RDA Barwon South West welcomes Commonwealth Treasury to South West Victoria

Regional Development Australia (RDA) Barwon South West recently hosted Commonwealth Treasury officials to Victoria’s south west in one of their visits to understand priorities in the regions.

RDA Barwon South West Chair Bruce Anson said the visit was part of Treasury’s regional engagement program, to meet with stakeholders across all levels of government and industry.

“We were delighted to host delegates from Canberra and introduce them to local leaders and businesses from Warrnambool and Port Fairy to broker new relationships and a greater understanding of the challenges and opportunities that exist across the Barwon South West region,” said Mr Anson.

The visit provided valuable insight into the economic policies and issues impacting regional economies. RDA Barwon South West also discussed a number of regional issues unique to the region including labour and skills shortages, infrastructure to support economic growth, agriculture sector development and diversification, renewable energy opportunities and tourism yield growth opportunities that could be created by increasing visitor length of stay.

“Regional engagements like this one to Warrnambool and Port Fairy add so much richness to policy development and advice to Ministers and we will be ensuring the lines of communication remain strong between our region and the Commonwealth Treasury,” said Mr Anson.

RDA Barwon South West has invited Commonwealth Treasury to return to continue discussions and visit Portland and Hamilton in June/July.