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Regional Australia: Making a Difference

Community Empowerment

Community partnerships

Regional Australia Strategy

The Regional Australia Strategy, announced in the 1998-99 Budget, provides $2.5 million each year for four years for communication and coordination of whole-of-Government activities impacting on regional areas. The Strategy aims to better coordinate awareness of, and access to, Government programmes and services in regional areas through targeted policy advice and whole-of-Government communications activities.

Regional Forums Australia Programme

An important part of the communications and whole-of-Government component of the Regional Australia Strategy is a regional forums and visits programme, known as the Regional Forums Australia Programme.

The forums are more than just an information exchange or a consultation exercise, they aim to bring a considered approach to the sustainable future of a region. They are also a mechanism for governments, particularly the Federal Government, to address how they interact with, and provide services for, a region.

The first trial forum was held in Whyalla in the Spencer Gulf area of South Australia in July 1999. It was attended by about 160 people and included representatives from local business, community organisations, State and local government, and Federal Government portfolios. The process resulted in a better understanding by the Federal Government of the needs and priorities of the region, and closer links between Federal Government agencies and the region.

Specific outcomes from that forum included:

• a total of $165,000 in Federal Government funding under the Regional Assistance Programme for three major projects;


• a much closer working relationship between the Area Consultative Committee, regional development boards and the community;


• the establishment of a case manager within the Department of Transport and Regional Services to be the first point of call for people from the region seeking information on Government programmes and services (trial for six months);


• the placement of an Invest Australia officer in the region to develop a detailed investment strategy to encourage investment in the region; and


• the placement of a TradeStart and Export Access officer position based in Port Augusta. The position will be jointly funded by Austrade, the South Australian Government and the Upper Spencer Gulf Common Purpose Group.

Northern Australia Summit

Northern Australia: Summit for Growth into the New Century will be held in Katherine in the Northern Territory in October 2000.

The Summit will draw together the expertise and experience of industry, communities and government across northern Australia to help identify the future direction for development, especially economic development. It will build on the outcomes of last year's Regional Australia Summit by taking account of the particular economic, social and environmental priorities of the north. It will be preceded by a series of local consultations across northern Australia and in the Indian Ocean territories.

The Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal

The Federal Government will provide $14.5 million to the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR). The Foundation is a philanthropic organisation that will help provide a viable social and economic future for Australia's regional, rural and remote communities.

The Foundation's aims are to encourage innovative collaboration between business, community and government in philanthropic endeavours that will boost the economic and social stocks of regional Australia. The Foundation will have three key areas of operation: rural capacity building, information and research, and seeding grants for development projects. The focus will be on economic development, job creation, and stimulating regional and rural renewal.

Eden Region Adjustment Package

The Eden Region Adjustment Package (ERAP) was announced by the Federal Minister for Regional Services, Territories and Local Government and the Minister for Forestry and Conservation on 18 August 1999.

Federal Government funding of $3.6 million will be provided under ERAP. It will supplement private-sector investment in the development and implementation of long-term, employment-generating projects in the Eden region.

Rural Communities Programme and Rural Plan

The Rural Communities Programme and Rural Plan aim to strengthen regional and rural Australia. Through them, communities and industries in a region are encouraged to work together to identify, develop and implement strategic plans and projects to assist their development. These three-year funding programmes commenced in 1998 and will cease in June 2001.

Under the Rural Communities Programme, small regional communities are funded to undertake projects in community planning and development, information provision, information services technology and financial counselling.

Rural Plan assists communities, industries and local businesses at the regional level to work together developing a framework for sustainable economic, social and environmental development.

Regional Flood Mitigation Programme

Recognising the need to address the problem of repeated flooding in rural towns and regional centres, the Federal Government announced the Regional Flood Mitigation Programme, in May 1999, in partnership with the States, Territories and local government.

The Federal Government is providing $20 million over three years. This is to be at least matched by the States and Territories, with local government making a contribution. This funding is in addition to existing State and Territory programmes.

The Programme is designed to help regional and rural areas prevent the physical, social and economic costs of flooding. Disaster prevention efforts of this kind can achieve savings far in excess of the initial capital costs of the measures taken.

In the first year of the Programme (1999-2000), $6 million was available for the implementation of approved flood mitigation works and measures. Over $5.5 million of the available Federal funding has been allocated for 43 priority flood mitigation projects.

Local Government

Financial Assistance Grants

The Federal Government recognises the important role local government plays in regional Australia. In 2000-01, local government is expected to be paid over $1.3 billion in financial assistance grants from the Federal Government, an increase of about 4 per cent, or around $50.9 million, over the amount paid in 1999-2000. About one third of these funds is notionally allocated to councils for spending on local roads. These funds are untied and councils can spend them according to the needs and priorities of their local community.

Around $881 million of the funds will go to more than 580 councils in rural and regional Australia.

Local Government Incentive Programme

The Local Government Incentive Programme (LGIP) was introduced in the 1999-2000 Budget. It provides funds to local government to contribute to economic development in regional Australia, and to increase the efficiency with which it regulates business activities. From 1999 to 2001, this Programme is providing funding of $7 million.

Creating capacity

Four of the nine new measures under the Stronger Families and Communities Strategy are outlined below. These four focus on community development. (The other five measures are outlined in the Equity of Service chapter.)

Potential Leadership in Local Communities

The Government has committed $37.1 million over four years for this initiative, which will identify and support potential community leaders who live in socially disadvantaged areas and come from outside industry and government structures. Once fully phased in, it will involve up to 400 communities in a leadership programme and network, developing between 1,600 and 2,400 leaders who will work on projects of benefit to their local community. Through a youth cadetship programme covering a variety of cadetships, approximately 10,000 young people in over 200 communities will be funded to participate in community activities.

National Skills Development Programme for Volunteers

This initiative provides $15.8 million over four years to help people involved in volunteer work build their skills. During 2001, communities will be able to select from a range of activities to celebrate the International Year of the Volunteer, including promotion of volunteer activity, greater recognition of volunteers, and initiatives to foster volunteer efforts in regional and rural communities.

This measure will also enable people to gain the skills needed to support programmes that rely heavily on volunteers. It will provide on-going, specific skills training necessary for volunteers to provide a better standard of service to the community group with which they are involved.

Local Solutions to Local Problems

The Government has committed $15.4 million over four years to help communities find local solutions to local problems. It will fund over 500 projects over the next four years in recognition of the great diversity in communities and the potential local responses.

Can Do Community

The Can Do Community initiative will showcase Australian best practice and encourage people to participate in community life. The Government will provide $5.2 million over four years for this initiative, which will:

• identify and promote best practice examples of local solutions to local problems;


• develop a project ideas bank;


• encourage people to get involved in their community;


• network community leaders and community builders; and


• publicly recognise best practice examples of collaborative community actions which effectively address local issues.

Regional Women's Advisory Council

More than two million women live in regional, rural and remote Australia and contribute significantly to their local economies through town-based enterprises, community work and rural industries. Women have a significant contribution to make to policy debates, and their experience and knowledge bring an important and often innovative perspective to meeting the challenges facing regional, rural and remote communities.

The Government has strengthened its interaction with women in regional and rural Australia through the Regional Women's Advisory Council, established in September 1999. The Council comprises women with expertise on key issues facing regional Australia. Its nine members represent every State and the Northern Territory and were appointed by, and report to, the Minister for Transport and Regional Services.

The Council, which plays an important role in strengthening the voice of women in decision-making processes, will conduct an action-research project over the next 18 months looking into the critical success factors for communities working with change. The action-research process will provide the opportunity for women in each State and the Northern Territory to participate in workshops that will form the basis of this research.

Following completion of the research, a publication of good practice case studies that determine critical success factors and impediments to positive change will be released by the Deputy Prime Minister and distributed nationally. The research will also profile women leaders and community builders from regional Australia. These outcomes will be available on the Regional Women's Advisory Council web site following each of the workshops.

Regional and Rural Women's Unit

The Regional and Rural Women's Unit was established in the Department of Transport and Regional Services in April 1999. An important role of the Unit is to facilitate two-way communication between the Federal Government and women from regional, rural and remote areas of Australia in order to take into account the aspirations, perspectives and needs of women from these areas.

The Unit provides support to the Regional Women's Advisory Council in its provision of advice to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Transport and Regional Services. The Unit undertakes research and provides advice to the Federal Government on the specific needs of women in regional, rural and remote areas. Regional women's groups are kept informed on opportunities to contribute to and participate in major Federal Government inquiries, forums and programmes, such as the Rural Domestic Violence Programme.

Grants to women's organisations

During 1999-2000, $20,000 was provided to the Foundation for Australian Agricultural Women to undertake leadership workshops for current and future rural women leaders. This will bring together approximately 16 rural community participants, including Indigenous women, who have demonstrated potential and leadership ability within their community.

Ten thousand dollars was also provided to UNIFEM Australia (United Nations Development Fund for Women) for the extension of UNIFEM's International Women's Breakfasts in additional locations across Australia, including regional locations.

Extension of Their Service - Our Heritage commemorative programme

This initiative builds on the existing Their Service - Our Heritage commemorative programme and extends it through the Centenary of Federation with a range of current and new initiatives. Funding of $4.3 million will be provided in 2000-01. Planned initiatives will include the restoration of local memorials and the provision of education programmes to ensure that military history and an appreciation of wartime heritage is passed on to younger generations of Australians. Local contractors will benefit from restoration work on local memorials.

Service delivery

Rural Transaction Centres Programme

The Government has committed $70 million over five years (1999-2004) for the Rural Transaction Centres Programme. This Programme will help small, rural communities to establish centres that provide access to basic transaction services, such as banking, post, phone, fax, the Internet, Centrelink Services and Medicare Easyclaim. Local communities with populations under 3000 are expected to benefit from the Programme.

Remote communities liaison service

As a means of promoting effective two-way communication and understanding between the Federal Government and people living in regional, rural and remote Australia, a pilot remote communities liaison service is being trialed in Western Queensland. The service commenced in October 1999, and aims to achieve higher levels of community awareness of, and access to, a range of Federal Government programmes. The remote communities liaison officer, based in Longreach, works with regional and rural communities on development in their region and provides them with information and direct links to the Federal Government.

Countrylink Australia

Countrylink Australia provides people living in non-metropolitan areas with a personalised, free-call information service about Federal Government programmes and services. Countrylink Australia also provides The Rural Book, a guide to major Federal Government programmes and services, which is updated annually, and provides information stands to regional and rural towns and a travelling shopfront to rural areas.

Rural Youth Information Service

The aim of the Rural Youth Information Service (RYIS) is to provide information, advice and referrals to young people in rural and isolated areas on a range of issues, with emphasis on employment, education and training. The RYIS is located in 21 rural and isolated areas across Australia where there is limited access to other Commonwealth services.

Showcasing regional communities

Year of the Outback - 2002

In 1999, the Federal Government declared that 2002 would be Australia's Year of the Outback and has agreed to provide $2 million over three years for this project, beginning in 1999-2000. It is envisaged that the Year of the Outback - 2002 will raise awareness of regional Australia and its importance in the development of our culture and economic wealth.

The Year of the Outback - 2002 will celebrate the ethos of the bush through a major celebration of outback history, culture and achievements. The year-long series of events will generate awareness of how much regional, rural and remote areas have contributed to Australian life.

Federation Fund initiatives in regional Australia

In 1999-2000 and 2000-01, the Federal Government will spend $226.3 million on 18 major Federation Fund projects in regional Australia. These projects will make significant and ongoing economic, social and cultural contributions. The following projects in regional Australia are receiving funding from the Federal Government:

• Gunnedah Performing Arts Centre;


• Naval Aviation Museum at Nowra;


• Australian Prospectors and Miners Hall of Fame, Kalgoorlie;


• Australian Shearers' Hall of Fame;


• Line of Lode Museum, Broken Hill;


• Queensland Heritage Trails Network;


• Victorian Regional Galleries;


• Alice Springs to Darwin Rail link;


• Abt Railway, Tasmania;


• National Marine Science Centre, Coffs Harbour;


• Jervoise Bay, Western Australia;


• Murray River bridges at:



- Corowa,

- Robinvale

- and Echuca;

• Sporting facilities at:



- Bendigo and

- Ballarat;

• Oddfellows Hall, Corowa;


• Walhalla Goldfields Railway, Victoria.

The Federation Cultural and Heritage Projects Programme

The Federation Cultural and Heritage Projects Programme (FCHP) provided a total of $70.4 million from the Federation Fund to fund medium-sized cultural and heritage projects throughout Australia. Under the FCHP, support has been provided for cultural and heritage projects which are:

• principally capital works (including restoration and conservation) projects of a lasting nature;


• nationally significant; and


• appropriate to the Centenary of Federation.

Sixty proposals were successful in their bid for funding, and these are being managed jointly by the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, and the Department of Environment and Heritage. Of these, 36 projects totalling $45 million are in regional Australia.

Federation Community Projects Programme

On 6 July 1999, the Minister for the Arts and the Centenary of Federation announced over 1,000 grants under the $30 million Federation Community Projects Programme. The Programme assists community groups, schools, churches and local councils throughout Australia to commemorate the Centenary of Federation. A great many of the projects are located in regional and rural areas.

Centenary of Federation Programme

This is a cooperative initiative between the Federal Government and State and Territory governments to develop a programme of events and projects for Australians to celebrate the Centenary of Federation across the country.

The Programme will inject funds into the regional economy and will be a valuable contribution to tourism and Australia's economy. Twenty million dollars will be spent by the National Council for the Centenary of Federation on major, centrepiece events and national activities, including for events and activities that will be delivered regionally.