Editing Albury–Wodonga (section)

=== Strategies for relocation ===

From a Commonwealth perspective there was a desire to relocate public servants from larger cities such as Canberra and Sydney to Albury–Wodonga due to concerns around rising costs in highly populated urban areas.<ref name="auto2"/> Further support came from the AWDC who, in turn, offered high standard rental housing and support for key transferred public servants and developed an innovative newcomer program to help those transferred and their families.<ref name="auto2"/>  Despite these efforts, a high-level of public service relocation did not take place. However, Albury–Wodonga was, successful in establishing an Australia Tax Office bureau and today still has a large number of defence jobs as a result of a major logistics centre development and training school set up by the federal government.<ref name="auto2"/>

Universities and corporate decentralisation were also seen as a way to grow a prosperous urban area. The establishment of a university would not only increase the number of jobs but also expand the occupational breadth in the workforce.<ref name="auto2"/> A university would provide access to tertiary education for rural and regional students and limit the loss of local school leavers from the region.<ref name="auto2"/>

Similarly, attracting private enterprise was used as a mechanism to accelerate growth. Thus the AWDC developed an economic strategy focussed on the strengthening of distribution and manufacturing services in the region.<ref name="auto2"/> Albury–Wodonga was to become a regional distribution hub. Moreover, the AWDC enticed new businesses to relocate by providing rental start-up factories, rental housing for employees and promoting the child-care and education facilities already available.<ref name="auto2"/> To attract larger private enterprises (for example Mars Petcare and the Newsprint Mill at Ettamogah) the state and Commonwealth governments intervened, enforcing provisions such a social housing for employees, to help accelerate growth.<ref name="auto2"/>

Furthermore, similar to other places that fell under the 'New Towns' strategy, retaining green space was important for the Albury–Wodonga growth centre. In and around the area, the AWDC planted approximately 3 million trees and shrubs, becoming one of Australia’s biggest urban re-afforestation programs.<ref name="auto2"/> Today Albury–Wodonga continues to exercise environmental leadership through various sustainability initiatives.<ref>{{cite web |title=Albury City Council Environment and Sustainability |url=https://www.alburycity.nsw.gov.au/environment/sustainability |website=Albury City NSW |date=23 August 2019 |publisher=AlburyCity |access-date=10 April 2020}}</ref>

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