Department Of State And Regional Development
Government in Greater Bendigo

Regional Development Victoria (RD) was created as a dedicated statutory body to facilitate economic, infrastructure and community development to support growth in regional Victoria. Funding is available for projects which: Create jobs and improve career opportunities for regional Victorians. The role of the RD Infrastructure Branch is to identify, facilitate and deliver infrastructure projects which contribute to the enhanced productivity, livability and sustainability of regional and rural Victoria. RD's Infrastructure Branch aims to deliver capital works that enhance the development of rural and regional Victoria by: supporting industry development. As portion of its commitment to report on the outcomes of Regional Infrastructure funding, Regional Development Victoria reviews its programs and projects. The team works with industry on investment and business development to provide access to direct and indirect support services and programs. Improves the international competitiveness of local firms and industries, through skills initiatives and business development initiatives. Active alongside local government, business and industry partners, RD has delivered significant key government employment commitments in the Ballarat area. Other important projects in rural and regional Victoria include: Building on the several strategic planning already undertaken by regional leaders and communities across Victoria to identify the superior fresh options to drive sustainable economic growth in rural and regional Victoria. Construct the resilience and capacity of councils to urge economic development and enlarge the sustainability of rural communities. CV was established in 2005 to coordinate the network of 38 rural councils across Victoria. The Rural Councils Victoria network is defined as the 38 regional and rural councils in Victoria. With a focus on building stronger economies and communities through employment, investment and infrastructure, RD supports regional Victoria to: Facilitate fresh investment by funding infrastructure for strategic projects. Create jobs and improve career opportunities for regional Victorians. Encourage local project development and planning. Prior joining the public service, James spent over 20 years active in the private sector. Sunni tenon has over 30 years of experience in the aviation, tourism and transport sectors in the private and public sectors. Anthony Schick has worked in the local government and notforprofit sectors since 1998, with a variety of senior local government positions at metropolitan, rural and regional municipalities, including roles in policy, finance, infrastructure and planning. Matt Nelson has worked in regional development across state and local government, with a focus on economic development and community engagement. Anthony comes to the position with over 10 years experience in delivering important mufti faceted infrastructure projects across regional Victoria, including five years delivering Major Projects in the Regional Development Victoria Infrastructure team. Rob leads RD’s engagement with business and investors in relation to important new investment opportunities for regional Victoria, and the role that the Victorian Government can plan in attracting and facilitating fresh investment in regional Victoria that will generate new jobs and exports.

Rural Councils Victoria was established in 2005 to coordinate the network of 38 rural councils across Victoria in their efforts to better understand, articulate and address the issues affecting them. The vision then was to create rural communities with sustainable economies contributing to the health, character and livability of Victoria. State government funding was beginning provided to CV in 2006 to help it communicate rural issues to government departments and determine priority projects. Enable local solutions and facilitate networking, learning, capacity building, and external communication. Build the resilience and capacity of councils to promote economic development and increase the sustainability of rural communities. Thrive strategies and initiatives to improve the attraction and retention of residents and businesses to rural areas. The Networked Rural Councils Program (NRC) has already produced a meaningful body of research, possible tools and innovative approaches to many of the challenges and opportunities shared by rural councils and communities.