Law and Management

Centre for Sustainable Regional Communities

The Sustainability of Australia's Country Towns

Third National Country Towns Conference 2010

To be held on 30th September and 1st October 2010

La Trobe University, Bendigo Campus

In 2000 and 2005, the Centre hosted Conferences on Australia's country towns. The first on the future of and the second on the changing nature of country towns.

In 2000, the attention was on the very existence of Australia's country towns based on the belief that the globalisation agenda would see many simply swallowed up as the world moved to one market economy. How wrong that view was.

In 2005, our closer examination showed that there was great diversity in Australia's country towns and that their changing nature reflected many things to do with the very nature of these towns themselves and the context that they found themselves in.

In 2010, the Centre will host the third in this series of conferences with a focus on the sustainability of Australia's country towns.

In 2010, the sustainability agenda is writ large across Australian Communities and in our country towns in particular. Driven by immediate concerns of environment; from disasters of fire and flood to fundamental changes driven by long term climate change, such as the recognition that south eastern Australia's long term future will be hotter and dryer, communities are working with governments to build resilience and decrease vulnerabililty to assure a sustainable future.

At the 2010 conference, we will explore how the diversity of country towns across the nation are responding to the call for a sustainable future. We will use the many different perspectives to build a framework that shows the choices communities have working together and with governments to realise this outcome.

Conference registrations are now open.

Please complete and return the registration form (PDF108KB). Alternatively, to process your registration and payment online, please visit the Conference online registrations and payments website.

A draft program (PDF 156KB) and a schedule of speakers/topics (PDF 35KB) is now available.