About Us

Established in 2010, Regional Development Australia - Northern Inland (RDA-NI) comprises a small team of dedicated staff and a committee of local people funded by the Australian Government. We are part of the national Regional Development Australia network of 50 committees across Australia’s capital cities and regions, including the Indian Ocean Territories, Norfolk Island and Jervis Bay Territory.

RDA Committees:

• are strong advocates for their region and drivers of change, and as such, have a pivotal role in fostering regional economic development.
• strengthen partnerships across all three tiers of government, regional business and the wider community, to boost the economic capability and performance of regions.
• are active in promoting Australian Government programs, and shepherding communities towards appropriate funding sources that will assist projects that work towards economic development.

Our Northern Inland region encompasses twelve local governent areas in the New England and North West. Find out more about our region including our local government areas and statistical information in the Our Region section of this site.

We are a not-for-profit, community based organisation, with all committee members and staff having a broad and diverse skills base with extensive networks including local Governments, the private sector, education and health. We use a regional economic development framework to promote long-term regional economic growth and provide a practical focus for strengthening our region.

Our activities can be grouped into five broad themes:

• People and skills—human capital, particularly the education and skills required to take advantage of a region’s comparative and competitive advantages.
• Sustainable regional communities—the combination of policies, and investment in services and social infrastructure that help deliver economically, environmentally and socially sustainable communities and population growth.
• Connecting to markets—access to international, national and regional markets, whether by road, rail, air, sea and the internet.
• Comparative advantage and business competitiveness—helping regions to make the most of their strengths or comparative advantages, including through economic diversification, to foster their national and international competitiveness.
• Partnerships and planning—effective partnerships that span sectors and the three levels of government, including integrated regional planning which aligns the objectives of government, business and the community to coordinate development efforts at different levels.

Along with our regional development focused projects, we also provide a range of research and consultancy services for the public sector, private entities and community groups. As a Not-For-Profit, we are able to offer our services at a far more attractive rate than the private sector. These services are often highly subsidised for community groups in our region.

Our services include:

• Consultancy (Including Business Cases and Economic Studies)
• Grant Writing and Grant Application Assistance
• Economic and Data Analysis

Strategic Priorities Discover our strategic priorities that reflect the unique strengths and needs of our region. Read More

Expert Consultancy Services Through the support of the Australian Government, we provide a wide range of consultancy services at an affordable price. Read More

About Our Region Interested in finding out about our region, what it has to offer, how to get here? See the our region page to discover more. Read More

Funding & Grants Don't miss out on funding opportunities. Stay informed with our up to date online listings and email notifications. Read More