The Regional Australia Institute has been focused on some of these areas but this year will see some concentrated inquiry into just what is going on in the bush – and what is coming up.

The institute has flagged major work, including what it says is significant new insights for our national population debate with three separate inquiries into Regions in Transition, Future of Regional Jobs, and Regional Towns and Cities.

And chief among its work will be investigating the future of mid-sized towns – because that focus has us squarely in the mix because the inquiry project into Mid-Sized Towns will examine the economies of those with populations of 10,000-50,000.

“We need a better understanding of this group of places to drive successful regional policy alongside regional cities and our rural and remote areas,” it says.

It plans on consulting with towns around Australia, so there’s the prospect of the north west and New England contributing to the discussion.

It like us contend that these great small cities will become even more important to our national economy.

The project is set to investigate the potential benefits and costs of shifting future settlement patterns by reducing the urban sprawl around our largest cities and enabling faster growth for a connected network of regional cities and towns.

Another RAI project will look at growth prospects in agribusiness, manufacturing, tourism and creative industries, with keynote observations that agribusiness and tourism are predicted to be crucial drivers of future job growth in many regions.

It will investigate how regions are positioned to take advantage of potential growth and suggest ways communities and governments can strengthen their position to take full advantage of those opportunities. Another project inquiry will look at future jobs and regional workforce development.

They are inquiries we all look to for substantial strategy and policy direction.