RDASNA Newsletter - April 2024
As of April 1st 2024 (yes the irony of April Fools Day was not lost on us either), RDA Southern Inland (RDASI) has officially changed its name to RDA Southern NSW and ACT (RDASNA) and we are now responsible for representing the additional NSW LGAs of Eurobodalla and Bega Valley plus the Australian Capital Territory.
The transition has mostly gone smoothly due to the careful planning and structured project delivery methods we’ve used, however of course there has been some small glitches along the way. If you’ve received emails from us, you will have noticed our extensions have changed to @rdasna.org.au and please check out our newly branded website with accompanying URL incorporating the RDASNA acronym.
Program delivery is at an all-time high, with another successful tender acquisition of Local Recovery Funding (LRF) becoming official last week. We will be delivering the renamed program Jobs Southern NSW & ACT (JobsSNA) across the regions of Goulburn-Mulwaree, Yass Valley, Queanbeyan-Palerang, Snowy Monaro and in the ACT. This is the next iteration of our successful pilot program, to re-engage Workforce Australia case load participants into employment, education and training. We are looking for industry partners in those specific regions with entry level roles and the capacity to integrate great people into their businesses who may need a little support. If you have any questions, please email the project team on workforce@rdasna.org.au.
This week we have been alerted to the exciting news, that the region which consisted of the Southern Inland LGAs has been successfully added to the Orana Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA). The DAMA, a formal agreement with the Australian Government, will provide regional employers access to a broader skill set of overseas workers, enabling flexibility to respond to our unique economic and labour market forces. I must express my appreciation to Justine Campbell, the Orana CEO for the extraordinary work she has done to produce this positive outcome. We will provide more details in the coming weeks, and if you have any queries, please contact migration@rdasna.org.au.
Last month, Rowena and I attended a successful event at NSW Parliament House with our NSW RDA colleagues. We had the pleasure of meeting Secretary of the Department of Regional NSW (DRNSW), Rebecca Fox at our regular Chairs and CEOs meeting, who provided an informative overview of the connections between the work DRNSW is doing and NSW RDAs. Rowena and I met a number of key people in our region for the first time, seated strategically on our table, and it was great to hear their insights on core focus areas.
With the additional regions and our program delivery commitments, we are on the lookout for new people to join our dedicated team. There are two full time roles about to be advertised. One, to work alongside Suzie to deliver our projects and events in the southern end of our region, and one to support project delivery, as well as the Chair, Board and CEO. We should have them live on our website very soon, so if you are interested in becoming part of this exceptional team, keep an eye on our careers page.
For our new regions, a listening tour is being planned across Eurobodalla, Bega Valley and the ACT to hear directly from people on the ground, with lived experience on the key impacts, effecting those regions. We know hearing directly how we can assist your regions is the only way to create meaningful outcomes and so the first stage of the ‘listening tour’ being planned is underway. We need your help in sharing our communications across the new regions as we want to connect with business owners, local residents, thought leaders and community legends across our new territories. If you know someone in those regions, I’m asking you to share this newsletter with them and have a chat about the great work we’ve been doing in the Southern Inland. We are looking forward to understand the unique drivers on the Coast and in the ACT and can’t wait to kick off the tour.
As always, RDASNA is here to connect, support and help our regions drive economic growth, innovation and entrepreneurship. Drop us an email and share your story. Connect@rdasna.org.au.
Carisa Wells
Regional Matters
RDASNA is represented by local leaders and staff, passionate about the communities in the Southern NSW and the ACT, with a key focus on investing in people, places, services, local industry, and economies.
We strive to stay on top of regional opportunities and address challenges by delivering specialised programs, hosting events and forums and participating in summits, conferences, roundtables, and regionally targeted submissions.
Follow RDASNA on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn, for opportunities to share your perspective on regional matters.
Housing
On Friday 9 February, RDASI’s CEO, Carisa Wells, and Policy and Research Officer, Tash Maguire, took part in the inaugural National Regional Housing Summit at Old Parliament House in Canberra.
Delegates came together to start a movement to secure a more sustainable, equitable future for regional Australia. As a result of the summit, two papers have been released by Regional Australia Institute:
The Event Summary and Policy Recommendations paper, a comprehensive wrap-up event discussions, and
The Summit Outcomes and Recommendations paper, will be provided to government and decision makers.
Additional housing news includes the announcement that red tape on modular housing will be cut and applications are open for the $500 million Housing Support Program to assist state and local governments to increase housing stock.
Digital Connectivity
NBNCo recently announced the launch of a proposal to provide five times faster download speeds on its popular nbn Home Fast product at no extra wholesale cost to retailers, with the potential to provide a very significant uplift in Digital Connectivity, networkspeed and value for money in Regional Australia where Fibre services are available.
In more connectivity news, Telstra has announced the launch of the Telstra Satellite Home Internet, powered by Starlink. A world first on the Starlink network, this product will offer customers the option of a broadband service and home phone using LEO Satellites.
Local Bus Services
In March, we provided feedback on local bus services via a submission to the NSW Bus Taskforce, to assist when making recommendations to improve the reliability, quality, and effectiveness of bus services across NSW.
Through a regionally targeted survey, we collected feedback on accessibility, usage patterns, purposes of bus trips, reliance on bus services, issues encountered, impacts of these issues, and potential usage if services were improved.
Workforce Development
Jobs Southern NSW & ACT
Building on the success of our Jobs Southern Inland (JobsSI) pilot program in 2023 under the Local Recovery Fund, RDASNA has been successful in securing the tender to extend this workforce development program until June 2025, under the new project name, Jobs Southern NSW and ACT (JobsSNA).
The program involves working with key local industry employers, and other employment pathway stakeholders to provide information sessions and tangible experiences to introduce Workforce Australia cohorts to local jobs and training opportunities.
Find out more here.
Grow Our Own
The Grow Our Own (GOO) Project is an innovative initiative in the region, designed to connect students with local industry, education, and training pathways they may never have thought of. The program aims to encourage local businesses to invest in local people through employment, training, mentoring and support for sustainability and success.
Find out more here.
Thank you for reading, we look forward to connecting with you next month.
