Spirit of the Bush Photography Competition back for 2023

Rural Aid’s Spirit of the Bush photography competition started in 2020 and has been the source of beautiful photo’s of rural Australia, most not seen before. These photos have produced beautiful calendars each year which has been a great source of fundraising to give back to these rural communities.

This year, the photograph categories include:

• Family

• Community

• Mates

• Faces

• Eyes

• Tough

• Golden Hour (Sunrise/Sunset)

• All things Rural

The competition opens at 8am March 22th 2023 (AEST) and closes at 5pm May 29th 2023 (AEST).

Each entry must be high resolution and landscape and by submitting you grant Rural Aid a non-exclusive licence to use this photo on social media and print media.

Twelve photographs will be selected by a panel of judges and will be featured in next year’s 2024 calendar.

Each winner will receive an AUD$250 prepaid visa card and a copy of the 2024 calendar once it is created.

Guidelines released for new regional grants program

Grant guidelines have now been released for the first round of the Australian Government’s new $600 million Growing Regions Program, with expressions of interest to open on July 5 this year.

The program will invest in critical regional infrastructure and community projects across regional and rural Australia through two $300 million funding rounds – with a second round to follow Round 1.

Local government entities and not-for-profit organisations will be able to apply for grants of between $500,000 and $15 million through the program, which will be open, competitive and merit-based.

The grants can be used to cover up to 50 per cent of eligible project costs, with lower co-funding requirements in place to support First Nations, disaster-affected and remote applicants to make their projects a reality.

By funding community and economic infrastructure projects in rural and regional Australia, the program will drive economic prosperity, enhance liveability, bolster social inclusion and support local amenity.

Further information on the program, including the Round 1 guidelines, is available at www.infrastructure.gov.au/territories-regions-cities/regional-australia/growing-regions-program.

More funding for local road infrastructure priorities

The Australian Government is delivering on an election commitment to provide an extra $250 million dollars for road projects in rural, regional and outer-urban areas under Phase 4 of the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program.

Phase 4 of the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program has already delivered $500 million to Australian councils to deliver priority local road and community infrastructure projects in their region, creating jobs and long-lasting benefits for communities. 

The additional $250 million investment is available to councils classified as rural, regional or outer-urban to spend on road projects.

466 of Australia’s 550 councils will benefit from this extra funding committed to by Labor at the last election.

The Government has drawn on the Australian Classification of Local Governments, as a robust framework underpinning the determination of eligible councils for this additional $250 million in funding.

In March, the Government extended project construction timelines for Phases 1–3 of the program. Councils across Australia will now have until 30 June 2024 to complete works, giving them a much-needed extra year on the LRCI construction timeframes for all three phases.

Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, Catherine King MP said:

“We are delivering our election commitment of a further $250 million through Phase 4 to prioritise road upgrades in regional, rural and outer urban areas.

“We know many councils across the country are struggling to maintain and improve their local road networks – especially following repeated flooding and other natural disasters in recent times.

“We have listened to councils and are standing stand side-by-side with local governments to support them in their vital role in delivering critical infrastructure for their communities.”

Individual council allocations are available on the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program website.

Rex announces investment in dovetail electric aviation

Regional Express (Rex) has announced it had taken a 20 per cent stake in Dovetail Electric Aviation (Dovetail) which is pioneering the conversion of turbine powered aircraft to electric, emission-free propulsion.

The equity participation agreement formalises the strategic partnership between Rex and Dovetail and builds on the Memorandum of Understanding between the two companies which was unveiled on 21 July, 2022.

Rex will appoint one of its Board members to sit on the Board of Dovetail.

The Australian-headquartered Dovetail recently received a $3 million grant from the Federal Government’s Cooperative Research Centres Projects (CRC-P) program. This will facilitate Dovetail’s development of electric propulsion systems for aircraft used on regional routes operated by Rex and other regional airlines.

Dovetail also recently announced the successful completion of initial ground tests involving a small-scale Electric Propulsion System (EPS) to spin a three blade propeller for the first time.

Rex is Australia’s largest independent regional and domestic airline operating a fleet of 61 Saab 340 and 7 Boeing 737-800NG aircraft to 58 destinations throughout all states in Australia. In addition to the airline Rex, the Rex Group comprises wholly owned subsidiaries Pel-Air Aviation (air freight, aeromedical and charter operator), the Australian Airline Pilot Academy with campuses in Wagga Wagga and Ballarat, and propeller maintenance organisation, Australian Aerospace Propeller Maintenance. Rex is also a 50% shareholder of National Jet Express (NJE), a premier Fly-In-Fly-Out (FIFO), charter and freight operator.

Nominations open for the National Economic Development Awards for Excellence

Enter the National Economic Development Awards for Excellence for your chance to shine a light on your innovative economic development work and win one of these prestigious awards.

Preparing a submission is free, simple and open to all economic development practitioners in Australia. You are also welcome to enter multiple categories. 

Awards are open for nominations in the following 12 categories:

1. Economic Development Strategic Thinking

2. Economic Development Marketing and Promotion

3. Economic Development Through Partnerships and Collaboration

4. Economic Development Initiatives - Regions Under 15,000 Residents

5. Economic Development Initiatives - Regions Over 15,000 Residents

6. Economic Development Recovery & Resilience

7. Economic Development Equity, Diversity & Inclusion

8. Economic Development - Sustainability & Economic Transformation

9. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Entrepreneurship & Inclusive Economic Development

10. The Peter Chaffey Economic Development Leadership Award (Economic Development Practitioner - over 30 years old)

11. Economic Development Rising Star Leadership (Economic Development Practitioner - up to 30 years old)

12. Economic Development Community Champion Award

Submissions can be made for projects delivered from 1 January 2022 to 30 June 2023 (18 month period).

Applications close on Friday 12 May 2023

Winners will be announced at a gala event during the National Economic Development Conference (NEDC23) in Karratha on 23 August 2023.

Government empowering Australians through a holistic approach to online safety

The Australian Government’s response to the House of Representatives Inquiry into Social Media and Online Safety has been tabled by the Minister for Communications.

The response comprehensively outlines the Government’s holistic online safety agenda and three immediate priorities.

Effectively implementing and reviewing the Online Safety Act

The Government is working with Australia’s online safety regulator, the eSafety Commissioner, to ensure the Online Safety Act 2021 (the Act) is implemented effectively. The Act, which came into effect in January 2022, sets out Australia’s world-leading online safety framework comprising of complaints schemes to respond to harmful content, mechanisms to improve transparency, and a new set of industry codes to address illegal and seriously harmful content online.

The Government has also committed to bring forward the independent statutory review of the Act, which will be completed in this term of government. With the online environment constantly changing, an early review will ensure Australia’s legislative framework remains responsive to online harms and that the eSafety can continue to keep Australians safe from harm.

Tackling gaps in the current legislative framework

While the Online Safety Act includes some mechanisms to address more extreme forms of hate speech and material that incites violence or promotes crime or terrorism, it does not provide the eSafety Commissioner with specific powers in relation to online hate or vilification. Action to address this harm is long overdue. The Albanese Government will consider what else can be done to address group hate speech online.

The Government’s holistic response to harms in the online environment also includes:

• Strengthening digital and media literacy by making eLearning products from the Alannah & Madeline Foundation freely available to all schools.

• Providing the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) with powers to combat dis- and misinformation and improve transparency under the voluntary industry code.

• Committing to a new long-term, whole-of-government approach to reduce Australians’ losses to scams, including through strengthening industry codes and the establishment of a National Anti-Scams Centre.

• Consulting with state and territory governments to introduce mandatory minimum classification ratings of M (Mature) for games with loot boxes that can be purchased and R18+ (Restricted) for games that contain simulated gambling.

This is in addition to the Government’s efforts to protect Australians using dating apps from sexual violence and abuse. Minister Rowland has issued a detailed information request to the top ten online dating services used by Australians about the extent of harms occurring on their services and what they are doing to address them. The industry’s response to the request will inform the Government’s development of further policy options, including regulation, if needed.

Supporting cross-government coordination on the regulation of online harms

The Albanese Government is committed to improving cross-government coordination of online harms to ensure they are dealt with successfully and effectively. The Government will convene a new bi-annual forum for Federal Ministers with responsibility for online harms to discuss cross-cutting issues, and complement the work of the Digital Platform Regulators Forum.

The Government response can be accessed here.

Public consultation open on life-saving alerting technology for electric vehicles

More Australians than ever before are driving electric vehicles, with the numbers almost doubling in 2022, from 44,000 EVs on our roads, to more than 83,000.

As the popularity of electric vehicles grows, we are committed to ensuring they are safe for both the driver and all other road users.

Consultation is now open on the potential mandate of life-saving acoustic vehicle alerting systems (AVAS) for light electric vehicles (EVs) in Australia.

This technology allows EVs to produce an external sound, alerting vulnerable road users, including pedestrians and cyclists, to their approach - thereby decreasing the risk of a collision.

This is particularly important for the blind and low-vision community, whose members rely on sound to negotiate the road network independently.

A survey by the Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC) found that people in this community felt particularly vulnerable on roads due to EVs, with 35 per cent reporting they had experienced a collision or near-collision with an EV.

This technology is already mandated across most major vehicle markets, including the European Union, United Kingdom, Japan, Korea, China and the United States.

A cost-benefit analysis for mandating AVAS in light EVs in Australia, supported by independent analysis by MUARC and advice from manufacturers, indicates that 65 lives could be saved and 5,000 injuries avoided over a 35-year period.  

As this analysis only covers pedestrian trauma, the benefits for Australian communities will likely be far greater – given AVAS technology will also reduce the risk of crashes involving other road users, particularly cyclists.

The Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts has released an Impact Analysis consultation paper to seek the public’s views on this technology, the costs and benefits, as well as its implementation. 

While all submissions are welcome, feedback is being specifically sought on areas including:

1. Support for the proposed introduction of AVAS for new light EVs

2. The cost-benefit analysis, including the assumptions on effectiveness of the technology

3. Concerns on functional and performance requirements, test requirements, or implementation

4. Applicable vehicle categories, implementation timeframes, and alternative standards

5. The feasibility of mandating AVAS for heavy vehicles in the future

Consultation on the AVAS Impact Analysis paper is open until Friday, 26 May 2023.

To view the paper or to make a submission, please visit: Have your say | Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts

Clean Energy Capacity Study Discussion paper

The Australian Government has commissioned Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA) to undertake a capacity study on the workforce needs for Australia’s transition to a clean energy economy. The capacity study will build on existing research and deepen our understanding of the clean energy sector.

Making a submission

JSA welcomes feedback on the discussion paper from all interested parties. You can submit responses to the questions in this paper and/or provide supplementary information and views by emailing the Clean Energy Capacity Study team at CleanEnergyWorkforce@jobsandskills.gov.au.

Submissions will remain open until 5.00pm AEST Tuesday 2 May 2023.

Nearly $900,000 in federal funding for rural, regional and remote COVID recovery projects

The Australian Government has partnered with the Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal (FRRR) to provide $897,755 through 53 grants to support COVID-19 recovery in communities in rural, regional and remote parts of Australia.

This funding is part of FRRR’s largest ever small grants round, which will see 176 community groups share over $2.3 million in grants in total.

The COVID-19 recovery grants will support community projects ranging from $10,000 to up to $50,000, and are distributed through the Australian Government-funded Strengthening Rural Communities – Rebuilding Regional Communities (RRC) stream.

The funding will help communities deliver projects including:

• Providing practical assistance, wellness activities and a community garden to enhance the COVID-19 recovery of 117 Aboriginal families in New South Wales.

• Delivering a creative dance festival to increase tourism in a town recovering from bushfires in Victoria.

• Constructing a new hanger at an aeronautical museum to run a job training program for students to restore vintage aeroplanes in Queensland.

• Encouraging greater community participation by seniors by providing upgrades to cooling and heating at a local arts facility in South Australia.

• Enabling connection to back up power generators for a medical centre in a severe storm-prone area of Western Australia.

• Expanding training and purchasing more life-saving equipment for a surf club in Tasmania.

The Australian Government has committed $5 million from 2022 to 2024 to FRRR for the RRC stream.

A full list of grant recipients and more information about the RRC program is available at https://frrr.org.au/rural-groups-awarded-a-record-breaking-2-3-million/.

Griffith Easter Party Welcomes a Huge Program of Events in 2023

Griffith Easter Party is just around the corner, with many of your favourite events scheduled to return this year, ensuring a great weekend for the whole family.

The fun kicks off on Thursday 6 April, with canapes, cocktails and live entertainment at Cocoa & Bean, while Griffith Exies will also be offering a great night out - book your place at the bistro for a delicious meal and enjoy the live entertainment.

Good Friday will host the Bacchus on the Lake fun run, and will see the return of Pioneer Park Action Day, one of Griffith’s best family days out, where the park comes to life!

Be sure to add this one to your list as it is full of fun kid’s activities, market stalls, vintage machinery, demonstrations, entertainment, food and beverages.

Finish your day with a Good Friday feast at the Exies Annual Seafood Buffet where you can indulge in a selection of fresh seafood.

Get your shopping fix at the Banna Avenue Sidewalk Sale on Easter Saturday morning where the main street will be bursting with sales - grab a coffee from one of the many local cafes and pick up a bargain while supporting local retailers.

One of Griffith’s most popular events, the Griffith Vintage Festival, will be back on Saturday afternoon featuring live music and an array of local wine and food. Always a hit amongst the locals, the event offers something for everyone to enjoy.

Returning to the program this year on Easter Saturday is Blood, Sweat & Beers, which is set to be bigger and better! Run by local business Grainmother Brewing Supplies, the family friendly event will feature children’s entertainment, the best street eats and live music from local bands, as well as showcasing a variety of craft beers. Held in the Burley Griffin Community Gardens, the event was a huge success in 2022 and is bound to be even more popular this year – be sure to get your tickets early to avoid disappointment.

Easter Sunday is all about family, wine and food. Kicking off at Piccolo Family Farm, you can explore the producer and artisan market stalls, coffee, food and music. While there make sure you catch a glimpse of their Visitor Experience Centre and cellar door.

You will be spoilt for choice over the whole weekend in finding a winery event or tasting experience at one of the many amazing cellar doors. On Sunday in particular, you will need to book ahead for De Bortoli Wines annual Celebrazione festivities, Berton Wines’ Easter Sunday Sessions or a relaxing afternoon in the sun at Yarran Wines Live in the Vines until Sunset!

Griffith Mayor, Councillor Doug Curran said Easter really is a wonderful time in Griffith.

“It is great to see so many events returning this year, and to be welcoming some exciting new activities for the entire family to enjoy this Easter,” said Councillor Curran.

“Easter is such a fantastic time in Griffith and I encourage you to make sure you support the local operators and make this an unforgettable Easter for all.

“With so much going on in Griffith, I would like to encourage everyone to book ahead and plan the weekend in advance - check out the program for more information,” he added.

Transitioning Well | Workplace Mental Health Coaching

The NSW Government has partnered with Transitioning Well to deliver a coaching service to help NSW businesses create a mentally healthy workplace. Through confidential one-on-one sessions, your coach will help address issues or identify risks to mental health within your business and give you practical tools and strategies to manage them. They can also help fine-tune any existing initiatives you have in place. 

Topics you could discuss include but aren’t limited to: 

• coping with stress or overwhelm 

• resolving workplace conflict 

• managing staff who have poor mental health 

• improving workplace culture

• creating a workplace mental health policy

• responding to incidents.

Benefits include:

• Address any workplace issues such as stress, burnout, change, customer aggression or having difficult conversations.

• Take action to create a mentally healthy workplace critical to business profitability and productivity.

• Assist business owners and leaders with resources, tools, and referrals to address mental health in the workplace.

• Provide access to support services for the business or workers.

• Resources, tools, and referrals suitable to business needs.

Who is Transitioning Well?

The coaches at Transitioning Well are highly trained experts in workplace mental health, with a core focus on working with organisations to help their people live well and work well. 

Transitioning Well’s workplace psychologists have been delivering the coaching service for over a year, helping businesses achieve great outcomes. 

What is a workplace psychologist?

A workplace psychologist is a psychologist who works in a workplace setting to support leaders and organisations to improve their processes and practices to promote healthier organisations. Workplace psychologists have experience in working with organisations and can understand the unique factors that shape well-being in this setting. 

The service is for business leaders in: 

NSW business with 1 to 200 employees, or; 

A not-for-profit organisation of any size. 

This includes if the business has employees in NSW but their Head Office is in another state or overseas. 

Once-in-a-generation opportunity to get Australian rail back on track

An historic agreement has been signed between Australian governments and rail industry stakeholders to bring our nation’s rail network into the 21st century.

The Australian and Victorian Governments, as well as the Australasian Railway Association on behalf of senior rail industry leaders, have signed the ground-breaking Memorandum of Cooperation to make rail more competitive and interoperable across Australia.

This agreement will see rail play a bigger role in the national economy while delivering more freight and passenger services for Australians.

Since federation, rail has run as a series of independent rail networks, often receiving upgrades and new technologies at different times from different suppliers. This has led to a range of critical issues impacting national rail productivity and innovation, such as:

• the use of different rail gauges, signalling systems, rolling stock and safe working arrangements, which are an economic handbrake requiring costly work-arounds

• differences in how we run trains, manage rail crew and invest in new rolling stock

• experienced rail workers being isolated to geographic areas based on these differing technologies, compounding rail skills shortages.

Improving national rail interoperability is also one of the National Cabinet's five priorities for collective action. Infrastructure and Transport Ministers agreed to a number of productivity and safety measures in December, including:

• setting a small number of critical national rail standards

• aligning the different train control and signalling technologies used along the eastern seaboard

• reducing the burden that different rail approaches have on drivers, crew and maintenance workers

The Memorandum of Cooperation commits rail operators, builders, manufacturers and transport ministers to work together to make rail more interoperable, particularly for any future major rail investments.

This builds on the Albanese Government’s commitment to delivering the National Rail Manufacturing Plan, to support a nationally coordinated approach that will grow the rail manufacturing sector and create skilled manufacturing jobs.

The government will shortly appoint a National Rail Advocate and Rail Industry Innovation Council to support the plan and drive genuine change in Australian rail manufacturing, including bolstering supply chains and building domestic capabilities.

Food Agility | Framework for Sustainability Reporting

Food Agility has teamed up with Charles Sturt University and Sustainable Food Lab on a new project to understand and manage natural capital and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions.

The Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) systems created by the project team will be road-tested on the Global Digital Farm in Wagga Wagga, which will become an open and accessible benchmark for effective sustainability reporting in agrifood.

The project team includes members from the Food Agility CRC, Charles Sturt University, the Cool Soil Initiative, and Sustainable Food Lab.

HumeLink Project March 2023 Update

What is HumeLink?

HumeLink is a once in a generation investment in Australia’s energy capability, increasing the amount of renewable energy that can be delivered to consumers, and helping Australia to move towards a net zero future.

It will be one of the nation’s largest energy infrastructure projects, with about 360 km of 500 kV overhead transmission lines connecting Wagga Wagga, Bannaby and Maragle and new or upgraded infrastructure at four substations.

HumeLink is critical to bringing more affordable, reliable and renewable energy to the grid and is a priority project for the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) and the Commonwealth and NSW Governments.

The March 2023 HumeLink Community Newsletter is now available. This issue includes:

• Landscape character and visual amenity

• What’s been happening in the community

Powerful new Alliance champions regional Australia

More than 30 CEOs from the most influential peak bodies in the country have today (21 March 2023) joined forces in Canberra, for the historic launch of the National Alliance for Regionalisation.

Established by the Regional Australia Institute (RAI), CEO Liz Ritchie says this new Alliance is the first of its kind in this country, spanning business, health, education, infrastructure and environment. It aims to better position the regions to reach their potential.

“It’s no secret regional kids are still behind their metro-counterparts at school. Employers are struggling to get staff – yet migration levels are significantly lower in regions. Towns are crying out for doctors, but kids in the country are less likely to finish high school,” Liz Ritchie said.

“Despite these challenges, regional Australia remains the engine room of our national economy – but it’s not firing on all cylinders.

“In September, the RAI launched the Regionalisation Ambition 2032 – a 10-year framework to rebalance the nation. The Alliance will advance the targets within the Ambition and advocate for the policy priorities needed to create a fairer, more prosperous, more balanced regional Australia.

“Today’s launch marks a significant milestone for the 9 million people living in our regions. This powerful cohort of leading peak bodies and for-purpose organisation will work to help bring the RAI’s Regionalisation Ambition 2032 to life,” Liz Ritchie said.

“By viewing these critical issues through the collective lens of the Alliance, we will progress solutions that have hampered growth in regional Australia for decades.

"The Alliance will provide knowledge sharing and national leadership to ensure the 20 targets and aspirations set out in the Ambition remain relevant and central to decision-making for regional Australia over the next decade.

“It will adopt a system-thinking approach in viewing regional development within this country, working together to see more than 11 million people living prosperously in regional Australia by 2032.

“While each organisation has its individual policy priorities, it will work collectively to progress issues of commonality – such as regional housing, worker shortages, regional education, and migration,” Liz Ritchie said.

Targets within the Regionalisation Ambition 2032 include:

• Increasing regional Australia’s contribution to national output, boosting Australia’s GDP by an additional $13.8 billion by 2032;

• Reducing the recruitment difficulty rate in regional Australia to below 40%;

• Halving the population classified as living in a regional childcare desert (to below 2

million);

• Increasing rental vacancy rates in regional areas to above 3%; and ensure building

approvals keep pace with population growth; and

• Increasing the percentage of students in regional Australia who achieve at or above

the minimum standard NAPLAN testing, equal to metropolitan students, across each

year level.

“After more than 11 years of research, we know you can’t solve the jobs crisis without addressing housing, the skills deficit without improving education standards and healthcare in regions can’t be improved without focussing on digital connectivity. All these issues are interlinked, complex and equally important.

Mike Mrdack AO was today announced as the Chair of the National Alliance for Regionalisation, the former Secretary of the Department of Communications and the Arts, and Secretary of the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development.

“I am delighted Mr Mrdack has accepted the position of Chair and will lead the Alliance. His experience in regional development in the country is second to none, and we welcome him to the position,” Liz Ritchie said.

Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories Kristy McBain will deliver an opening address to the Alliance members.

“We thank Minister McBain and the Albanese Government for their continued support for regional Australia. The Alliance will seek to continue this engagement with the Government to further the actions and priorities that will contribute to the Ambition's targets,” Ms Ritchie said.

“Australia is one of the most urbanised nations in the world, yet we know that urbanisation and mega-cities are not the right trajectory for our nation – our modelling tells us that a more balanced nation is better for the productivity and liveability of not just regional communities, but the nation as a whole,” Liz Ritchie said.

“Not only is regionalisation a sound strategy for strengthening Australia’s economy, it’s a broader strategy for shaping a stronger future for our country’s wellbeing and living standards, our resilience to economic shocks and natural disasters, and our capacity to manage a changing demographic.

“We have set our ambition to Rebalance the Nation, and to accomplish this requires all of Australia – government, industry and community – to work collaboratively. Today, we have taken a significant step forward in achieving that.

“Planning for a stronger Australia means planning for a prosperous, inclusive and resilient regional Australia and I wish to thank all organisations involved today for taking a seat at this historic table,” Liz Ritchie concluded.

The founding members of the National Alliance for Regionalisation include:

• Australian Communications Consumer Action Network

• Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute

• Australian Industry Group

• Australian Local Government Association

• Australian Medical Association

• Australian Regional Tourism

• Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth

• Australian Rural Leadership Foundation

• Business Council of Australia

• Council of Small Business Organisations Australia

• Country Education Partnership

• Engineers Australia

• Insurance Council of Australia

• Master Builders Australia

• Migration Institute of Australia

• Minerals Council of Australia

• National Catholic Education Commission

• National Farmers' Federation

• National Rural Health Alliance

• National Rural Women's Coalition

• Planning Institute of Australia

• Real Estate Institute of Australia

• Regional Arts Australia

• Regional Australia Institute

• Regional Avia􀆟on Association of Australia

• Regional Capitals Australia

• Regional Universities Network

• Royal Far West

• Royal Flying Doctor Service

• Rural Councils Victoria

• Rural Doctors Association of Australia

• Welcoming Australia

For further information about the National Alliance for Regionlisation, go to www.rebalancethenation.com.au .

The Regionalisation Ambition 2032 was launched at the RAI Summit in Canberra in September 2022.

Planning the Future of the Energy Workforce

If your business is in or supporting the energy sector in Australia, you can now take part in the first Australian Energy Employment Report survey.

Australia currently lacks data to understand energy sector jobs, the people in those jobs and their skills, and forecast how these jobs are changing.

The Australian Government are addressing this gap through the delivery of the Australian Energy Employment Report (AEER), a national survey of businesses and organisations in the Australian energy sector.

The survey closes 30 April 2023.

Voting open for National Awards for Local Government

Entries for the 2023 National Awards have now closed, and it’s time to vote!

All votes can be made via the online platform: bit.ly/voteNALG20233.

The National Awards are an opportunity to bring recognition to your council's innovative and exciting initiatives, and this year’s awards will be presented in Canberra in June 2023.

 The winner of each category will be the eligible initiative which receives the most votes during the voting period. Honourable mentions may also be recognised in some or all categories.

 Voting closes: Friday 14 April 2023.

Regional Australia Institute launches new podcast : You Moved Where?!

Net migration from capitals to the regions remains 45 per cent higher than pre-pandemic level*. Capital city Australians continue to be lured to the bush, charmed by the opportunity for more space; more time and more value.

You Moved Where?! is a new podcast, released last week, exploring the seriously diverse stories of eight Australians who have swapped the big smoke for regional Australia. The host is Bec Bignell, acclaimed tv, film and stage producer and herself, once again, a country girl.

“In 2020 I was offered an amazing opportunity on an exciting feature film in my beloved great southern (WA) backyard. I was pregnant with my first child and with border closures and a new kind of ‘COVID mindset’ my husband James, a city boy from Bronte Beach, embraced the change.

“While I didn’t set out for a full circle moment, I quickly found myself sinking back into the things I love about country life - the community, the simplicity, the space, the solitude!” Bec said.

In Episode 1 Home Brew, Bec’s talks to Tamworth-returner Luke Prout. Luke left the country music capital at 18 to explore the brighter lights of Sydney. With a passion for music, surfing and the pub scene – Luke quickly found his niche in the big smoke.

“There was no question of moving home ever. I was going to make it work.”

This found him on the hunt for a hotel to call his very own in Sydney … and then a call came from his Mum, "The Tamworth Hotel is up for sale."

“The minute she said The Tamworth Hotel was up for sale, it was just like I knew…we were going to buy it and that was going to happen. I was going to move home,” Luke said.

*Regional Australia and CBA’s Regional Movers Index: December 2022 Quarterly Update

You Moved Where?! is powered by the Regional Australia Institute’s Move To More digital hub. Move To More connects regionally-curious Australians with their dream regional town or city and the jobs and homes on offer in those locations.

Australian Government seeks tenders for Regional Tech Hub

The Australian Government is inviting tenders to support ongoing operation and expansion of the highly successful Regional Tech Hub.

The Regional Tech Hub currently supports regional, rural and remote consumers of telecommunications services with independent, factual information and troubleshooting advice. The Hub provides expert advice about how to connect and stay connected to communications services.

The successful tender will support the important work of the Hub for a period of three years from 1 July 2023.

The Hub has supported regional Australians since December 2020 and provides information via a website, online helpdesk, phone support line, discussion forum and social media.

The Albanese Government has made significant commitments to improve regional communications through its $656 million Better Connectivity Plan for Regional and Rural Australia.  The Plan commits $6 million to expanding and extending the important work of the Regional Tech Hub.

The continued and expanded operation of a Regional Tech Hub supports the recommendation of the Regional Telecommunications Independent Review Committee (RTIRC) 2021 Report for a substantially enhanced and resourced Regional Tech Hub, and fulfils a Government election commitment.

More information on the Regional Tech Hub tender process will be available from midday Friday 17 March 2023 at https://www.tenders.gov.au/

For more information on the Better Connectivity Plan for Regional and Rural Australia,  

visit infrastructure.gov.au/bcp

Get on board the High Speed Rail Authority

The Australian Government is establishing a High Speed Rail Authority and has begun the search for Board members who will guide the development of the high-speed rail network.

There will be a merit-based process to select the Board members, including the Chair, to ensure the Board is comprised of people who have the appropriate skills, qualifications, knowledge and experience to best bring high speed rail to reality. 

Experts from the rail and infrastructure sectors, as well as planning and financing are encouraged to apply.

The HSRA will be an independent body tasked with advising on, planning, developing and overseeing the construction and operation of a transformational network along Australia’s eastern seaboard.

A high-speed rail network will allow passengers to travel between major cities and regional cities at speeds exceeding 250 kilometres per hour.

The merit-based process will identify suitable candidates for appointment by the Minister. Applicants will be assessed by an Australian Government selection panel against specific criteria.

More detail on the Chair position can be found at: https://performancemanager10.successfactors.com/sfcareer/jobreqcareer?jobId=42536&company=DoIT

More detail on the Member position can be found at:

https://performancemanager10.successfactors.com/sfcareer/jobreqcareer?jobId=42535&company=DoIT

Applications should be emailed to hsra@infrastructure.gov.au by 11:59pm on Wednesday 15 March 2023.