David Feeney (Batman, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Justice) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The northern regions of Melbourne are facing some significant challenges—in particular, issues around unemployment, underemployment and business growth. The departure of our nation's car industry has brought these issues into sharp relief. One of the groups working constructively on these issues is the Northern Melbourne RDA, Regional Development Australia. Northern Melbourne RDA is one of 55 committees funded by the Regional Development Australia program to bring together local leaders, businesses and stakeholders, as well as state, local and federal governments, to support economic development in our regions. I have always been deeply impressed by the work undertaken by Northern Melbourne RDA, with initiatives like Northern Horizons, which identified local infrastructure priorities, and the Melbourne's North Food and Beverage Growth Plan, aimed at creating 10,000 additional jobs over the next 10 years.

Earlier this year the government initiated a review into Regional Development Australia. The terms of reference included consideration of the number of RDAs and their boundaries, including processes to alter them and whether capital cities and external territories should even be included. It is important that RDAs are retained in our capital cities as well as in rural areas. As our urban populations grow, the strategic location and creation of jobs becomes more and more important and our RDA is a crucial part of achieving that goal. If the government really wants to see jobs and growth in rural and urban regions then we need to continue to support the RDA and the work they do in our capital cities.