About the event

Unequal income and wealth distribution is dividing Australia.

In 2020, income for younger people is going backward. The wealthy are getting wealthier while the poorest Australians have seen their net wealth fall. And growth per capita is declining fast across many of Australia’s regions.

For many regional communities, the business as usual economic development option is no longer tenable – especially following the catastrophic summer bushfires and the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Now is the time to create fairer and more sustainable regional economies through Community Wealth Building, a people-centred approach to local economic development which aims to place control into the hands of local people and redirect wealth back into local economies.

Join Neil McInroy, Patrick Fensham and event moderator Phoebe Harrison for a live discussion on Community Wealth Building in Australia.

A leading commentator on economic development and public policy, Neil has featured in Local Government Chronicle’s annual top 50 most influential people in local government in the UK. He has been involved in public sector policy and delivery for over 25 years. Neil has collaborated with a broad range of local, regional and national governments and agencies across UK and in Europe, Asia, US and Australasia. His particular skills are in strategic policy, local economic and social research, analysis and development; research methodologies and facilitation.

Patrick (Pat) works to address social disadvantage and find solutions and innovations to policy challenges and issues. He specialises in regional and community economic development, metropolitan and strategic planning, infrastructure planning and funding analysis, cultural development and development feasibility analysis. He is focused on addressing urban and regional social disadvantage and promotes new policy solutions and innovations for progressive change.