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One Gippsland welcomes new leaders to strengthen advocacy for tourism, connectivity, food and fibre sectors

One Gippsland welcomes Charee Smith and Simon Johnson, strengthening advocacy for tourism, infrastructure, and regional growth. Key priorities include cultural tourism, road upgrades, and supporting Gippsland's food, fibre, and visitor economies.

By news@gippsland - 1st August 2025 - Back to News

One Gippsland has welcomed two new faces to its team: the interim CEO at Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation (GLaWAC) Charee Smith and new CEO at Food and Fibre Gippsland, Simon Johnson.

From left: Food and Fibre Gippsland's new CEO Simon Johnson, GLaWAC's interim CEO Charee Smith and One Gippsland Chair Cr Nathan Hersey

Strengthening regional advocacy

One Gippsland Chair Cr Nathan Hersey said Charee and Simon were valued additions to One Gippsland.
"Charee and Simon each bring new insights, perspectives and experience to our team and will further strengthen our advocacy work, particularly on issues of importance to GLaWAC and the food and fibre sector such as growing visitor economy and regional connectivity," Cr Hersey said.

"The region attracts more 10 million visitors each year, supporting 3,000 businesses and contributing $2.4 billion to the economy, but Gippsland's natural beauty, Aboriginal culture and unique visitor experiences are under-utilised assets able to drive significant economic growth," Cr Hersey said.

"The visitor economy is key to diversifying Gippsland's future economic base and creating new jobs. Investment in tourism infrastructure and storytelling can help Gippsland stand out in a competitive market," Cr Hersey said.

Investing in connectivity

Cr Hersey also said, "That's why One Gippsland will continue to ask for government investment in priority tourism projects, including the Nanjet Gunaikurnai Cultural Tourism Project near Wilson's Promontory. This $55 million project comprises the phased development of what will be Victoria's largest Aboriginal cultural tourism experience."

"We are also working with our government partners to secure investment in our priority projects including the San Remo Road Upgrade, stage two of the Leongatha Heavy Vehicle Alternate Route, Sale's Alternate Truck Route One Gippsland website and the Traralgon Bypass. These projects are essential for improving safety, efficiency and regional connectivity for all road users," Cr Hersey said.

"Our freight network also must support Gippsland's food and fibre producers and efficient access to airports and ports is vital for our local industries including agriculture, manufacturing and energy," Cr Hersey said.

Advocating for Gippsland

Cr Hersey added, "During the federal election campaign, Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Minister Catherine King committed $3 million to plan for another One Gippsland priority project: essential road network upgrades around Drouin and Warragul," Cr Hersey said.

"We'll be back in Canberra and Spring Street soon and plan to meet with decision makers, including Minister King, to continue to build understanding and support for our funding and policy priorities," Cr Hersey said.

"We're looking forward to having Charee and Simon around the table as we advocate for Gippsland and thank their predecessors Daniel Miller and Ben Gebert for their valuable contribution," Cr Hersey concluded.

Pictures from One Gippsland website.

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com