Promoting Regional Australia: regions and their cities

Regional Australia has recently enjoyed an increased political profile. However terms such as regions, regionalism, and regionalisation remain largely undefined and fluid. It is important that as practitioners in regional Australia we consider what the underlying values and assumptions underpin this language and exactly what place regional Australia has or should have in this broader public agenda. The established policy frameworks need to be elucidated and emerging positions proactively shaped.

Are the policy settings based on values of universalism and a commitment to minimum standards delivered through community service obligations or are they based on economic rationalism and competitive market models and residual services – a survival of the fittest? Probably the answer lies somewhere in between, and individual decisions are made albeit ad hoc, on merit. This leaves regional Australia at risk of policy and programs based on changing interpretation of the underlying values of particular public policy outcomes often determined by large investors and industry sectors rather than local communities.

The fluidity and ambiguity around regionalism and the Australian agenda militates against maximising the assets of regional Australia or using its regional advantage. Regional Australia has in fact unique advantages to be leveraged to better serve the broader outlook for Australia. For example Australia has only 18 non capital cities with populations exceeding 70,000 people; this number reaches 36 if cities over 30,000 are included. Then there are the hundreds of smaller towns and regions. How do cities and towns
of all sizes, network and engage with the regions they serve and give them their identity, are there advantages in growing some of these cities or indeed other towns and regions in a planned way – what will be the impacts, which do we want to encourage, which do we want to mitigate against? What sorts of regional communities does Australia want, what are their vulnerabilities and how will it assist in their advancement?

SEGRA has been at the forefront of these issues for well over a decade. Pioneering the links between policy, research, and practice SEGRA offers a unique opportunity to consider these critical issues at macro and micro levels. In plenary sessions, speakers of national standing will be contributing their ideas and expertise around a range of cutting edge national issues: fair share for city and country, regional advantage and vulnerability, new paradigms for regions and their cities, regional industry in the future, and Indigenous economic growth. Spotlight sessions will enable indepth discussion on delivering services across large geographical areas, economic growth after extreme weather events, accessing finance in regional areas – models for developing an investment network, lobbying for regional, rural and remote Australia.

In the concurrent sessions delegates will be able to choose from over 40 practitioners’ presentations demonstrating locally based responses to the range of challenges regions confront. This year many regions will be presenting on their wider strategic planning for sustainable economic development – building regional and community identity, building regional SME’s. Speakers will present innovative responses to energy provision and network business development. There will also be some cutting edge case studies on rural and regional industries of the future and green industry development. All delegates will have the opportunity to hear first hand new ideas - what worked, what didn’t, what next and as always, to discuss their own issues and concerns and share their own successes.

I commend this conference to you.

Kate Charters
SEGRA Convenor