REGIONAL leaders are being urged to step up and have their say about the future of regional Australia.
The Regional Australia Institute is calling on those in rural Australia to make sure they have a seat at the table at the inaugural Regions Rising National Summit in Canberra on April 4-5.
RAI co-CEO said this event will bring together some of the most influential and forward thinking minds from Geraldton, WA, to the Gold Coast, Qld, Rockhampton, Qld, to Renmark and every regional town and city in between to put the spotlight on regional Australia.
“Regions Rising will showcase the biggest issues impacting regional Australia right now, by bringing together all levels of government, business, academics and community leaders, to ensure future discussions and planning are based on evidence,” she said.
“We have more than 9 million people living in regional Australia; and as we know, every community is different.
"But we all have some similar issues surrounding regional jobs, population shift, health and education.
“This series delivers a national platform for regional leaders to engage directly with key decision makers on important opportunities and challenges facing their regions."
The series will open with a National Summit in Canberra, themed Rural Futures and headlined by Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack.
In addition, key regional themes will be presented through an interactive “policy hack” session to create a plan of action to be delivered to both sides of government to consider in the future.
The National Summit will kick off a national roadshow, with RAI inviting all regional leaders to attend.
“This series of events will elevate the level of discussion and bring more regional stakeholders together to advance education, debate and policy insights,” Ms Ritchie said.
The Regions Rising 2019 event will be held in Adelaide in September.
- Details: For more information visit regionsrising.regionalaustralia.org.au or phone 02 6260 3733.