CEDA - Hunter Regional Conference & Dinner

More than 150 guests attended the Infrastructure Dinner ‘The Hunter Region – NSW’s Powerhouse – Energy, Innovation and Infrastructure’ with guest speaker, the Hon Simon Crean MP, Minister for Regional Australia, Regional Development and Local Government, Minister for the Arts.

Mr Crean spoke on regional infrastructure, Newcastle innovation and business development and the Hunter region, making reference to the Regional Development Australia Fund and the recent $7million grant to the Newcastle Region Art Gallery and $698,000 to the Hunter Valley Research Foundation.

Keynote lunch speaker, Tom Gellibrand, Deputy Director General, Plan making and Urban Renewal, NSW Department of Innovation and Infrastructure - provided insights to a record number of 95 conference participants in planning and consultation processes and the NSW State Plan NSW 2021-32 Goals.

Regional Development Australia Hunter’s Chair, Gaye Hart, attended, with Todd Williams, CEO, RDA Hunter as a speaker in the opening session.  Other guest speakers from RDA Hunter included board members Neville Sawyer AM, CR John Tate and Paul Hughes.

Themes throughout the conference covered Energy, Innovation and Infrastructure, with a focus on the region’s heritage, indicators of continuing positive growth, innovative industries and creative people, the ‘smartness’ and productivity of government, business, universities, cultural institutions in the region.

Businesses represented and supporting included URS, RDA Hunter, GHD, Ausgrid, Parsons Brinkerhoff and Worley Parsons.

Next year’s Hunter Region Dinner and Conference will have a strong focus on Creative Hunter Region Industries.