Building a better investment prospectus
Investment prospectuses are rapidly becoming standard for councils who are looking to attract new capital.
After reviewing a broad mix of prospectuses - and talking with teams from Moreton Bay to Adelaide, Geelong, Casey and Bendigo - it’s clear that there are key design choices that give these documents real traction.
Ground everything in strategy
When a prospectus opens with the same language and framing from its associated economic development strategy, the investment story feels inevitable rather than aspirational. For example, Moreton Bay’s investment prospectus focuses on the same four priority sectors identified in its economic development strategy.
Councils and regions across Australia are developing Investment Prospectuses.
A narrative lens that suits your strongest asset
Different places lead with different stories, and four broad styles are common.
Precinct‑first. Casey’s invesment prospectus focuses on three key activity centres. Each one of these is supported by a separate document (eg Choose Cranbourne), with zoning maps, infrastructure timelines and site photos – everything a property investor needs to imagine a deal.
Sector‑first. Adelaide’s prospectus opens with a focus on defence, space and biomed clusters, inviting firms that value talent pipelines and research strength.
Hybrid place + sector. Sunshine Coast Council’s Invest Sunshine Coast site layers both stories. A visitor can jump from ‘Major Projects’ (a place‑led lens) to ‘High Value Industries’ (a sector lens). This is a helpful structure when the region wants to sell land supply and an innovation ecosystem.
Regional alliance. Ten Victorian councils market themselves jointly through Invest Loddon Mallee, blending region‑wide sector pages with shire‑specific facts. Alone, each LGA is small, but together they present a scale that registers with national and international capital.
A pipeline readers can test
Transparency around project status builds confidence. Greater Geelong provides a public Major Projects dashboard , showing more than 170 projects worth $16.2 billion and flagging whether each is proposed, approved, under construction or recently completed. Investors can explore the interactive map and verify progress for themselves.
Formats that can stay fresh
PDFs remain popular, yet web‑first formats - such as those used by Sunshine Coast and Loddon Mallee - allow rolling edits as approvals land or data shifts, signalling that the pipeline itself is up to date. Where councils do stay with PDF, a visible ‘last updated’ stamp and a scheduled review cycle serve a similar purpose.
A human connection
Several councils make their prospectus the start of a conversation. Whittlesea, for example, invites would‑be investors to phone its Investment Attraction and Business Growth team directly - a clear signal that support is part of the offer.
Let the evidence speak
Data that can be checked carries more weight than general claims. Adelaide puts key numbers on the first pages of its prospectus: city office rents up to 58 per cent lower than the eastern‑state capitals, a workforce of 130,000, and $9.5 billion in business‑asset investment during 2022. Facts like these give readers an immediate feel for cost, scale and momentum.
Bringing it together
No two councils share identical assets or investor audiences, so their prospectuses understandably diverge. Yet the themes presented here — strategy up front, a lens that matches local strengths, a verifiable project list, content that stays current, a personal contact point and evidence‑led storytelling - appear again and again. Together they show how councils are evolving the prospectus from a static brochure into an active part of their growth agenda.
Planning to create or refresh your own prospectus? Econovation has helped councils and regional alliances across Australia to shape investment narratives that resonate with the market. Contact Andrew Wear (andrew.wear@econovation.com.au) for a discussion on how we might be able to help.