October - December 2023 Newsletter

CEO intro Thank you to all who supported RDA GW and our Greater Whitsundays region in 2023. We have had a number of good outcomes from various projects this year, with many more in the pipeline. Of note was the completion of the Women in Leadership program's first cohort - including the final event. It was also great to see good outcomes for projects supporting digital connectivity, thanks to significant investment from NBN and mobile operators, and time spent on policy work. I've listed some of the highlights from RDA GW's 2023, all of which are made possible thanks to our board, staff and stakeholders. By continuing to work with our three local governments and the Greater Whitsunday Council of Mayors, we've been able to help progress region-wide opportunity and needs - focusing on collaborative instead of competitive efforts. In 2023, we had three new committee members join the board - all of whom have fitted in seamlessly. With the local government elections in 2024, there could be further changes - as our board includes a representative from each council. If there are changes, then I'd like to take this opportunity to also thank everyone for their commitment during their term. Our new chairperson will also be finalised in early 2024, with nominations being considered at the moment. In 2024, RDA GW will be looking to continue identification and facilitation of regional development priorities. Until then, we'd like to wish everyone happy holidays and a great start to the New Year. Regards, Robert Cocco CEO - RDA GW

First Women in Leadership program complete There will be new Women in Leadership offerings in 2024, but while we finalise those - we were happy to celebrate the completion of the first program, which took place over a total of 16 months. The final celebration/graduation was held at the Mackay Turf Club, with both participants and mentors attending. We've noted a significant difference in the participants from the start to program completion – including increased confidence and self-worth.  Advancement of Gilmore Space Technologies This year, Gilmore completed operational works - a project many years in the making, but a very exciting one for our greater region. In 2024, we can expect to see launch activities and operations commence. Collaborative approach to housing We held the initial housing round table, study and Summit in 2023, which all worked towards the formation of the Housing Alliance - with the purpose of implementing the strategy action plan. We're starting to see action already from this - including an EOI from Mackay Airport regarding workforce accommodation. We ask that you share this EOI with your networks as well, so that we can gauge whether the business community has a need for this type of accommodation so that we can proceed to the next stage of planning. Other Tier 1 housing developers are also now engaged and interested in the Greater Whitsundays, and it's great to see the beginning of momentum developing. Agricultural industry awareness This year, we continued to work with stakeholders to encourage export studies and focus on branding our region, with a view to engaging investor interest for agricultural development. This has proven fruitful so far, for both domestic and export purchases. Regional digital roadmap progress We now have a consolidated list of priorities for digital infrastructure needs, which is already manifesting into projects, such as the Black Spot Program. With a clarified focus on what the needs are, we can now work towards key projects and initiatives with a combined effort across the region.

[E] ceo@rdagw.org.au                [PH] 07 4957 6160                www.rdagw.org.au Copyright © 2023 Regional Development Australia Greater Whitsundays, All rights reserved.