One of regional Victoria's greatest assets is its close-knit communities. Long-term residents of regional Victoria as well as those who move there from elsewhere tell us that community is one of the very best features of country living.

At Regional Development Victoria we work with locals to help make regional Victoria a better place to live, work and do business by investing in infrastructure, supporting jobs growth and strengthening communities.

In this edition of the Growing Stronger Together newsletter, we feature how RDV is helping the Government to support the strength and diversity of regional communities, whether it be through uncertain economic times such as industry transition or providing grant funding through initiatives like the Stronger Regional Communities Program, or funding upgrades to community halls and facilities in small townships.

James Flintoft

Chief Executive 
Regional Development Victoria

RDV is the Victorian Government’s lead agency responsible for driving economic and community development in rural and regional Victoria. Our aim is to work with local communities to help make regional Victoria a better place to live, work and do business by continuing to make significant contributions to investment, growth and regional planning.

RDV continues to promote regional Victoria as an great place to move to, through our Ready When You Are campaign. The campaign profiles the many wonderful attributes of regional living, in particular affordable housing, regional jobs, education, access to great health facilities, along with promoting the great lifestyle our regional communities enjoy.

We have visited all corners of the state, including Bairnsdale, Mildura, Hamilton and Wodonga to name a few, capturing real-life stories of people who have made a successful move to regional Victoria.

Most recently we visited Wodonga, where Simon and Allison shared their story of moving from Coburg with their three-week-old baby to build their dream home where they could raise a family in the open spaces of regional Victoria. Simon operates a successful consulting business from his home office while Allison moved her dress making business to northern Victoria and has built new clientele in the region. View their story.

To learn more about the Ready When You Are campaign visit regionalliving.vic.gov.au

RDV trade and investment specialists right across the state have been working closely with Victoria’s passionate wine-makers and cellar door operators over the past 12 months to help the industry make the most of the Victorian Government’s Wine Growth Fund.

Read more about the Wine Growth Fund

RDV is well known for its work in helping businesses to explore opportunities in regional Victoria, expand their operations, or relocate from Melbourne to a regional centre, but it also devotes significant time and effort to supporting businesses when the going gets tough.

Last year, the sale of Murray Goulburn impacted dairy farmers and business all along the value chain and RDV actively looked for ways to help the dairy industry through the uncertain times.

Read more about RDV's supoport

Small Victorian towns typically don’t have a town square as the meeting place, but they almost always have a local hall where the community meets and socialises.

From old-time dances, 21st birthday parties, historical society meetings, school concerts, badminton competition, film clubs, community consultations – Victoria’s small town halls have seen it all, and more.

Read more about small town developments.

Many people living in rural and regional Victoria have a different digital experience to those in the city. In some areas, it can be challenging to do business, access information, make mobile phone calls or use tools for education or lifestyle such as social media or video calls.

The Victorian Budget 2017/18 included $45 million for the Connecting Regional Communities Program (CRCP). The CRCP builds on and extends the Victorian Government’s successful investments to improve regional mobile coverage and free public WiFi projects – which are in addition to the work on Regional Rail Connectivity. In 2017, each of these projects were brought under the same umbrella and are now collectively referred to as the ‘Connecting Victoria’ program.

Read more about the Connecting Regional Communities Program.

Regional Partnerships promote regional priorities

Following last year’s nine Regional Assemblies, which were held across the state from June to October involving with more than 2,000 participants, Victoria’s nine Regional Partnerships have each identified priorities for their region and have spent the past few months working with the Victorian Government to progress them.

Each Partnership took their regions’ priorities to the Government’s Rural and Regional Ministerial Committee at the end of last year.

In some cases, the priorities require large investments and will require budget consideration, but in other cases, Partnerships are identifying issues at a local level which require Government and the community to come together in a region to successfully foster change.

Each Partnership has also been keeping those who attended Assemblies, and the wider community, up to date with post Assembly reports and Regional Partnership newsletters which contain examples of some of the initiatives underway at a regional level.

The nine Regional Partnerships were set up in 2016 to consult with their communities to identify regional priorities and to develop collaborative solutions to local problems.

In the 2017/ 18 Victorian Budget, the Government responded to Partnership priorities by funding a number of initiatives including the $45 million Connecting Regional Communities Program to bring better broadband,  and mobile coverage to regional Victoria and $1 million to continue Beyond the Bell – an educational attainment program in the Great South Coast. The model is also proving an effective way of ensuring regional community needs and priorities better inform and shape government planning and services.

A third round of Assemblies is expected to kick off in the coming months.