Liz Ritchie

CEO, Regional Australia Institute

Move to More – The supercharging of Australia’s migration from Metropolitan to Regional

Abstract:

In their 2019 report, Regional Population Growth – Are we ready yet? the Regional Australia Institute (RAI) identified the need for an intervention in our existing population trajectory, and in turn, an opportunity to create a more balanced population settlement for the good of our nation.

In undertaking extensive research to better understand the attitudes of metropolitan residents, the RAI uncovered that one in five Australians living in metropolitan areas was considering a move to regional Australia.

Move to More is RAI’s campaign to help those city-based Australians take the step in to living a life they’ve been dreaming of.

In this session Liz will take us through the research findings, the Move to More campaign initiatives including the creation of the Strengthening Liveability: A toolkit for rural and regional communities looking to grow, and how regional communities can use RAI’s work to supercharge their growth.

Biography:

As the CEO of the Regional Australia Institute (RAI), Liz’s primary goal is to make a difference through providing leadership and vision for a better future – a future that recognises regional Australia in a new light.
For over 20 years, Liz has worked across the corporate, government and the not for profit sector, and she specialises in leading organisational transformation to build a sustainable future. Liz is a change agent, a marketer, a researcher and an extremely passionate advocate for regional Australia, heralding from Deniliquin, in NSW.

Whilst understanding the issues and opportunities impacting regional Australia, she is dedicated to reforming our regional economies – as well as changing the narrative to entice more Australians to live, work and invest in Regional Australia.
While COVID-19 has created great challenges for the nation, Liz Ritchie believes there is a silver lining for Regional Australia. The pandemic has accelerated many aspects of how we work and has created a historic moment for the regionalisation of our national workforce.
This opens the door to a pathway forward for a more balanced population settlement – and finally creates the kind of level playing field that the RAI has been discussing since its inception.