Location is no accident

Before the decision was made in December 2005 to relocate the Transport Accident Commission (TAC) from Melbourne to Geelong, for many TAC employees a move to Geelong had not featured in their lifeplans.

But three years of planning at the TAC saw the formulation of a relocation incentive scheme, and suddenly lifeplans were reworked. A number of measures were put in place and offers made to employees to make the transition, due to take full effect in January 2009, smoother and more attractive.

For TAC Manager of Information and Review, Andrew Ford, the decision to relocate to Geelong was a little easier than for most, even leaving aside the relocation incentive package. “For my family, the offer to move to Geelong was very enticing,” Mr Ford says. “We lived in Ballarat, so for me the drive to work in Melbourne was about an hour and three-quarters each way. But I also have a young family, so it’s been very much a lifestyle decision for myself and the whole family.

“I think for the family, we now have the ability to do more things together, including outdoor activities. There are lots of parks, the botanic gardens, there’s the river, the waterfront and the beaches. It offers my family a far better lifestyle, and for me, a whole lot more time to spend with my family as I am spending much less time travelling to and from work.”

The TAC has put more than three years of planning into its move to Geelong and has made every effort to bring as many staff as possible across, which has included the relocation incentive.

“The TAC contributed towards the purchase price of a house if an employee bought a property in the Geelong area, as well as assisting with stamp duty and relocation costs,” Mr Ford says. “A rental assistance package for those renting in the Geelong area was also offered.

“And for those employees who decided not to take up the offer to relocate to Geelong, assistance for them to remain in Melbourne but work in Geelong is also available.”

A redundancy package was offered to employees who chose not to relocate, as well as a redeployment package which allowed TAC employees to take up positions within other state government organisations.

For Mr Ford, a 12-year employee with the TAC, Geelong offered more than lifestyle benefits. “Geelong also has high-quality education, health, and infrastructure systems, but with the additional benefit of living in a regional city that has a large country towntype community involvement.

“Once we decided as a family to move to Geelong we chose to move there a bit earlier, in January, to get the kids into the school system.

“We spent lots of time researching schools and were incredibly impressed. There were lots of options available and we were also able to find a kinder that met our needs. The kids are now well settled in school and our youngest in kinder, and we have settled into the community.

“My wife Lisa was also able to relocate from her job and when we open the main TAC office, my walk to work will only take 10 minutes. It’s been a great move for all of us. The TAC relocation incentive certainly helped us to make our decision, but it’s certainly not the reason why we made the move. I am able to remain working for a strong and committed organisation in the TAC while continuing to enjoy the benefits of living in regional Victoria with the office at our doorstep.”