April 3, 2025 • 14 mins
This week we hear from CEO of the Regional Australia Institute, Liz Ritchie, about the very different challenges we face in the regions. Whilst there will always be the bigger picture stuff like cost-of-living pressures and the transition to renewable energy, the hot topic for SA is still about creating and keeping local jobs.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hi, Heart Essode. Hi. I'm Jackie Lymb with iHeart Essay.
This week we take a look at how voters across
the state can make a difference with the federal election
just around the corner Regional Essay.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Listen up.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
This could very well come down to the way you vote,
and we shouldn't think otherwise. All sides of politics will
do themselves few favors if they underestimate the Bush vote
and try to keep the city centric contingent happy. So
when you're holding that little pencil at the ballot box,
you may want to ask if the person or party
I'm voting for will deliver what's best for my neck
(00:35):
of the woods. On the Spencer Gulf and Air Peninsula,
it's the seed of gray. In the Adelaide Hills and
Fleurio Peninsula, Mayo is the electorate, and over in the
Murray Lands and river Lands, it's the seed of Barker.
There's a long list of issues that need attention, a
shortage of housing, the state of our roads, and the
lack of GPS, And you can't help but feel that
whoever wins in each of our state's three seats, that
(00:58):
the policies need to be about rebalancing the nation to
improve the liveability of regional communities, especially since the COVID
pandemics or a wave of city sliquors move away from
the metros and into our towns. Liz Richie is the
CEO of the Regional Australia Institute and she has some
strong ideas on how our politicians should be working their campaigns.
(01:18):
Our reporter Darren Katrupie sat down with Liz to discuss
the very different challenges we face in the regions. And
whilst there will always be bigger picture stuff like cost
of living pressures and the transition to renewable energy, the
hot topic is still about creating and keeping local jobs.
Speaker 3 (01:35):
Transition and the impacts of transition is front of mind
and so what comes with that are still you know,
the big ticket issues like housing, the workforce, how do
we skill, how do we reskill, how do we think
about what those jobs will be? And you know, the
(01:55):
centerpiece of both those issues key issues are people. So
where are we going to get the people from that
we need to actually meet the future work demands. So
you know, when we look at you know, the challenges
in Regional Australia, we know that it's these sort of
perennial big issues that don't seem to go away, and
(02:19):
there in some ways big wicked challenges, which is why
at the Institute, you know, we've tried to take a
very holistic and strategic, long term approach to some of
this work, and you know there's a whole lot more
to be done. I mean, you could talk about where
we're sitting with childcare. It's a whole nother conversation because
without good childcare, we know that people can't go to work.
(02:43):
So there's this really important deep understanding that's required at
a sort of regional lens, but also from a macro lens,
which says you can't seek to solve any one of
these issues that are impacting regional community is within a
transition if you don't seek to solve them all at
(03:04):
the same.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
Time, bearing in mind that a lot of these issues
aren't necessarily unique to region or Australia either, but they
obviously have more impact out in the regions. Is there
any sign of things improving, like housing and the amount
of workers. It seems like since COVID everything got turned
on its head and there doesn't seem to be an
(03:25):
end in sight or is.
Speaker 3 (03:26):
There Yeah, I mean unfortunately when it comes to housing, look,
there isn't a silver bullet, unfortunately, I wish there was.
We really are playing catch up and there are many
things that are happening, you know, whether it's through a
policy lens or whether it's through that sort of investment stream.
There's certainly targets in place to build the houses, but
(03:49):
again targets won't get you very far if you don't
have the builders and the tradees. So I know that
there's been a visa streams, it's going to be dedicated
to improving an opening that pathway to bring in more
trade skills to the country, which we know we need.
But we need to be looking at our education facilities
(04:09):
and fast tracking you know, how are we thinking about
skills in this country and ensuring that some of the
cross border skill barriers that we seek to have in
this country can be removed where we've got you know,
people who are skilled in one state but not in
another to do certain tasks within their trade. So skills
(04:34):
recognition is a major issue that is being addressed, but
is actually taking much more time than we'd like to
see do.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
Regional Australian voters have a chance to impact on the
balance of power at the upcoming election, bearing your mind
that you know all the poles that it's going to
be pretty close.
Speaker 1 (04:55):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (04:55):
I mean, look, you've got to always think that regional
Australia's voice matters, Your vote matters always, and its incumbent
on all of us as citizens, particularly regional citizens, to
think carefully about our vote. You know, it's not enough
to say, well, you know, we don't have enough people
(05:16):
or enough population to make a difference, because anything can happen.
You know, we've seen that in the past, and the
worst situation is to sit back and think, well, my
vote doesn't count. It always counts, and everybody's got a
local member, and you know you've got to make that
vote work for you as best you can. I think
we you know, traditionally swinging seats tend to do better
(05:41):
in fact in relation to achieving their outcomes, and unfortunately
that's sort of a sad reality. But you know, I
think there's always there's always a way to make an impact.
You've just got to think strategically about your region and
what it is that you seek to be both now
(06:01):
and into the future.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
Were coming up with Liz Ritchie, the CEO of the
Regional Australia Institute. After the break I Heart Essay, My
Heart Essay, Welcome back, we'll return to our chat with
Liz Ritchie, the CEO of the Regional Australia Institute. Liz
and her team have dissected the data out there on
(06:23):
the Regional Essay landscape to provide a snapshot of the
key issues our pollies need to keep front of mind
if they want to fast track a more productive and
booming Australia, our regions definitely pull their weight. We currently
feed the nation, power the nation, and create steel to
build our nation. Regional Essay represents about seven percent of
the country's population and ninety percent of Australia's renewable energy
(06:46):
projects sit in our backyards. Darren Katrupe continues his conversation
with Liz Richie.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
Do you think our politicians have realized that they can't
really afford just to be city centric on their policies,
but they really need to give series consideration to how
we are faring in the bush.
Speaker 3 (07:04):
Yeah. Look, I think it's a big and broad question
and I don't sort of, you know, want to provide
you with a big and broad answer, but the reality
is that some understand it better than others. And look,
I think this is just a fact of the times
and there are you know, we work across all sides
(07:26):
of politics. We're a fiercely independent institute and that's really
important to us and who we are because we need
to be We need to work with all sides of
government and because we know that at some point the
tides change, and so you know, ensuring that we have
(07:47):
the best opportunity to put our case forward for and
on behalf of regional communities is really important to us
as an organization who represents and do research on behalf
of regions. Do I think that every metropolitan MP understands
regional Australia. No, I don't, and I think there's a
(08:08):
great opportunity to shift their gaze, as I call it.
And this isn't just aimed at politicians. This is a
theme that we've been carrying over the last few years
to also speak to corporate Australia, to directors, to executives,
to people who work in the community to understand that
(08:29):
regional Australia is it's our time, as we say, it's
sort of our time in regional Australia because we are
seeing a transition like no other. We talk an awful
lot about the net zero transition, but what is also
afoot and coming like a speeding train is the demand
(08:51):
for more opportunities to live in regional Australia. So I'll
share some facts with you in twenty three, In fact,
from twenty two one to twenty twenty three, we took
a poll every year how many city dwellers want to
move to regional Australia or are considering, and for consistently
it came back at twenty percent, coming off the back
(09:12):
of COVID. Our last poll has just produced a double
that figure, so we're now looking at forty percent of
city dwellers don't want to live in the city. So
that is a major shift in our society's expectations, wants
and wishes for their future. So how are we preparing
(09:33):
for this? And this is something that I want all
politicians who are going to take a seat at the
table in our democracy to understand that regional Australia is
our future and we need to do a lot better
at understanding how these policies impact those communities. Because we've
(09:55):
quite frankly, we've got to play catch up.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
What about those issues on the ground when, for instance,
being able to see a GP if you move to
the bush, you know that's that's obviously not as easy
as it is if you live in one of the
big cities where you've got you tens of medical centers
on almost every street corner.
Speaker 3 (10:14):
No, it's a major issue, major, major issue. We just
can't seem to do enough here and so that's when
I say we need to double down. I mean, I
know it can be hard if you're in a capital
city to see a GP. So there's some semblance of
understanding what it might be like to know it's not
next week, it's next month for many regional communities. So
(10:38):
it's been able to put themselves in the shoes of
constituents who live in regional oral remote parts of Australia
to actually be able to receive just a basic service
that we would consider a human right to go and
see a GP. There's been many efforts to try to
close this, but we still haven't landed the plane.
Speaker 2 (10:59):
With the housing skills shortage, it's sort of a there
at opposite ends. You can't have one without the other.
Has any anyone been able to get anywhere neat cracking
that egg, because without one, we can't have the other,
and vice versa. I know we have people coming into
the regions that moving from the city, but then they
turn around and say no because they couldn't find anywhere
(11:21):
to live.
Speaker 3 (11:22):
Unfortunately, it really is moving a lot slower than we'd
like to see. But this is why we developed the
Regionalization Ambition twenty thirty two. This is why we have
a ten year plan. We've been in front of this
issue well before it became a national headline. We've tracked
job vacancies in regional Australia from around the forty thousand
(11:43):
mark in twenty nineteen to nearly one hundred thousand through
COVID back to about the mid seventies. At the moment,
you know, we're tracking those jobs and what's happening in
regional Australia. We've busted those myths that say there's no jobs.
You know, there are such an abundance of so that
has changed the landscape has changed. What we need to
(12:05):
see around housing is we have to play catch up here.
I mean, nobody predicted a global pandemic, but if someone
had ran the numbers to see that housing was not
keeping pace with population prior to the pandemic, we would
have seen that this was an inevitable outcome. Now, unfortunately
(12:30):
we didn't do that work. We didn't get in front
of the population movement, and now we're playing catch up.
So the best thing that we can do is learn
from the past and start to do that very necessary
population planning and spatial mapping. We've got the trend lines,
we know the sentiment, we know that the nation's love
(12:55):
affair for regional Australia is very real. So how are
we going to respond to that?
Speaker 2 (13:00):
Just finally, any advice for the major parties, in fact,
any candidates leading up to the election about what they
should think and do for regional Australia.
Speaker 3 (13:10):
Well, the worst thing you could do is ignore regional Australia,
which I don't think any party is intending to do.
I think that they all see the significance of regional
Australia and I would really love to see the work
being done to ensure that regional Australia is at the
center of their policies rather than in some cases being
(13:35):
a bit of an afterthought. So how do you start
to think about a nation where regional Australia's population is
edging towards fifty percent, because that's where we're headed.
Speaker 1 (13:46):
Well, some sound advice there for any of our local
candidates well into the campaign blitz for office or for
reelection and as Liz said, don't underestimate the cost of
your vote for the seeds of Gray, Mayo or Baker.
The enrollment deadline nine is eight pm Monday, so if
you haven't yet, get enrolled and get out there to
make your vote count. That's it for this week. Don't forget.
(14:07):
You can hear iHeart Essay and the iHeart app or
wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Jackie Limb. Join us
again next week for more of the stories you want
to hear. I Heart Essay, the Voice of South Australia,
I Heart Essay
Hi, Heart Essode. Hi. I'm Jackie Lymb with iHeart Essay.
This week we take a look at how voters across
the state can make a difference with the federal election
just around the corner Regional Essay.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Listen up.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
This could very well come down to the way you vote,
and we shouldn't think otherwise. All sides of politics will
do themselves few favors if they underestimate the Bush vote
and try to keep the city centric contingent happy. So
when you're holding that little pencil at the ballot box,
you may want to ask if the person or party
I'm voting for will deliver what's best for my neck
(00:35):
of the woods. On the Spencer Gulf and Air Peninsula,
it's the seed of gray. In the Adelaide Hills and
Fleurio Peninsula, Mayo is the electorate, and over in the
Murray Lands and river Lands, it's the seed of Barker.
There's a long list of issues that need attention, a
shortage of housing, the state of our roads, and the
lack of GPS, And you can't help but feel that
whoever wins in each of our state's three seats, that
(00:58):
the policies need to be about rebalancing the nation to
improve the liveability of regional communities, especially since the COVID
pandemics or a wave of city sliquors move away from
the metros and into our towns. Liz Richie is the
CEO of the Regional Australia Institute and she has some
strong ideas on how our politicians should be working their campaigns.
(01:18):
Our reporter Darren Katrupie sat down with Liz to discuss
the very different challenges we face in the regions. And
whilst there will always be bigger picture stuff like cost
of living pressures and the transition to renewable energy, the
hot topic is still about creating and keeping local jobs.
Speaker 3 (01:35):
Transition and the impacts of transition is front of mind
and so what comes with that are still you know,
the big ticket issues like housing, the workforce, how do
we skill, how do we reskill, how do we think
about what those jobs will be? And you know, the
(01:55):
centerpiece of both those issues key issues are people. So
where are we going to get the people from that
we need to actually meet the future work demands. So
you know, when we look at you know, the challenges
in Regional Australia, we know that it's these sort of
perennial big issues that don't seem to go away, and
(02:19):
there in some ways big wicked challenges, which is why
at the Institute, you know, we've tried to take a
very holistic and strategic, long term approach to some of
this work, and you know there's a whole lot more
to be done. I mean, you could talk about where
we're sitting with childcare. It's a whole nother conversation because
without good childcare, we know that people can't go to work.
(02:43):
So there's this really important deep understanding that's required at
a sort of regional lens, but also from a macro lens,
which says you can't seek to solve any one of
these issues that are impacting regional community is within a
transition if you don't seek to solve them all at
(03:04):
the same.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
Time, bearing in mind that a lot of these issues
aren't necessarily unique to region or Australia either, but they
obviously have more impact out in the regions. Is there
any sign of things improving, like housing and the amount
of workers. It seems like since COVID everything got turned
on its head and there doesn't seem to be an
(03:25):
end in sight or is.
Speaker 3 (03:26):
There Yeah, I mean unfortunately when it comes to housing, look,
there isn't a silver bullet, unfortunately, I wish there was.
We really are playing catch up and there are many
things that are happening, you know, whether it's through a
policy lens or whether it's through that sort of investment stream.
There's certainly targets in place to build the houses, but
(03:49):
again targets won't get you very far if you don't
have the builders and the tradees. So I know that
there's been a visa streams, it's going to be dedicated
to improving an opening that pathway to bring in more
trade skills to the country, which we know we need.
But we need to be looking at our education facilities
(04:09):
and fast tracking you know, how are we thinking about
skills in this country and ensuring that some of the
cross border skill barriers that we seek to have in
this country can be removed where we've got you know,
people who are skilled in one state but not in
another to do certain tasks within their trade. So skills
(04:34):
recognition is a major issue that is being addressed, but
is actually taking much more time than we'd like to
see do.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
Regional Australian voters have a chance to impact on the
balance of power at the upcoming election, bearing your mind
that you know all the poles that it's going to
be pretty close.
Speaker 1 (04:55):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (04:55):
I mean, look, you've got to always think that regional
Australia's voice matters, Your vote matters always, and its incumbent
on all of us as citizens, particularly regional citizens, to
think carefully about our vote. You know, it's not enough
to say, well, you know, we don't have enough people
(05:16):
or enough population to make a difference, because anything can happen.
You know, we've seen that in the past, and the
worst situation is to sit back and think, well, my
vote doesn't count. It always counts, and everybody's got a
local member, and you know you've got to make that
vote work for you as best you can. I think
we you know, traditionally swinging seats tend to do better
(05:41):
in fact in relation to achieving their outcomes, and unfortunately
that's sort of a sad reality. But you know, I
think there's always there's always a way to make an impact.
You've just got to think strategically about your region and
what it is that you seek to be both now
(06:01):
and into the future.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
Were coming up with Liz Ritchie, the CEO of the
Regional Australia Institute. After the break I Heart Essay, My
Heart Essay, Welcome back, we'll return to our chat with
Liz Ritchie, the CEO of the Regional Australia Institute. Liz
and her team have dissected the data out there on
(06:23):
the Regional Essay landscape to provide a snapshot of the
key issues our pollies need to keep front of mind
if they want to fast track a more productive and
booming Australia, our regions definitely pull their weight. We currently
feed the nation, power the nation, and create steel to
build our nation. Regional Essay represents about seven percent of
the country's population and ninety percent of Australia's renewable energy
(06:46):
projects sit in our backyards. Darren Katrupe continues his conversation
with Liz Richie.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
Do you think our politicians have realized that they can't
really afford just to be city centric on their policies,
but they really need to give series consideration to how
we are faring in the bush.
Speaker 3 (07:04):
Yeah. Look, I think it's a big and broad question
and I don't sort of, you know, want to provide
you with a big and broad answer, but the reality
is that some understand it better than others. And look,
I think this is just a fact of the times
and there are you know, we work across all sides
(07:26):
of politics. We're a fiercely independent institute and that's really
important to us and who we are because we need
to be We need to work with all sides of
government and because we know that at some point the
tides change, and so you know, ensuring that we have
(07:47):
the best opportunity to put our case forward for and
on behalf of regional communities is really important to us
as an organization who represents and do research on behalf
of regions. Do I think that every metropolitan MP understands
regional Australia. No, I don't, and I think there's a
(08:08):
great opportunity to shift their gaze, as I call it.
And this isn't just aimed at politicians. This is a
theme that we've been carrying over the last few years
to also speak to corporate Australia, to directors, to executives,
to people who work in the community to understand that
(08:29):
regional Australia is it's our time, as we say, it's
sort of our time in regional Australia because we are
seeing a transition like no other. We talk an awful
lot about the net zero transition, but what is also
afoot and coming like a speeding train is the demand
(08:51):
for more opportunities to live in regional Australia. So I'll
share some facts with you in twenty three, In fact,
from twenty two one to twenty twenty three, we took
a poll every year how many city dwellers want to
move to regional Australia or are considering, and for consistently
it came back at twenty percent, coming off the back
(09:12):
of COVID. Our last poll has just produced a double
that figure, so we're now looking at forty percent of
city dwellers don't want to live in the city. So
that is a major shift in our society's expectations, wants
and wishes for their future. So how are we preparing
(09:33):
for this? And this is something that I want all
politicians who are going to take a seat at the
table in our democracy to understand that regional Australia is
our future and we need to do a lot better
at understanding how these policies impact those communities. Because we've
(09:55):
quite frankly, we've got to play catch up.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
What about those issues on the ground when, for instance,
being able to see a GP if you move to
the bush, you know that's that's obviously not as easy
as it is if you live in one of the
big cities where you've got you tens of medical centers
on almost every street corner.
Speaker 3 (10:14):
No, it's a major issue, major, major issue. We just
can't seem to do enough here and so that's when
I say we need to double down. I mean, I
know it can be hard if you're in a capital
city to see a GP. So there's some semblance of
understanding what it might be like to know it's not
next week, it's next month for many regional communities. So
(10:38):
it's been able to put themselves in the shoes of
constituents who live in regional oral remote parts of Australia
to actually be able to receive just a basic service
that we would consider a human right to go and
see a GP. There's been many efforts to try to
close this, but we still haven't landed the plane.
Speaker 2 (10:59):
With the housing skills shortage, it's sort of a there
at opposite ends. You can't have one without the other.
Has any anyone been able to get anywhere neat cracking
that egg, because without one, we can't have the other,
and vice versa. I know we have people coming into
the regions that moving from the city, but then they
turn around and say no because they couldn't find anywhere
(11:21):
to live.
Speaker 3 (11:22):
Unfortunately, it really is moving a lot slower than we'd
like to see. But this is why we developed the
Regionalization Ambition twenty thirty two. This is why we have
a ten year plan. We've been in front of this
issue well before it became a national headline. We've tracked
job vacancies in regional Australia from around the forty thousand
(11:43):
mark in twenty nineteen to nearly one hundred thousand through
COVID back to about the mid seventies. At the moment,
you know, we're tracking those jobs and what's happening in
regional Australia. We've busted those myths that say there's no jobs.
You know, there are such an abundance of so that
has changed the landscape has changed. What we need to
(12:05):
see around housing is we have to play catch up here.
I mean, nobody predicted a global pandemic, but if someone
had ran the numbers to see that housing was not
keeping pace with population prior to the pandemic, we would
have seen that this was an inevitable outcome. Now, unfortunately
(12:30):
we didn't do that work. We didn't get in front
of the population movement, and now we're playing catch up.
So the best thing that we can do is learn
from the past and start to do that very necessary
population planning and spatial mapping. We've got the trend lines,
we know the sentiment, we know that the nation's love
(12:55):
affair for regional Australia is very real. So how are
we going to respond to that?
Speaker 2 (13:00):
Just finally, any advice for the major parties, in fact,
any candidates leading up to the election about what they
should think and do for regional Australia.
Speaker 3 (13:10):
Well, the worst thing you could do is ignore regional Australia,
which I don't think any party is intending to do.
I think that they all see the significance of regional
Australia and I would really love to see the work
being done to ensure that regional Australia is at the
center of their policies rather than in some cases being
(13:35):
a bit of an afterthought. So how do you start
to think about a nation where regional Australia's population is
edging towards fifty percent, because that's where we're headed.
Speaker 1 (13:46):
Well, some sound advice there for any of our local
candidates well into the campaign blitz for office or for
reelection and as Liz said, don't underestimate the cost of
your vote for the seeds of Gray, Mayo or Baker.
The enrollment deadline nine is eight pm Monday, so if
you haven't yet, get enrolled and get out there to
make your vote count. That's it for this week. Don't forget.
(14:07):
You can hear iHeart Essay and the iHeart app or
wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Jackie Limb. Join us
again next week for more of the stories you want
to hear. I Heart Essay, the Voice of South Australia,
I Heart Essay
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com