EVENT:
2023 Inland Growth Summit

Start 21/02/2023 8:30 am
End 22/02/2023 5:00 pm
Taronga Western Plains Zoo, Obley Rd, Dubbo, NSW

2023: Inland Growth Summit, Bridging the Divide.

RDA Orana has been working on the issue of growth, well forever. But we got a lot clearer on the issues in 2018, following an in-depth study into what was holding the region back. Key issues included:

  • declining populations
  • the state of the education system in regional, rural and remote areas: families leave as soon as their kids hit high school)
  • migration policy and law
  • social policy
  • availability and investment in housing
  • equitable access to services (i.e. health)
  • access to reliable key infrastructure (telecommunications, energy, water and transport) and
  • the cost of living

What we recognised is that

  1. these issues aren’t unique to our region
  2. the context of regions is not well understood, (especially when policymakers include places like Adelaide, the Sunshine Coast, the Gold Coast, Newcastle, Central Coast, Geelong, and Illawarra are all classified as regional)
  3. attracting Australians to Inland Australia is a very different pitch because most Aussies seem to prefer the coast and finally
  4. Doing business in less saturated markets is just hard.

We established the Inland Growth Summit, as a way to begin to bring people together to raise the profile of the issue. This is our fifth year and sixth summit. (Any profits from the summit are also used to fund our research and advocacy work).

We use the summit as a think tank and a showcase: what needs to be changed, what are the priorities and who is doing something pretty awesome that could be replicated in other communities?

The summit is relevant for community and business leaders, policymakers, community and economic development professionals and local government Mayors, Councillors, General Managers and staff and last but not least advocates for change.

Inland Growth is a sustainable growth problem, we need to raise the profile of inland regional Australia with the Government. The ultimate goal is stronger policies and incentives for people and businesses who choose to make Inland their homes.

The summit is an opportunity to be part of the solution.

Book your ticket: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/inland-growth-summit-2023-tickets-489271202337