Bega Valley Mayor and Canberra Region Organisation of Councils chair Russell Fitzpatrick, State Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke, Minister for Regional NSW Tara Moriarty, RDASNA CEO Olivia West, Assistant Productivity Minister Andrew Leigh and Chief Minister Andrew Barr at the Thrive forum, where the RDASNA’s Regional Vision was unveiled. Photo: Camilla Duffy Photography.
Southern NSW and the ACT are no longer just a collection of separate towns and city precincts; they are the engine room of a region responsible for 10 per cent of NSW’s Gross Regional Product and around 3 per cent of Australia’s GDP.
With the population set to surge by 20 per cent over the next 25 years, the question isn’t just how we will grow, but how we will prosper.
Regional Development Australia Southern NSW & ACT (RDASNA) has now answered that question with the unveiling of its Regional Vision – Thrive, a landmark roadmap designed to turn regional challenges into a unified economic powerhouse.
The report was delivered at the Thrive 2026: Powering regional prosperity forum hosted by RDASNA.
Central to the challenge is a focus on the big picture, which RDASNA CEO Olivia West says can be difficult in the face of certain acute challenges.
“Understandably, the challenge we’re hearing about most at the moment is housing. It’s fundamental to so many things. If you can’t get a place to live, you can’t have a job in that area,” she says.
“And it’s not just about more housing, it’s about the right housing in the right spot for the population. That means ensuring we have diverse housing that contemplates the future, including allowing us to age in place rather than having the population move around the region as we get older.
“With relatively low unemployment rates at around 4.5 per cent, the region is also experiencing persistent workforce shortages across key sectors including healthcare, construction and essential services.”
These challenges capture the complex gridlock currently facing Southern NSW and the ACT, but are only part of a bigger picture the region must untangle, and unite to tackle together.
“It’s important not to ‘pick a winner’ among the challenges we face,” Olivia said.
She says this is why the Regional Vision looks past short-term fixes to a six-pillar strategy aimed at ensuring the region doesn’t just survive the coming decade, but sets the national standard for liveability.
Key to this is progressing towards a new era of ‘place-based’ planning.
“Too often, regional development happens in silos. This Vision brings together data, community insight and strategic priorities into one coordinated framework, ensuring that investment, policy and planning decisions are aligned and delivering real impact,” Olivia said.
“This is about moving from fragmented decision-making to a more strategic, place-based approach that recognises the interconnected nature of housing, workforce, infrastructure and economic growth.”
The Vision’s six-pillars respond directly to the region’s most pressing challenges — including housing availability, workforce shortages, infrastructure constraints and climate resilience — while identifying significant opportunities in areas such as renewable energy, advanced manufacturing, tourism and the circular economy.
Developed through extensive consultation with communities, businesses and all levels of government, it lays out a region-wide, evidence-based framework.
Its success, however, hinges on collaboration between all levels of government, industry and investors.
“The Vision is really calling on us to acknowledge that working across all jurisdictions is the best way for us to thrive, is to understand we’re part of one interconnected system,” Olivia said.
“We need to look at how we work collaboratively across industry, state government, local government and backed by the Commonwealth Government.”
Described as one of the most important pieces of work undertaken for Southern NSW and the ACT, the Vision is not a document that will be left to gather dust on a shelf; it is a live invitation to the people holding the levers of the region’s future.
For policymakers, the challenge is to move past red tape and align funding with the region’s actual pulse. For investors, it’s a green light to back high-growth sectors that do more than just turn a profit, but which build sovereign capability.
RDASNA is also calling on local leaders to break down the walls between business and government.
“Foster partnerships across public, private and community sectors, coordinate your efforts to implement actionable strategies that ensure equitable growth, sustainable development and community wellbeing,” Olivia said.
“The opportunity ahead is significant. By working together, we can build a connected, competitive and resilient region that supports businesses, strengthens communities and creates opportunities for future generations.”
For more information, visit RDASNA.
Original Article published by Dione David on Region Canberra.
