News

Regional Capitals Australia (RCA) joined the new National Alliance for Regionalisation for its history-making launch in Canberra, as a proud partner in this new alliance to help shape the future of regional Australia. 

National Alliance members include over 30 leading peak bodies from across Australia spanning business, health, education and regional development.

Coordinated by the Regional Australia Institute the alliance will focus on activating the policy goals outlined in the Regionalisation Ambition 2032 – a Framework to Rebalance the Nation. 

This framework aims to support more Australians living prosperously in the regions and is underpinned by 20 targets across five policy pillars.

The Working Group has already met to begin activating the five policy pillars:

• Sustainability and Resilience
• Population
• Jobs and Skills
• Liveability
• Productivity and Innovation

RCA sees the National Regionalisation Alliance as a collaborative call to action to the Federal Government on regional issues, as well as a tool to measure the broader success of our own organisations on advancing the sustainable development of our shared communities.

RCA has strongly supported the Regionalisation Ambition 2023 in the past by making a pledge that aligns to the Population Pillar. 

RCA pledged to plan for and advocate for a greater share of Australia’s population through the development of a national population plan that includes:

• An accelerated immigration policy with distinct regional streams of visas;
• Support for continuing education infrastructure and services that builds the skills and contributions of our community; and
• Connectivity and liveability infrastructure that allows our member cities to be nationally and internationally competitive as the best places to live and work.

The installation of renewable energy infrastructure is being accelerated across the country to meet the increased targets set by the Australian and State Governments.

While the benefits of renewable energy and emissions reduction are well-documented, the impacts of these installations on local communities must also be appropriately managed and planned for.

Regional Capitals Australia (RCA) has recently developed a policy paper to address the legitimate concerns of regional communities and highlighted the importance of genuine consultation in the planning phase of energy projects.

In particular, RCA is seeking that:

1. Best practice stakeholder engagement standards: should be established by the Australian Government to ensure that project proponents are aware of their responsibilities for consultation and engagement; and

• Strategic stakeholders must have a seat at the table: in key consultation forums to ensure there is a deep understanding of local and regional issues.

The outcomes of effective consultation can play an important role in the success of a project and RCA looks forward to working with the government to ensure these principles are adopted.

1. How is your community changing/growing, and what are the biggest priorities for Fraser Coast?

The Fraser Coast has a rapidly growing population led by both lifestyle and employment opportunities in the region.  This will require greater investment in education, health and community infrastructure over the coming years.  We also have a significant level of disadvantage with lower attainment rates in education so there is a major priority to lift those standards in coming years.

2. What are the most significant infrastructure challenges facing the council over the next 5 yrs and how are you adapting to meet those challenges? 

New sewerage treatment plants and new road infrastructure to cope with population growth is an immediate priority.  In the past, Council has discounted developer headworks charges to encourage building and investment.  These incentives, which were essentially funded by the community, are no longer required due to the popularity of the area and new developments will need to be addressed differently in the future.

Following community feedback, the Fraser Coast Regional Council will move ahead with plans to upgrade the Pulgul Sewage Treatment Plant and expand its recycled water reuse scheme to ensure it can meet the needs of a growing city.

It is anticipated that the Hervey Bay population will increase significantly and the Pulgul plant is already near capacity. The decision to expand the Pulgul treatment works and reuse scheme followed months of community engagement and feedback.

The feedback also helped shape the Recycled Water Strategy which was adopted this year (2023). Initial estimates put the value of the total project at $66 million, including $9 million to expand the reuse scheme.

3. Fraser Coast is one of the fastest growing regions in Qld, and is also famously home to the delicate Great Sandy Biosphere – how do you balance population growth and the environment? 

The health of the Mary River is a major priority for us, particularly the preservation of the Mary River Turtle, Mary River Lungfish and the Mary River Cod all of which are threatened with extinction.  Since the cancellation of the Traveston Dam in 2009 by Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett, it has been acknowledged that more needs to be done to protect the river’s ecosystem and implementation of a Threatened Species Action Plan remains a priority.  The flooding last year also wiped out a significant proportion of seagrass beds which has had a big impact on the sea turtle and dugong population. 

From a town planning perspective, we are encouraging new development to take place on land that has previously been cleared for farming, and not in areas of native vegetation.  There is a conversation to be had with the community about the merits of higher density living and what is a better outcome for the environment.  Previously, people have preferred to live on a large outer suburban block however, there is a lot of value in higher density living where less land clearing is required and often neighbourhoods are more connected through bike paths and the like.

The Fraser Coast recycled water scheme will expand to cater for population growth, while infrastructure improvements will cut almost $12 million from the capital expenditure budget over the next decade.

4. Fraser Coast Council was the subject of national news in 2022 after a temporary leveee erected by Council saved Maryborough from a second devastating flood in a matter of weeks.  How is your region adapting to climate change? 

Since the floods of 2022, where we experienced two major floods and two minor floods, we have been working closely with the State Government to undertake buybacks of flood-affected properties.  Properties that have been repeatedly flooded have been bought back, retrofitted or raised under the Resilient Homes Fund.

We are also developing a plan to deal with coastal erosion, including managing public infrastructure that might be exposed to future erosion.  We have also been adapting our planning scheme to take into consideration the changes we expect to see into the next century.

As part of Council’s continual improvement of our flood response, especially in light of expected weather changes due to global warming, it has invested in a number of studies to improve our flood mapping.  Funding has been received from the Queensland Reconstruction Authority and the Disaster Recovery Funding Agreement working with the Federal and State Governments to invest in planning and flood related infrastructure to assist with adapting to climate change.

5. How do you see the role of regional capitals in the broader context of Australia’s growth?

There has been a huge societal shift where people want to move to regional capitals for the lifestyle benefits on offer.  There are tremendous professional as well as personal opportunities for those living in our city. 

In the Fraser Coast region, people can have really fulfilling and challenging careers but finish work at 5pm and be on the beach by 5.10pm.

Councils are on the front line of Australia’s big shift and this internal migration trend requires a huge investment in health, education and community facilities over the next decade.

The Role of Regional Airports

The contribution of regional airports to local communities is well documented, with regional cities heavily reliant on airports for emergency services, tourism, trade and economic growth. 

Regional airports are a key connector to the social and economic life of regional Australia, bridging the sometimes large distances between regional capital cities and in some instances international markets.

It is estimated that more than 200 regional airports are owned and operated by local government, with more than 40 per cent of Australia’s domestic aviation passengers travelling through regional airports. 

Regional airports play a vital role in the movement of FIFO workers, generate significant economic benefits via tourism and trade, facilitate business travel as well as playing a vital role in the protection of Australia’s physical assets by enabling aerial firefighting and supporting law enforcement bodies.

However, there are significant and increasing costs associated with maintaining airport services at a time of unprecedented financial challenges for local government, with approximately 60 per cent of regional airports currently operating at a loss.

Aviation White Paper

Regional Capitals Australia (RCA) has welcomed the Federal Government’s Terms of Reference and timeframes for an Aviation White Paper that will set the principles and direction for Australian aviation over five years commencing from 2025.

In response, RCA has submitted its Regional Airports Policy Paper for consideration by the Government.

However in the intervening years, RCA is advocating that recurrent funding for regional airports be made immediately available, as an essential interim measure until the Aviation White Paper is finalised in 2025.

In the 2019-20 Budget the Australian Government committed $100 million over four years until 2022-23 for the Regional Airports Program. The total spend to date is $98.7 million with no funding for future years allocated to date for this important program.

RCA will continue to advocate in the lead-up to the May budget that funding for the Regional Airports Program is a national priority. RCA members with an airport are strongly encouraged to complete the Airport Case Studies survey to help build a strong case about the vital role of regional airports.

Revive – Australia’s new cultural policy

The Federal Government’s new arts and cultural policy “Revive – A Place for Every Story, A Story for Every Place” establishes a five-year time frame to achieve significant change across five policy pillars:

• First Nations First;
• A Place for Every Story;
• Centrality of the Artist;
• Strong Cultural Infrastructure; and
• Engaging the Audience.

Impacts on regional Australia

The Federal Government’s new ‘Revive’ policy provides $8.5 million in increased support for regional arts and culture through a boost to the Regional Arts Fund and a continuation of the Festivals Australia Program. 

Regional Capitals Australia welcomes this investment particularly given our long-standing advocacy for the arts sector to be better supported by the Australian Government. This policy reflects the need to invest in regional stories and specific regional funding to be increased.

‘Revive’ also provides a commitment to share the national collection by establishing a program of long-term loans of works from the National Gallery of Australia’s collection to regional cultural institutions. 

Other notable commitments in Revive that are relevant to regional Australia include:

• Deliver improvements to the National Broadband Network and regional connectivity to improve digital inclusion, and social and economic opportunities for all Australians.
• Continue collaboration with the arts and cultural sector to deliver on the national visitor economy strategy, THRIVE 2030, by supporting artistic and cultural events and incorporating cultural assets into destination marketing and campaigns.
• Increase support for community broadcasting to deliver local news, tell local stories, and provide a platform for diverse voices and Australian music.

What is missing?

In regional Australia, arts and culture help to shape the character of our communities and are an important expression of regional life. Importantly, as more people move to the regions, the liveability value of a vibrant arts sector plays a major role in attracting and retaining people who move to regional capitals.

Funding for arts and culture in Australia needs to better align with the post-Covid population distribution and fairly recognise the almost eight million residents of regional Australia.

Regional Capitals Australia (RCA) endorses the recommendation by the 2021 Australian Infrastructure Plan to capture, measure and assess the quadruple bottom-line benefits of social infrastructure including arts and culture and use this framework to collaboratively plan, develop and invest in arts and cultural infrastructure.

While the ‘Revive’ policy commits to investing in local arts and cultural infrastructure across Australia, there was no dollar figure attached to this commitment and the Minister indicated that additional funding and details could potentially be forthcoming in the May Federal Budget.

Currently, a disproportionate burden of regional arts and cultural infrastructure falls on the shoulders of local government, in comparison to their metro counterparts.   However while these facilities are funded by the ratepayers of regional capitals they are utilised heavily by a significantly greater population of outlying communities in the wider region.

For example, analysis conducted by the City of Bunbury on visitation to the Bunbury Regional Art Gallery estimated that only approximately 26 per cent of visitors to the gallery were residents of the City of Bunbury, the remaining visitors were from the wider region and even further afield. The Bunbury Regional Art Gallery is solely owned, funded and operated by the ratepayers of the City of Bunbury.

Unfortunately, the funding capacity of regional local government is limited by their smaller rate base, rate caps and broader service provision to their residents in challenging regional environments.

Our call to action

RCA continues to advocate that investment in arts and cultural infrastructure for regional Australia should be a major priority for the arts portfolio in the forthcoming May Budget, including a more equitable distribution of arts funding that better reflects the population growth of regional Australia.