Under the Regional Development program the Department of Economic Development, Tourism and the Arts' three regional offices will be refocused to:
- Develop and facilitate implementation of regional economic development plans for each of the state's three regions in conjunction with local and Australian governments and regional stakeholders. These will draw on the sectoral strategies in Goal Two of the Economic Development Plan. Each region will have different sectoral priorities. We need to make sure that our land use, infrastructure, businesses and people are able to make the most of our opportunities and are investment-ready.
- Increase emphasis on investment attraction, facilitation and retention. The emphasis will be on helping new small and medium-sized investors, including existing businesses that are looking to expand, to navigate the development path, particularly in relation to the various government and related entities.
- Identify key industrial sites and ensure that these are investment-ready.
- Support planning reform by encouraging greater collaboration between councils – such as sharing resources to achieve regional planning objectives and smoother development application processes. This may include support for strategies and structural plans in priority locations similar to the award-winning Vision East project on the East Coast. Priorities will be locations with growth potential or those facing crises such as our traditional forest communities.
Three multi-stakeholder regional reference groups will be established to support this work and provide advice on regional issues. These will also provide advice to the Australian Government's Regional Development Australia body for Tasmania.
The Australian Government recently announced significant funding for its Digital Communities Initiative. This will create digital hubs in the first 40 National Broadband Network (NBN) connected communities, including NBN Stage 1 and Stage 2 Tasmanian communities. These will enable these local residents to experience NBN-empowered services and technology and also access education and training to learn the skills required to participate in the NBNempowered digital economy.
There will also be a Digital Enterprise Initiative to help small business enterprises and community organisations in these connected communities to benefit from the NBN. The Tasmanian Government will be working with the Australian Government to maximise the benefits to Tasmania with the state's Digital Futures Capital Fund focused on complementing the Australian Government initiatives in delivering to regional communities.
