This paper is part of the RAI’s ‘Settlement Patterns and Economic Growth’ major research project. This project was undertaken as part of the Regional Towns and Cities theme of the RAI’s 2018 Intergovernmental Shared Inquiry Program.

This project assesses the economic impacts of a more decentralized population growth strategy that prioritizes greater regional growth in and around each of these four metropolitan regions. As part of this assessment, we analyse the high-level relationship between a city’s population size and its performance across different economic, and social and quality of life indicators.

In April 2019, the Regional Australia Institute (RAI) convened the historic Regions Rising national summit in Canberra. This summit brought together business, government and community leaders from across rural and regional Australia to discuss the future of regional development. As a result of the hacks, the RAI is pleased to present this summary of outcomes...

This report into the Regional Jobs and Infrastructure Fund found that Regional Development Victoria still cannot reliably determine whether their grants have improved economic or social outcomes directly or indirectly, or whether any benefits have been sustained beyond the immediate injection of funds into a community.

This plan, aimed at creating a more resilient Australia, proposes measures to reform infrastructure planning, regional planning, higher education and vocational training, enterprise bargaining, income taxes, electricity policy, and more.