Decentralisation is an issue of acute interest to Ballarat as it is ideally situated to reap enormous benefits from any national push. But a simple popular push is obviously no reason to neglect approaching major public service relocations on a strategic and long term basis.
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The State Government’s proposed GovHub has been earmarked for the Ballarat CBD and stands to bring enormous benefits to the skills pool and vitality of central Ballarat; so some of the key issues around decentralisation are worth considering.
Despite some parochial thinking that car parking will be the issue that will make or break its success, one of the key hurdles is ensuring it becomes a centre for specialisation. One of the hurdles faced by departmental shifts is the inevitable attrition which occurs among those metropolitan workers simply unwilling to make the shift outside the capital city.
The TAC suffered this in Geelong with some estimates saying as much as forty percent of previous employees left the organisation. John Brumby who engineered some of these shifts as Regional Development Minister including the successful relocation of the State Revenue Office to Ballarat himself knew the risks and careful consideration of skills was key to this success.
To do this the jobs on offer must be able to be filled with best possible talent not just with those who are willingly transferred but for all those who in future will fill the natural turnover of staff.
The value of any service will always lie with its staff, so having the best available talent is integral to its sustainability. Having a pool of specialised knowledge and ability to serve these purposes therefore becomes critical for it to be an optimal service provider and not a diluted provincial off-shoot of a preferred capital city headquarters. The difference in successfully executing this could be the difference between today's great idea and tomorrow’s empty office building.
The eminent liveability and proximity of Ballarat, itself on an upward trajectory of growth and sophistication, will serve well both as an attraction and a counterforce to any future ‘brain-drain’ but the move also demands careful planning and execution.
The State Government has made the first welcome declarations toward this end of making Ballarat an innovation and service centre. How it unfolds in the years to come will prove intriguing for the future of Ballarat.