Over the past weeks, I have found myself constantly reflecting on this moment we are living through.
It feels like the world is shifting in ways that are impossible to ignore. At times, if I’m honest, I have felt deeply unsettled by it. I find myself trying to understand the moment, wanting to identify the source of change, as if naming it might somehow slow it down, or give us the power to halt it.
Of course, that’s nonsensical.
There’s that old saying about the things within our control, and the things beyond it.
And while the forces reshaping the world right now may sit firmly in the latter category, what is within our control is how we respond.
I’m sharing these reflections because, as CEO of Regional Development Australia Murray, and despite the occasional wave of uncertainty that comes with watching the world shift so rapidly, I know that what sits within my sphere of influence is connection, convening people, and helping shape the conversations that matter for our region.
And right now, those conversations have never been more important.
Because across the globe, geopolitical relationships are shifting. Nations are rethinking supply chains, energy security and sovereign capability. Industries are transforming at a pace we have not seen for generations. The energy system that powered the last century is being rapidly redesigned, while new technologies and new economic alliances are emerging.
In short, the global economic map is being redrawn.
For Australia, this moment has crystallised into a powerful national conversation: A Future Made in Australia.
But here is something that needs to be said more clearly: that future will not be built in our capital cities alone.
It will be built in Australia’s regions.
Regional Australia has always played an outsized role in powering the prosperity of this country. For generations, our regions have produced the energy that keeps our lights on, the food that feeds our population, and the resources that underpin our economy. Our manufacturing centres, logistics networks, farms and processing industries have quietly carried a significant share of the nation’s productivity.
Yet for too long, regional Australia has often been spoken about as if it sits on the periphery of the national story.
That could not be further from the truth.
Right now, regional Australia sits at the centre of one of the most significant economic transitions in modern history.
The energy transition is unfolding overwhelmingly across regional landscapes. Renewable Energy Zones, transmission infrastructure and large-scale generation projects are transforming the way energy is produced and delivered across the country. At the same time, advanced manufacturing is re-emerging as a strategic priority, particularly in sectors linked to clean energy technologies, defence capability, and complex supply chains.
Water security, agriculture, transport corridors, mineral processing, logistics hubs and industrial land — many of the assets that will define Australia’s future productivity — are found not in our capital cities, but across regional Australia.
And with them comes extraordinary opportunity.
Opportunity to attract major investment.
Opportunity to grow new industries.
Opportunity to drive innovation in energy, manufacturing and technology.
Opportunity to create skilled jobs and build stronger regional economies.
But opportunities like this do not automatically translate into outcomes.
They require leadership, collaboration and a willingness to step into the conversation.
That is exactly why the Regional Futures Forum is being convened.
Over two days, we are bringing together leaders from across energy, advanced manufacturing, water, logistics, research, education, government and industry to explore one central question: what role will regional Australia play in shaping the nation’s future economy?
Because the reality is this: regional Australia is not simply a host for infrastructure and projects decided elsewhere.
We are partners in the transformation that is underway.
Our communities will host the energy infrastructure that powers the nation. Our industries will drive the next generation of manufacturing and innovation. Our workforce will deliver the skills that keep these systems running. And our landscapes will continue to underpin the productivity that Australia depends on.
That means regional voices must be part of shaping the path forward.
The conversations we need to have are complex. They involve energy security, workforce capability, supply chains, community impact, industry transformation and national policy settings. But they are conversations that must happen — and they must happen with regional Australia at the table.
The Regional Futures Forum has been carefully curated to bring together some of the most thoughtful voices across these sectors, alongside regional leaders who are living these changes on the ground every day.
Because moments like this — moments when the world is shifting — create rare windows of opportunity.
The regions that recognise those moments, engage deeply with them, and work collectively to shape their future are the regions that thrive.
Regional Australia has everything it needs to lead in this next chapter: resources, ingenuity, industry capability, and communities that know how to build and adapt.
What matters now is that we lean into the moment.
That we step forward.
That we connect the right people.
That we ask the big questions about where this country is heading — and what role our regions will play in getting us there.
Because a Future Made in Australia will not simply happen on its own.
It will be built.
And regional Australia will be at the heart of it.
