Minister for Regional Development Jaala Pulford, today met with community leaders, business and local government in Geelong at a Regional Partnerships Stakeholder Forum.
The discussions focused on the establishment of nine new Regional Partnerships to direct local priorities straight into the heart of Government decision-making, as set out in Victoria’s Regional Statement released in November 2015.
The Minister also met the Regional Development Victoria’s new Regional Director for Barwon South West, Unni Mennon to discuss a range of local economic issues, including the fires affecting communities around Wye River, Lorne, Barnawartha, and Scotsburn last month.
A Barwon Regional Partnership will be established by July this year, with each of the following local councils invited to participate:
The Andrews Labor Government recognises that each region is different, and will ensure decisions and investments reflect the priorities of local families, workers and businesses, giving a real voice to regional Victorian communities.
The Partnerships will build on the work of existing regional leadership and advocacy groups, looking at the strategic priorities communities have identified– across economic, social and environmental issues – and oversee implementation of the top priorities.
These will be published and fed into the newly established Rural and Regional Ministerial Committee, which met for the first time in Bendigo on Wednesday this week.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Regional Development Jaala Pulford
“The Andrews Labor Government is getting straight to work establishing the new partnership model and is providing a new way of working with regional Victorians so their voices can be clearly heard in the heart of government.”
“We understand that every region is different and we know for a fact that regional communities have their own issues, aspirations and understanding of the challenges and opportunities that they face.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020