Tell me about a win your organisation has achieved, which aligns with one of the targets under the RAI’s Regionalisation Ambition?
We have had a couple of wins related to skills in both our regions this year. On Norfolk Island we were successful in securing a Regional University Study Hub, and there is now, for the first time, access to post-secondary education support on Norfolk Island.
Access for Norfolk Island is a particularly important feature. University is sometimes a daunting prospect for our young people. When university is an international flight costing more than $1000 away, and your community and all you know is an Island, in the middle of the South Pacific, 1600kms away from Australia – let alone the fact a university campus is bigger than your whole Island - post-secondary education is a formidable concept and for many, it has simply not been an option. We’re so proud of the Country Universities Centre Norfolk Island.
On the mid-north coast, we’ve been working with our regional stakeholders to have early conversations about AI, the economy and the workforce. We developed an early warning system ourselves (using AI in an experiment/illustration of the capabilities). The RDAMNC Employment Dashboard provides a month-by-month view of the Jobs and Skills Australia Nowcast of Employment Data for the region and acts as an early warning system for displacement. (www.dashboard-rdamnc.org).
What’s the biggest challenge in your region, when it comes to the Ambition’s 20 goals and how do you propose to overcome it?
The areas we support are complex – both structurally and socially. We have livability and resilience challenges that are intertwined. For example, Norfolk Island’s isolation makes the supply chain extremely fragile, and every step of the process is magnified in expense to degrees that would shock you.
For example:
- In order to bring a car to Norfolk Island, you need to pay over $10,000 in freight and a further $2,000 to wrap the vehicle in plastic to stop damage from being submerged.
- A 2L bottle of fresh milk was routinely $20. Last seen price, $16.
If the shipping is unable to be unloaded due to rough seas, contamination or weather, things get scarce. Our food systems are not resilient, and it shows in our Island communities of Lord Howe and Norfolk.
We are struggling with resilience on the mid north coast, too.
The floods of May 2025 seem so long ago, but the businesses and communities around the region are fatigued. The fires have started and there is no sense of buoyancy this time. With cost of living at all time highs, housing stock dwindling and unaffordable, and people struggling with the basics, I am concerned for the next few years’ outlook.
Another distressing development is the extent to which modern slavery is present in our region. We are concerned about vulnerable workers in our community and the extent to which our region’s economy depends on labour hire arrangements.
These are massive challenges.
We will keep trying to work with stakeholders to bring awareness and resources to the structural challenges such as freight and housing. We bring ideas to the table that we learn about from our cross pollination across regions and sectors. We are champions for the needs of our regions. With respect to vulnerable workers, we are developing programs to increase community and business awareness of rights and supports that workers are able to access. In order to shift the dial, we apply for grants, aim to attract resources and work as collaboratively as we can to leverage the incredible capacity we have locally.
