This report looks at natural disaster recovery in Australia. The report, which draws on case studies of four towns still recovering from flooding, cyclones and bushfires up to five years down the track, reveals there is inadequate planning for many of the short and long-term disaster effects.

Key findings: Australia’s regions are more economically diverse than most people assume. Most non-metropolitan regions have a level of employment diversity close to the national employment profile. Diversity is possible in all regions. Smaller and remote regions can also be diverse. All types of regions (metro, regional, remote) include highly diverse LGAs. While diverse regions...

Resurrection of the local economy is crucial to getting communities back on track after a natural disaster, but this is often overlooked in favour of rebuilding physical infrastructure and getting a town back to ‘normal’ although key economic drivers may have been permanently altered.

This RAI policy brief explores current approaches involving local communities in resource development processes. It argues that effective local action is the most important driver of success in capturing local benefits from resource projects. The brief advocates for a revision of current processes, suggesting that an alternative approach, separate to environmental approvals processes, could achieve...

Assessing the key policy implications for regional Australia in the Asian Century, given that regionally based industries will be the leaders of economic change in the coming decades, this policy briefing responds to the Australian Government's recent Asian Century White Paper. The brief provides regional focused analysis and policy directions to capture the significant regional...