EDA Journal Vol 10. No.2 Spring 2017 | Page 4

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT QUARTERLY
during this year ’ s National Economic Development Gala Dinner and Awards Presentation , held on Thursday , October 12 at the historic St Patrick ’ s Hall in Ballarat . We hope you agree that the following synopses of entries illustrate the high quality of economic development work being undertaken across the country .

CHAIR ’ S REPORT

Economic Development Australia ( EDA ) is celebrating many milestones in 2017 . This year marks the 10th anniversary of EDA as the peak national body for economic development practitioners , strengthening and promoting economic development through state and national events , professional development , advocacy and member support .
We also recently welcomed the new Executive Officer , Jacqueline Brinkman to the EDA team . Jacqueline will work closely with the National Board and the State Practitioner Networks across Australia to strengthen the organisation for the benefit of all members . Ms Brinkman has worked in industry development across a range of sectors including the marine , arts , tourism and aviation industries . She has a strong marketing and communications background and her advocacy and lobbying work has resulted in positive regulatory and legislative change at a local , state and federal level . The EDA Board is very much looking forward to her input and enthusiasm in realising the potential for EDA and maximising benefits for our members .
The recent National Economic Development Conference in Ballarat was a great opportunity to reflect on EDA ’ s evolution over the last 10 years , the organisation ’ s achievements as well as the challenges shared with many other membership-based networks operating in an increasingly disruptive environment . EDA is committed to implementing innovative strategies to continue to grow and provide strong support and advocacy for Australia ’ s economic development practitioner community .
This special edition of the EDA journal , features the 2017 finalists and winners of the EDA Awards for Excellence . Winners and finalists were announced
We look forward to showcasing some of the awardwinning case studies in more detail throughout the year . These case studies illustrate leadership and provide evidence of a changing narrative and perception of the relationship between government and its communities ; namely the role of government as commissioners of public value as opposed to more standard providers of services . Within this environment , for economic development practitioners , there is the continual challenge of meeting the rising expectations of service delivery from our taxpayers and our communities .
Economic Development in general – and the initiatives described in the award submissions -provide a lens through which we can illustrate public value leadership occurring in communities throughout Australia . Economic Development is now deeply embedded in the leadership of state and city-wide growth strategies and community capacity building . The National Economic Development Award submissions provide compelling evidence of where this is occurring throughout Australia .
Also in this edition , we feature an article provided by Lee Pugalis , Professor of Urban Studies at the Institute for Public Policy and Governance , University of Technology Sydney . Entitled , “ Local government and economic development interpretations : enabling and constraining functions ”, the article draws upon recent research examining the role of local government in local and regional economic development ( Pugalis & Tan , 2017 ).
Also included in this journal is a paper provided by Thomas Devitt , an Economist with Geografia . The article entitled , “ From Resources to Tourism ” sheds light on some successful examples of communities transitioning form the resources sector .
As always , I would like to extend my sincere thanks and great appreciation to each of the current EDA directors for investing their valuable time , significant effort , good will and support .
To all our members , thank you for your continuing support and we look forward to working with you as we strengthen EDA ’ s position as the peak national body for economic development practitioners .
Mark Holdsworth ACEcD National Chair , Economic Development Australia
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