Regional Australia and the 'new economy'

As politicians and community leaders have become more aware of the importance of employment in the 'new ecomony' they have sought to ensure that more of this employment is located in regional Australia. However analysis of employment trends in NSW and Victoria since 1996 show that the proportion of 'new economy' jobs in Sydney and Melbourne vis-a-vis the proportion of these jobs in the rest of their respective states has increased. The paper provides a preliminary discussion of why this is the case and concludes that much more will have to be done if regional centres are to become thriving participants in 'new economy' industries.