedah mayor Jamie Chaffey
"We have many local contractors both in harvest and in planting that now will be able to continue further south and ... will extend their opportunity to make an income as well," Cr Chaffey said.
"The easing of restrictions will put us back into our normal state of connectivity and should rapidly move us back into a normal state of business.
"To have our borders open is a great encouragement to those people in the Gunnedah shire that rely on visitation from throughout Australia but also those businesses that are based in Gunnedah but trade all over the nation of Australia."
Mrs McArthur believes there'll be Victorian visitors to town when the borders reopen, who will then spend money in Gunnedah businesses.
"I think there'll be a lot of Victorians heading to QLD and they've got to stop somewhere on the way. It'll be a boost for our hospitality and accommodation sectors," she said.