THE GOOD OIL

Report a ladder for some

THE GOOD OIL

ROD BROWN

The federal government has released yet another report on regional Australia. It’s surely just another way of letting backbenchers feel they’re appreciated.

This time it’s ‘Pride of Place’ prepared by the House of Representatives Select Committee on Regional Australia - it covers most of the issues relevant to regional Australia. It’s a good read for local government staff and councillors from that viewpoint, but it’s sadly lacking in action agendas. Instead it trots our 13 recommendations about motherhood stuff. For example the committee recommends that the Australian Government: · implement mechanisms to allow regional community groups to more easily receive tax deductible gift recipient status (big woop!). · provide increased support for regional universities and their students. · investigate means of improving access to medical and allied health services. · encourage the States/Territories to prioritise the release of government land for housing developments. · develop a nationwide Regional Development Plan which considers the current and future infrastructure needs of regional Australia. · develop mechanisms to encourage private public partnerships to fund regional infrastructure. · investigate means of reducing the red tape burden (that hoary old chestnut). · develop a program funding stream which is more tolerant of risk and encourages innovation funding be provided for smaller regional businesses (wow that hurts my head!). · implement a program for promoting the advantages of locating businesses in regional areas, doing business in regional areas etc. · establish a dedicated authority with responsibility for development and implementation of policies and programs, including a national population policy (perhaps - see below). · continue to facilitate both public and private sector decentralisation. This report will sink without trace unless it can build some specific actions into the exercise. I have been advised that further submissions might be sort in the new Parliament. I intend making a submission covering three topics: · · · facilitating private-public partnerships. attracting business to regional areas. getting the federal system to take regional

Australia seriously.

These are the bread-and-butter topics for our Cockatoo Network (email me to join, or to add to our submission).

On the last topic, a Regional Development Authority could leverage other departments’ programs and stamp out pork-barrelling, especially if it worked in tandem with a federal ICAC.

The simpler option would be a self-standing department, with a senior minister in charge. It is about Australia’s future after all.

Public servants to the Bush - big opportunity for some councils

The federal Budget announced that the Australian Public Service will establish new ‘regional hubs’ at a cost of $15.2 million over seven years.

There are no details yet about where or how this would happen. And it’s unclear if a Labor Government would adopt the same policy.

But councils should nevertheless watch this closely.

Why? Well clearly the relocation of federal staff to places outside Canberra has been a boon to the communities involved - Adelaide, Albury-Wodonga and Dubbo spring to mind.

The location of the ASIC data centre in Traralgon is another good example, while the transfer of large parts of the Pesticides and Veterinary Authority to Armidale is arguably a bad example, at least in term of the processes involved.

It’s interesting to see the feds now referring to ‘regional hubs’.

The inference is presumably that there is strategic intent to place federal staff or federally-funded contractors in localities where they can help create or strengthen business clusters.

Which councils might benefit? Well I’m thinking that the key attributes might be good transport links to Canberra, a regional competitive advantage in the activity concerned, and a strongly supportive local and state government.

Examples might be Port Macquarie (health), Ballarat (IT) and a host of places within the defence milieu such as Townsville, Darwin, Perth, Adelaide and Newcastle.

The processes by which cities might win federal favour will surely be messy.

My advice is to start now with a lobbying effort. We are here to assist!

Northern Rivers floods

A long-time Cockatoo member (and former senior public servant) spun out of Canberra to live the good life in Ballina.

His home dodged the worst of the first flood, and hopefully the second.

He penned us his thoughts.

“A couple of things have struck me. When the mobile and NBN systems fail, everyone is stuffed. Essential services need to be equipped with sat phones. Places like aged care facilities, hospitals etc. also need to have them. We need to develop some sort of rapidly deployable emergency response group - probably needs to be housed within the ADF. Some creative thinking required. Also some stock of emergency housing - flat pack style based along lines of collapsible shipping containers that can be stored and then dispatched easily. Not easy to achieve, but the status quo is not getting us anywhere.”

‘Innovation in real places’

Mike Lester is ex-Austrade, and has a strong interest in our work.

He recently provided some interesting news, as follows.

“I continue my innovation radio interview program on Sydney’s north shore. I thought your readers might be interested in a recent book and interview with Dan Breznitz, a Canadian academic critiquing the Silicon Valley model for innovation on grounds that it has not delivered at local and regional level - hence his title ‘innovation in real places’’.

“His point is not that tech companies do not look for scale and city-based locations, but that this model including big backing by governments does not generate equitable generation and distribution of benefits including to regional and local economies. He argues that true innovation happens and needs to happen everywhere and requires a model backed by government that is different to the Silicon Valley VC start-up unicorn model.”

Here is a link

Time for a strong industry policy

China has effectively reduced our economic relationship to a single commodity, from a single state - WA’s iron ore accounted for almost 40 per cent of our total mechandise exports to the world.

This is very scary, especially since China is surely looking for alternative sources of minerals.

Our political and trade stand-off with China - plus the prospect of war - is certainly changing peoples’ views.

It’s great to see Aussies now talking about supporting Australian industry and avoiding Chinese and Russian products.

There is a huge window for the feds to get onto the front foot with a strong Buy Australia campaign, backed up with specific programs.

Like Lismore, Gympie was inundated by floodwater... One Mile Ovals became a sea of brown. Picture: John Clough

Members of the ADF assist with the clean-up from Queensland’s devastating floods. Picture: Darren England/AAP