Regional Development Australia (RDA) is an Australian Government initiative, with a national network of 50 Committees (independent and autonomous incorporated associations) that bring together all levels of government, business, industry, community groups and individuals to grow economic opportunities and enhance the development of Australia’s regions.

RDAs have an active and facilitative role in their communities with a clear focus on growing strong and confident regional economies by facilitating economic opportunities and attracting investment.

In South Australia the 8 RDAs have a unique tripartite funding agreement with the Australian Government, South Australian Government, and the region’s 11 local governments providing core funding to support economic development activities at a regional level. The Board also leverages funding from a range of government and private sector sources to deliver programs/projects for the benefit of the region.

RDA Eyre Peninsula (RDAEP) is the lead regional agency for economic, business and tourism development in the region, including:

  • Developing and reviewing the Region’s Strategic Plan;
  • Facilitating sustainable industry growth and diversification;
  • Supporting regional procurement and job creation;
  • Encouraging regional tourism initiatives to grow the visitor economy;
  • Advocating for the provision of economic enabling infrastructure;
  • Assisting with regional workforce attraction, retention and development;
  • Fostering partnerships for collaboration to deliver regional development;
  • Promoting greater regional awareness of and engagement with Government policies, grants and programs; and
  • Improving regional policy making by providing intelligence and evidence-based advice to governments on regional development issues.

RDAEP activities focus on the following priority areas:

Social Capacity – Workforce attraction, retention, training and support

  • Housing and Accommodation – Increase housing supply, mix and choice to support population growth.
  • Healthcare Service – Improve access and quality of healthcare services to support improved community health and wellbeing.
  • Aged, Disability and Childcare – Facilitate greater access to aged and childcare services to drive workforce participation in the region.
  • Education and Training – Expand educational and training opportunities to develop the skills needed to meet workforce shortages.
  • Urban Amenity, Sustainability and Lifestyle – Enhance urban amenity and lifestyle pursuits in towns to support population attraction and retention.

Infrastructure Capability – Provision of economic enabling infrastructure

  • Transport (Roads/Ports/Rail) – Facilitate investment in strategic transport infrastructure to create new avenues to export markets, reduce costs and facilitate opportunities for local processing and value adding ventures.
  • Power Supply – Improve power supply and reliability through enhanced transmission infrastructure to meet expected future demand and facilitate further investment in renewable energy generation.
  • Water Security – Secure scalable sources of non-climate dependent water to support population and industry growth.
  • Telecommunications Connectivity – Increase the region’s online capabilities through enhanced high-speed connectivity and associated mobile services coverage.

Economic Prosperity – Economic growth through improved business efficiencies and industry diversification

  • Economic Diversification – Support the development of new and emerging high value industries to diversify the regional economy.
  • Business Growth – Support sustained business growth by reducing input costs and improving operational efficiencies.
  • Visitor Economy – Facilitate a sustainable expansion of the visitor economy.
  • Collaboration and Cooperation – Provision of regional leadership through collaboration and cooperation.

Environmental Sustainability – Ecologically sustainable development and natural resource management

  • Water Resources Management – Effective ongoing management of water resources for future generations.
  • Land Care – Facilitate sustainable agricultural practices to ensure productive landscapes.
  • Pest Management – Support landowners to minimise the economic and environmental impacts of pest plants and animals through appropriate control.
  • Biodiversity – Protect, restore and enhance biodiversity and natural assets.

To find out more about the Regional Development Australia network, visit www.rda.gov.au