FROM THE CEO
Jacqueline Brinkman , Chief Executive Officer
It is my pleasure to present the first edition of the Economic Development Australia ( EDA ) Journal for 2024 . This publication provides a diverse range of articles prepared by expert authors .
We are delighted to include a report by the team at the Institute for Regional Futures , University of Newcastle who have been engaged by Economic Development Australia ( EDA ) to deliver a project which seeks to measure and evaluate the scope , scale and impact of the economic development sector . This work , ably led by Professor Roberta Ryan , Sallyann Hunting and Myles Egan will support EDA in its sector development and advocacy work and to gain policymaker recognition of the value of place-based economic development approaches . This article reflects Stage 1 of the project which will be complete within the next couple of months . We look forward to reporting the overall findings at the National Economic Development Conference ( NEDC24 ) later this year .
Dr Kevin Johnson ’ s article further highlights the importance of the work being undertaken by EDA and the University of Newcastle . Kevin is leading a team to design a tool to measure the quality of life in any global city . This project is a continuation of Kevin ’ s work with UN- Habitat to help local governments align their activities with the UN Sustainable Development Goals by providing digital tools to monitor change . Kevin ’ s article sets out a compelling reason to use economic prosperity indicators to provide insight into the health and resilience of a local economy .
Kyle Barrie and Yadi Wang provide a fantastic international case study describing the bottom-up , communityoriented approach to disaster recovery , transport resilience and adaptation planning adopted by the Marlborough District Council in New Zealand .
We are also pleased to include an article by Paul Cranch which illustrates the symbiotic relationship between business tourism and economic growth .
Eric Parnis and Amanda Tarrant ’ s article provides excellent insight into how regions are seeking to harness the skills of the veteran community to address skill shortages . Bettina Davis and the team at Ninety Mile Consulting also touch on regional workforce issues with their research findings through a project delivered with Deakin University .
This edition lists the latest EDA members to achieve recognition as an Australian Certified Economic Developer ( ACEcD ) through the National Economic Development Education and Training Program . With over 500 people now having participated and around 300 having achieved ACEcD recognition , this program continues to grow in popularity and reputation . EDA is introducing four new modules this year with the addition of electives focussing on The Visitor Economy , The Events Economy , The Night Economy and Economic Development and Planning .
EDA has just launched registrations for the National Economic Development Conference ( NEDC24 ). We hope you will join us in Melbourne ( Naarm ) on October 16-18 for this flagship economic development event which features the theme ; The Power of Place .
The next EDA Journal will feature articles related to NEDC24 ’ s theme , so please get in touch if you would like to contribute .
Kind regards ,
Jacqueline Brinkman GAICD Chief Executive Officer Economic Development Australia
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT JOURNAL VOL 17 NO 1 2024 03