National Farmers’ Federation unveils new ‘regionalisation agenda’

A new report from the National Farmers’ Federation warns the bush could be held back from reaching its full potential, as it unveils its plans to get regional Australia moving.

The National Farmers’ Federation wants to grow Australia’s regional towns.

REGIONAL Australia should be getting an extra $3.8 billion in infrastructure spending each year – or it could face a $76 billion funding shortfall in the coming decades, the nation’s peak farm lobby warns.

The National Farmers’ Federation is calling for a priority list of “shovel-ready” projects across the country and for National Cabinet to have oversight of regional development, as part of a new plan to ensure the bush gets its fair share.

The NFF-led “regionalisation agenda”, released today, appears to build on governments’ previous attempts at decentralisation, but, the NFF says, politicians must put aside their short-term thinking if the regions are to reach their full potential.

“This is not a three-year thing – this is a 30-year approach,” NFF chief executive Tony Mahar said.

“We have a National Cabinet, we have states wanting to recharge and energise rural and regional communities … now more than ever we’ve got a chance of success.”

Among the recommendations is a demand for the shortfall in infrastructure funding to be addressed, based on predictions an extra $217 billion in infrastructure spending will be needed nationally by 2040.

The report argues that, given regional Australia makes up 35 per cent of the population, at least $76 billion of that is going to be needed in the next 20 years for regional freight, transport, telecommunications, water and social infrastructure.

It states there needs to be an independently-selected priority list of regional development projects – similar to Infrastructure Australia’s priority list – to make sure the regions were always included in funding programs.

Mr Mahar said the COVID-19 pandemic had shown it was possible to live and work outside of cities, as well as highlighted the need to shore up the nation’s food and manufacturing supply chains – both areas where regional Australia had a natural advantage.

Crucially, the NFF has called for a rethink on decentralisation policies that have aimed to get the public and private sectors at large to go bush, as championed by the Federal Government; instead, the focus should be on industries that already have a foothold in the regions, or could have a competitive advantage by relocating.

“In the past it’s just been about relocating jobs but we need to think deeper about it … let’s look at regional communities and look at what makes them great places to live and work,” Mr Mahar said.

“That’s not to say (previous approaches) have failed, but perhaps the lens was a bit narrower than what it should be.”

The agenda’s key recommendations include:

MAKING regional development a National Cabinet priority;

SELECTING 20 towns as “regional development precincts”, to be decided by National Cabinet;

A CLEAR framework to guide regional development spending, to get rid of claims of pork-barrelling; 

A REVIEW of how infrastructure funding is allocated; and

SHORT-term incentives, such as tax incentives or sped-up planning approvals, to encourage private investment in the regions.

The NFF is seeking $375 million in the federal budget to establish the agenda, starting with creating a clear plan across federal, state and local governments on how they will work together to develop the regions.