Factors for business establishment in regional Australia: an analysis of the Mid North Coast of New South Wales

This paper examines reasons why businesses relocated or established on the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. The region is characterised by having one of the highest levels of unemployment in Australia, one of the lowest average incomes and a high dependency on social security infrastructure. The region also has a climate, which has been described as one of the best in Australia. These conditions make it an attractive location for ‘lifestyle’ reasons as well as a large reserve of unutilised labour. Data used in the preparation of the paper was gathered initially in 1996 and updated in 1999 via an extensive survey of businesses that achieved a response rate in excess of 90%. The data was collated into a regional research database called the Regional Business Register, which was formally known as the Business Enterprise Register. The focus of this paper highlights the reasons why businesses relocate to this region. It concludes that further research is needed to investigate the impact of the decision-making models particularly in relation to business start up and relocation to regional Australia.