A practical guide for rural and regional communities wanting to attract and retain professional and skilled people has just been released. Attracting and retaining skilled people in regional Australia: a practitioner’s guide provides a range of very useful case studies from all around Australia.
It details initiatives and approaches that have worked on the ground, from providing necessary infrastructure to attract skilled people to tapping into existing skilled migration programmes.
Attracting and retaining professional and skilled people to live and work in regional communities is one of the major challenges for all governments in building sustainable regions. A community that can offer the services supplied by these people has a solid foundation for attracting new residents and businesses.
The Guide also recognises how diverse regional communities and their specific needs are, and that there is no single factor for achieving success. It demonstrates that local communities are often best placed to generate creative, yet practical solutions.
A good example is the case study from South Hedland in Western Australia, which faced a loss of its medical service. A working group within the community comprising Local Government, business and community interests was able to work up a short term and long term solution which has resulted in a new medical services centre being established in the town.
The Guide is the product of the Attraction and Retention Working Group of the Standing Committee on Regional Development. The Committee comprises senior representatives from the Australian and State and Territory Governments responsible for regional development, and the Australian Local Government Association.
It supports the Regional Development Council, which includes Ministers from all jurisdictions with responsibility for regional development. As well as providing a variety of case studies, the Guide offers useful discussion on success factors and success indicators, enabling communities to better identify strategies that are likely to succeed in their particular circumstances.
It is available on the Regional Development Council web site at www.rdcouncil.gov.au
