Users of The Daily Liberal’s Facebook page have touched on the logistics of Dubbo potentially becoming home to a state-of-the-art automated distribution centre earmarked for NSW.

“Good on the council for trying, but any major supermarket business would be stupid to put their distribution centre in Dubbo,” Rheyce Spears wrote on Facebook.

“The reality is that it would need to be closer to Sydney, otherwise all they’re doing is wasting money in unnecessary transportation costs by carting all of their supplies across to Sydney and the eastern seaboard, which is where most of their retail outlets are.”

In another post, Paul Davis told of being “highly” doubtful  that Coles would “transport food all that way back to the coastal stores”.

Cr Shields, who announced last week that the council had prepared a “very convincing information package” for Coles on why it should pick Dubbo for the automated distribution centre, was succinct in his response.

“I see no reason why Dubbo wouldn’t be an effective distribution point, as we are with other industries,” he said.

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Last week the mayor advised the community that Coles intended to build an automated distribution centre in Queensland and another in NSW, while revealing “no time frame has been set on when this will occur”.

“The package from the economic development team pointed out some of the advantages Dubbo has, including its road, rail and air links to major cities across eastern Australia and abundance of land council believes would be suitable,” he said.

Facebook users also questioned the mayor’s advice that the mooted facility would bring “hundreds of new jobs to Dubbo” given workers in existing distribution centres were getting the axe.

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“The one in Sydney is going automated and hundreds are losing their jobs,” Sarah Ewing Little wrote.

Cr Shields said a “huge amount of labour” would be needed in the construction phase and the number of long-term permanent staff required to run the facility would be “considerable”.

“An automated distribution centre for Woolworths being constructed in Victoria will employ an estimated 100 staff but for Dubbo the associated transport would also bring more jobs for truck drivers, while technicians would be required for the robotics,” he said. 

“It would be a chance for Dubbo to not just expand its workforce but also offer occupations that previously haven’t been required in the city.”

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