Regional development framework

Regional NSW is home to about 40 per cent of the total NSW population, and produces about one third of total NSW gross state product. It is also home to resilient and adaptive communities and places of historical and cultural significance. With high levels of natural beauty and diverse lifestyles, regional locations are attractive places to live and work.

The NSW Government recognises the need to be more strategic and better coordinated if it is to make a difference, particularly in addressing some of the serious issues facing regional NSW such as pockets of youth unemployment, social disadvantage, changing economic opportunities and increased competition.

The NSW Government is determined to ensure that regional NSW continues to be a vibrant and growing part of our economy and that people are supported in their decision to live in the regions.

The Regional Development Framework provides a scaffold for better coordination, decision making and effort on the ground. The Framework will be based around a model of investment in regional NSW that:

1. Provides quality services and infrastructure in regional NSW – ensuring a baseline set of services across regional NSW
2. Aligns efforts to support growing regional centres, acknowledging the needs of areas with strong growth in population, jobs or both, and
3. Identifies and activates economic potential by looking across regional NSW for opportunities to change the economic outlook and activate local economies.

Read more about the framework programs in Making it Happen in the Regions: Regional Development Framework (PDF 1.14MB).