Moree District Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Dion Biggs said business opportunities would naturally flow on from an increase in the shire’s population, rather than the other way around.

Mr Biggs said the chamber was looking at the relocation of major businesses to Moree, who would bring a sizeable portion of their workforce, and families, with them.

It was good to see outcomes from government-funded seminars to address labour and skill shortages, Mr Biggs said, although often these plans weren’t actionable and ended up being a waste of time.

“We’ve got hundreds of jobs vacant now,” he said.

“Bring people to town first and business will follow.”

Mr Biggs said once a council, government or community took ownership and responsibility for a plan- rather than just consulting- then things tended to happen.

Bringing production industries to town was a direct way of increasing Moree’s population, he said, and would be a major strategy that the chamber would focus on.