RAI hosts roundtable in Launceston
The Regional Australia Institute and the Business Council of Australia (BCA) will be visiting Launceston this Friday 13 December to host a policy-roundtable on unlocking economic prosperity in Tasmania, as part of a series of community conversations being held across regional Australia.
The roundtable will bring together key stakeholders across government, business, community and research sectors to merge new data revealed through [In]Sight: the RAI’s regional competitiveness index and the BCA’s ‘Action plan for enduring prosperity’ with local knowledge, concerns and aspirations.
Chief Executive Officer of the RAI, Su McCluskey, will be presenting information on Tasmania’s competitiveness profile, and hopes the roundtable will provide a platform to understand where the region wants to go, and what actions might be taken to get there.
“The creation of [In]Sight and the BCA’s Action plan are just single steps forward to ensuring sustainable growth in our regions,” she said. “The next step is working with regional areas to turn this information into positive action. We’re so excited to be bringing this conversation to Tasmania, which has a diverse economic profile”.
CEO of the RAI, Su McCluskey, will be presenting information on Tasmania’s competitiveness profile at the policy-roundtable on Friday
For example, [In]Sight data reveals that Tasmania ranks as highly competitive across English proficiency, the percentage of the workforce with a university qualification, investment in research and development, the levels of workforce participation and skilled labour and the presence of infrastructure.
However, lower than average ranks in lifelong learning, technical qualifications and internet and broadband connectivity, as well as gaps between metropolitan and regional Tasmania in the three key drivers of sustainable growth as identified in [In]Sight – human capital, technological readiness and innovation – means there is still much work to be done.
“We can, for the first time, see a clear breakdown of regional economies, and what their comparative strengths and weaknesses are,” Ms McCluskey said. “If we can bring together business, community, researchers and governments in these forums to build on this understanding, then we have a real opportunity to secure a vibrant future.”
Also attending the forum will be BCA Deputy Chief Executive Maria Tarrant. “I am excited to have the opportunity to hear what the key needs are in Tasmania; what the community can share about their town’s achievements and challenges to date, and where they want to be in the future,” she said.
The RAI and the BCA are encouraging people to register for the event via their website at www.regionalaustralia.org.au/events and look forward to hearing from the people of Tasmania and Launceston about their vision for the vibrant future of their region.
More Information
The Launceston policy-roundtable will take place between 10:00am and 12:00pm on Friday 13 December, at the Trailrace Centre, 1 Waterfront Drive, Riverside. More information on the community forum is available via www.regionalaustralia.org.au/events or by contacting 02 6260 3733.
