Nick Klomp – vice-chancellor of CQUniversity – has attacked the wilful neglect of Australian regions, which are treated like ugly cousins of Australia’s cities:
Like it or not, Australia’s rise or fall over coming years will be played out in the regions, by the regions. The main problem is this: Regional Australia lacks both the quantum and dispersion of infrastructure, resources and specialised workforces required to meet these challenges, and metropolitan Australia appears comfortable with this vulnerability. The politely passive attitude of our city cousins towards our regions, combined with regional Australians’ frustrating propensity to be the ultimate “Quiet Australians”, is our recipe for self-harm…
As regional Australians we generate our fair share of national prosperity, yet we seem to expect very little from our country in return. With an attitude of resigned indifference, regional Australians appear to simply accept an inferior position on our nation’s economic, cultural and social ladder.
