Key messages

•  Strong and vibrant Smaller Cities and Regional Centres will enable national economic growth by relieving the pressure of population growth on Fast-growing Cities and developing key industries.

•  Smaller Cities and Regional Centres must be highly accessible to communities within the catchment of the services they host and better connected to Fast-growing Cities.

•  Improved infrastructure services and their associated amenity are critical for accelerating regionalisation and driving sustainable development of Smaller Cities and Regional Centres.

•  Place-based coordination and governance of major infrastructure planning and delivery will unlock the multiplier benefits of infrastructure investment for these communities.

•  Future infrastructure planning and delivery should be supported by an updated evidence base for population flows, particularly those driven by the COVID-19 pandemic.