North Link is a business network and partnership organisation comprising six municipalities across Melbourne’s north: Banyule, Darebin, Hume, Moreland, Whittlesea and Yarra. We are funded by our industry partners such as Melbourne Airport and Northern Health, as well as our member councils and universities and TAFEs. We also receive government funding to run employment programs.

The organisation started in 1987. Back then, it was called the Northern Industry Education Training Link, and became North Link in 1995. It was the brainchild of four people [the chief executive of a leather company, the directors of two TAFEs and an MLA] who were concerned about the impact of tariff reductions. We all wanted to do something to ensure manufacturing in the north survived, so they came up with the idea for a business network. We pioneered business breakfasts and business tours.

I came on board in 1989. I’m an accountant and a teacher. At the time, I was head of business management at Broadmeadows TAFE where I had been for five years. I’m still here 22 years later.

Our aim is to ensure Melbourne’s north grows at least at the same rate as the rest of Melbourne, Victoria and Australia. We want to ensure Melbourne’s north doesn’t fall behind.

We work at a grassroots level with individuals and small businesses – running programs such as business ‘‘incubators’’ in Northcote and Brunswick, employing and mentoring programs for the employed and hosting business networking events. We also work at a broader macro level through research and lobbying. We were instrumental in lobbying for the wholesale market to be situated in Epping.

Most recently, we took a delegation of councils to Canberra to lobby for the north to be given priority in the National Broadband Network roll out and for more than $200 million in funding for 21 projects.

In the past 20 years, I’ve seen the north go from being an industrial area to a gentrified area with a knowledge-based economy which is fast becoming a very desirable place to live and work. Population estimates suggest the region is going to grow by 500,000 in the next five years. Currently, there are 1 million in the region. That growth is going to place enormous demands on infrastructure.