About Us
Regional Development Australia (RDA) ACT is an independent organisation with a Board/Committee of eight local leaders, focused on economic development.
We are part of a national network of 52 Regional Development Australia Committees, largely funded by the Australian Government through the Department of Infrastructure, Regional Development and Cities.
We also source other funding and undertake contracts with other government departments, the private sector and philanthropic sources.
PARTNERSHIPS
We partner with industry, other Regional Development Australia Commitees, three-tiers of government (including the ACT Government), regional communities and the education, skills and research sectors. We aim to maintain close ties with organisations such as the Canberra Business Chamber, the CBR Innovation Network, Invest Canberra and our universities.
INVESTMENT & JOBS
The ACT is largely a metropolitan area but with regional challenges in securing its fair share of public and private investment and attracting and retaining the skilled people it needs. The objective of RDA ACT, under its charter, is to help generate more investment and more jobs in the ACT and the broader Capital Region.
FACILITATION
RDA ACT is a trusted, unbiased, partnership broker, connector and thought-leader. We aim to be responsive and relevant. We have expertise in stakeholder engagement, program management, evaluation and communicating and managing information.
INVESTMENT
We work closely with international and domestic investors to assist them establish or expand in our region – across all industries - but especially in the renewable sector and in the agriculture and food value-chain.
OUR STRATEGY
Our strategy is based around establishing multi-collaborative, regional industry hubs.
RDA ACT and partners have been very successful in building a renewable energy hub (www.serree.org.au) which receives wide acclaim. RDA ACT is now proceeding to do the same in the food value-chain (Agrifood) and the education and skills sectors (Regional Knowledge Economy).
Each hub is composed of a series of activities and projects and builds up incrementally through time. The hub model has been hugely successful in economic terms by providing critical mass, expertise and focus on what regions are good at and driving outcomes. It aligns with governments’ economic strategies.
Our focus on Agrifood stems from the commencement of international air services from Canberra Airport, allowing for increased premium goods exports, and by virtue of our geography within the food bowl of South Eastern NSW.
Building successful hubs means engaging with a range of businesses; helping them set the agenda and collaborate successfully while understanding what their needs and brokering and delivering solutions within the scope of our capabilities. It often includes co-location. This also means connecting participants with research and development; training and education providers and government services and other private providers (depending on their stage of development). This will help secure quicker, more efficiently solutions than would otherwise be the case, overcoming information asymmetry.