Lead Story
Issue No. 11 - June/July 2003
Path to Prosperity
by Roger Sexton and Donny Walford
Measurement against goals is basic in business planning (how else do you judge success?) but historically, yardsticks have been conspicuous by their absence from public planning.
That’s why the most important feature of the Economic Development Board's major report, the “Framework for Economic Development in South Australia” published in May, has a strong emphasis on benchmarking.
There has been a lot of cheerleading since the release of the Framework , particularly its 'no change is not an option' theme and the need for us all to be positive.
What bodes well for the future is the thorough work the EDB has done to plot not only what we need to build on the "foundation" issues of population growth, government efficiency, education, infrastructure, finance and exporting, but inspection points to mark our progress.
For instance, the delegates to the recent Economic Growth Summit will be reconvened in April 2004 to consider how far we have come. (During the preparation phase of the Framework, the EDB consulted about 10,000 South Australians to ensure a comprehensive cross-section of input from throughout the community. The Economic Growth Summit in April, involving 280 delegates, capped off this eight-month consultation process).
Donny Walford, Acting Chief Executive of the Office of Economic Development, which provides policy and implementation support to the EDB, says 11 of the 72 major recommendations in the Framework have already been accepted in principle by the State Government.
"It’s been a very positive response to the Framework within Government departments with agencies working hard on drafting implementation plans ahead of a final review by State Cabinet in July," says Donny.
According to Dr Roger Sexton, former Chief Executive of the Economic Development Board and the Office of Economic Development and now Chairman of the State’s new Venture Capital Board, turnaround will not be easy to achieve.
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