Our partnership champions a range of priorities, some of which have led to new initiatives in our region.
On this page:
Gippsland Migrant Recruitment and Retention Charter
In 2023, the Gippsland Regional Partnership joined forces with Federation University's Collaborative Evaluation & Research Centre to progress a strategic priority relating to workforce attraction and retention. The project deepened awareness and understanding of the migrant experience in Gippsland, including attraction and retention factors, through a series of co-designed engagements undertaken between September 2023 and May 2024.
The project identified a need to establish a guide to support Gippsland employers and communities in attracting and supporting migrant workers to stay in Gippsland. And so was born the Gippsland Migrant Recruitment and Retention Charter.
The Gippsland Regional Partnership launched the Charter in November 2024. It is a commitment to shared values and principles for recruiting and retaining Migrants in Gippsland. The Charter provides its supporters with a clear outline of strategies and approaches, identified through the lived experience of migrants in Gippsland, to support migrant worker attraction and retention.
Download the Charter and strategy
You can download the Charter and the report, Development of a Network to Support Gippsland’s Migration Strategy, in PDF and Word formats. If you need these documents in an alternate format, please contact gippsland.partnership@rdv.vic.gov.
- Gippsland Migrant Recruitment & Retention Charter (PDF 797.21 KB)
- Gippsland Migrant Recruitment & Retention Charter (DOCX 2170.68 KB)
- Development of a Network to Support Gippsland’s Migration Strategy (PDF 3893.62 KB)
- Development of a Network to Support Gippsland’s Migration Strategy (DOCX 8211.82 KB)
Supporter network
- East Gippsland Shire Council
- Federation University
- Latrobe City Council
- Regional Migration Australia
- South Gippsland Shire Council
- TAFE Gippsland
- Wellington Shire Council
To join the network of supporters contributing to the objectives of the Charter, email gippsland.partnership@rdv.vic.gov.au.
Words from Gippsland
Words from Gippsland is a 6-part podcast series exploring inspiring stories with connections to Gippsland.
The project emerged from the Gippsland Regional Partnership’s interest in enhancing positive narratives about Gippsland, focusing on opportunity, and building upon collective aspirations for what is possible in the region.
Gippsland Regional Partnership engaged The View from Here and thanks to the support of Gippslandia, have the episodes featured in an introductory article.
Check out the article and episodes by visiting Gippslandia.
Workforce housing
Gippsland Regional Partnership identified workforce housing as a significant regional priority in the early stages of its second term. The Gippsland housing challenge is not new and has far-reaching impacts on the community. Lack of access to housing has been exacerbated in recent years by the impact of the 2019-20 bushfires and increases in migration to the region.
Securing workers for workforce shortages within construction, agriculture, teaching and health, for example, faces the additional challenge of lack of access to housing. As Gippsland’s economy continues to transition, there is a significant opportunity to attract and retain skilled workers in new and emerging sectors, provided there is the housing stock and infrastructure to support them.
To understand the workforce housing opportunities and challenges across Gippsland 2 pieces of work were commissioned.
Workforce housing industry engagement
To strengthen the partnership's understanding of industry perspectives on workforce housing challenges and opportunities, they engaged Aerium to facilitate 2 industry workshops and individual interviews with industry stakeholders.
Participants included land developers, real estate agents, and businesses with staff shortages exacerbated by housing shortages. More than 50 people came together to share their knowledge and experiences through workshops or individual interviews.
Aerium consolidated this information into the Gippsland Workforce Housing Review report which outlines a series of 17 recommendations.
View the Gippsland Workforce Housing Review (PDF 1350.67 KB) .
The Gippsland Workforce Housing Report
Cube Group was engaged and partnered with Aerium to deliver a report that reviews, analyses and articulates Gippsland’s land planning challenges and opportunities. It highlights the impact of housing needs on business’s workforce attraction and retention.
View the Gippsland Workforce Housing Report Gippsland Workforce Housing Report (PDF 929.13 KB)
If you require this report in an alternate format, please contact gippsland.partnership@rdv.vic.gov.au.
Past projects
Gippsland Regional Plan 2020-2025
The Gippsland Regional Plan is our long-term strategic plan for improving the economic, social, cultural, and environmental outcomes for our Gippsland region and our community.
It will guide us as we strive to reach our full potential and ensure that Gippsland is recognised as the place to live, work, invest and play.
- Gippsland Regional Plan, 2020-2025 - Brochure (PDF 992.42 KB)
- Gippsland Regional Plan 2020-2025 (DOCX 7253.42 KB)
An accessible version of this document is not currently available. If you need this information in an alternative format, email gippsland.partnership@rdv.vic.gov.au
Putting Gippsland tourism on the map
Tourism was a common priority identified by the Gippsland community at numerous Regional Assembly engagements and mini assemblies, and our ongoing consultation process.
As a direct result of the partnership's efforts, the Minister for Regional Development and the Minister for Tourism announced in 2017 $400,000 for the creation of a Gippsland Destination Management Plan.
The plan aims to increase Gippsland’s visitor economy, making it more competitive, adaptive, and diverse. Since the Gippsland Destination Management Plan was released in 2019, it was updated in February 2022 to reflect and build upon the significant work achieved since then.
Education: a real difference for Gippsland
At our 2017 assembly engagement, Gippslanders told us how important skills and education are for the future of our region, while at our 2018 assembly engagement, education and raising educational aspirations, again took centre stage.
We have repeatedly taken our region’s education and training message to the Victorian Government and were thrilled by announcements in the 2018/19 Budget of huge support for TAFE across the state, including $35.5 million for the redevelopment of Federation Training Morwell and $25 million for Federation Training’s Port of Sale Development to consolidate its services in Sale into a new education community and industry hub.
Our education aspirations for the region have also been aided by the new Gippsland Tech School, located at Gippsland's Hi Tech Precinct in Morwell.
The Gippsland Tech School includes a high-tech skills lab, a fabrication room and a makerspace for students to use and get hands-on experience with specialised high-tech equipment. The school will focus on science, technology, engineering and maths centred around Gippsland’s primary industries to improve employment pathways and future jobs for people across the region.
Gippsland Digital Plan
The Gippsland Digital Plan identified gaps in the region’s digital landscape while outlining priority actions for how these gaps can be addressed.
The plan brought together information on the region’s digital infrastructure and services, helping establish evidence-based existing and emerging gaps, needs and priorities.
Several priorities were identified to help close the digital divide across Gippsland, including addressing mobile blackspots, better services for remote and vulnerable communities, promoting stronger NBN and future technologies, facilitating digital literacy training and enhancing connectivity for tourism across the region.
Gippsland Regional Digital Plan (PDF 1518.03 KB)
Gippsland Digital Plan - supporting information (PDF 7340.54 KB)
Gippsland Digital Plan - supporting information (DOCX 29797.09 KB)