Last week I joined Independent MPs Tony Windsor and Rob Oakeshott to launch the Regional Australia Institute – a new organisation devoted to growth and development in the regions.
As regional universities across the country undertake innovative and ground-breaking research, the Institute will have the ability to go out and look at all the important work being done, identify the research gaps and then plug them.
This is an historic advancement that will draw on, and marshal, the strength of all regional research efforts.
It’s another brick in the wall Labor continues to embed localism in the way we govern.
This is in stark contrast to the Opposition and its blabbering spokesman Barnaby Joyce, who share an appalling history of tearing down regional structures whenever they are in Government.
We’re getting on with the job of governing, while the Opposition obsesses with relentless negativity.
The new Institute is independent, but connected to other key regional development bodies created by our Government, including the Ministerial Advisory Council on Regional Australia and the Independent Advisory Panel for the Regional Australia Development Fund.
With our economy in transition, the regions are the patches and the Gillard Government is getting on with the job of helping those patches realise their strengths.
That is why as part of our agreement with the Independents we committed $8 million in seed funding to create an inter-connected, bi-partisan body devoted to tackling regional issues.
Simon Crean,
Federal Miniser for Regional Development
