We have a story to tell. A rebuilding “Australia story” for 2025. Turbocharging knowledge diffusion. Sharing. Collaboration. Networking. Success.

Once upon a time…there was a country with enormous potential. A country blessed with mineral wealth. A country blessed with intellectual wealth. But a country that had lost its way. 102nd in the world for economic complexity.?

Could have been. Should have been. But wasn’t.?

Then…

2025 came along, and with it the chance to write a new story. A story of collaboration. A story of sharing. A story of rebuilding the country that could have been and should have been. And still might be.

And that story is not so hard to tell and create. Because the words and actions for the story are already there.

They just need combining in a way that creates a “success story”.?

The story of how individual Australians recognised the “power of one” – the ability that each one of us has to make a difference. To make a contribution through simple actions, reaching out and combining with others in telling a big story. Locally, regionally, nationally.?

The story of how we all shared what we know with everybody else. “Knowledge diffusion”.

Recognising that this simple statement from the Productivity Commission can be turned into action. Today.

Something doable. Immediately. In 2025.

“While novel, ‘new-to-the-world’, innovation is an important source of economic performance, it relates to only one to two per cent of Australian firms. The slow accretion of existing knowledge across the economy — diffusion — is often overlooked as a source of productivity. It has the scope to lift the performance of millions of businesses.”????

Productivity Commission 2022.

Knowledge diffusion is something that each one of us can contribute to.

We can share knowledge and experience to support and grow the economy in each region.?

We can consider how Australian innovation, products and services can be exported to countries across the world.

We can share knowledge nationally, supporting businesses in each industry sector.

Delivering regular events, information, case studies and news relevant to businesses no matter where they happen to be.?

And not just supporting the regions and sectors individually, but aggregating at a national level to improve knowledge diffusion = lifting the performance and productivity for millions of businesses.

The myREGION.au platform is structured to do just that. Built to do that. Signup free.

And knowledge diffusion is just the start for 2025. But a good start.

Our universities and the CSIRO can do the same thing. Share the knowledge, experience, innovation and ideas with the regions they live and work in, and also with the rest of Australia. Using the myREGION.au platform to share and network and extend beyond what they already do.

They are the engine rooms for innovation in Australia and more people need to know what is possible.

Everybody can make a contribution to the big story we need to write together and tell the world in 2025.

Because 2025 is a blank sheet at the moment. We collectively can decide to collaborate or not. We individually can work with others towards a positive longer-term goal – with the future interests of our children and grandchildren in mind.

We are the ones that will create and leave a burgeoning, resilient economy for our progeny.?

We are the ones that will provide a safe environment for them to live in. A place to work, live and thrive.

We are the ones that can reorganise the way we approach the “wicked problems” in our society. We know what they are. We know how to fix them.

As individuals we can do something. Collectively we can do anything.

The power to effect and influence positive change is in front of us.

2025 is an opportunity to rebuild Australia. Brick by brick. Stone by stone. Action by action.

There is so much “good stuff” happening in Australia. But it doesn’t get in the news. Most people only know what is happening in their “back yard”.

We need to share the good ideas. We need to share the “how to” with others. We need to let other regions see what we have accomplished in our region, so they can copy and improve, and not waste time reinventing the wheel.

We need to share the concentrated “knowledge” that exists in all our universities, locally, regionally and widely across Australia, to act as a catalyst for positive change and growth.

Rebuilding a “fair go”.

The myREGION.au platform is structured to support this. Australian regions. Australian networks. Australian sectors.

Free to sign up. Open for contributions, sharing and knowledge diffusion.

And what happens is then up to individuals. Using the “power of one” to make an individual, ?collective and collaborative difference.

To tell a new story. A story of what Australia could be. Should be. Will be if we can only share what we know with others. For our own good. For the good of our communities. For the health of our industries. For the wealth of our nation.

It really isn’t hard.

The story can be told anyway “we” decide.

Doom and gloom. Or…

Hope, love, collaboration, sharing – working towards a happy outcome.

Cynicism – we can’t do this, versus hope – Yes, we can.

That battle for minds has existed since time began. Dark and light. Challenge and success. Fear and courage. It’s a story we all live with every day.?

But outside of sport, we rarely approach national challenges as a team. With clear goals.

The Olympics is a good example, because it shows that a national approach to improvement and excellence can apply to a multitude of different sports. With gold medals as a result.

We can take a national approach to “knowledge diffusion” for multiple regions, sectors and issues. Strategically.

We need to rebuild economic complexity in Australia. And our future has to be built on our brainpower as well as minerals.

That won’t happen by accident. It needs vision. It needs action. It needs investment. It needs collaboration. It needs knowledge sharing and diffusion.?

And our universities can lead the way. Charles Sturt is demonstrating how that can be done.

A visionary university with 7 campuses across New South Wales, CSU is promoting 21st century Agritech solutions through the AgriPark at Wagga Wagga and the Global Digital Farm. Practical outreach.

It’s now time for other universities and the CSIRO to recognise the role they can play in “turbo charging” knowledge diffusion across the nation.

Investment in Australian businesses needs to become a “sexy” thing to do.

The myREGION.au platform is open system – it can be used to support all regions, issues and sectors, not just to support them, but to connect them to other regions and sectors and support a bigger success story of innovation, investment, export, climate action and the management of study and work options in a digital world.

With groups for tourism, geotourism, robotics and autonomous systems, agritech, STEM in Australia, regional innovation and enablers, post mining land use, housing coordination and support, defence industry, ERP, cybersecurity and so on.

Organisations can manage their own interests and also reach out, extend and connect their positive ideas and actions with others.

With 1 + 1 not just equalling 2, but potentially equalling 3 or even 11.

Collaboration can multiply and maximise impacts and possibilities beyond the expected.

So…

Once upon a time…there was a country with enormous potential. A country blessed with mineral wealth. A country blessed with intellectual wealth. A country that had lost its way.

But decided in 2025 – “enough of this, let’s shake off what we “can’t do” and write a brand-new story of what Australia could do and did in 2025.

Collaborated. Shared. Connected. Laid the foundations for a more complex economy by turbo charging “knowledge diffusion.

One story at a time. One step at a time. One action at a time. One connection at a time. One contribution at a time. One brick at a time. And before we know it, we have rebuilt a more complex, productive economy.

It’s not going to happen as a spectator.

It’s time to become an actor. Recognising the “power of one”.

Who’s interested? Reach out.?

The myREGION.au platform is an enabler.

And together we can do anything.

It’s 2025, the chance to write a new story.