Australian Politics and Policy - Senior, 2019a

Australian Politics and Policy
amounts on infrastructure projects big and small across most regions is the best
way to fund regional development’. 52
In 2017, the Commonwealth released its ‘Regions 2030 – Unlocking
Opportunity’ policy. 53 Despite its new name, the policy includes elements of many
of its predecessors and of the ‘new’ paradigm, focusing on local decision making,
tailor-made regional solutions and unlocking regional economies, all without a
new funding model. Despite various experiments, regional bodies with political
power have never become a fixed part of the regional administrative landscape and
Commonwealth regionalisation, in particular, has always been controversial. 54
The lack of stable leadership in the federal ministry has undermined
commitment and policy coherence. Federal leadership changes since 2010 and
major political disruptions associated with citizenship credentials of politicians
have meant that regional development has not been a focus of successive
governments, and the portfolio has lacked ministerial and hence leadership
consistency. Since 2010 there have been ten ministers with responsibility for the
RDA network. Not surprisingly, regional development policy has been described as
‘fragmented’ by a range of commentators and researchers. 55
Conclusions
Regional Australia is, as you would expect, unique. However, many of Australia’s
current regional development policies are not dissimilar to those of other First
World nations, despite Australia’s significant climatic, political, geographic,
environmental and economic differences. Nonetheless non-metropolitan areas are
often viewed as the policy periphery, struggling to maintain population, vibrancy
and viability as businesses and people are drawn to the political and economic
centres located in capitals.
While Australian regional development policy dictates that the regions should
have considerable autonomy because they understand local context, conditions and
potential opportunities, the resources and decision-making power tend to reside
in Canberra or the respective state capitals. Despite the Commonwealth claiming
that regional development is the remit of the states for most of the last 120 years, it
dictates overarching national policy by virtue of its fiscal dominance. Furthermore,
it has considerable power over the other spheres of government and the outcomes
for rural, regional and remote communities. The states also play a significant role
in regional development, dictating how resources will be spent and where; ‘thus
regional Australia’s organisations, institutions and governance mechanisms remain
52 Collits 2012, 28.
53 Commonwealth of Australia 2017.
54 Kelly, Dollery and Grant 2009, 181–2.
55 Beer, Maude and Pritchard 2003; Commonwealth of Australia 2016; Dollery, Buultjens and
Adams 2011.
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