The COVID-19 pandemic has critically tested OECD economies, with major differences in economic repercussions at the subnational level. This paper reviews the empirical evidence for effective policies from across the OECD to strengthen local economic resilience through support for people, firms and places.

This report presents social research findings from communities that will host Australia’s new electricity infrastructure as a result of the Renewable Energy Zones policy.

This report summarises a multi-stage project undertaken by a team at the University of South Australia for the RAI’s Intergovernmental Shared Inquiry Program in 2021-22.

The Regional Australia Institute (RAI) believes the creation of a National Regionalisation Framework will draw together common priorities for supporting a stronger regional Australia. This consultation paper kicks off the process for developing the framework. It sets out five themes which the RAI has identified...

This research raises questions about the type and level of new, digital expertise farmers need to attain in the transition to digital farming, and what interventions are necessary to address the significant barriers to adoption and effective use that remain in rural communities.

The CRC for Developing Northern Australia has invested in this analysis to investigate the impacts and relevance of digital inclusion for developing northern Australia.

This report draws on sector research already completed by the the CRCNA which found landholders, agricultural investors and the wider community remain frustrated with the processes for prioritising, planning, assessing and approving new development.

This research explores the relationship between primary health care sustainability and community economic development in rural and remote communities.

The face of regional jobs across the country is changing rapidly and a plan to meet demand is needed now – according to the Regional Australia Institute.

CSIRO research into the Melbourne to Brisbane Inland Rail project has determined that shifting horticulture and processed agriculture from road to rail could reduce transport costs for the agricultural industry by an estimated $70 million per year.

This report concludes a unique, 18-month twinning experiment highlighting the opportunities to learn and share ideas between Britain’s towns. Twin Towns UK sought to boost the development of selected towns, not through major grant investment or specific output-focused funding streams, but through supporting a process...

This plan delivers five key recommendations to better balance Australia's population growth – taking pressure off capital cities and presenting great benefits to the rest of the country.

This report directly responds to one of the resolutions approved at the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) in May 2016, which acknowledges the dearth of information on pastoralism and rangelands. The resolution calls for a gap analysis of environmental and socioeconomic information and the provision...

The NSW Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal has reviewed how we share costs between rural water customers1 and the NSW Government (on behalf of other users and the broader community) when setting maximum prices for the Water Administration Ministerial Corporation’s (WAMC’s) water management services and...

In the Solomon Islands, where around 87% of land is under customary tenure, commercial ventures need support from customary landowners, otherwise they are unlikely to succeed. This report is part of a broader regional study on sustainable economic development of customary land in the Pacific...

This report calculates that Australia could add more than $50 billion to its annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by improving educational outcomes for students in regional, rural and remote areas of the country.

This report found that rural and regional Australia is currently challenged by two key issues: the perception of regions as ‘second rate,’ and the ongoing trend of people moving to the state capitals.

In Australia, rural land use planning as the concern of spatial planning strategy and local regulation has largely emerged during an era of contrasting decline in state-directed agricultural policies and futures. Despite a long history of attempts at land use regulation as a nation-building process...

This guide has been produced to ensure that when policy-makers sit down to design the rules, they take into account the unique factors that affect rural communities, such as low populations, isolation, and reliance on the primary sector for employment.

Regional scale collaboration on climate change adaptation is an important consideration for governments. This report is based on a project that explored the relationship between legal and policy frameworks and cross-border collaboration on climate change adaptation in the Australian Capital Region (ACR).

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

Education should be seen as a major lever to drive economic development in regional Australia. Issues, policy and funding around school education and transition to work or further education should not be seen in isolation from other issues around regional economic development.

Technology advancement and technology driven disruption is expected to experience exponential growth in the coming decades. Although Australian agriculture has a strong track record of technology integration, the speed of technology innovation makes the scanning and identification of high impact emerging technology a priority for...

This Plan 2036 sets out a plan for diversified economic opportunities in the region, including in agribusiness, tourism, renewable energy and freight.

This report describes the Australian Government's approach to regional policy and investments in regional development.