The Regional Futures Summit held in Bendigo last week was hosted by the Hon Jaala Pulford, Regional Development and Agriculture Minister.
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Local government staff and elected members, together with a broad range of other stakeholders, attended the summit and heard from a variety of key note speakers including leading researchers identifying trends driving economic development and challenging attendees’ thinking about what makes a successful community or region.
While population decline is often thought of as a negative and people talk about our small towns dying; others believe that they are not becoming ghost towns but simply transforming to serve different functions than in the past.
Our communities have been changing for many years, with unused churches and properties that originally housed thriving businesses having been sold off and repurposed as residential properties. Research by the Regional Australia Institute identifies that increased international migration has the potential to substantially change the growth rate of regional Victoria.
Population data for Western Victoria reveals that while the area is losing Australian born citizens increasing numbers of international migrants or refugees are bringing more diversity to our communities. Several speakers acknowledged the success story of the Karen resettlement in Nhill and the huge economic benefits that have flowed to the community as a result of it. Embracing cultural diversity, welcoming migrants and giving them a place to feel safe and become valued members of our communities will likely see our communities thrive and prosper.
Summit speakers also highlighted changes in our workforce, with Victoria alone requiring an extra 200,000 workers in health care and social assistance over the next 15 years. At the same time, 68 per cent of Australians are unhappy with their current employment, 38 per cent are open to change in the next 12 months and 23 per cent changed jobs in the last 12 months. For our communities this is both a challenge and opportunity – how do we tap into the numbers of “unhappy people” to fill labour shortages?
The summit was a thought provoking event and I look forward to continuing the conversation in our communities in the months ahead.
