This week has seen a number of announcements that have been good news for Adelaide’s northern suburbs. It’s a fantastic time to be living in this part of town.
The first story is the announcement by Holden that a second shift would be introduced later in the year at the Elizabeth production plant. After 18 months of reduced production on a single shift, the time has come to ramp back up. I think this announcement was inevitable, given the expected launch of the Australian-built Holden Cruze in the new year and the next generation of the VE Commodore being just around the corner. It’s fantastic to see Holden taking steps to build vehicles that people want to buy – fuel efficient yet spacious and sporty looking large cars for the modern family, and now, diesel small cars for the eco-Aussie. Not only will this mean more hours for current Holden employees, but there will be many new jobs created in businesses that support Holden, as well as the local retail businesses who will benefit for the increased spending by locals in the automotive industry.
The University of South Australia also announced this week the opening of a new college in 2011 in order to increase the talent of the South Australian workforce. UniSA Vice Chancellor Professor Peter Hoj says the purpose of the College is to provide extra pathways into university and develop the talent and skills of more South Australians to underpin the depth, capacity and energy of the workforce. The college will play a lead role in the management of the new Maths and Science Centre at Mawson Lakes campus.
News from the Premier’s Office this week included the announcement of a $24 million upgrade to roads in the Edinburgh and Salisbury area. As most northerners would be aware of by now, significant infrastructure work has been taking place at RAAF Edinburgh in preparation for the Army’s 7RAR Battalion arriving early 2011. This will see over 1200 new military staff based at Edinburgh. Combined with ramp up at Holden and the increase in activity at automotive and defence support businesses in Edinburgh Parks, the already stressed roads in the area will really struggle with the increase in traffic. This announce details many upgrades between RAAF Edinburgh and Salisbury Highway which will greatly improve the flow of traffic around the base and Holden. I imagine the next few months will be a bit chaotic around Holden and the base, but it will be worth a bit of pain for the long term gain.
It’s all a great indication that we’re heading into a boom time in the north. Let’s all make the most of it.
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