This article draws two conclusions from Australia’s high degree of success in battling the coronavirus: the importance of government as a leader and the importance of community action.

Community Colleges Australia has produced this report for the NSW Department of Industry, with the aim to ensure that the NSW government can use the capacity of Western Sydney not-for-profit community education providers to support that region’s economic development priorities.

The following article is based on a speech given by Don Perlgut at a Federal Vocational Education and Training (VET) Policy Forum in Melbourne on 16 July 2018.

This report examines the capacity of New South Wales community education providers to contribute to regional and rural economic development.

Australian governments should increase investment in community education to address higher levels of disadvantage and unemployment in rural and regional Australia, according to this report.