First Ambition Report unveiled at Summit

The RAI’s first annual report measuring the progress of the?Regionalisation Ambition 2032?will be unveiled at our?National Summit?in just six weeks – specifically to show how we, as a nation, have moved the needle on the 20 targets set.?

When we launched the Ambition in September 2022, the task ahead felt as daunting as it did important. We knew it would only be successful if a genuine collective effort was mobilised – the coalition of the willing!?

Today, this coalition consists of all levels of government, industry, community, not-for-profits and the RAI’s committed members, coming together to support the Ambition’s shared vision to ‘rebalance the nation’.?

July has seen some positive developments and action, demonstrating the momentum building through each of the pillars.?

Population?- We are encouraged to hear that initial work is underway for a National Population Plan that we have long advocated for. On the migration front, while the Federal Government works through a consultation period on the new visa system, the RAI is working with our?National Alliance for Regionalisation, a cohort of 34 of Australia’s leading peak bodies, to provide a regional Australia response to the initial Migration Review Final Report and Strategy Outline.?

Liveability?- The housing issue continues to dominate the national agenda. The RAI, members of the National Alliance and?Regional Activators Alliance (RAA)?are submitting responses to the Senate Standing Committee Inquiry into the?Worsening Rental Crisis in Australia, using case studies provided by our RAA members. Meanwhile, we welcomed the meaningful increase in the latest?Australian Digital Inclusion Index (ADII)?score.??

Jobs and Skills?- This month, we welcomed the interim draft of the Universities Accord that saw the announcement of 20 new regional learning hubs for regional areas. We are looking forward to continuing to provide feedback to the Department of Education on this critically important document. Our research team also provided policy makers with the first draft of our Labour Force research report, produced as part of the?Intergovernmental Shared Inquiry Program (ISIP)?that focuses on workforce capacity and how regional communities can use existing resources to meet local demand.??

Sustainability and Resilience?– We have also now shared with policy makers our latest ISIP research on Net Zero Pathways in Regional Australia that focuses on vulnerable regional Australian communities with a high reliance on fossil fuels. In coming months, the RAI will bring together State and Territory policy makers to workshop potential policy outcomes.?

Productivity and Innovation?- The Productivity Commission last week released its first review of the with some disappointing views on how governments are delivering on placed-based decision making.?While we acknowledge the long way to go to truly ensure that all levels of government are aligned with what placed-based decision-making looks like and how it delivers outcomes for regional Australia, there are signs that changes are coming.?The release of Australia’s first national wellbeing framework –?Measuring What Matters?- really does acknowledge a new way of measuring the health of a community and a new way of classifying productivity. All of this should be music to the ears of regional Australians as it shows a growing focus on the power of placed-based thinking over ‘one size fits all’ strategy.?

As I continue to travel around the country, I have been blown away by the sheer determination of rural, remote, and regional Australia and by those living in our capitals who passionately believe and support our regions.?

On 4 July, Victoria came on board in a big way with our?Regions Rising event in Geelong?where we had support from the Hon. Harriet Shing, Minister for Regional Development and more than 150 leaders from local government, industry, and regional organisations. I also had the chance to bring the Ambition to the?Rural Councils Victoria Forum?in Echuca, with a further 150 people and four new pledges.?

On the same day, through Move To More, the RAI launched?It’s Your Move– Australia’s Biggest Ever Recruitment Drive!?So far, the public awareness campaign has reached many millions of capital cities Australians with a message of the well-paid career opportunities on offer right now in the regions. Tens of thousands of regionally-curious Australians have visited?Move To More.

This month, we travelled to Broken Hill to work with the local community to deliver one of our Thriving Together workshops. I also had the honour of presenting at the Developing Northern Australian conference in Darwin. Some of our team members attended SEGRA in Toowoomba and LGA Q Bush Councils Convention in Goondiwindi.?

The conversations we continue to have with regional Australians reinforces the shared, common issues and opportunities outlined in our Ambition. There will always be much more power through collective action and so I continue to thank all our friends, partners and collaborators as we near the release of the Regionalisation Ambition’s first progress report.?

The task ahead is huge, but it is these green shoots and the growing support for change that is putting the skip in the step of the RAI team to keep pushing forward.?

We invite you to join us at our Regions Rising?National Summit - Shifting Our Gaze?in September to share more updates.?

Liz Ritchie – CEO