People, place, and getting out of the way

The role of people and purpose in regional prosperity: Discuss.

That's what more than 100 people did on 29 May at UNE SRI's NOVA premises. Part of the SRI's Future Series, the event put up a panel to consider how people, purpose (and place) support sustainable regional prosperity.

Sam Duncan, co-founder of FarmLab; Dr Sarah Pearson, UNE Chancellor; Michael Burge, writer and journalist; and Bernie Shakeshaft, founder of BackTrack Youth Works, had widely varying perspectives on the questions proposed by panel moderator, Renee Grogan, Stewardship Lead on JANA Sustainability Advisory Council.

There was consensus, though: give people the place and space to pursue a dream, link them into networks that can support and guide them, and the elements of prosperity will be built. Mostly, as Bernie observed, it's just about getting out of the way; but Sarah provided examples of where getting out of the way was made more effective because it was done within a wider ecosystem of opportunity.

Other recurrent themes: look after our place; don't overlook the kids. Missing from the discussion, as UNE Vice-Chancellor Professor Chris Moran noted in his summing up: "jobs, skills, regulation, projects, pitches and budgets".

The answers to regional prosperity are here, the event told us, in people and their sense of purpose given scope to flourish in this place.

Which happens to be exactly what the SRI is all about!

This event was proudly funded by the NSW Government through the Boosting Business Innovation Program.