Presented by Robert Clark MP		www.robertclark.net

Development strategy for rural and regional Victoria

The Premier, Mr Kennett, has launched a new development strategy for rural and regional Victoria.

Mr Kennett said the Rural and Regional Strategy focuses on the on-going development of rural and regional Victoria to the year 2011 and beyond.

An initial $19 million has been committed by the Government over the next four years to implement the Strategy.

The Strategy will focus on six key areas: leadership; regional business growth; information and communications technology; opportunities for young people; infrastructure support for regional development; and government service delivery.

The Premier announced Government funding for a key project in each region, including:

• Support for the Lead On Project in the Northern Region. The project will receive up to $220,000 to implement their regional leadership business model, which will coordinate and facilitate leadership opportunities, ensuring communities are equipped to attract and support investors.
• $1.1 million towards the development of community-based centres in the Western Region, which will provide businesses and communities with access to IT capability.
• $850,000 towards the South West’s youth-enterprise pilot, including business and leadership support programs, student enterprise education and teacher training.
• The Gippsland region will be provided with up to $250,000 to develop community and business links, and community IT networks.
• In the North-East up to $500,000 will be provided to develop a pilot Land Use Profiler, a system of providing integrated and user-friendly access to data for use in business and community decision making.

The Strategy builds on existing Government programs such as Rural Victoria 2001, Partnerships for Growth, the Rural Leadership program, Food Victoria, and the Victoria 21 Multimedia Information Technology Strategy.

Additional projects will be funded in each region as proposals are developed and considered by the Government.

(News Release, Office of the Premier of Victoria, June 4, 1999)