The challenges of recent years, including the economic response to COVID-19 pandemic and the need to decarbonise, has meant governments are more assertively seeking to set industry and economic strategies directly. The Centre for Policy Development has argued that the concept of governments steering economic development is back in vogue.

This approach involves an integrated suite of policies to signal, nudge and support industries to move and change. A key tool for achieving this more purposeful approach is the use of grants to incentivise behaviour or address gaps in the market. While grant making has always been a tool for governments in community development, it is increasingly becoming a tool in economic development too.

Drawing on our expertise working with government agencies across Northern Australia, we share experience in building robust and sophisticated approaches to using grants as part of a cohesive portfolio of strategic investments. These techniques combine partnership-based approaches, the use of subject matter expertise, and developmental approaches to working with proponents and communities.

Through our work, we have identified three key elements that underpin the successful use of grants for economic development across Western Australia, Northern Territory and Queensland:
1. A strategic framework to guide grant making through an investment mindset;
2. Strong governance and grant making ‘hygiene’ to manage probity and risk; and
3. Practical but connected approach to evaluation to embed lessons on what works.

Grants are not just tools to distribute money. They are flexible mechanisms to make strategic investments as part of an overall more purposeful and integrated approach to economic and industry development. In this discussion, we explore the ways they can be applied across Northern Australia to overcome obstacles and drive growth.

First Nations peoples are taking control of their economic destiny and fostering autonomy and resilience through various approaches and initiatives. Some of these are:
Land Resource Management - asserting their rights over traditional lands and resources, including forestry, fisheries and mining by developing sustainable resource management plans and negotiating agreements where they retain greater control over economic activities on their territories.
Entrepreneurship and Business Development - indigenous entrepreneurs are rising and establishing business in various sectors such as tourism, agriculture, manufacturing and technology. These ventures create employment opportunities, generate revenue and contribute to the local economic development while maintaining cultural integrity.
Community - owned Enterprises - By establishing community owned businesses and corporations to manage and operate economic ventures collectively these enterprises are often governed by Indigenous governance structures and prioritise community needs, reinvest profits locally and promote economic self sufficiency
Cultural Tourism and Heritage industries - Capitilising on their cultural heritage and traditions to develop tourism initiatives, cultural events and arts and crafts showcases their cultural identity while generating an income and preserving and promoting their unique heritage.
Community Development initiatives - implementing community driven development projects and initiatives addressing socio-economic challenges enhances community well being, but also infrastructure development, social services and capacity building programs tailored to the communities local needs.
Overall, by asserting their rights, building economic capacity, fostering cultural resilience and engaging in strategic partnerships, First Nations are taking control of their economic destiny and charting a path toward greater autonomy and prosperity.

The .au Domain Administration is Australia’s country code Top-Level Domain operator. Encompassing over 4.2million .au websites, the .au represents a vital and growing element of Australia’s digital economy.
 
.au Domain Administration Ltd (auDA) administers the .au on behalf of all Australians and believes that digital technologies provide unprecedented opportunities for sustainable economic growth and social wellbeing.  However, they also give rise to complex risks and policy challenges, which must be addressed in ways that minimise harms while maximising the benefits of the digital world. 
 
The delivery and application of digital technologies must follow a holistic, human-centric approach guided by values that promote human rights, international law, inclusiveness, transparency, and sustainability. Complex transnational issues resulting from the use of digital technologies cannot properly be addressed in silos. They cannot be addressed by any one stakeholder group, any one region, or by any one centralised system.  

Addressing challenges and ensuring technology delivers on its promise of improving people’s lives requires effective and fit for purpose solutions.  

auDA believes the best way to do this is through the multi-stakeholder model. The multi-stakeholder model involves collaboration among stakeholders, including governments, businesses, civil society, technical experts and academia. In this model, decision-making processes are inclusive and transparent, allowing all stakeholders to participate and contribute to shaping policies and regulations. This approach is preferred because it ensures that diverse perspectives are considered, leading to more balanced and effective governance frameworks. Additionally, it promotes innovation, fosters accountability, and helps preserve the open and decentralised nature of the digitisation.

In late 2023, auDA released the Atlas of Australia Online research report, providing a contemporary atlas of the Australian internet, and revealing important insights into the digital landscape of Australia.
Australia has over four million .au domain names, encompassing the familiar namespaces such as com.au, edu.au, gov.au and net.au. The key finding from this report is that domain name registration is a leading indicator of broader innovation and digital transformation activity across the economy.
At a global level the Australian domain, .au, truly ‘punches above its weight’, being over-representative on a per-capita basis than comparable country code top level domains (ccTLD) of Western Europe and other OECD nations; and importantly .au is highly trusted. This means Australian information and ideas have high visibility and authority across the global internet.
Within Australia, while domain registrations correlate with population, Digital Business Intensity – the concentration of domain names as a proportion of businesses – is not population dependent. Higher levels of Digital Business Intensity correlate with higher levels of socio-economic advantage, education and occupation but also with specific focus on digital activity, providing additional insight into the challenges of the digital divide in Australia and opportunities in regional communities.
Generally, more domain names are registered in metro suburbs, decreasing as remoteness increases. However, some regions have a higher level of domain name registrations, even after adjusting for population. Outliers like Karratha and Townsville, with high levels of digital adoption, appear to reflect specific initiatives and circumstances that have encouraged digital activity.
The report supports the argument that investment in connectivity and digital capability within regional Australia can unlock a range of economic opportunities and benefits that extend to the wider community.

As the President of the Northwest Multicultural Association WA Inc., I am honoured to address the audience on the topic of "Building a Diverse and Skilled Workforce: Harnessing the Power of Migration for Sustainable Development in Northern Australia." The role of migration in shaping the workforce dynamics of Northern Australia is of paramount importance, necessitating a strategic approach to leverage the talents and contributions of migrants for sustainable development.

Drawing upon my extensive experience as a global market consultant and cultural advisor, I have observed the transformative impact of diversity on organisations and communities. Embracing diversity not only cultivates an inclusive and dynamic work environment but also introduces a diverse array of skills, perspectives, and experiences that can propel innovation and progress.

In the context of Northern Australia, where the labour market is characterised by continuous evolution, the integration of migrant talent is indispensable to meet the region's workforce demands. By fostering a welcoming and supportive atmosphere for individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds, we can harness their expertise to address skill shortages, fill labour market gaps, and drive economic advancement.

Furthermore, the adoption of diversity initiatives can also foster social cohesion, facilitate cultural exchange, and enrich the social fabric of our community. By promoting a culture of inclusivity and mutual respect, we can cultivate a more cohesive and prosperous society where all individuals have the opportunity to flourish.

I cordially invite your participation in exploring how Northern Australia can effectively leverage migration to cultivate a more diverse, skilled, and sustainable workforce. Through collaborative efforts, we can unlock the full potential of our region and pave the way for a brighter future for all stakeholders involved.

The Northwest Multicultural Association WA Inc. recognises the dual importance of promoting cultural exchange and connectivity in enhancing both the multicultural community and economic development in Northern Australia within the Indo-Pacific region. By fostering connections between our diverse community members and our neighbours in the Indo-Pacific, we can build bridges that facilitate trade, cooperation, and mutual understanding, ultimately contributing to the economic growth and prosperity of our region.

Cultural exchange plays a pivotal role in promoting people-to-people connections and building trust between communities. By showcasing the rich cultural heritage of Northern Australia and engaging in cultural exchanges with our neighbours, we not only celebrate our shared cultural diversity but also create opportunities for collaboration and partnership in various economic sectors. Through cultural exchange programs, we can showcase the unique offerings of our region, attracting tourism, investment, and trade opportunities that stimulate economic growth and development.

Moreover, cultural exchange can help promote social cohesion and inclusivity within our multicultural community, fostering a sense of belonging and unity among all community members. By embracing and learning from each other's cultures, we strengthen social bonds and create a more harmonious and resilient society that values diversity and inclusivity, which in turn can attract businesses and investors seeking a vibrant and inclusive community to be a part of.

By incorporating cultural exchange and connectivity initiatives into our economic development strategies, we not only enhance Northern Australia's global competitiveness but also contribute to building a more interconnected and prosperous Indo-Pacific community. Leveraging our cultural assets and fostering meaningful connections can lead to increased trade, investment, and collaboration opportunities, ultimately driving economic growth and creating a more vibrant and inclusive future for all community members in Northern Australia and beyond.

The landscape of northern Australia is famously unique – its people, even more so. We can appreciate the value of the north in a frame enhanced by industry, tourism, agribusiness, border security and international trade. This frame of the north, is also distinguished by a proliferation of opportunity linked to first nation people, and an economy linked to those nations that impacts the population and economy of the north in a profound way. The time is now to create change for the First Nation Peoples, utilising strategies focused on understanding key drivers which harness the value of the individual, their collectives, assets and rights - in the context of development. This is rarely understood in the delicate climates of our country’s decision-making.
Organisations operating in the north build commercial and for-purpose models that by necessity, respect the perspectives and organisations of place. The most significant examples of these business and social enterprise models create a virtuous feedback into the people, liveability and economy place. As new investors appreciate the region, a clearer understanding of ‘how’ to invest respect in existing models of place, can enable more efficient, supportive and productive connection between investors/developers and the First Nations People.
Fortunately, remote is the mother of place-based innovation. Since 1970 Ngarliyarndu Bindirri Aboriginal Corporation (NBAC) together with industry have been building reinforcing relationships that now form the bedrock of generational change which has significant and positive impact on the First Nations People. NBAC’s human capital investment and social impact model cuts through provincial complexity and shares examples from our 50 years of learning about how the people and organisational structures of place can kindle and change lives.

This Program seeks to undertake truth and storytelling around the 1872 Hann Expedition and to recontextualise the botanical collections made on the Expedition, that now reside at Kew, Melbourne and Queensland herbaria. Through engagement with Aboriginal knowledge holders on Cape York Peninsula the Program proposes to correct historical omissions and records that have stood for more than 150 years by including the specimens’ traditional names and uses as provided by Traditional Owners partnering with the project. Australia’s historical record has for too long ignored the perspectives of Australia’s original inhabitants, their rich way of life and deep knowledge of the continent's flora and fauna. Hann and his six-member team of white men and one Aboriginal guide set off to discover potential mineral and agricultural riches on an expedition that history records as both incomplete, complex and only partially successful. It was a time when the Aboriginal peoples of Australia were neither recognised nor acknowledged. The Hann Expedition followed those culturally ignorant ways despite the wisdom, expertise and knowledge of multilingual Aboriginal guide Jerry who saved the group from disaster many times. It was the Hann Expedition, with its suggestion of gold, which triggered Queensland’s biggest gold rush along the Palmer River on Cape York Peninsula. More than 20,000 people descended onto Cape York, with disastrous consequences for the Aboriginal people who occupied the area. The Program is being led by three direct descendants of the original Expedition, including Jerry’s great-great-great-grand daughter, Nicole Huxley. The critical first step in the Program requires Hann Expedition descendants and Aboriginal knowledge holders to engage in truth telling to share stories handed down through their families to place the Expedition, its observations, and collections in the most accurate snapshot of the history of that time. The descendants hope that mutual acknowledgement of the impacts of this tumultuous period will enable a sharing of the traditional names and uses of the botanical specimens. This symbiotic blend of Western science and Indigenous knowledge will also help in ‘giving voice to country’ through knowledge partnerships, helping us to better understand and conserve the complex biodiversity of Cape York.

Finding a place for an independent year 9 only boarding school for 240 boarding beds in remote northern Australia comprising 120 remote students, 60 public school urban students and 60 private school students.

Opportunities

1. Allowing remote students curriculum catchup in a culturally safe community environment linked with sport, outdoor activities and non-curriculum hobbies.
2. For urban students to build connection to the land, environment and indigenous culture in a respectful community environment linking with sport, outdoor activities and hobbies to first nation connectivity.
3. Students teaching each other. Curriculum strong supporting the curriculum weak. Culturally strong supporting the culturally weak.

Flipping the way things are done:

• Taking urban “off country”, not the remote.
• Emphasis on cultural safety for all participants, without learning segregation and lowering the environmental barriers.
• Emphasis not on curriculum, rather community, activities, sport, hobbies and understanding the sacred first nations connection to their ancestors, culture, traditions, and identity, woven intricately into the fabric of their existence.
• Attracting the best staff/leaders/teachers, curriculum and non-curriculum, with high demand to work with students to be their best, as a cohort, not work with the best individuals.
• Focus away from individual and absolute measures. Looking to a group goal of lifting the 15 person units cohorts growth in all curriculum and non-curriculum measures.

The school will take 7 years to fully establish, cost around $40million and will require a very strong local indigenous partnership along with standard funding relationships with the Education departments of two State Governments, the Federal Government, Foundations and business.

While the attention in Northern Australia tends to be around infrastructure and mining projects, the future health of our economies and population growth depends upon diversity in industry and opportunity. Especially in home-grown businesses and startups which offer vast variety in both vertical and horizontal appear to the talent that we hope to attract to our towns and cities.

Post-pandemic, the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Darwin was lacklustre. There were silos of government-subsidised programs that refused to work with each other, not-for-profits that were more concerned about protecting their patch than developing business, and marketplace confusion on what was available and who to see about it.

What was needed was a new way of thinking, using the programs, delivery partners, venues, and people that were already in place but mostly knew nothing about each other.

In 2024, all segments of Darwin's entrepreneurial and startup community are aligned, referring and growing together. And the results have been outstanding.

So what did it take to bring everyone to the table, sharing resources and ensuring as little overlap as possible?

In this 60-minute masterclass with Darwin Innovation Hub Director of Innovation and Investment, Dante St James, you will learn:

1. What the various parts of any regional centre's entrepreneurial ecosystem are
2. What needs to occur to bring all the players together
3. What a collaborative startup ecosystem looks like in Northern Australia
4. What the results are after 12 months of working together
5. The blueprint for creating startup and entrepreneurial ecosystems in northern Australia