The Gippsland region is set to get a major boost from a new support program based on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). 

The 6-month program called ‘Sustainable Gippsland’ will be delivered by purpose-driven Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) organisation Apricot Consulting in partnership with Federation University Australia’s Morwell Innovation Centre. The program will support further adoption of the SDGs in businesses and enterprises across the region. 

Lisa Maatsoo, Industry Engagement and Innovation Manager at the Morwell Innovation Centre is excited about the ‘Sustainable Gippsland’ opportunity to support the adoption of the SDGs across Gippsland. 

“Federation University is pleased to take a leadership role in bringing this SDG program to our local industry partners, as we work together to create a sustainable region for the benefit of everyone in Gippsland,” Lisa added.  

Director of ESG at Apricot Consulting, Geoff Gourley, who was born and raised in Traralgon said: “I’m really excited to be able to bring the ‘Sustainable Gippsland’ SDG support program to the Gippsland region that I know and love so much. We look forward to sharing our expertise and guiding local organisations over 6 months to embed the SDGs into their operations.” 

The program has been tailored for the region and will see participants work through four key pillars over 6 months, these include; 

Education and Awareness includes access to a dedicated online site that will host a range of self-paced webinars and educational content, maturity assessments and a resource library to support organisations gain a deeper understanding and value creation opportunities. 

Enablement and Support, which includes access to dedicated advice and consultancy, SDG scorecard and report and access to technology to register SDG actions. 

Regional Excellence, which includes advanced support for local organisations and a range of community events based around the SDG’s adoption and success across the region. 

Benchmarking, which includes assessing the region’s benchmark, performance and adoption of the SDGs as a result of the program and their contribution to Australia’s action on the SDGs. 

Information about the program will be shared on Wednesday 19th July at the Morwell Innovation Breakfast series event, a collaboration between Federation University, Latrobe Valley Authority and Regional Development Victoria. The event brings together community, government, industry and education to generate and inspire creative thinking and drive positive change in the Gippsland region. 

Geoff Gourley will be the keynote speaker at the event and will discuss the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that aspire to address global challenges relating to the environment, politics and the economy. Geoff will outline how the SDGs are relevant to all of us, and a panel discussion will follow featuring Gippsland organisations who have already taken steps to incorporate SDGs into their values and operations.