Community
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Enhancing community prosperity and capability is our whole purpose. Easy to say,
how do you actually do it? We have a dual focus.
Direct profits to areas of local need
The point of setting up a local telco is to capture revenue that would otherwise
have flowed out of the region. We'll be directing a large proportion of our profits
toward local philanthropic activities. There will be a few major projects which
might include:
- specified major project like the POW memorial
- building business expertise by supporting business angels, co-sponsoring business
development activities with business support groups like AiGroup, Business Ballarat
and MicroNet
- Strengthening Generations project with Communities-That-Care
- support for the arts, education, health, social welfare and sport. (These funds
will be distributed through peak or broad-based funding bodies in each area of activity,
such as United Way, Ballarat Foundation and Ballarat Health Foundation.)
Improve access to leading edge telecommunications services
Telecommunications is vital to the continued growth of rural and regional businesses
and is a gateway to compete in national and international markets. The City of Ballarat
recognised the importance of telecommunications in building a 'Connected Community'
in its ICT 2010 Strategy.
Our vision for Ballarat is to use a collaborative buying group to improve the priority
given to the Ballarat region by telecommunications suppliers.
Through mobilising a local buying base, we aim to influence the timing and accessibility
of essential services like telecommunications. This is especially important to allow
Ballarat businesses to compete on an even footing with metropolitan businesses,
particularly in the emerging area of e-commerce. Part of the local Ballarat challenge
will be to encourage and educate the community to embrace new technology for the
benefit of business and the broader community.