Regional Capitals Australia board members headed to Canberra ahead of the Federal Budget and the election for face-to-face meetings with key government and shadow ministers, ministerial offices and departmental officials.
Our delegation to Parliament House in February met with:
The Hon Catherine King MP, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government;
The Hon Matt Thistlethwaite MP, Assistant Minister for Immigration;
The Hon Dan Tehan MP, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship;
The Hon Darren Chester MP, Shadow Minister for Regional Education, Shadow Minister for Regional Development, and Shadow Minister for Local Government and Territories;
Senator the Hon Perin Davey, Shadow Minister for Water;
Office of the Hon Clare O’Neil MP, Minister for Housing and Homelessness;
Office of the Hon Tony Burke MP, Minister for Home Affairs, Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, Minister for Cyber Security, Minister for the Arts;
Officials from the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts.
We provided a briefing on our federal election priorities as well as the key issues facing Regional Capitals, including:
housing supply and the need for Federal Government investment in housing enabling infrastructure and construction skills;
immigration and population, including adjusting regional visas to enable regional skills gaps to be filled; and
ongoing Federal Government investment in regional development and infrastructure.
Our board will continue to meet with Federal Government decision makers as we work towards realising our Policy Priorities 2025.
Port Lincoln Mayor Diana Mislov was a special guest at the Migration Institute of Australia’s Regional Migration Conference held in Adelaide.
Our South Australian board representative, Mayor Mislov was part of a panel discussing approaches to encourage regional settlement, including how to attract and retain migrants in regional areas with targeted migration programs, community support and employment incentives.
Regional population growth must be underpinned by both skilled and non-skilled migration. Regional migration is key to:
thriving and diverse regional economies;
service delivery in regional areas – particularly health; and
a more balanced population.
RCA is advocating for a population policy that encourages businesses and families to move to the regions – and we want to be involved in the development of this policy.
We also want the Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA) program to be simplified so that uptake increases
Regional Capitals Australia (RCA) is calling on the major political parties to put regional capitals front and centre as they make their pitch to the nation during the Federal Election campaign.
RCA Chair Mayor Peter Carter said with the election now called, a clear plan that maps the path to prosperity for regional communities was required from our political leaders.
“Regional Capitals Australia has been working hard over the past 18 months to ensure the priorities and interests of our members are understood and supported by both major parties,” Mayor Carter said.
“We have made the case that regional capitals continue to be the liveable alternative to the big capitals as well as strong service centres for those living in surrounding towns and rural areas,” Mayor Carter said.
“Regional capitals are the heart of regional Australia, supporting nine million Australians to thrive by providing a central point of access to essential services, commerce, employment and education,” Mayor Carter said.
“Our election priorities are key to the future of regional capitals and the prosperity of our communities,” Mayor Carter said.
The RCA is calling for the next Australian Government to make the following investments:
Infrastructure
$1 billion for large scale regional infrastructure; and
$1 billion for Community Infrastructure.
Regional Roads
$1 billion per annum for Roads to Recovery;
$150 million per annum for Blackspots Funding; and
$200 million for the Safer Local Roads and Infrastructure Program.
Housing
Housing enabling funds for local government to release of new land for housing developments;
Housing Innovation Program to fast track innovative approaches to housing; and
Removing GST on council housing investments.
Water
Funding to support water project to grow regional industry and populations.
Aviation
$200 million for regional airports; and
Ensure the viability of regional aviation.
Arts and Culture
Continue to recognise and enhance the role of arts, culture and creativity in regional Australia.
“Both the Treasurer and the Opposition Leader have tabled their budgets. Now we are seeking a clear plan from the major parties on how they intend to invest in our regions so our communities can continue to grow and thrive,” Mayor Carter said.
Regional capital cities across Australia want more migrants to settle in regional areas to fill job vacancies and allow their economies to grow.
Regional Capitals Australia sent a delegation, led by Chair Mayor Peter Carter, to Canberra earlier this month to meet with key decision makers ahead of the federal election and the federal budget.
Mayor Carter said the delegation met with federal ministers and shadow ministers responsible for regional development, infrastructure, housing, water and immigration.
“This visit was an important opportunity to discuss face-to-face issues important to regional capitals across our nation. One of those pressing issues is immigration,” Mayor Carter said.
“Adjusting the current immigration settings would enable regional skills gaps to be filled and provide impetus for regional cities to grow and prosper,” Mayor Carter said.
“Regional visas provide the opportunity to rebalance Australia’s population by allowing new arrivals to settle in regional areas rather than the metropolitan capitals,” Mayor Carter said.
“The regional visa program is fundamental to allowing local services to be delivered and ensuring regional economies remain robust and diverse,” Mayor Carter said.
The Regional Australia Institute’s job vacancy data for September 2024 highlighted more than 73,000 vacant positions were advertised across regional Australia.
“This figure is mostly for skilled roles and does not account for the increasing demand for unskilled and seasonal workers,” Mayor Carter said.
“A plan that does not include skilled migration to address our skills backlog is holding back economic growth in the regions,” Mayor Carter said.
In its pre-election submission, RCA has recommended:
* the definition of ‘regional’ under visa settings be updated to exclude metropolitan cities like Perth, Adelaide and Canberra;
* expanding the Working Holiday Maker program to include tourism, hospitality and health sectors across all regional areas; and
* simplification of the Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA) program and ensure it is fit for purpose.
“Importantly, we are also calling for more settlement services and cultural infrastructure to make sure new arrivals are supported as they join our communities,” Mayor Carter said.
“Getting regional visas right just makes sense: regional areas are primed to grow and immigration is one way to make sure Australia grows sustainably,” Mayor Carter concluded.
From left: Broken Hill Deputy Mayor Jim Hickey; City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Jerry Clune; Mayor Diana Mislov from the City of Port Lincoln; Mayor Daniel Scott from the City of Karratha; Assistant Minister for Immigration, the Hon Matt Thistlethwaite, MP; Mayor Peter Carter from the Town of Port Hedland, who is the RCA Chair; Mayor Athina Pascoe-Bell from the City of Palmerston; Broome Shire President Chris Mitchell and Goulburn Mulwaree Council Mayor, Cr Nina Dillon.
Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, the Hon Dan Tehan, MP and Regional Capitals Australia (RCA) Chair Mayor Peter Carter (front left) discuss immigration policy during a recent visit to Parliament House, Canberra, by a delegation representing RCA members.
Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, the Hon Dan Tehan, MP and RCA Chair Mayor Peter Carter with the Regional Capitals Australia delegation during its visit to Parliament House, Canberra.
Regional Capitals Australia (RCA) has today welcomed a move by the Federal Government to ensure the ongoing connectivity of Australia’s regional and remote communities.
The government has announced it will acquire $50 million of debt from Rex’s largest creditor to become the principal secured creditor, in a bid to stop the liquidation of the airline which is currently in administration.
RCA Chair Mayor Peter Carter stated the investment would bring a sense of relief for many people in regional and remote areas around Australia who were on tender hooks about Rex’s future.
“Some communities across our regions are only serviced by Rex flights and can only fly to access education, medical services or family and friends,” Cr Carter said.
“Air travel is also vital for many industries to thrive, including agriculture, mining and tourism which connects business to skills and customers,” Cr Carter said.
“Many sectors simply cannot operate effectively in regional areas without connections to bigger centres and metropolitan capitals,” Cr Carter said.
“This investment aligns with Regional Capitals’ advocacy pitch to ensure that regional aviation remains strong in our member cities as the Rex administration is worked through,” Cr Carter said.
“Today’s announcement shows the Federal Government is acting to protect this essential service for regional and remote Australia and understands the importance of air services to local economies,” Cr Carter concluded.
Regional capitals have never been more relevant or important to the fabric of our nation. More and more city people are discovering what we have known for a long time: regional capitals offer an attractive, relaxed lifestyle that our state and territory capitals cannot.
The past 12 months have been busy as Regional Capitals Australia worked hard to secure additional government investment to help ease housing and workforce shortages, and deliver critical infrastructure at a time of rising costs. We had a busy program of advocacy as the Federal Government developed and released programs across key portfolio areas impacting regional capitals.
Our Annual Statement has been published and I invite you to read it. We are proud to look back on 2024, our major achievements and all that we have delivered for regional Australia. Over the past year,
We had a seat at the table at
Departmental National Urban Policy Consultative Forum, which informed a new national urban policy;
Ministerial Regional Roundtable, which advises government on key issues impacting regional Australia; and
Federal Peak Body Alliance for Regionalisation, which advocates for issues impacting regional Australia.
Our policy recommendations were reflected in:
the National Urban Policy, which will deliver successful cities (including regional capitals) across Australia; and
the Aviation White Paper, which is the framework to deliver a strong aviation sector.
We also successfully advocated for new funding programs to support our members:
The Regional Airports Program: $40 million over three years to improve safety, improved delivery of services and air services and emergency response;
The Housing Support Program (Federal Government): $500 million to support the delivery of increased housing supply by funding enabling infrastructure and provide amenities to support; and
Housing Infrastructure Programme (Federal Opposition): $5 billion commitment to deliver housing enabling infrastructure including a 30% allocation to regional Australia.
We have been continuing our advocacy for our members to receive a greater share of skills as the Federal Government conducts its review into Regional Migration Settings, and to secure recognition for our members’ role as a service hub that requires them to deliver services and infrastructure that our metropolitan counterparts do not.
This year has been turbulent for regional aviation, with both Rex Airlines and Bonza entering voluntary administration. We continue to ask the Federal Government to formally recognise the vulnerability of regional aviation and act to ensure regional routes operated by Rex Airlines continue. We are pleased the Federal Government will support Rex’s regional air routes and guarantee ticket sales during the voluntary administration period to June 30, 2025.
With the federal budget and federal election approaching, we have put together our priorities for the coming year. They are:
A national population plan that recognises and plans for the growth of regional capital cities;
Regional migration settings that enable regional capitals to sustainably grow;
Housing enabling infrastructure and a housing innovation fund to enable our member cities to address the housing crisis;
Annual allocations to each regional council to support the delivery of community infrastructure;
Topping up the regional airports program and resolving airport security arrangements to allow for a more equitable system that reflects the risk environment;
More support for regional arts and culture activities in regional capitals; and
Better planning and access to funding for water infrastructure to support industry and population growth.
I look forward to continuing to champion regional capitals and the communities we all represent throughout 2025, however as this year draws to close, I wish you and your family a safe and relaxing festive season.
Kind regards
Mayor Peter Carter Chair Regional Capitals Australia
Regional Capitals Australia (RCA) has elected a new Chair and Deputy Chair to lead the organisation for the next two years.
At the Annual General Meeting (AGM) held on Tuesday 10 December, Mayor Peter Carter from the Town of Port Hedland was elected Chair, while Cr Kevin Mack, Mayor of Albury City Council, will serve as Deputy Chair.
“RCA advocates on behalf of the nine million people who have made their lives in a regional capital or depend on the important services these cities provide,” Mayor Carter said.
“It is a privilege to be chair of an alliance that has a 13-year history of making the case for the investment our member cities need to continue to grow,” Mayor Carter said.
“RCA is the only national voice in Canberra that reflects the ambitions of regional cities to be the liveable, productive and affordable alternative to the major capital cities,” Mayor Carter said.
“I look forward to serving our members alongside Cr Kevin Mack to continue this task as we move to a federal election next year,” Mayor Carter said.
Mayor Carter takes over from former Cr Kylie King from Albury City Council who served as RCA chair for more than two years.
“Cr King’s leadership has been steadfast during a particularly difficult time where our members have faced housing and labour shortages and inflated markets that have made the job of every regional capital Mayor and council challenging,” Mayor Carter said.
During the meeting the new Board confirmed RCA’s priorities for the 2025 year:
1. A national population plan that recognises and plans for the growth of regional capital cities;
2. Regional migration settings that enable regional capitals to sustainably grow;
3. Housing enabling infrastructure and a housing innovation fund to enable our member cities to address the housing crisis;
4. Annual allocations to each regional council to support the delivery of community infrastructure;
5. Topping up the regional airports program and resolving airport security arrangements to allow for a more equitable system that reflects the risk environment;
6. More support for regional arts and culture activities in regional capitals; and
7. Better planning and access to funding for water infrastructure to support industry and population growth.
“Regional capitals really are the best place to live and my fellow board members and I will continue to champion our communities to make sure they stay this way,” Mayor Carter said.
Seven other board positions were confirmed/filled at the AGM. They were:
Secretary: Cr Doug Curran, Mayor, Griffith City Council
Treasurer: Virginia Miltrup, CEO, City of Karratha
New South Wales Regional Representative: Cr Jim Hickey, Deputy Mayor, Broken Hill City Council
Victorian Regional Representative: Cr Dale Harriman, Mayor, Latrobe City Council
Western Australian Regional Representative: Mayor Jerry Clune, City of Greater Geraldton
South Australian Regional Representative: Mayor Diana Mislov, City of Port Lincoln
Northern Territory Regional Representative: Mayor Athina Pascoe-Bell, City of Palmerston
Queensland Regional Representative: Cr George Seymour, Mayor, Fraser Coast Regional Council
Regional Capitals Australia (RCA) has today welcomed new research showing two in five people living in Australian state capitals were considering a move to a regional area.
The research, commissioned by the Regional Australia Institute (RAI), found the number of people looking to relocate to the regions had doubled to 40% over the past 18 months. Its release coincides with the launch yesterday of the RAI’s Year 2 Progress Report on the Regionalisation of Australia.
Deputy Chair of RCA, Mayor Peter Carter, said the findings were welcome news for Australia’s regional capitals, but housing supply was a bottleneck that needed urgent action.
“Regional capitals are eager to grow and this report today confirms what all our member cities already know: regional capitals really are the best place to be,” Mayor Carter said.
“It is easy to understand why people are considering a move from congested, crowded metropolitan areas to regional cities,” Mayor Carter said.
“All of our members are 10-minute cities, meaning you can anywhere in less time than it takes you to order a coffee in the metropolitan capitals,” Mayor Carter said.
“However, the ability to make the most of this mood for change cannot be realised if we don’t get in front of our housing needs,” Mayor Carter said.
According to Domain Research, the residential vacancy rate in regional Australia was 0.8% in February this year, while a recent survey by RCA found 87% of its members agreed a critical bottle neck in the housing market was the lack of development-ready land.
RCA has welcomed announcements from both the Federal Government and Coalition where housing enabling funds to support housing developments can begin the task of getting more families into homes.
RCA is also advocating for a Housing Innovation Program that would fast-track innovative approaches to housing projects that can get more diverse housing options into our member cities, improving supply chain issues and affordability of housing in regional capitals.
“Regional migration is good for the whole nation: it eases population pressures in the metropolitan areas and builds demand for services and infrastructure in the regions,” Mayor Carter said.
“Housing availability is the biggest roadblock to our growth and holds back people from making a sea or tree change,” Mayor Carter said.
“We want to work with governments to ensure we can accommodate everyone who decides to make a new life in our regional cities,” he said.
“We need to act quickly as a nation or this opportunity will be lost.”
Mayor Carter said another key element of increasing the supply of houses was to address the skills shortage.
“Regional cities are asking for more skilled migrants and greater investment, scholarships and subsidies for in-demand trades and professions. Prospective students in regional cities are also looking for vocational training close to home,” Mayor Carter said.
Mayor Carter also said the cost-effectiveness of social and affordable housing would be increased if GST was removed from council housing investments.
“Government investment in boosting housing supply in regional centres is a win-win situation: our regional cities grow and prosper, while life in the state capitals becomes a little less stressful and frantic for those who live there,” he concluded.
To read RCA’s 2025-26 Pre-budget Submission, click here
1 Domain.com.au Research Vacancy rates: February 2024 -Ends-
At the meeting and in line with the constitution, all positions will be declared vacant. The following executive positions will be available for nomination:
Chairperson
Deputy Chairperson
Secretary, and
Treasurer.
In addition to these positions, nominations from current members will also be sought for State Representatives from:
New South Wales
Victoria
Queensland
Western Australia
Northern Territory, and
South Australia.
Nominations can be submitted by writing to the Regional Capitals Australia Secretariat via secretariat@regionalcapitalsaustralia.org. Please include your name and desired position in the email.
Nominations should be submitted prior to Tuesday 26 November 2024 to allow for inclusion in the AGM pack, however nominations will also be accepted on the day.
All member councils are encouraged to attend and participate in the election of a new Board. Interested parties have the option to attend as an observer.
RCA Chair Cr Kylie King (above, second from the right) was among the key speakers at the Regional Australia Institute’s 2024 National Summit held in Canberra in August.
The two-day Summit, held at the National Convention Centre, brought together 420 delegates from Government, industry and regional communities to discuss issues and challenges impacting the regions.
Cr King was a panellist for a session entitled The Big Regions: Purposeful Population Growth.
Cr King told delegates that regional capitals were now growing at the fastest rate in history, a change fuelled by the shift towards remote working.
This change to work practices brought new skills and opportunities to the regional capitals, and helped to diversify our communities and local economies, she told the Summit.
Cr King said population growth did place pressure on key services and infrastructure, particularly house and health services.
Cr King said sustainable population growth was welcome, but regional cities needed more consistent Government funding to ensure we could support that growth.
The report looks at the community dynamics, barriers and enabling factors that support mid-sized regional Australian communities in their transition to net zero.
