Bunbury hosts futures conference
The South West Development Commission’s Critical Horizons Conference held earlier this year brought the future of regional Australia into sharp focus.
The two-day event looked at environmental, technological and social change and how it was likely to impact regional areas.
More than 200 delegates heard from a range of expert speakers, including several nationally acclaimed futurists.
The national conference, held in Bunbury in February, was designed to better prepare regions to manage their future, rather than be dictated to by it.
The event was organised by the Commission in partnership with the City of Bunbury, Edith Cowan University and the Bunbury Chamber of Commerce and Industries.
One of the challenges at the close of the event was to keep global trends in the consciousness of regional leaders so it became part of considered planning for the future.
A steering committee was formed to initiate a series of Critical Horizon innovative roundtables to maintain the momentum created by the initial event.
The concept of the roundtable is regular meetings between key government, business, education and community leaders, with expert speakers addressing a range of future-shaping issues.
The aim is that leaders will take the information presented at the roundtables back to their workplaces so it becomes an integral part of their planning.
Roundtables are expected to run quarterly, with the first one planned for November.
The topic for the inaugural roundtable will be renewable energy, looking at solar, wind, wave and tide and geothermal technologies.
Other planned roundtable events will consider water issues and factors involved with Mediterranean climates.