Liz Ritchie
CEO, Regional Australia Institute (RAI)
Liz Ritchie’s had a lifelong affiliation with regional Australia, having spent her childhood in Deniliquin in south-western New South Wales. As CEO of the Regional Australia Institute her goal is to empower regions to thrive through leadership, activation, and impact. Liz spearheaded the development of the Regionalisation Ambition – a 10 year, 20 goal framework, that aims to ‘rebalance the nation’ by ensuring greater equity for our rural and regional communities.
Elevating regional Australia in a rebalanced nation
After a decade of research into the light and shade of regions, in 2022, the RAI launched the nation’s only holistic plan for regional Australia. The sets targets across all the fundamental parts of regional living and challenges the nation to think differently and do better when it comes to regional policy and investment. At the heart of the Ambition is a goal to address the region’s current housing challenges and better prepare for an already growing population. In February, the RAI brought more than 350 delegates together at the National Regional Housing Summit to discuss the barriers but most importantly, the solutions, to realising bolstered, fit-for-purpose housing stock in regional Australia. The RAI is supported by a diverse network of members spanning corporate Australia with an influence and impact in the regions and regional LGAs and RDAs, and leads its signature Intergovernmental Shared Inquiry Program: a collaboration between Federal, state and territory governments.
