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Rural and Regional Development

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REGIONAL AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Since the early 1990’s consecutive Australian governments have recognised the importance of regional development to relieve the effects of urban sprawl and to bridge the gap between metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas. In Australia, the role of regional development has traditionally been driven by both state and local governments. This said, the Commonwealth Government has consistently offered support and leadership in addressing regional challenges and promoting economic development. While Commonwealth intervention makes sense in terms of financial capacity, this intervention has often resulted in unnecessary and costly overlap and duplication between national, state and local governments. A national framework adequately funded, resourced and linked specifically to each local government would provide a more sensible approach to achieving long-term sustainable outcomes for regional communities.
In 2008 the Commonwealth Government set up 55 Regional Development Australia (RDA) Committees to bring together national, state and local bodies and provide a united and consistent approach to regional Australia. This assignment will review the role and effectiveness of RDA Committees in addressing economic, environmental and social change in regional Australia and thereby question the effectiveness of government in the delivery of regional development. In doing so, the assignment highlights the importance of local programs (based on community participation and engagement) in ensuring effective and long lasting implementation of regional development strategies. In discussing these concepts some of the challenges which the Far North Queensland and Torres Strait RDA Committee face in the pursuit of effective regional development outcomes will be highlighted and dissected.
Regional Development in Australia
Regional development can be influenced by a number of different factors including ‘natural resource endowments, human and financial capital, infrastructure, markets, industry diversification, leadership, local institutional capacity, and entrepreneurial activity’ (Buultjens,2012). The overall objective of regional development intervention is to utilise these factors in pursuit of the most efficient outcome and attempt to influence growth and development. In Australia, ‘the appropriate role of government in facilitating this development, has attracted considerable interest and debate for many years’ (BTRE,2003), largely because planning for regional development is difficult and each level of government in Australia contributes to regional development differently, for example: * State government intervention in regional areas has remained consistent and has been primarily driven through infrastructure development and service delivery i.e. health and education. Rather than offer funds through a specific policy or program, the State’s responsibility to provide adequate health care and education services forms an important contribution to regional development.

* As collector of 75% of public sector revenue, ‘the Commonwealth government is probably the only tier of government in Australia with the necessary resources to sustain a coherent and viable program of long-term regional development’ (Beer,2000). As well as payments to regional localities, through Federally Assisted Grants the Federal government indirectly contributes to regional development through programs such as disaster recovery and the National Broadband Network (NBN). These types of programs support economic and business growth, social connectedness, liveability and infrastructure development.

* Despite ‘local government remaining the smallest and poorest tier of government in Australia’ (Hawker Report, 2003) their role in delivering regional development programs continues to grow. Local governments, particularly within Victoria and Queensland have taken a hands-on role in activities such as marketing, planning, tourism and investment attraction programs. To complement local initiatives, more and more local governments are pooling resources to take advantage of economies of scale, particularly with reference to regional tourism and industry.
The diverse nature of regions makes it difficult for national and state governments to provide an effective one-size-fits-all approach to regional development. Often where a ‘top down’ approach, with limited local engagement and commitment has been administered, ‘the result has been urban-centric policy responses inappropriate for regional settings’(Gray,2001). The bottom-up approach to regional development promotes community ownership and empowerment. It ensures that engagement, interaction and decision-making takes place on the ground, taking into consideration cultural, geographical, historical, social and environmental concerns. More and more local governments can be found pursuing their own, evolving agenda as they start to work with their neighbours, fostering growth across locality boundaries.
Regional Development Australia (RDA)
In 2008, the Rudd government set up the RDA framework; a network of 55 Committees established to bring together all levels of government and provide a voice for local communities. The RDA network was to build on the success of Area Consultative Committees (ACC’s) developed in 2005 by the former Howard government to promote regional stability and employment. Honouring its commitment to economic prosperity, the Rudd Labor Government sought to transition the ACC’s into Regional Development Committees.
The RDA Charter states that RDA forms a partnership between the ‘Australian, state, territory and local governments to develop and strengthen the regional communities of Australia. It will have a pivotal role in ensuring the long-term sustainability of Australia’s regions’(RDA,2013). RDA was established ‘to take on a broader role, to develop strategic input into national programs, to improve coordination of regional development initiatives and ensure effective engagement with local communities’(RDA,2013). The activities which RDA undertake include the ‘development of regional business growth plans and strategies, the provision of environmental solutions to support sustainability and the development of strategies to ensure social inclusion within regional communities’(RDA,2013).
RDA Committees consist of local leaders who work across government, business and community groups. They focus their attention on triple bottom line outcomes including economic, environmental and social issues which affect regional communities. Each committee has developed a Regional roadmap, which outlines strategies for driving the economic, environmental and social development of their region. This roadmap was developed in conjunction with key stakeholders, and sits as a strategy document above local government community plans.
While RDA’s operate as a collaborative partnership between all levels of government their structure and funding varies between different states and territories. The differences in structure are intended to reflect the different needs of Australia’s states and territories. In 2010, the Rudd government announced an increase in funding for RDA Committees including RDA grant funding to support infrastructure development in cross regional areas.
Far North Queensland and Torres Strait – A working example of RDA
In Queensland there are 12 RDA committees; one of which is the Far North Queensland and Torres Strait (FNQ&TS) RDA committee. The region covers 15.8 per cent of Queensland’s total area and is located between two of Australia’s natural world heritage areas the Great Barrier Reef and the Wet Tropics rainforest. The FNQ&TS RDA Committee is made up of 16 committee members representing 19 local government areas (LGA’s) including Aurukun, Cairns, Cassowary Coast, Cook, Croydon, Etheridge, Hope Vale, Kowanyama, Lockhart River, Mapoon, Napranum, Northern Peninsula Area, Pormpuraaw, Tablelands, Torres, Torres Strait Island, Weipa Town, Wujal Wujal and Yarrabah. Economic | Environment | Social | * High unemployment * Vulnerability of seasonal employment and dependence on tourism industry * Poor road infrastructure in the northern parts of the region * Limited job opportunities for remote communities | * Vast geographic area * Set between two world heritage listed areas * One of Australia’s most vulnerable regions to climate change | * Over 60 traditional owner groups occupy the region * Vast number of languages * Highest indigenous population in Australia * Significant populations in very small, remote locations |
FNQ&TS RDA faces a significant number of economic, environmental and social challenges including:

The FNQ&TS area is particularly challenging for RDA. As one of the largest RDA’s in Queensland, the tyranny of distance makes it almost impossible to monitor and engage with each of the 19 LGA’s. RDA staff rely heavily on the voluntary contribution of committee members and state and local government engagement which is often sporadic and financially constrained. Ongoing communication and interaction is required to gain trust and promote awareness of RDA to encourage local government and community participation. This takes time and given political lifecycles RDA can have difficulty convincing the region of its legitimacy and value.
Each area within the FNQ&TS RDA also presents vastly different challenges and aspirations and managing these complexities is difficult. The diverse nature of each of the individual communities represented makes it difficult for RDA to set a strategic vision which is representative of the social, environmental and economic challenges facing each region. The RDA roadmap has provided a strategic overview of the region however the broad scope of the document and the absence of operational detail does not provide tangible actions upon which local areas can focus their delivery.
The value of the RDA lies in the connections and flow of information that can be made between the three levels of government. The inherent challenge for all RDA’s include: * The diverse range of geographic areas making engagement and communication difficult; * The varying financial contributions between states, territories and regions creates an uneven playing field for each RDA; * While funding since 2010 has increased, financial contributions to specific on-the-ground programs have been limited; and * The lack of marketing and media promotion needed to establish a profile and provide credibility.
There are a number of obvious changes which could be immediately implemented to improve the value of RDA including the establishment of a clear and coherent communication strategy to increase awareness, providing financial contributions based on geographical coverage (to encourage travel within and between regional and remote communities) and the development of set of clear key performance indicators to measure the impact of RDA. Producing a measurable outcome will establish the real value of RDA and ensure that policy is not politically but results driven.
Conclusion
Regional development is necessary to build resilient and strong regional communities. Whilst governments recognise the need to pay attention to regional issues, ‘their engagement tends to be inconsistent, piecemeal and opportunistic rather than strategic and comprehensive’(Beer,2006). The ideals of RDA Committees are sensible however local, on-the-ground leadership is imperative to achieving successful regional development. Nation states, providing a one-size-fits-all approach to regional development, are unable to deliver value for money and sound economic, environmental and social planning. Such planning is needed for local communities to deliver regional development and ensure a sustainable outcome for their area. Both national and state governments would be better placed supporting infrastructure development, service delivery and providing financial support to localised development programs delivered by local government. .

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