Welcome
2016 Highlights
26–28 October 2016
Albany Great Southern, WA
As Chairman of the Great Southern Development Commission (GSDC), it is my great pleasure to invite you to attend the 2016 Albany and Great Southern SEGRA conference between 26-28 October 2016.
Albany and the Great Southern are pleased to host the 2016 SEGRA conference, which this year celebrates its 20th anniversary. The 2016 conference is the first time that SEGRA has been hosted by a region rather than a single city destination. Thanks to the support and collaboration from our 16 regional partners, the Commission looks forward to delivering an exciting, relevant and engaging program for you.
The GSDC is the State Government’s regional development arm in Western Australia’s Great Southern. Its role is to coordinate and support economic and social development in the region. Our vision for our region is that the Great Southern is recognised internationally as a natural choice for opportunity and lifestyle.
The Great Southern extends along the picturesque southern coast of Western Australia and encompasses productive rural lands and communities approximately 200 kilometres inland. It covers more than 39,000 square kilometres, or 1.5 per cent of the state’s total land area.
Primary production is the mainstay of the Great Southern economy. Retail trade, construction and tourism also make significant economic contributions and we have a growing niche aquaculture industry. Quality wine grapes from the Great Southern’s five wine subregions have helped the region develop a reputation for premium wine.
Albany is the largest population centre in the Great Southern and will be your host city for the 2016 SEGRA conference. Albany has a rich and celebrated history. Aboriginal people have lived in the area for at least 20,000 years and, founded in 1826, Albany is the oldest continuous European settlement in Western Australia.
With a theme of "Naturally Stronger Regions: Realising the Potential", the 2016 SEGRA conference will showcase how the Great Southern is using its natural and human resources to maximise its potential in the areas of agriculture, tourism, aquaculture and education, to name a few.
I encourage you to actively participate in the 2016 SEGRA conference and embrace the opportunity to share ideas, challenges and learnings on realising regional potential and how regional Australia will continue to be a focus for the national policy agenda.
For more information on the Great Southern, I encourage you to visit the Commission’s website or download a copy of the Great Southern Regional Investment Blueprint, which provides a strategic framework and evidence base to support future economic development and strategic planning at the regional level.
I look forward to welcoming you to Amazing Albany and the Great Southern.
Peter Rundle
Chairman
Great Southern Development Commission
