The goal of the Murchison Regional Strategy is to foster a cohesive and strategic approach to regional development, governance, and service delivery. This involves transitioning from a high-level planning document to practical operational partnership that empowers local leadership and coordinates initiatives across six remote Western Australian Shires. Central to this aim is strengthening regional advocacy, reducing duplication, and ensuring that investments are aligned with shared priorities to promote sustainable economic and social growth.

The vast and remote Murchison region of Western Australia covers 414,000 square kilometres and is located ten hours by road from Perth. The region includes six Local Government Shires with a population of around 3,155 people, and faces unique challenges related to geographic isolation and limited resources.

Funded by RDA, the six Local Government Shires prepared the first ever Regional Strategy which identified four strategic growth pillars of Business and Industry; Jobs and Skills; Liveability; and Look to the Future. Each pillar is then supported by key initiatives.

The Shires acknowledged that whilst they had a collective vision and a willingness to work together, they had no independent way of implementing the regional strategy.

Acknowledging the challenge, RDA Mid West and Gascoyne (MW&G) undertook a regional tourism case study which highlighted the opportunities for regional alignment. An immediate outcome was the creation of a regional Local Government Tourism Working Group. This group has been able to align regional initiatives with state tourism priorities, enabling cost sharing, targeted investments, strategic marketing and opportunities to grow the visitor economy.

The early success of the regional tourism case study led the six Shires to prioritise initiatives within the Regional Strategy. These priorities included health, economic development and waste management. RDA MW&G has worked to map the regional issues and opportunities through an evidence and systems-based approach.

The regional strategy is now managed through a formal partnership between the six Shires and RDA MW&G. The Shires form a regional executive group that provides governance and decision making, with RDA MW&G performing the operational and implementation functions. Funding is provided by both RDAM W&G and the Shires on a two-year cost sharing agreement.

It is envisaged that the partnership approach will improve regional coordination and leadership, maximise the impact of investments, enhance advocacy efforts and foster a more resilient Murchison region.