Minister for Regional Development Jaala Pulford today announced that the 2016 Regional Living Expo will not proceed and that the Andrews Labor Government will take a new approach to regional population attraction.
The Regional Victoria Living Expo has run for the last four years, alongside the Good Move marketing campaign, with the aim of encouraging people to move to regional Victoria.
These were expensive programs – the Expo cost $10.1 million over four years and the Good Move campaign cost $7.2 million over four years.
Minister Pulford said that the feedback from stakeholders, combined with research and an independent evaluation showed that there was no evidence that these programs had materially increased the number of people moving to regional Victoria and that the programs’ levers and mechanisms for achieving population attraction were not evidence based.
Building on Victoria’s Regional Statement, the Government will focus on investing in the key drivers of population attraction – infrastructure, jobs, education and liveable communities, building a thriving and prosperous regional Victoria that is a great place to visit, work and live.
Research shows that the most effective drivers of population attraction to rural and regional Victoria are jobs, good infrastructure, access to services and lifestyle. These drivers of population attraction will be supported by a more targeted approach to regional population attraction communication and marketing based on evidence and consultation with regional and rural councils.
Regional and rural councils can also continue to apply for grants under the Regional Jobs and Infrastructure Fund to support their own population attraction activities.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Regional Development Jaala Pulford
“The Andrews Labor Government is committed to growing regional Victoria but we will have a new approach that doesn't spend outrageous amounts of money for no result.”
“The Andrews Government’s $500 million Regional Jobs and Infrastructure Fund will drive population attraction by creating jobs, funding infrastructure projects and supporting projects and programs to make rural and regional communities even more liveable.”
“We will work with councils communities and businesses on better targeted strategies that build off the major new investments like GPAC and the Grampians peak trail that will create jobs and improve liveability in regional Victoria.”
Reviewed 10 February 2021