Economic Development Office

Shoalhaven Council supports a specialist Economic Development Office.

The Economic Development Office has a professional care program to make the establishment/expansion of your business as easy as possible. Offering one - on - one guidance they will give you an honest appraisal of your project and help you with Council applications, building business networks and are in constant contact with other Government agencies that may be able to assist you.

Shoalhaven Council also has processes in place to help developers, builders and other applicants – eg structured meetings, electronic DA applications and website guidance on what’s required.
You’ll find the Shoalhaven is where you make a genuine connection, not just a profit.

Role of the Economic Development Office
Economic Development Strategy
blueprint Shoalhaven
Video Testimonial

Role of the Economic Development Office

The Shoalhaven Economic Development Office is one of the largest such offices in Regional Australia. Our team will partner you and your business to:

Relocate your business into the Shoalhaven
Start a business in the Shoalhaven
Expand your business once established in Shoalhaven
Invest in the Shoalhaven

Please contact the Economic Development Office on +61 2 44293388 during office hours or email

Economic Development Strategy

The Shoalhaven Economic Development Strategy, adopted by Council in 2005, aims to foster sustainable economic developmentin the Shoalhaven through collaboration between all levels of government, other relevant agencies and the broader Shoalhaven community.

The strategy aims to foster an increase in:

• business growth and capability
• jobs growth
• private and public investment in the Shoalhaven, and
• tourism yield

in a way that protects the Shoalhaven's environmental character, yet fosters positive social outcomes.

You can download a copy of the Shoalhaven Council’s latest Economic Development Strategy as a PDF. It outlines the current economic strategy and includes data about the Shoalhaven, vision and key focus areas.

blueprint Shoalhaven

blueprint Shoalhaven was an initiative of all three levels of government to stimulate job growth in the Shoalhaven. Guided by a leaders’ team and a management team drawn from local business leaders, extensive community consultation was sought to draw up actionable projects in four key areas of economic growth:

• Defence,
• Tourism,
• Health and Government;
• General Industry.

The project ran from 2004 to 2009 and several key outcomes were achieved.

Three core elements of deliverables were identified:

• Creating an image for working & living in the Shoalhaven
• Creating better business networks & services
• Implementing a diverse range of other actions

The project was an unique example of the creative response a regional area can achieve and was awarded The Australia and New Zealand Regional Science Association International (ANZRSAI) Regional Development Practitioner Award in 2006. This website was one of the recommendations of blueprint Shoalhaven. To see other projects and outcomes go to blueprint Shoalhaven

Video Testimonial

You can watch Shoalhaven’s Economic Development in action through our Image Library.