Fewer empty shops on Leeton's main street as employment booms, but tourism down, report states

There are fewer empty shops on Leeton’s main street, employment is booming and more businesses are coming to town, but tourism is sliding and the community believes internet speeds are getting slower.

The State of the Shire Report by Leeton Council outlines key trends, achievements and challenges for the local government area. It was presented to councillors last Tuesday (26 November) at the monthly ordinary meeting so they have a blueprint on what’s needed to move the town forward.

“This is a report on how the community is progressing with its strategic plan,” Leeton Shire Council general manager Jackie Kruger said.

“The plan is not a council report, it’s something council stewards on behalf of the community.

“We don’t just want to say to the community that we do a whole heap of stuff; we also want to know that it’s making a difference and that we are better off.”

A similar report was prepared for Griffith City Council the previous week.

The Leeton report outlined generally positive trends for the shire, though also highlighted some areas in need of improvement.

Empty shops on the main street is a metric of concern for most small towns across regional NSW, but on that score, Leeton is moving in the right direction.

“The aim was to reduce the number of empty shops in Leeton Shire. This was achieved,” the report stated.

A graph presented shows the number of vacant stores between McDonalds and the Roxy Theatre on Pine Avenue declined from 27 in 2015 to just 8 in 2024.

Unemployment remains low in the shire, below 3 per cent and down from 4.5 per cent in 2020.

There were 976 registered businesses in Leeton in 2023, up from 931 in 2019.

A more worrying trend, though, is tourism. Visitor numbers took a tumble during the pandemic, and despite an uptick in 2022/23, still remain well below the pre-COVID level.

In 2019/20, there were 14,000 airport passengers to and from Sydney, but by 2022/23 the number was just 8000.

“Despite the decline in 2020/21 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, passenger numbers have been steadily rising since then. However, challenges such as pilot shortages and viability of regional airlines continue to affect passenger traffic,” the report states.

The proportion of residents who rated access to high-speed reliable internet as “good” is also on the slide, from 58 per cent in 2018 to 30 per cent in 2023.

The report noted that improvements could be on the way.

“NBN has upgraded its fixed wireless networks, expanding bandwidth and availability to communities as well as increased Telstra services to 5G. Further data will be required in the coming years to determine whether these improvements have positively impacted community perceptions,” it stated.

Ms Kruger thanked council engagement manager Monica Armanini and her staff for their efforts in putting the report together.

A full copy is available to download on the Leeton Shire Council website.