Southern Cross University is an Australian public university, with campuses at Lismore and Coffs Harbour in northern New South Wales, and at Coolangatta, the most southern suburb of the Gold Coast in Queensland.

The university is a key attractor of activity to the Region and advocates its merits and potential to outsiders.

The Regenerative Agriculture Alliance (RAA) is a collaboration of Australia’s leading researchers and practitioners in regenerative agriculture, whose aim is to improve the holistic health and wellbeing of Australian landscapes, farmers and communities through regenerative agricultural research, education and practice.

Founded by Southern Cross University and led by Lorraine Gordon, Director of Strategic Projects, the Alliance includes leading researchers and agricultural practitioners in environmental science, soil and plant science, marine and forestry science worldwide.

Sydney is recognised as Australia’s only global city and the leading knowledge-based economy in the nation.

Innovation districts, including health and education hubs, remain priority areas for building knowledge intensive jobs growth across the six cities. A number of current projects will set the scene for improved economic dynamism and future knowledge intensive jobs growth across the Central River and Western Parkland Cities. This includes the recently announced Advanced Manufacturing Research Facility at Bradfield, as well as investment in the Viral Vector Manufacturing Facility at the Westmead Health and Innovation District.

Focus industries will include agriculture, tourism, technology, health industries, defence and aerospace, renewable energy, advanced manufacturing and materials, smart freight and logistics, agriculture and tourism.

Innovation districts will complement the Aerotropolis, centred on semiconductors, defence, aerospace and modern manufacturing. Tech Central, which has a focus on deep tech, software as a service, quantum cyber and information and communication technology,
and Westmead, which drives health innovation, building on Westmead’s strengths in advanced therapeutics, translation cancer, immunology, vaccinology clinical trials and digital health.

The Mid North Coast is a country region in the north-east of the state of New South Wales, Australia. The region covers the mid northern coast of the state, beginning from Port Stephens 160 km north of Sydney, and extending as far north as Woolgoolga, 562 km north of Sydney, a distance of roughly 400 km. It also includes the World Heritage Area of Lord Howe Island, about 600km east of Port Macquarie.

The Mid North Coast lies between the Great Divide and the east coast. The landscape is typified by winding rivers that feed lush hinterland, and over one hundred kilometres of pristine beaches. It benefits from a high rainfall and is considered by many to have the most ideal climate in Australia. Taree, Coffs Harbour, Port Macquarie.

Over the last twenty years the NSW Mid North Coast Region has evolved from a coastal retirement and tourist destination with a significant agricultural base - forestry, fishing and farming to a region with a diversified service- based economy.

Mining has become a huge industry in the Orana, with commodities including coal, silver, lead, zinc, copper, gold and rare earths. The industry has enhanced the region, adding jobs for local workers and boosting the economy. The mining sector’s contribution is significant in terms of jobs, investment and stimulating commercial activity, so it is important to continue harnessing this level of activity.

Already home to the Southern Hemisphere’s largest solar farm, solar irrigation system and wind farm the region has vast and largely untapped potential in renewable and clean energies and sustainable enterprises.

Companies include:
• Endeavour Operations
• Alkane Resources
• CSA
• Auralia
• Moolarben
• Coal Services
• Infigen Energy
• Neoen Australia

TAFE NSW Broken Hill is a major learning centre for the region, offering a wide range of programs in general education, trades and creative studies, at certificate and diploma level, that reflect the diversity of this regional centre.

Most courses are offered at the main campus, located on Argent St, including programs in access and general education, aged care, beauty, business, children's services, community services, hairdressing, human resources management, information technology, nursing and welfare.

The annexe campus, on the corner of Argent and Kaolin streets, offers courses in automotive, carpentry and joinery, ceramics, electrical, fine arts, fitting and machining, horticulture, tourism and hospitality and welding.

The Central West region of New South Wales is renowned for its food and wine and excellent agricultural produce. It covers an area of 63,000 square kilometres starting at the temperate, elevated Central Tablelands on the western side of the Blue Mountains and extends almost 500km to the semi-arid Central West plains.

The region is home to over 181,000 people within the 11 council areas of Bathurst, Blayney, Cabonne, Cowra, Forbes, Lachlan, Lithgow, Oberon, Orange, Parkes and Weddin.

Unique in its diversity of economy, the Central West Region of NSW is rich in natural resources with agriculture, mining and tourism significant drivers of jobs and opportunities. Increasingly, health and education have taken on a significant role in the region’s economy.

The agriculture and mining industry output is underpinned by abundant natural resources within rich soil and mineral deposits. Additionally, varied topography and climatic conditions across the region provide various opportunities ranging from forestry, cool climate produce, dairy, sheep and beef livestock, as well as a variety of irrigation and broad acre crops.

NSW’s North Coast region is one of the most ecologically diverse areas of NSW. It contains world heritage rainforests, 9 major river catchments, and vast beaches. The North Coast’s environments support iconic towns and thriving tourism and agricultural industries.

Climate change is already affecting the North Coast, particularly through increased temperatures. Projections show temperatures are expected to keep rising, rainfall patterns will change, and fire weather will increase.

Between Nelson Bay and Woolgoolga, the coast is riddled with lakes and shot through with swaths of coastal eucalypt and rainforest, much of it protected in national parks.

The joy here is forsaking the Pacific Hwy for leafy roads that cut across to the coast, taking detours and switching back. What you'll find at the end of the road are wonderfully unpretentious beach towns, basic campgrounds beside dunes and rivers, and miles and miles of lush nothing.

The big towns here are Port Macquarie and Coffs Harbour, which can appear busy and built-up but nevertheless manage to maintain a languid holiday pace.

The Worimi people are the traditional custodians of much of the land in this region and a visit to the Worimi Conservation Lands at Stockton Bight is a beautiful spot to learn about their cultural heritage.

The Illawarra region contains unique features that make it an ideal location for a Renewable Energy Zone. The region already hosts major energy, port and transport infrastructure, has a skilled workforce, has the potential to harness significant offshore wind generation and has strong demand for future hydrogen projects, including for future green steel production.

Armidale stands out as a significant education centre with an established university, TAFE and network of independent and public schools. Armidale has a thriving digital economy, community services, recreational parks and sporting facilities, all of which have created employment and business opportunities.

Armidale also has an impressive recycling rate with only four per cent of household and business waste making it to landfill. We are all working together when it comes to recycling and protecting the ecosystems of our environment, both local and beyond.

The dairy industry is moving towards a more intensive system of production, with efficiencies in establishing ‘dairy pads’ as well as the more traditional fodder-based dairies.

In the region, beef farming is undertaken on a smaller scale that other regions across NSW due to the smaller size of properties. It operates as part of a mixed farming system with cropping or hay production, enabling feed to be stored on farm for drier periods or sold. The nursery industry relies on many of the similar secondary industries as the other agricultural industries in the region.

Wheat, oats and maize grown in the Shoalhaven provide feed for dairy cattle in the region. Lucerne, pasture and cereal hay grown in the Shoalhaven provide feed for cattle and Lucerne hay for the equine industry.

The Far West Region of NSW encompasses the semi-arid lands of western NSW and is known for the Barrier Ranges, and the Darling River which flows through western NSW.

The Far West embodies the dream of the Great Australian Outback with wide open spaces, untouched natural beauty, spectacular National Parks, red desert and rolling sand dunes, the mighty Darling River, rich Indigenous culture and history and an abundance of wildlife.

The region was first settled in the 1840’s with Broken Hill founded in 1883 following the discovery of silver and lead deposits and the formation of BHP. The far west region has historically been the mineral powerhouse of the State. It also contains some of the State’s most flourishing agricultural enterprises and large stretches of the world-famous outback.

There is a strong mining industry, historically centred in Broken Hill, with significant new prospects for expansion within the region. The far west has a strong economy based on mining, agriculture, film, the arts and tourism. The Far West is rich in promise, boasting mineral wealth and climatic conditions that give this region a unique competitive advantage in many industry sectors.

The region comprises of 2 Local Government areas, Broken Hill City and Central Darling Shire.

Mean temperatures are projected to rise by 2.1 ºC by 2070. The greatest increases are occurring in the north west of the region, around Bourke during summer. All models show there are no declines in mean temperatures across the Far West by 2070.

Climate change is affecting the Far West region, particularly through increasing temperatures. Projections show temperatures are expected to keep rising, rainfall patterns will change and droughts will be more severe.

Summer and spring will experience the greatest changes in maximum temperatures, with maximum temperatures increasing by 2.5°C in the far future. Increased maximum temperatures are known to impact human health through heat stress and increasing the number of heatwave events.

Rainfall is projected to decrease in spring and to increase in autumn. Severe and average fire weather and severe fire weather days are projected to increase in summer and spring. Severe fire weather is projected to decrease in autumn in the near future.

One example of action being taken is a water-resilient community garden by Dharriwaa Elders Group Incorporated. This project renewed a community garden, making it more resilient to drought, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from food transport by providing local food for the community.

Sectors such as health, education, aged care, retail and hospitality will remain important employers in the Illawarra regions of Wollongong, and continue to make a critical contribution to the economy.

There is a particular focus on the knowledge economy.
• ICT/Tech
• Financial and Insurance Services
• Professional, Scientific and Technical Services • Public Administration and Safety
• Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services

Additional sectors targeted by Advantage Wollongong, and also this Strategy, include:
• Advanced Manufacturing
• Defence
• Medical Science and Technology
• Scale-ups

The success of a pilot lithium-ion battery production plant at Tomago, New South Wales, may signal a change to that imbalanced equation. It has achieved the output of some 4MWh (megawatt hours) worth of lithium-ion batteries per month.
Project Apollo is a joint effort between Energy Renaissance (ER), CSIRO and the federal government’s Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC) to design, develop, test and produce a new generation of lithium-ion batteries.

Agriculture is a key industry for the Mid North Coast both economically and for the scenic and environmental qualities attributed to the rural lands on which agriculture is undertaken.

The Mid North Coast is richly diverse in agricultural commodities and highly innovative in the processing and development of food and beverage products. The area is particularly important for horticultural activities, beef and dairy farming. Fruit and nut production is the dominant industry, including blueberries, bananas and avocadoes. The Mid North Coast also produces cut flowers and milk.

Blueberries are labour intensive, requiring hand-picking, in turn generating seasonal labour opportunities locally. The OzGroup Co-operative operates a purpose-built packing facility in Woolgoolga and a larger packing facility in Coffs Harbour employing over 30 permanent employees and hundreds of seasonal workers each year.

The Costa Berry is at the forefront of genetic growing and innovation and exports to some of the most demanding markets in the world. They are a major employer with more than 6,000 workers across their growing regions during peak season. Costa also have a close relationship with a number of universities across Australia and offer an extensive formal and informal graduate program and a range of university scholarships.

The Norco milk factory at Raleigh, near Bellingen is dedicated to producing dairy based products including Norco branded milk, cream and custard.

Greenleaf Farm at Clybucca is a large-scale intensive horticulture operation with over 600 greenhouses in vegetable production.

Mayfield Farm produces a variety of free-range meats and eggs, but pork is their primary product. They sell their gourmet produce at the farm gate and through local independent supermarkets, specialty shops and growers’ markets.

The Nambucca River is an exceptional environment for growing Sydney Rock Oysters due to a healthy catchment system that supports good growth, survival, condition and taste.

Prime Water Oysters is a new oyster farm with big ideas. The farm is located in a growing area known as Middle Nambucca, situated midway between the townships of Nambucca Heads and Macksville. It currently holds 600,000 oysters, up to half of which are harvested each season.

There are a number of significant arts and cultural facilities in the Armidale region including the New England Regional Art Museum (housing two of the most important and extensive collections of Australian art in regional Australia), the New England Conservatorium of Music, the Aboriginal Cultural Centre and Keeping Place, Saumarez Homestead, and several museums located within the towns and the university.

Armidale is also well placed to take advantage of the opportunities NBN technology provides in finding new and innovative ways to communicate with and grow audiences as well as to support creative businesses which are digitally focused.

There are a number of public and private hospitals located in the region, including those at Berry, Nowra, Milton, Batemans Bay, Moruya, Bega and Pambula. There are also numerous medical centres, health clinics and GP services throughout the region including the recently completed Cancer Care Centres at Nowra and Moruya.

The region is a significant contributor to NSW’s wool production, supplying 18% of the state’s production, 14% of sheep and lamb production and 15.5% of milk production.

The region is also known for cherry production and is an important producer of seed potatoes.

This exciting new community venue is dedicated to the presentation of experiences that nurture creativity, connection and curiosity in an accessible and inspiring environment. It is a place where the community of Wodonga, together with visitors to the city, can encounter, discover and connect with ideas, skills and knowledge.

Hyphen features several galleries – Artspace Gallery, Playspace Gallery and Community Gallery – as well as a full library service.

It also features three meeting rooms - the Community Studio overlooking the courtyard suitable for workshops, meetings and presentations, Creative Studio for resident artists, Tech Studio and Sound Studio, and, a Sculpture Terrace.

Murray Art Museum Albury hides one of Albury’s best kept retail secrets! MAMA Store is a showcase of independent Australian designers, local makers and artists, with a spotlight on the Murray region.