Regional Development Processes

For the past 6 months NIRRA has been undertaking a scoping projecton Visioning the Future of Rural and Regional Australia. A discussion paper has now been completed , which provides a broad overview of many of the issues relating to, and the concerns facing, rural and regional Australia. The project report draws on a number of articles contribute ....

This paper critically evaluates the related concepts of the 'deserving community' and 'self-help' forms of governance that have underpinned the economic development initiatives of the Dorset local government area, North East Tasmania. Following the announced closure of a major food processing factory, this region implemented a regi ....

The aim of the analysis was to identify factors which have contributed to the change in economic structure of the Government regions of South Australia (SA) between 2001 (base-year) and 2006 (end-year). The report is a component of the broader project; ‘Input-Output Tables for South Australia and its Regions, 2006/07’ (EconSearch 2008a). Th ....

This research describes the Australian domestic skilled labour migration system as recorded at the 2006 Census, and specifically examines the role of the Northern Territory within that system. The international literature suggests that most labour migration conforms to core-periphery (CP) patterns, although there is evidence that other structures ....

Although long term economic, technological and social factors have resulted in the decline of many small inland towns in Australia, other such towns have successfully implemented a range of survival and revival strategies. This has resulted in positive outcomes for residents in terms of quality of life and economic opportunities. T ....

Small Towns, Big Ideas is the result of an intensive, yearlong effort to identify and document the stories of small towns that are surviving - and in come cases, thriving - as hubs of civic and economic activity. This publication includes stories about planning and implementing economic development strategies in 45 small towns with populations ....

RDAGE has commissioned Planning Context to analyse a range of housing data and to provide an up-to-date commentary on both Indigenous and social housing specific to the Goldfields-Esperance region. The outputs envisaged for the project were the following: Produce a report which includes relevant data and provides commentary on both Indigenous ....

Understanding the social impacts at a community level triggered by mining operations is a challenging exercise. This paper reflects on a community's perceptions and interpretation of these impacts as well as on the qualitative changes in the local social landscape and their implications for a sustainable future. The findings are based on an explo ....

The author states that successful planning for sustainable rural development must balance and integrate ecological, economic and social elements within a community but there are difficulties in identifying locally meaningful social indicators. In this paper she draws on the findings of a project based in the Woady Yaloak catchment ....

The SASP Audit Committee has released a public Progress Report every two years since 2006. These Progress Reports aim to identify targets where progress is on track, and areas where more effort or new approaches are needed Report LocationClick here to view the full publication ....

Annual report by Southern Rural Water. Overview of governance, customers, stakeholders and financial report.  Report LocationClick here to view the full report ....

When small towns experience a major shock, such as a 'mill' closure, the effects can be devastating. We analyse the effects of two major meat works closures in New Zealand, Patea (1982) and Whakatu (1986). These examples provide an interesting comparison: Whakatu is located close to a city, while Patea is relatively isolated. We de ....

This paper draws upon the 2001 census to examine the impact of national economic reform on the growth of regional cities. The paper argues that regional cities in Australia have taken on new roles within both their region and the national economy. It argues that deregulation of the economy has contributed to the growth of some regional cities and ....

Debates about urban growth and change often center on specialization.However, arguments linking specialization to metropolitan economic development contain diverse, and sometimes conflicting, claims. Is it better to be highly specialized or diversified? Does specialization refer to the absolute scale of an activity in a region, its share within t ....