Small Towns, Big Impact: Economic Development Lessons from the Regions
Economic development in small towns can be difficult because resources are limited and challenges abound, but opportunities remain significant.
This collaborative EDA/SEGRA Foundation session, the first in a series of 4, highlights how small communities can deliver projects across housing, industry, tourism and services by leveraging local strengths. The case studies will demonstrate how small towns can punch above their weight through practice, grounded, place-based initiatives.
Nannup is a small town in transition. Traditionally a timber milling community, it has steadily repositioned itself through investment in mountain biking, cycling and trail initiatives, alongside a growing calendar of local events. The Tank 7 Mountain Biking Park opened in 2022 and has contributed significantly to economic growth, rising business confidence and renewed community pride. Later on this year, Nannup will host the UCI World Championships, expecting to draw up to 20,000 people to the town.
Quilpie is a town of around 650 people, located almost 1,000 km west from Brisbane. Like most parts of regional Australia, Quilpie has a housing crisis. Over the last five years, the town has been on a journey to deal with this issue. In 2021, Quilpie announced its residential housing grant program that garnered international press with headlines of ‘free land’. Council have strategically invested in constructing 22 new dwellings to support staff attraction and retention. With ground broken to construct a new 30 lot rural residential subdivision and an additional 30 lot subdivision awaiting funding, the opportunity to support housing construction has attracted a home builder that has plans to deliver a lot more housing through modern delivery methods.
Key Learnings:
Building momentum from the ground up: Lessons from Nannup and Quilpie on how grounded, place-based initiatives can shift business confidence, attract new development and renew community pride.
Delivering economic development with limited resources: Practical strategies small towns can use to make progress on housing, tourism and industry without the budgets and capacity of larger councils.
Replicable approaches for small town economic development: Case studies in place-based action that show what is possible when small communities back their strengths and think creatively about their future.
Who should attend?
This webinar is for anyone passionate about the future of small towns and regional economies — whether you're in economic development, local or state government, business support organisations or research. If you're interested in place-based approaches, practical case studies and strategies that small towns can actually deliver, you'll want to attend.
