Regional Communities - a Better Life

by Alan Woodward

Regional Australia is starting to assert itself. You can see this in national and state politics and in the media. The regions are positioning themselves for a share of national prosperity.

Part of their success lies in people from major cities discovering the regions and some are making the move to pick up the lifestyle benefits and a sense of belonging to an area - ‘being part of the tribe’ as Hugh McKay says.

So we are seeing community identity and ‘strong communities’ appearing in regional strategies. The economic is linking with the social. Community and a sense of belonging is being matched with employment and investment.

Twyford Consulting is noticing increased demand for its services from regional clients in social planning, community services and consultation/participation, as the following projects illustrate:

IMB Community Foundation
This is an example of how business/community partnerships can work. The IMB Building Society has donated $1m for community projects through the Foundation. Projects have been established in the Illawarra, South Coast and Southern Highlands areas of NSW. Twyford Consulting assists with the assessment of suitable community projects. We also operate a monitoring framework to evaluate the success of projects.

Wagga Wagga Youth Services Review
Reforms of the Supported Accommodation Assistance Program (SAAP) include forming partnerships and service networks in a particular location. Twyford Consulting worked with Wagga Wagga SAAP services and the local council to complete a service mapping exercise. We formed recommendations on ways of linking support for young people.

Mudgee Social and Cultural Plan
Social planning identifies ways of improving the quality of life for people in a community. Twyford Consulting worked with Mudgee Council to consult business, community and government representatives in developing the area’s first social and cultural plan.

Central Coast Regional Aged ServicesPlanning and Management
Aged services are a complex arrangement of Federal State and Local Government programs, with community and private service providers. Twyford Consulting has worked with people in the Central Coast Region to create a framework for regional planning for aged services. Service improvement projects have also been identified for the region.

Twyford Consulting Newsletter May 2001