RDA Riverina at Parliament House - Productivity Inquiry

Robyn Verrall, Chair, Regional Development Australia, Limestone Coast, and Rachel Whiting, CEO and Director of Regional Development, Regional Development Australia Riverina at Public Hearing

On Friday 24 April 2026, Rachel Whiting (CEO and Director of Regional Development, Regional Development Australia Riverina) appeared at a public hearing of the Senate Select Committee on Productivity at Parliament House, Canberra.

The submission reinforced that regional productivity needs to be understood as “system performance” — shaped by the interaction of workforce availability, housing supply, freight connectivity, water security, digital connectivity and enabling infrastructure.

Key messages highlighted the Riverina’s binding constraints, including workforce shortages, workforce housing pressures, freight capacity and reliability issues, and water security risk — alongside the importance of ensuring major opportunities (including the energy transition) deliver net benefits for regions without crowding out essential services and local industry.

Thank you to the committee for the opportunity to contribute to this national conversation on productivity and the policy settings that support regional Australia.