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| Loddon Mallee Regional Partnership | |
|---|---|
| Name | Loddon Mallee Regional Partnership |
| Region | Loddon Mallee |
| State | Victoria |
| Established | 2016 |
| Jurisdiction | Local Government Areas in northern and north-western Victoria |
| Headquarters | Bendigo |
| Parent agency | Victorian Government |
Loddon Mallee Regional Partnership is one of nine regional partnerships established by the Victorian Government to provide localised advice to the Premier of Victoria and state ministries on regional needs across northern and north‑western Victoria. Covering a broad swath that includes urban centres, agricultural districts, and heritage corridors, the partnership liaises with municipal councils, statutory authorities and community organisations to influence state policy and investment. It operates within the framework of Victoria’s regional development architecture alongside bodies such as Regional Development Victoria and engages with federal entities including the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications.
The partnership’s catchment encompasses major population and service centres such as Bendigo, Swan Hill, Mildura, Echuca, and Maryborough, and includes shires like the Shire of Loddon, Swan Hill Rural City Council, Mildura Rural City Council, Central Goldfields Shire Council, and Mount Alexander Shire. It interfaces with cultural institutions such as the Bendigo Art Gallery and research organisations including the Agriculture Victoria Research network and the La Trobe University regional campuses. Key sectors represented include viticulture enterprises around Swan Hill Vignerons, irrigated horticulture in the Mildura district, and heritage tourism along the Goldfields corridor.
The partnership was created in 2016 following reforms announced by the Premier of Victoria and implemented through the Victorian Regional Statement process, designed to reorganise regional advisory mechanisms post the Regional Development Victoria reviews. Its establishment reflected recommendations from inquiries such as the Victorian Auditor‑General's Office reviews into regional service delivery and drew on consultation practices used in the development of the Murray‑Darling Basin Plan submissions and the Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission community recovery frameworks. The initial chairs and inaugural membership included representatives from bodies like the Bendigo Health board, the Victorian Farmers Federation, and regional Indigenous organisations such as local chapters of the Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Council.
Governance follows a ministerial appointments model with an independent chair reporting to the Minister for Regional Development (Victoria), while operational support is provided by Regional Development Victoria and the Victorian public service. Membership combines appointed community leaders, mayors from participating councils, and sector representatives from institutions such as Goulburn Murray Water, Country Fire Authority (CFA), VicRoads, and regional universities including Charles Sturt University campuses. Advisory input is coordinated through engagement with local economic development units in councils like Bendigo City Council and representative bodies including the Victorian Local Governance Association.
Priority areas identified in partnership advice to ministers have included rural health infrastructure upgrades involving Bendigo Health and Swan Hill District Health, water security projects intersecting with the Murray‑Darling Basin Authority, workforce development aligned with TAFE NSW and Gordon Institute of TAFE equivalents, and tourism development leveraging assets such as the Great Victorian Rail Trail and Mildura Arts Centre. Other initiatives reference transport upgrades on corridors managed by VicRoads and rail studies involving V/Line, while agricultural resilience projects cite collaboration with CSIRO and Agriculture Victoria.
Outcomes influenced by the partnership include targeted capital funding for regional road and hospital upgrades, advocacy that contributed to expansions of health services at Bendigo Health and community aged care at facilities administered by organisations like Riverina Health, and support for cultural projects involving the Bendigo Art Gallery and Mildura Arts Centre. Infrastructure project pipelines have tied into state programs such as the Regional Jobs and Infrastructure Fund and localised business incubation through partners including the Small Business Victoria outreach teams and regional chambers of commerce. Environmental projects have aligned with the North Central Catchment Management Authority and Mallee Catchment Management Authority planning.
Engagement methods include public forums held in towns like Kerang, stakeholder roundtables with groups such as the Victorian Farmers Federation and United Firefighters Union, and targeted workshops with Indigenous organisations including representatives from the Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation and Latji Latji groups. The partnership routinely coordinates with emergency management entities such as the Country Fire Authority (CFA) and the State Emergency Service (SES) for regional resilience planning, and links to education providers like La Trobe University and Swinburne University of Technology for skills programs.
Critiques of the partnership model have come from local councils and peak bodies such as the Municipal Association of Victoria and Victorian Trades Hall Council, highlighting perceived duplication with entities like Regional Development Australia committees and variability in secretariat resourcing from the Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions. Challenges include balancing competing priorities across geographically disparate centres from Mildura to Bendigo, negotiating water allocation tensions tied to the Murray‑Darling Basin debates, and ensuring sustained capital investment amid state budget constraints overseen by the Treasurer of Victoria. There have also been calls for clearer performance metrics comparable to frameworks used by bodies such as the Victorian Auditor‑General's Office and strengthened pathways for First Nations co‑design with organisations like the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service.
Category:Victoria (state) regional organisations