CEO welcomes new Ministry and Department

As the new Abbott Ministry was yesterday sworn into office by the Governor General, Her Excellency the Honourable Quentin Bryce AC CVO, Australia was introduced to the new Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development, the Hon Warren Truss MP.

It also marked the reshuffle of the Department of Regional Australia, Local Government, Arts and Sport, with regional affairs now falling under the newly crafted Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development.

CEO of the RAI, Ms Su McCluskey, has congratulated the new Minister on behalf of the Regional Australia Institute and says she is looking forward to working with the Coalition Government to provide constructive and evidence-based input into the policy agenda for sustainable regional development.

“As the leader of the National Party, Minister Truss has a long standing commitment to regional development, and will play in important role in ensuring regional affairs become part of the national agenda”, Ms McCluskey said.

“The Coalition has already committed to investing $200 million a year over five years on a new national Stronger Regions Fund, improving social and economic infrastructure in regions with high unemployment”.

Ms McCluskey said that [In]Sight: Australia’s regional competitiveness index, launched in June, will be an invaluable resource to Government’s at all levels, identifying  where and how to best focus regional priorities.

The RAI has also recently kicked off their Community Conversations, a series of open forums in regional Australia merging [In]Sight data with local knowledge to identify future pathways to success.