REGIONAL REPORTS

Regional Development Australia Southern NSW & ACT presents a comprehensive and forward-looking vision, ‘Thrive,’ aimed at unlocking the region’s potential through targeted government and private investment, strategic initiatives and collaborative efforts. This is a pivotal moment in our region’s trajectory, particularly as we navigate a new geopolitical landscape, supporting the development of sovereign capabilities is more critical than ever.

This executive summary outlines the Regional Vision – Thrive, which encompasses strategic opportunities informed by community consultation, data and insights, aimed at enhancing economic vitality, fostering sustainable growth and ensuring a prosperous and thriving future for Southern NSW and the ACT.

The Roundtable brought together tourism operators, regional organisations, industry groups and representatives from all levels of government. Participants were asked to reflect on the challenges shaping the visitor economy and to identify opportunities and actions that could support stronger, more sustainable outcomes.

These outcomes build on the Southern NSW & ACT Tourism Qualitative Insights Report prepared by Purdon, which provided key data and stakeholder perspectives to guide the Roundtable discussions.

Media Release can be found here.

The RDASNA Workforce Report provides an evidence-based overview of workforce conditions across Southern NSW and the ACT, highlighting the trends, challenges and opportunities shaping the region’s labour market in 2025. It presents a clear picture of current workforce strengths, structural pressures and emerging needs, helping councils, employers, educators and governments align priorities and investment toward a more inclusive, skilled and resilient regional economy.

The ACCESS Transport Report provides an evidence based overview of regional transport priorities across Southern NSW and the ACT. It connects national, state and territory strategies with local realities to guide investment, planning and policy coordination.

Media release can be found here.

About Region article: https://region.com.au/east-west-road-bottlenecks-and-rail-gaps-emerge-as-key-risks-in-regional-transport-report/931313/

The ADAPT Housing Report provides an evidence-based analysis of housing conditions across Southern NSW and the ACT, identifying the key trends, challenges and opportunities shaping the regional housing system.

Media release can be found here.

Transport remains one of the most persistent and complex barriers to employment across regional Australia, particularly when solutions are fragmented, short-term or locally isolated.

In response, the Illawarra South Coast, Capital Region and Murray Riverina Local Jobs Program teams have been working collaboratively to establish the Work Transit Alliance, a new cross-regional organisation designed to take a more coordinated, system-level approach to transport-to-employment challenges.

In 2025, they jointly commissioned Sparrowly Group to undertake comprehensive research examining transport barriers across the three employment regions.

That research has been completed, and now it’s time to share what we've learned, and translate research insights into actions.