The Select Committee on Jobs for the Future in Regional Areas was established on 31 July 2019 to inquire and report of the following matters:

(a) new industries and employment opportunities that can be created in the regions;

(b) the number of existing jobs in regional areas in clean energy technology and ecological services and their future significance;

(c) lessons learnt from structural adjustments in the automotive, manufacturing and forestry industries and energy privatisation and their impact on labour markets and local economies;

(d) the importance of long-term planning to support the diversification of supply chain industries and local economies;

(e) measures to guide the transition into new industries and employment, including:

(i) community infrastructure to attract investment and job creation,

(ii) the need for a public authority to manage the transition,

(iii) meaningful community consultation to guide the transition, and

(iv) the role of vocational education providers, including TAFE, in enabling reskilling and retraining;

(f) the use of renewable resources in Northern Australia to build a clean energy export industry to export into Asia; and

(g) any related matters

The report is structured as follows:

• Chapter 2 outlines the industries which have the most potential to provide jobs in regional areas.
• Chapter 3 explores what is required to ensure the workforce is ready for the jobs of the future.
• Chapter 4 investigates the role of planning in preparing and facilitating regional Australia to realise these opportunities.
• Chapter 5 considers what governments at all levels can do to promote and support the development of the industries and jobs of the future in regional areas.
• Chapter 6 outlines the approach taken to committee views in this report.