With the announcement of the construction of a new bridge above the convict-built Mitchells Causeway, what remains unquantified are the myriad large and small decisions being made during this period of closure. Despite going unremarked, many of these could have irreversible impacts on the Central West economy and, by extension, on the largest state economy in Australia.
Human brains gravitate towards certainty. Risk, or the possibility of suffering harm, is something that we consciously and unconsciously weigh up many times a day. If you can identify and define a risk, you can choose to act on it and plan accordingly.
Ambiguity is another factor entirely. Ambiguity implies two or more possible meanings, interpretations, or outcomes. It introduces uncertainty and complicated decision-making. Uncertainty leads our brains into anxiety and distress. We’d rather avoid the topic entirely.
The detour over the mountains has brought uncertainty into the equation. What is breezily discounted as a minor inconvenience – “It only adds 15 minutes to the drive!” is now factored into how people go about their daily lives. Will the trip take only that long? Or will it be an unlucky day of delays upon delays?
A long-awaited appointment in the city now involves more travel contingencies. Relocation to the regions is a wonderful family and lifestyle choice for many. Necessary work trips to Sydney were manageable on the former commute of road and rail but almost became untenable – and uneconomic – without a level of certainty. Will this new bridge really be open in a year? Or will time and costs blow out? It is not long ago that infrastructure plans for this route were scrapped altogether.
Are you running a business that was going well, but now visitation is up and down? Can’t get key inputs, or have they kept going up in price? Can you make it through another year, at the very least? It’s this sort of uncertainty that leads to shelving plans for investment or the appointment of another staff member, as the focus returns to survival. It’s how our brains are wired.
Supply chains have already started to work around the blockage, avoiding the route over the mountains altogether. What cost and complexity is this adding? Will this recovery timeframe avert long-term decisions to cease transporting to and from this region?
Indefatigable community and business leaders are leaning into the challenge, encouraging more local events and visitation, and more customers to shop purposefully with local retailers. Online options, and all the other business model transformations you would expect.
This is a great test of business resilience that will strengthen our regional economy. For help, remember that Service NSW Business Support and your local business chambers are there to provide information, guidance and a safety net of peer support. The government has announced the expansion of the business recovery fund and the widening of eligibility for hardship grants to Lithgow, Oberon and Blackheath. If your business qualifies, be sure to apply to the Rural Assistance Authority.
The proverb “Pray to God but continue to row to the shore” has never been more apt in the Central West. While advocating to State and Federal governments to take seriously this threat to the long-term productivity of our vast area, our voices have been raised in the messaging to customers and visitors: Still open! Buy online if you can! This is how to get here! Head out and give us a hand! Better still, come out and be our neighbours!
It’s a difficult balance, simultaneously communicating the real and insidious impacts of the closure while doing our very best to mitigate the resulting losses.
The announcement of a new bridge to open in 2027 is welcome. It’s never going to make that crossing equivalent to the M1. What the region really needs is a new, fit-for-purpose crossing, even if its completion is years away, which would carry goods from the highly productive Central West and Western NSW to the new Western Sydney Aerotropolis and beyond.
We have all seen what happens to financial markets, commodity markets and business confidence in times of global uncertainty. Despite this announcement, the people of the Central West are still navigating both global and regional headwinds, and it is time to give them a sign.
