SUBMISSION
INTRODUCTION EDA is ideally placed to support the Australian Government’ s productivity agenda. As the national peak body for economic development professionals, EDA builds capacity, promotes excellence and provides leadership on issues that matter to over 2000 members across Australia. EDA can play a connective role between policy development and place-based implementation across Australia.
Economic developers work at the forefront of complex economic challenges, delivering place-based solutions that benefit communities across urban and regional Australia. Local economic developers foster system-changing approaches to economic development and are supporting the Government’ s efforts to reshape the productivity landscape and respond with clarity and urgency to today’ s economic, social and geopolitical shifts.
EDA leads major national initiatives such as the National Economic Development Conference( NEDC) and National Roadshow. EDA designed and delivers the National Economic Development Training and Education Program which has transformed the sector by building capacity and offering new career pathways. Since its launch in 2020, the program has become a respected and recognised benchmark for professionals in the field, with over 700 participants and more than 400 EDA members currently holding Australian Certified Economic Developer( ACEcD) status.
EDA is ideally placed and welcomes the opportunity to support the Government’ s efforts to build economic productivity, complexity and resilience. With its highly engaged national membership of economic development leaders and globally recognised leadership, with strong understanding of transformative economic development policy and practice, EDA can play a connective role between industrial policy development and the application of industry, business and economic development activity across Australia.
EDA AT A GLANCE foster better connections between the research, innovation sector, industry and all levels of government through“ coordination, delivery and impact”.
EDA’ s well established, highly engaged national network can be leveraged to communicate and deliver the Government’ s industry, business and community development policies and programs to communities across Australia. Additionally, EDA’ s structure is suited to rapidly bringing place-based intelligence and data to Government to inform impactful policy development. Importantly, this approach represents a budget neutral, nimble, national( non-sector) approach to engage with the economic development sector.
CREATING A MORE DYNAMIC AND RESILIENT ECONOMY A recent landmark report 1 commissioned by EDA and prepared by the University of Newcastle’ s Institute for Regional Futures, provides evidence that the economic development sector directly create jobs and drives productivity:
• Economic developers working in the local government sector create over 13,700 jobs by facilitating businesses development and building local integrated supply chains.
• Economic developers in state and territory governments create over 35,000 jobs by supporting business attraction and regional investment.
• Economic developers working at a federal government level create over 80,000 jobs by driving monetary policy, investment attraction and enabling programs.
Australia’ s Economic Developers are working on the ground to facilitate the social licence for housing, energy transition, new industry development and high value investment. These professionals are the bridge builders, delivering the Government’ s ambitious productivity agenda, on the ground across the country.
EDA was pleased to note that in his first major ministerial address, Minster Ayers announced that“ Australia must build its economic complexity and resilience, and do it with purpose and urgency.” EDA agrees with the Minister’ s approach to
EDA invites the Australian Government to be a global leader in recognising the Power of Place in delivery of its productivity agenda.
EDA is uniquely placed to provide essential, place-based intelligence for the Government to leverage, support and accelerate coordinated industrial policy development and achievement of its objectives.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT JOURNAL VOL 18 NO 2 2025 07