The announcement of around $300 million of private sector manufacturing investment by the members of the Bendigo Manufacturing Group has topped off a month-long campaign by Bendigo to unearth its optimists, innovation and invention. The campaign was partnered and supported by the Australian-based think-tank The Centre for Optimism.
The Bendigo Invention and Innovation Festival ends today with a celebration of success.
“Australia’s economic development leaders can learn an enormous amount about manufacturing ‘revival’ and ‘resilience’ from the 10-fold 1000% increase in registrations and attendance at the Bendigo Invention and Innovation Festival with the theme – Optimism Through Innovation,” said Victor Perton, the COO of The Centre for Optimism.
“We saw a regional event become a global event with participants from Denver in the US to Denmark,” he said. “It put Bendigo and its initiative ‘on the global map’.
“It also drew out the optimism and passion of state and national leaders from the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister to the Leaders of the Opposition through to bank heads, industry and science leaders and to schoolchildren.
“While we value the Australian government’ commitment to a “modern manufacturing strategy,” infrastructure expenditure and financial support, the success of manufacturing and business depends on the optimism and passion of entrepreneurs, businesspeople and their committed staff, employees, shareholders and stakeholders.
“Most of all it involves local communities getting behind these initiatives with pride in what is being done and the value of their community in their success.”
Chairman of the Centre for Optimism, Robert Masters, said the Bendigo Festival was ‘a model’ for the Federal government and regional Australia to adopt in promoting the revival of Australia’s manufacturing sector and regional pride and the ‘can-do’ attitude of its people.
“Australians are noted for their innovation; it runs through our history, from the time of the stump-jump plough to the black box flight recorder, the heart pacemaker, photovoltaic cells, X-ray crystallography and even the Hills rotary clothes hoist,” he said.
“The country has the opportunity to be competitive in the global innovation race and cannot afford to fall behind its peers in education, research, investment and entrepreneurial ship.
“If we want to be a top-tier innovation nation by 2030[1], the Bendigo Model is the inspirational initiative that can carry all these pillars and promote regional cities and towns to be great places to live, study and work.”
