Australian Government's regional policy statement released - Regions 2030: Unlocking Opportunity
Last month the Minister for Regional Development Fiona Nash launched the Australian's Government’s policy statement for rural, regional and remote Australia: Regions 2030: Unlocking Opportunity.
The publication sets out the Government’s agenda over the next 13 years, aiming to make regional Australia an even better place to live, work and invest.
This commitment is being delivered through investment and activity across five focus areas:
- Jobs and economic development
- Infrastructure
- Health
- Education
- Communications.
The announcement follows the release of the 2017-18 Federal Budget on May 9, which included a range of initiatives for regional Australia:
- An additional $8.4 billion in new equity funding to construct Inland Rail.
- An extra $200 million for the Building Better Regions Fund, bringing the total amount in the fund to almost $500 million.
- $272 million to provide grants of $10 million or more for major projects to unlock the potential of regions, helping take advantage of new opportunities and potentially spur new industries
- The structured decentralisation of Australian Government jobs from Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra.
- Increased access for rural and remote Australians to psychological services via telehealth.
- Expanding community-owned university training hubs, which will allow students to study any university course in Australia from the region they grew up in.