Realising the RAPAD Big Vision · 2018-11-02 · Realising the RAPAD Big Vision 1 1 1 1 Images courtesy of Tourism & Events Queensland. Acknowledgements Global Futuremakers wishes

KEY STEPS TO TRANSFORMATIVE CHANGE FOR A THRIVING, SELF SUFFICIENT

& SUSTAINABLE OUTBACK COMMUNITY

Realising the RAPAD Big Vision

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1 Images courtesy of Tourism & Events Queensland

Acknowledgements Global Futuremakers wishes to acknowledge the following contributors/ reviewers:

- Leann Wilson and family for generously providing their lived experiences within the region to contextualise the opportunities within this document.

- Ashleigh and Jaine Morris, of The Circular Experiment.

- Professor Ben Hankamer, Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Queensland.

- Department of Environment and Science

- Department of State Development

- David Arnold, RAPAD.

- Morgan Gronold, RAPAD.

- The Mayors of the seven councils forming the RAPAD region – Barcaldine, Barcoo,

Blackall-Tambo, Boulia, Diamantina, Longreach and Winton.

CONFIDENTIAL – prepared as a conceptual document only. This document does not constitute formal advice.

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Executive Summary The success of the RAPAD Region – looking into the future This is the story of a community that empowered itself by enhancing its self-reliance to foster community resilience. By moving away from centralised government models of service, this community mobilised partnerships around the nation and the world to reinvigorate and transform its economy. Having established a successful agricultural brand based on a sustainable, low carbon farming practice, national and international demand is high for the RAPAD community’s unique and ethical products. A focused international, service-based airport (Longreach Airport), facilitates and services this demand. However, the RAPAD community has actively promoted its brand nationally – and has commenced a range of tourism activities based around the region’s bounty. The recognition of local indigenous culture and knowledge has transformed the tourism sector, driving the expansion of cultural tourism, food travel and festivals expand throughout the region. A small number of restaurants are established as a result, with partnerships with significant city restaurants, who actively compete for access to the region’s produce. The area has continued to expand its bio-dome food production to support its growing population – and tourism. A range of accommodation has emerged in the area that continues to support a circular economy approach and broader efficiency goals of the RAPAD community. However, the most significant transformation is in the health and wellbeing of the RAPAD community. The long-established renewable energy distribution network, which is community owned, has successfully delivered low-cost energy to the region, through an integrated digital economy. Water management opportunities have enhanced community resilience, opened up by access to cheap power. Hence, although there has been significant drought throughout the intervening period, the region has improved climate resilience. Adaptability has been the outcome of valuing the knowledge from indigenous and local communities and coupling the learnings with advancing technologies. Enhanced resilience around food production, water, advanced technology tracking of stock welfare, and predator elimination, has minimised losses. The overall health of the community has also improved substantially against national health measures. A recently commissioned university study attributed this increase to several factors, including: the increased access to locally produced fresh food; access to high quality medical services through e-health services (a result of the digital framework); increased automation in farm management; and most importantly an empowered community that feels risk managed and in control of its future. Similarly, education standards throughout the region are on par with the best in the country, as the region’s focus on leveraging a robust digital economy has opened up national and international partnership opportunities throughout the region, connecting the remotely located with world-class educational opportunities. Youth and families retention in the area has significantly increased – and the population is growing, with a new generation of young, educated agriculturists attracted to


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the region’s forward-looking approach. The community has formed a range of technology partnerships around the world – resulting in a significant number of internships served at the various next-generation industries, and the scientific services laboratories established early in the food production transformation of the region. The next stage of significant growth for the region is also well underway, as the Diamantina province exploration expands. The RAPAD community has cautiously entered into this enterprise, prioritising the health and needs of its region, over short-term riches. As a result, the area is attracting a range of international university and industry partnerships. The world demand for rare earth metals remains high, and the region is providing a world-leading approach for redefining a traditionally environmentally toxic and hazardous to community industry. The community engagement and support for the emergence of this industry has built over many years, with a focus on the health, safety and liveability of the region. The community has worked hard to establish a healthy society, and develop premium ethical produce, highly sought across the country and in international markets. Its advances into potentially competing industries are cautiously executed. The region hasn’t reached the target of 1 million sheep just yet. Thanks to the success of strategies to reduced losses to predators, and the local economy built on a boutique industry, the region is nearing the capacity of its vital infrastructure needed to support existing stock numbers – energy, water, food production – and abattoir throughput capacity. The sideline manufacturing industries that have spun off from this one million sheep initiative are well established, and also nearing peak capacity. No one fully anticipated the flow through revenue and industry opportunities that taking a circular economy approach would mean to the RAPAD region. The economic performance of the RAPAD region is one of the strongest in Australia. However, the economic transformation of the area hasn’t been easy, or without failures along the way. This approach was implemented at a time of extreme hardship in our region, after sustained drought, high unemployment, and continual loss of population from the area. It has relied on partnerships between industry, research, and government – and access to a range of state and federal funds. Most critically, it has been built on buy-in from the RAPAD community. The community was asked if it wanted to be empowered, self-sustaining, with greater control of its destiny – and overwhelmingly, it insisted that it did. This commitment has seen the area emerge from hardship – and transition into a climate resilient region. The region is an energy powerhouse in Queensland – embodied through its industry supply chains, supplied by its natural resources.


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Table of Contents

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................... 0

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................ 1

REALISING THE RAPAD BIG VISION ....................................................................................... 4

CHALLENGE .................................................................................................................................. 4 CONTEXT ..................................................................................................................................... 4 WHAT IS THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY? ........................................................................................................7 WHY A CIRCULAR ECONOMY APPROACH? ....................................................................................... 8 WHAT DOES THE APPROACH LOOK LIKE? ........................................................................................ 9 WHO ARE OUR STAKEHOLDERS? ..............................................................................................................9 1. VALUING KNOWLEDGE ......................................................................................................... 10 2. RENEWABLE ENERGY AND DIGITAL ....................................................................................... 11 3. WATER HARVEST, MANUFACTURE, TREATMENT AND MANAGEMENT ........................................ 13 4. FOOD PRODUCTION – FEEDING HUMANS AND ANIMALS IN THE REGION .................................... 15 5. MANUFACTURING AND WASTE MANAGEMENT ...................................................................... 18 6. SERVICES AND INTERNATIONAL MARKETS .............................................................................. 23 6.1 INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT ............................................................................................................23 6.2 CULTURAL TOURISM .....................................................................................................................24 6.3 FOOD TOURISM.............................................................................................................................26 6.4 EDUCATION AND HEALTH TRANSITION .......................................................................................26

IS THIS THE VISION? ............................................................................................................... 30

NEXT STEPS ................................................................................................................................ 31 OUR REGION, OUR FUTURE ......................................................................................................... 31

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Realising the RAPAD Big Vision

This project intends to provide a structured framework, with a core process that enables the realisation of the Central West Queensland Remote Area Planning and Development Board (RAPAD) Vision: For our region to generate Queensland’s electricity needs from renewable energy, in turn facilitating transformative economic and social benefit for our region, while becoming an energy superpower of the low carbon world.

Challenge The real challenge is to ensure whole of community ownership for the economic transformation of the RAPAD communities, and the adoption of a sustainable pathway to achieve it. This project intends to provide a structured framework, with a core process that enables the realisation of the Central West Queensland Remote Area Planning and Development Board (RAPAD) Vision.

Context

Figure 1: The council regions represented on the RAPAD Boardi There are seven council shires represented on the RAPAD Board – Barcaldine, Barcoo, Blackall-Tambo, Boulia, Diamantina, Longreach and Winton. Between these seven councils, a (comparatively) sparse population of 10,475 people live in a region covering 22.9% of Queensland’s land area. Not surprisingly, 52.3% of all businesses registered in the region are directly related to agriculture, forestry and fishing. For this document, all of the communities covered by the land area represented by figure 1 will be referred to as the RAPAD communities.


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The broader RAPAD community is facing significant challenges, of which the RAPAD board and representative councils are intensely aware. The region has been ‘drought declared’ since January 2014, and distinctly suffering in the years leading up to, and post, declaration. Regional population is declining, with a loss of 1.5% between 2001 and 2017. The cumulative population loss of around 12.5% between 2011 and 2016 occurred across every age group 0-54 years, while the demographics for ages 55 and above increased, including a 30.8% increase for 85 years and above. In effect, families are exiting the region, while aged care participants are moving in. Community exit has the effect of enhancing an already increasingly ageing demographic, while the existing and emergent workforce recedes (Figure 2).

Figure 2: ABS 3235.0, Population by Age and Sex, Regions of Australiaii. The impact of extended drought and declining RAPAD communities population is affecting the individual and community well-being of the region. Individual life satisfaction is low (69.3/100 compared with 73.7 for Queensland), as is health satisfaction (60.7 compared with 75.5), and sense of achieving in life (58.9 compared with 75.5) resulting in some of the lowest wellbeing scores across regional Australia. Conversely, individuals feel safer in this region than anywhere else in regional Australia (88.5 compared with 80.1). Community resilience scores remain some of the highest in regional Queensland and regional Australia (73.4% compared with 70.25 and 70.8%) , but liveability (72.6% compared with 87.2%), community pride (70.8% compared with 82.5%), and most critically, community optimism (54.1% compared with 72.0%) are some of the lowest scores across Australia. The region is also indicating less faith in government (i.e. institutional capital), while there are significant proportions of the community who feel they are not experiencing equity and inclusion (e.g. 45.1% believe some groups not made to feel welcome compared


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with 34.0% in regional Australia). The region also registers the lowest social capital (feeling welcome, part of the community) of any area in rural and regional Australia (60.6% compared with 71.9%). Financial capital, concerning well-being, is low throughout the region, with only 42.2% indicating no, or very low financial distress (compared with regional Australia, 56.6%). There is recognition that the economic well-being of the region’s broader community is suffering, with some of the lowest employment prospects in Australia. In effect, there is a convergence of declining human, social and institutional capital throughout the region. Prolonged drought and the associated economic hardship is exposing the cracks around community inclusiveness and participation, and eroding optimism. These issues are mature – which is likely to create challenges. There is, however, an active window of opportunity. Self-efficacy throughout the community remains high, indicating that there is still a sense of control of one’s own destiny across the region. Given that 20.2% are considering leaving the area in the next 12 months, part of this control may be tied to the knowledge that there are exit options. However, there is good evidence that citizens with higher self-efficacy have a stronger belief in their ability to influence local outcomes, and are therefore more likely to participate in, and support, community-led proposals. Harnessing this community ‘buy-in’ is an urgent requirement to arrest the decline in institutional capital; knowledge transfer is a critical component for economic transition, based on community connectedness. Building and rebuilding trust in institutional infrastructure is essential. While there are many aligned concerns and shared outcomes sought by the seven councils, it needs to be recognised that within RAPAD members, there are unique concerns and challenges to each council. Consequently, any development arising from realising the RAPAD vision must demonstrate a benefit for all councils, while recognising that this benefit may be disproportionate at different stages throughout the development and implementation of this vision. However, this process must from the outset seek to deliver improved outcomes for all regions under RAPAD, or it will fail to maintain the support required to achieve this project. Because of the state of wellbeing throughout the region, rebuilding social and institutional capital should be a priority as part of any investment strategy throughout the area – and will be critical to risk management. It also needs to be recognised that RAPAD is unlikely, in its current configuration, to have sufficient staffing resources. RAPAD staff are spread remarkably thin, resulting in some highly adaptable resources, but no or limited capacity to specialise in the development, and potentially, execution of the RAPAD vision. A wide range of specialist services will be necessary throughout transformation of the RAPAD community economy. There appears to be a consensus between government and RAPAD that the priority of any investment attraction should be on improving the livability of the region. This priority


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should stretch into community resilience by self -sufficiency; a view consistently supported by the RADAP discussions, recognising that investment in large-scale solar or other technology alone does not transform the region, or provide substantial economic growth. Critically, liveability is essential to stem the haemorrhaging of the community (0-54 years of age), exiting from the RAPAD region. Self-sufficiency, in its purest form, must consider energy, water and food production. Circular economy principles can deliver this vision, through a lens of systems thinking. The RAPAD community understands the interconnection between the community’s resilience and the environmental and economic systems of the area. The critical limiter for installing large-scale renewable energy is that there needs to be a guaranteed load – i.e. guaranteed energy demand. Without demand, installing large-scale renewable generation into a constrained transmission asset, to travel several hundred kilometres in towards Brisbane, is not efficient, and fails to address the existing community service obligation. Food production and water manufacture are efficient and ‘circular’ uses of energy to create guaranteed energy loads, while also generating employment.

What is the circular economy? The circular economy is a systemic shift from the traditional linear economy (“take-make-dispose” extractive model) that builds economic, natural and social capital, based on three fundamental principles: design out waste and pollution; keep products and materials in use and regenerate natural systems. Under the circular economy concept, consumption only occurs in biological cycles. Food and other biomass (e.g. cotton, wood, sugarcane, bamboo) feedback into the biological cycle through mechanisms like composting and anaerobic digestion, recycling organic matter to regenerate living systems (e.g. soil), and produce renewable resources (e.g. food and biomass crops). In contrast, technical cycles are designed to recover and restore products, components and materials, through strategies like reuse, repair, remanufacture, and as a last resort, recycle. A fundamental shift throughout this system is the use of renewable energy. This concept isn’t new – in fact, it has been evolving for thousands of years, practised by indigenous people around the world. It has re-emerged in industrialised nations during times of depressed resources and economies. Now, with the rapid advances of a digital technology economy, the concept is evolving to reflect a pathway for rapid systems transition and transformation. Source: Adapted from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.


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Figure 3: Outline of a Circular Economyiii

Why a circular economy approach? To date, much of Australia has focused on a linear economy approach. That is, a “take, make and dispose” model. The risk in this approach is that it fails to consider and value full utilisation of a resource – and consequently enhances waste and waste management issues. The circular economy approach breaks from the traditional linear economy approach. By focusing on keeping resources in use for as long as possible, we increase the opportunity to extract maximum value and allow for recovery and regeneration of alternative products and materials at the end of life. That is, from the outset, all products produced within the value chain are assigned a value, closing the loop. This approach maximises environmental (natural), social and economic capital encapsulated within the circuit of activity. The circular economy adroitly aligns with the value set of RAPAD community members, while providing unique opportunity first to meet the needs of the community, followed by amplification of state, national and global opportunities. Our First Nations People have provided exemplary circular economy approaches throughout their 50,000 years (or more) occupation of Australia. Our broader Australian society is only


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beginning to appreciate the extraordinary land, water, climate and bio-indicator driven knowledge, intrinsically underpinning indigenous culture. Including indigenous communities will enhance the approach undertaken by RAPAD to realise its vision, while partnerships that recognise, value and partner with indigenous knowledge will deliver synergistic economic, environmental and social benefits, tangible and intangible to all of the RAPAD community.

What does the approach look like? “Can renewable energy bring transformative change?”

The RAPAD board raised this question in February 2018 to a range of renewable energy experts. The answer, of course, is that yes, renewable energy can bring about transformative change. However, this transformative change is most likely to be achieved when focused on servicing the needs of the RAPAD communities. The following outlines the essential elements to complete this transformation. The remainder of this paper addresses the key stages involved in achieving the regional transformation that facilitates community resilience, and emergence, by enhancing regional self-sufficiency. Six tiers form the nucleus of this approach: 1. Valuing knowledge 2. Renewable energy and the digital economy 3. Water harvest, manufacture, treatment and management 4. Food production – Feeding humans and animals in the region 5. Manufacturing 6. Services and international markets.

While this approach is broadly sequentially staged, in the order outlined above, practical implementation is more likely to result in a range of sub-projects developing within each tier, in parallel. Suggestions are included towards the end of the paper.

Who are our stakeholders? The RAPAD communities that is, everyone residing within the boundaries defined by the seven councils forming the Central West Queensland Regional Organisations of Councils, are the fundamental internal stakeholders. However, these stakeholders are likely to be represented by specific stakeholder groups, including: • RAPAD Board • Barcaldine, Barcoo, Blackall-Tambo, Boulia, Diamantina, Longreach and Winton Shire

Councils • Local Indigenous communities • Small-medium enterprises A significant number of external stakeholders are also likely, including:


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• Queensland Government (e.g. Department of State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning; Queensland Treasury Corporation; Department of Environment and Science; Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Energy)

• Energy Queensland • Energy companies • Consortium collaborators • Financial and funding partners (e.g. CEFC, Northern Australia Infrastructure Fund,

Regional Australia funding) • A range of technology companies/university partnerships.

1. Valuing knowledge Central West Queensland poses some of the most challenging living and economic conditions in Australia, swinging from extreme drought into flooded isolation. However, there is fundamental knowledge, held within the elders of our community, based on working in partnership with the land. Australia’s First Nations people have observed these conditions first hand, over thousands of years, and recorded their observations – and adaptations – through Indigenous knowledge systems. In particular, there is a wealth of ecological knowledge and understanding, which western culture has underappreciated. There has also tended to be a narrow view of what constitutes assets and resources in the region. Valuing the intellectual property of indigenous communities, and resetting the lens to widen our understanding of the region’s potential, is critical to recognising new and unique opportunities in the area. We also have the opportunity to value the knowledge base of the broader RAPAD community – the intergenerational families have worked the land, stockmen and women (indigenous and non-indigenous), to learn from their experiences. Economic transition throughout the RAPAD community is dependent on learning from the past, understanding our strengths and weaknesses, and opening the region to new platforms for effective and efficient transformation.

Figure 4: Transformative change for RAPAD community – starts with the community’s strongest assets – valuing knowledge.

RAPAD


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2. Renewable Energy and Digital Energy is an all empowering resource. Its first time roll-out in emerging nations transforms lives through water access, food, health, employment, education - and equality. As a consequence, there is a tendency to overlook or misunderstand the result of low-cost energy in first world nations who have long appreciated the benefit of access to electricity. There is also a failure to recognise the community value on self-reliance. In a world where the changing climate is reducing the annual and inter-annual predictability of our regions, the reliance on central governance for core services undermines community resilience. Renewable energy, in its multi-faceted forms, provides an opportunity to reset the community expectation of every level of government – and government assumptions about community capability. Access to reliable, cost-effective energy re-establishes a community’s independence by enabling the potential to capitalise on its unique assets and locations, enabling sustainable growth. This approach is not unique. In fact, local governments around the world have been moving away from the centralised generation model, and into locally produced and distributed models over the last 10-15 years – in industrialised and emerging economies. The digital economy is a critical contributor to the level of sophistication and flexibility provided by renewable energy solutions. While the necessity of a digital economy is not articulated at this time, it is sufficient to highlight that an effective digital strategy is essential to greater

Valuing knowledge I was born and lived in Barcaldine for much of my life and continue to have connection to the region. A good part of my professional career was working with the Department of Main Roads in Barcaldine where I established the inaugural Native Title and Cultural Heritage Officers and later these positions were deployed across Queensland. The essence of these positions was to engage, identify and protect the cultural and environment assets across the region whenever there was road works and infrastructure development. I recall the Deputy Director General at the time saying, ‘historically we used to spend 70% of our time putting bitumen down and 30% engaging with community however in todays climate reverse those percentages to 70% engagement and 30% laying bitumen as it is important to understand the place, its people and their stories.’ The Thomson River Bridge project was a great example of capturing stories from the Indigenous and non-Indigenous stock men and women, the Pastoralists and the local community. The lessons learnt were many and a fundamental principle emanated and that was to view a situation through multiple lens to capture the local knowledge, and that of academia. Across the Main Roads footprint, which is inclusive of the RAPAD region, there is a treasure trove of rare flora and fauna and unique stories that adds to distinctiveness and bespoke opportunities. Leann Wilson (Thompson) Executive Director Regional Economic Solutions.


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energy autonomy within the region. Given the focus and prioritisation of RAPAD on ensuring a digital strategy, the broader RAPAD community is well positioned to attract a range of renewable energy investment. The challenge, however, is to determine how much energy the RAPAD community will need – which will depend on the appetite for the growth of the following tiers presented in this paper. However, the approach is based on community ownership of the network. This is a first and critical step in mobilising and empowering the region.

Additional note: In July 2018, the ACCC released a report on the Electricity Supply and Prices Inquiry, indicating network costs continue to be the most significant contributor to Australia’s high electricity prices. The report also recognised that customers should not “be paying more for electricity because of poor past decisions, or inappropriate market behaviour.” Such has been the case for regional Queensland. It is not the intent of this report to disconnect the RAPAD region from the national electricity market entirely, but rather to establish sufficient generation within the area, scaling with growth and substantially reducing the interaction between the regional grid, and transmission network. As further detail evolves regarding a National Energy Policy, it is increasingly clear that regional energy security requires greater local management and ownership.

Financing a new approach The argument for enhanced distributed energy generation within the region is financially compelling for the RAPAD community and Queensland Government. Approximately $13 million annually is diverted by the Queensland Government into Community Service Obligations (CSOs) to subsidise power imports to a ‘fringe of grid’ distribution system, fed by a long thin transmission line. Additional distributed generation (both household and more significant scale) within the region currently is limited by ownership of the distribution asset. Consequently, a critical step in enhanced regional self-sufficiency is returning locus of control for energy management (including investment in generation, supply and distribution) to the region. In effect, a new model of electricity infrastructure asset ownership and operation is required, that focuses on delivering lowest cost energy to the region. There is increasing recognition by the Queensland Government that the existing model of service delivery is not fostering community growth or resilience – and we know that low cost energy transforms lives .

Increasingly, the Queensland Government recognises that unique, special purpose vehicles for energy management in regional Queensland are more likely to drive local development and reduce the burden of CSOs.


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Figure 5: Transformative change for RAPAD community – Second tier, renewable energy and the digital economy.

3. Water harvest, manufacture, treatment and management Water access, supply, and management vary significantly across the RAPAD communities, reflecting the regional diversity of a land area that represents approximately 22% of Queensland’s land mass. The capacity to serve community needs year-round, irrespective of climate impacts is a fundamental indicator of community resilience. However, ensuring full value and utilisation of water as a resource is essential to open transformation opportunities, with futureproofing. All forms of water, including the manufacture of water, and wastewater, are considered in this section. Valuing the reuse and recycling of water is critical to a circular economy approach. Spin-off opportunities are a consequence. For example, with renewable energy, nutrients can be harvested from sewage effluent (wastewater) via microalgae farms, while the sewage sludge can be anaerobically digested to produce biogas and soil conditioner/fertiliser. The nutrient-rich algae are subsequently converted into fertiliser or protein, each saleable and valuable products, while the water is recycled - becoming a viable input for a potential industry, which in turn will continue to provide an input service for the sewage farm. By recycling and harvesting value products within a traditional waste chain, additional renewable energy is captured and utilised, with resources for alternative industries – and a means of sustaining a sewage farm that might otherwise suffer from seasonality, by creating an ongoing load. The digital economy enables enhanced efficiency in water utilisation, demand management, automated processing and manufacture, and sophisticated systems such as microalgae nutrient harvesting.

Renewable energy + digital economy

RAPAD


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Figure 6: Sewage farm wastewater harvesting and recycling

Consequently, the third tier for transformative change, throughout the RAPAD region, is the capacity to comprehensively manage water and wastewater throughout RAPAD communities – as per figure 6, to meet tomorrow’s community needs into perpetuity.

Sewage Farm

micro algae farm

industry

Fertiliser,

Protein

Indigenous use of Microalgae While micro algae have recently emerged as a high value protein biomass, indigenous stockmen have long understood the value as feedstock, and harvested accordingly. The Thompson family were incredible stock men and women with a robust resilience to the environmental conditions in which they lived and worked. The key to our resilience was living with the environment and observing through a holistic lens and applying those observations to everyday life which is a fundamental principle of First Nation sustainability. It is interesting to me to now learn that algae are a high value protein biomass, and I smile as I now understand the science around algae. I recall my father the late Roy Thompson getting me and my brothers to collect algae when we would clean the water troughs. We would dry it, and then he would crush it up and feed to weak stock in drought conditions, or when a mother had given birth or died giving birth, and the newborn needed additional supplement. My father did not know that this ‘green stuff’ was a high value protein biomass but what he did know, obviously through observation, was that this ‘green stuff’ was a sustainable food source. Leann Wilson (Thompson) Executive Director Regional Economic Solutions


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Figure 7: Third tier of transformative change – water management

4. Food Production – feeding humans and animals in the region Currently, the RAPAD communities are highly dependant on food imports via road transport. However, essential road infrastructure servicing the RAPAD region is vulnerable to flooding, with access potentially limited for several months in any one year. In contrast, livestock farmed within the area are highly susceptible to a lack of food during drought – with flow-on economic and social impacts throughout drought-affected communities. Food security, that is, the capacity to produce sufficient food to meet the needs of the region, including animal dependants, is one of the most robust indicators of community resilience. Low-cost energy and quantified year-round water supply transform the capacity of the community to grow food – and sustain the health of its livestock through a natural disaster and climate impacts. So what might food production look like in the RAPAD region? Advanced agriculture via bio-dome food production is emerging as a climate resilient form of food security – and successfully demonstrated in both outback South Australia and Saudi Arabia, in conditions not dissimilar to the broader RAPAD region. In a sophisticated growing environment, productivity conditions are optimised. Production of organic food is in disease and pest free environments. When incorporated into an aquaponics system, that is farming fish, or other aquatic creatures, in a symbiotic relationship with hydroponic plants for food production, a closed loop nutrient system is formed. Fish produce ammonia as a waste product.

Water manufacture/treatment and management


RAPAD


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Ammonia is broken down by beneficial bacteria and taken up by vegetable produce. Plant removal of nitrogen purifies water, and the water returned to the fish. Within this system, a community has access to sustainably grown and freshly harvested seafood and horticultural crops. Besides, this approach, utilising one-tenth of the water of conventional methods, also reduces stress on the Artesian basin through water requirements and evaporation.

Figure 8: The nutrient loop of aquaponics

However, food production doesn’t need to be limited to fish and horticultural produce. RAPAD has articulated a vision of restocking the region with one million sheep. Building resilience into this vision includes ensuring the capacity to maintain animal welfare throughout the expansion of the industry. For example, microalgae production, (as identified above in the clean up of water and wastewater), in addition to providing nutrient for the use of fertiliser, is a highly efficient source of protein. Recent studies have also indicated that feeding algae-based protein stock feed to cattle reduces methane production from enteric rumination, which in turn increases the weight (productivity) of the beast. Microalgae become another example of the circular economy – the potential waste product from water treatment becomes a valuable input into the enhanced productivity of livestock. Very clearly, access to competitive energy, water and a digital framework are critical to a successful push into food production. Community resilience comes from self-sufficiency.

Source: bellavitaaquaponics.org


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Figure 9: The fourth tier of transformative change – Food Production

Food Production = human +stock



RAPAD

Indigenous use of microclimates for food production Microclimates are spaces in any given landscape, where the temperature and climate differ significantly from the immediate surroundings. Biodomes are an overt use of protected microclimates, harnessing the synergies of science and an emerging digital landscape. However, indigenous Australians have long practised microclimate food production, including in the RAPAD region.

Living with the environment and out of financial necessity my mother Beryl Thompson and father the late Roy Thompson always grew additional food sources to supplement the family diet. I recall my parents and grandparents growing vegetables most of the year. In the cooler months out in the open and when it started to become hot the vegetable garden would be moved underneath the canopy of large trees to filter the rays of the intense heat. Not all tress was suitable though, to support this approach, and there are some principles to adhere to. A strong memory I do have was the harvesting of watermelons each year, which were grown under mango trees. Seeds were planted a suitable distance from the bore drain which was fed by a flowing hot bore some miles away. Getting the planting right was critical, as we were not there regularly to water, and relied on the gravity fed water flow. Planting under the huge mango trees creates a cool micro climate hence the need to get the planting distance right from the warm bore drain as it created the warmth needed to help the seed germinate and fruit for the Christmas festivities.

Leann Wilson (Thompson) Executive Director Regional Economic Solution


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5. Manufacturing and Waste Management Through a circular economy approach, the RAPAD community can reach a point where it has sufficient energy, water and food to meet the needs of the broader community. Each of these stages will have delivered jobs, improved the liveability, lowered the cost of living, and increasingly introduced a range of sophisticated employment into the region. Will it stop the exodus of families from the area? Undoubtedly digital connectivity will help, and there may be some slowing of the outflow. However, this is not the end of the journey for the RAPAD vision, but rather the critical staging that ensures growth and transformation of the region is risk managed; with core infrastructure in place to enable the next stage of transition – manufacturing. New/first time manufacturing industries are successful where capturing a unique regional advantage. As highlighted by the RAPAD Pathfinder report, branding is the key to accomplishment. Focusing on developing a premium brand in niche markets, rather than attempting to service all markets all the time, is an approach leading to success for a range of entrepreneurs in the agriculture sector, both within Australia and New Zealand. Consider the key industries in the RAPAD region currently – cattle and sheep farming. If the examples outlined in each of the stages above were implemented, along with best practice, sustainable animal husbandry, the next logical step might well be the establishment of a boutique abattoir. Supply chain provenance could dramatically boost the value of final abattoir products, using the power of data collection (facilitated by a digital framework), and the relationship between beast and sustainable systems established throughout the first three stages of transformation (energy, water and food production). Besides, the enhanced animal welfare brought about by slaughtering beasts within range of production becomes a further branding asset and removes or reduces the risks brought about by climatic conditions. Critically, the RAPAD community establishes and maintains ownership of essential products arising from the region. All council areas under RAPAD directly benefit from this approach, as all shires are directly involved in the supply chain’s provenance, irrespective of the location of an abattoir. With an abattoir comes a range of bi-products – and smaller sideline manufacturing industries. Sheepskins have the potential to service a co-located Ugg boot manufacturer or other unique product manufacturing opportunities, while sheep and cow hides may support a local tannery. Tallow, instead of sending to Brisbane markets, could be processed locally, on-site, into biodiesel to replace/offset diesel use within the RAPAD community. The fundamental transformation at this stage in manufacturing is premised on localised product stream value for bi-products, creating new value within the region, through a circular economy approach. Wastewater can be harvested for nutrient, while methane captured and used for self-generation of electricity. With cost-effective energy and water available, bioactive peptide production from meat by-product wastes (enzymatic hydrolysis) or core chemical/base


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pharmaceutical production may be an option for a technology company to move into the region. These are just a few of the potential sideline manufacturing opportunities, recognising that by maintaining a circular economy approach, the intent is to convert potential waste streams into additional, but critically, localised, revenue opportunities, rather than transporting from one side of the state to the other. However, there is also significant opportunity to recognise the strength of our Indigenous communities, partnering with a range of unique and reciprocal opportunities. Western ideals have driven views on the productivity of the region, yet the history of indigenous trade in the area is rich and diverse. Reconsidering and redefining local assets through the lens of Indigenous knowledge will lead to the potential for sophisticated industries built on thousands of years of expertise. Forming mutually beneficial and valuing relationships is critical to the circular economy approach.

Old products through new lenses - Spinifex and the condom revolution Spinifex grass is a practical, ancient and sacred material to Indigenous people. The waxes and oils of the grass are used medicinally to treat wounds, or combined with other products to form various medicines, with the resin used as an adhesive in tool making, and the grass used for building shelters and making beds. The University of Queensland’s Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN) commenced collaboration with the Dugalunji Aboriginal Corporation in 2008. Following a period of research, AIBN researchers discovered that underlying spinifex’s multiple uses are “long, thin and stretchy” nanofibers – perfect for reinforcing flexible materials, like natural rubber, and potentially into plastics, carbon fibre, bitumen for enhanced road durability. Currently, AIBN is working towards a world’s first - a condom that is 30% thinner, while maintaining integrity. Spinifex grows in arid regions of Australia. The opportunity to develop the nanotechnology is occurring in an agreement between the AIBN and local Aboriginal traditional owners, valuing Indigenous intellectual property, and creating a whole new industry with significant employment while commercialising spinifex nanotechnology. Source: http://www.uq.edu.au/research/impact/stories/indigenous-opportunity-sprouts-from-desert-discovery/


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New industry sectors: Rare Earth Elements in the Diamantina Minerals Province A resilient economy depends on diversified industries – and from these grow new manufacturing opportunities. For example, under the Queensland Government’s A Strategic Blueprint for Queensland’s North West Minerals Province, the Diamantina Minerals Provence is recognised for significant economic potential. Passing through several RAPAD Local government areas, these alkaline mineral “pipes” hold a range of rare earth elements (REE) that are critical for renewable energy and next-generation technologies. High technology componentry used in applications such as mobile phones, photovoltaics, flat screen computers, wind turbines and future autonomous vehicles rely on these metals. Similarly, a range of these metals also lead to lighter weight, stronger or properties transformation of materials, such as when used to make batteries for renewable energy (stationary and transport), new types of lightweight engines to replace combustion engines, lasers, microwaves, high strength magnets, and permanent magnets used in electric vehicles.

There is strong government (state and Federal) appetite to develop the North West Minerals province, including the Diamantina Minerals province. However, the opportunity comes with inherent risk - which the RAPAD community is uniquely placed to manage, by ensuring it is at the leading edge of all discussion leading to exploitation of these resources. Traditional extraction and purification of REE is a toxic, radioactive process that has led to the irreversible environmental destruction of the surroundings. The public and environmental health impacts on co-located communities (i.e. proximate to REE mining and processing) in China are emerging as some of the worst impacted from mining activities around the world. However, even in Australia, communities have experienced sustained deleterious environmental and health impacts from metals mining. The long-term health impact studies of lead and other heavy metal concentrations in the Mount Isa community demonstrate the need to prioritise and value the health of the population, livestock and broader environment of the region. Sustainable mining is possible – by ensuring the RAPAD community, through the RAPAD board and each of its represented local governments, demand a seat at the negotiating table. Unique partnerships with mutually beneficial quid pro quo opportunities could include:

Figure 10: Diamantina Minerals Province Source: https://www.dnrm.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/1241084/diamantina-mineral-deposit-map.pdf


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• All mining operations to commence from a fully environmentally sustainable platform. That is, all companies wishing to operate in the region will need to demonstrate a capability for minimal harm to the environment. This precautionary approach is a highly sophisticated form of mining, underwritten with robotics, highly sensitive data analysis, real-time data feeds on a range of environment indicators (air, groundwater, fauna, flora), minimised mine site footprint with minimal residual released.

o The RAPAD quid pro quo – we will provide all the renewable energy, recycled water and digital network needed to maximise a green mining operation.

• A requirement for all chemical extraction to be “green chemistry” based. Published scientific literature on organometallic ligands and molecular recognition technology for lanthanides and the broader range of REE has multiplied over the last 5-10 years, designing processes to reduce or eliminate the use and generation of hazardous substances when separating earth metals. [Note that Canada is leading this field.]

o The RAPAD quid pro quo – we will provide a highly liveable community (high quality local food, high class health and education, connected and empowered community) that is attractive to the professional and academic stream required to deliver a world leading approach to mining.

• A requirement to process ore into value-add materials within the region, including the capability for recycling of REE products. The economic transition of the RAPAD region is predicated on the circular economy. REE materials will become the potential limiter of technologies globally, hence establishing the capability to recycle materials guarantees extension of the life of resource while in the ground (i.e. sustained exploitation of the resource), and is consistent with the ethos behind the RAPAD community transition.

o The RAPAD quid pro quo – we will grant you the social license to operate in our community. We will provide the renewable energy, water and digital services required to support the establishment of an industry – and seek to attract the co-location of technology industries to facilitate recycling and immediate use of material. That is, we will directly support efforts to create domestic markets.

• A requirement for the Federal and State Government to establish a REE endowment for the future. That is, a guarantee that national interest is served first, and protected; that Australian’s do not experience a shortage of REE products because the country's natural bounty is contracted overseas.

o The RAPAD quid pro quo – we will grant you social license to operate in our community. We will support the industry.

Development of a resource from “known” into an extraction operation is typically a 10-15 year lead time. Consequently, RAPAD involvement in the genesis of industry development is critical. Establishing a new type of mining industry is a uniquely complex piece of work. Careful research and analysis are required imminently; the absence of clear expectations from RAPAD and local governments will leave the community as an acceptor of mining company conditions, rather than the driver. While the local government doesn’t own the


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land – it has the greatest opportunity to influence and reflect its expectations for the region through the lens of “social license to operate”. Governments are increasingly appreciating the need for enhanced monitoring during the life of operation – combined with smaller operational footprints. Historically, mining companies have lured local governments support via the prospect of jobs and local economic wealth. Often, the promised riches have failed to materialise locally, while destroying the look and feel of communities. There is an opportunity to apply the learnings of adjacent mining regions, while also demonstrating that this new industry sits within a framework that focuses on the liveability of the region, through a circular economy transition. RAPAD has the opportunity to set a precedent – to expect highly sophisticated mining and processing, that complements the liveability of the region.

Is there an Australian Rare Earth Metals Opportunity? Rare earth metals are not essentially “rare” but contextually difficult to find in concentrated, easily extracted, economically viable quantities. Given the relatively new industry emerging in Australia and around the world, “known reserves” are changing fairly regularly, from country to country. Australia is believed to hold between one sixth and one third of the world’s known reserves of REE quantities. China currently produces approximately 80% of the world’s rare earth metals, while Australia produces 15%. However, China’s total production of REE has been declining or flat for several years. In 2018, China has reduced its production quota to 70% of 2017 levels. China’s apparent monopoly of the market is driven less by resource availability, and more by economics. Most of its rare earth metals currently mined are extracted as a bi product of iron ore mining. Extracting REE only is cost intensive, labour intensive and environmentally toxic – the three key reasons that the rest of the world has generally defaulted to China for world production. As for coal, gas, oil or any ore, the cost of production needs to be below market value. Gaming of the rare earth metals market is as likely as has occurred in the previously listed resources. Hence the countries that create domestic markets and value add products are best positioned to survive market price volatility. China holds approximately 23% of the world’s REE resources, but with 20% of the world’s population, its proportionate capita ratio of resource is quite low. In comparison, Australia holds approximately 2.65% of the world’s resource, with only 0.33% of the world’s population. Given the importance of these resources to all future technologies, countries will need to consider ensuring their own needs are being catered for, something that China is increasingly concerned to manage. The risk for Australia at this time is that it will yet again become the world’s quarry – with Australians experiencing little benefit from the exploitation of its natural resources.


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Figure 11: Fifth stage of transformative change – manufacturing and waste management

6. Services and international markets “The area is rich in history. There’s an incredible opportunity to establish three complementary markets of tourism throughout the region – the ancient planet (i.e. Australian Age of Dinosaurs), the world’s oldest living culture, and the history of the last two hundred years.” (Professor Ross Garnaut) The sixth stage of realising the RAPAD vision is to expand services and markets. Again the digital economy is critical to achieving the full potential of the region. This tier takes the form of an international airport (Longreach), expanded tourism, manufactured produce reaching national and international markets, construction and renewal of accommodation – and expansion of a range of services to meet the needs of existing and growing populations, particularly around townships. Overall, the growth of this sector will be more organic than the preceding tiers, and highly dependant on the success of these levels. However, some essential elements should be addressed in parallel with the development of these tiers.

6.1 International airport Enhancing the capacity of the region with an international airport will be necessary for the transition to local food production (including manufacturing) – and immediate tourism

Manufacturing + waste management




RAPAD


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opportunities, as identified below. Recognising that efforts to realise an international airport within the RAPAD region (Longreach) have been underway for some time, no further validation is required around how the airport might be achieved, but instead, as is the substance of this paper, why it will be necessary.

6.2 Cultural Tourism As highlighted by the RAPAD Pathfinder Report, seasonality is an ongoing challenge for the region. However, there are vital steps towards realising greater tourism opportunities that are already embedded in RAPAD’s broader regional strategy – through a focus on existing natural assets, leveraging via the digital economy; and new opportunities. With enhanced access through an international airport (supported by the export of manufacturing products), there is potential to bring a range of tourists into the region directly, mitigating the tyranny of distance. Currently, the RAPAD tourism market is not capturing the full potential historical value of the region. Cultural tourism is one of the fastest growing international tourism trends, driven by ecologisation of the world (i.e. sensitivity to the environment), and an increased interest in the past (democratisation of culture). Tourism is increasingly taking the form of cultural routes, cultural cities, and cultural “must see” in a search for local culture and destinations that are authentic. The RAPAD region is well known, within the Indigenous community, for its historical trade routes. Trade routes are particularly significant in cultural tourism for the economic, political and social custom exchange – and in this region, RAPAD has the oldest living culture, able to impart direct living knowledge about this system. By working in partnership with the indigenous community, there is an opportunity to develop a multi-layered historical and cultural tourism experience in the region that may well present as a world first – three distinct, authentic tourism experiences. That is, experiencing the ancient planet history through the doorway of the RAPAD region (the Age of Dinosaurs); experiencing the world’s oldest living culture; and the interaction of European culture over the last two hundred years, particularly in the form of stockmen history. Successful cultural history tourism pivots on a few critical parameters. Integration of information and communication technologies is essential (i.e. digital economy strategy). Similarly, transport and accommodation should complement the experience. This an opportunity to diversify the experience. Rather than a “build it, they will come approach”, consider the most popular forms of travel and tourism in the region now, and build an approach that expands upon this. For example, families and Grey Nomads travel in camper arrangements to the region. There is significant opportunity to foster an eco-cultural tourism experience based on “pop-up” tourism communities, through glamping infrastructure and mobile tourism, including pop up restaurants. Energy, water, waste treatment, and digital communications could be delivered to the various destinations (enhancing a glamping experience), minimising the


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overall cost of boosting tourism at each site, while also ensuring greater climate resilience by the capacity to remove accommodation during floods and other climate events in the region. This level of integrated tourism is within reach of the RAPAD community now, provided the core energy, water and digital infrastructure is delivered. Over time, depending on market demand, and implementation of the broader strategy outlined in this document, the region could become the ultimate sustainable holiday destination – eating ethically grown produce, serviced by fully sustainable energy and water, on an eco-sensitive trip that dives into the journey of our planet and man. Additional and permanent accommodation infrastructure has the potential to expand over time, to further service a growing demand, including diversified tourism products, but equally to support visitors to the region for purposes other than tourism. The Camino De Santiago Trail is a world-leading example of tourism that plays to the cultural strength of its area.

The Camino De Santiago, France/Spain The Camino trail, at 800 kilometres long, is for many a spiritual journey. A 30 day trek, with stops in pilgrim hotels, devouring extraordinary food and sights along the way, the trail is a major cultural tourism destination. Some walk, others ride bicycles. Some complete the whole 800 km, while others undertake sections of the trail (230 km). While the earliest pilgrimages to the shrine of St James at Santiago de Compostela commenced in the 9th century, less than 1000 visitors undertook the pilgrimage per year until 1986. However, in 1987 the Camino trail was declared the first European Cultural Route by the European Cultural Council, with pilgrim numbers increasing 10-fold over the next five years. Following significant investment and promotion in religious tourism attraction for the 1993 holy year, 99,436 pilgrims undertook the journey. Over the last five years, the UNESCO listed route attracts between 200,000 and 300,000 pilgrims per year. While anyone can undertake the trail, when registered for a credencial, a pilgrim passport, pilgrims have access to low cost and sometimes free, overnight accommodation. Pilgrim accommodation ranges from hostels (dormitory style), sometimes located in monasteries, with ownership ranging from local parish, local councils, private owners and pilgrim associations. Pilgrims have their passport stamped and dated in each township where they eat or sleep, demonstrating proof that they have undertaken the journey via the official route, and are required to exist their beds by 8am the following day. Pilgrims that walk over 100km on the route, or cycle 200km are eligible for a certificate of accomplishment, a compostela, on completing “the Way”. The modern pilgrim may have many different motivations for undertaking the pilgrimage of the Camino trail. While the religious pilgrims remain numerous, increasingly, a large number of tourists are seeking a cultural experience, a spiritual journey, camaraderie of the shared experience with the many pilgrims they meet on their journey; and sense of achievement with a filled “passport” and certificate.


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Could driving through the RAPAD community, visiting dinosaur finds and indigenous trade routes, glamping under the Southern Cross, become the next “bucket list” international cultural experience?

6.3 Food Tourism Once the region is producing its own food, there is the opportunity to partner with existing tourism avenues to create unique food tourism experiences, based on the circular economy approach of the region, extending the sustainability experience. There is also a critical opportunity to integrate indigenous knowledge of native ingredients with the primary produce of the area and deliver new culinary skills. The investigation of this opportunity can be occurring in parallel, and as a subsidiary of the cultural tourism layered experience identified in the previous section. Chef Jock Zonfrillo has already demonstrated there is a demand for cultural cuisine.

6.4 Education and Health Transition Education and health within the RAPAD community have the potential to dramatically and significantly improve, as a result of a resilient community supply of energy, water, digital economy and fresh food. Fresh, locally produced food improves the overall community health through access and affordability, while similarly reducing the dependence on processed/dried foods of lower nutritional value. However, the real potential transformation in these services is mainly dependant on the digital economy, supported with sufficient, low-cost energy. There are four critical digital transformation trends in education that will significantly alter education outcomes in the

Orana - Restaurant of the Year Jock Zonfrillo, celebrity chef-owner of Orana, recently won Gourmet Traveller’s Restaurant of the Year for 2018. Redefining Australian cuisine, Mr Zonfrillo embraces not only native ingredients, but the indigenous knowledge to identify and access the ingredients, and techniques to release the unique flavours. Mr Zonfrillo integrates these ingredients with introduced foods, such as lamb and beef, to create a unique dining experience. Visiting multiple indigenous communities across the country, Mr Zonfrillo spent time with elders, learning about harvesting and cooking techniques, eating traditions and taste, before coming back to Adelaide and establishing his unique restaurant. From using sugar lerps (native sugar produced by insects and deposited on leaves of particular eucalypts) to mangrove seeds, Moreton Bay fig shoots, Quandongs and Dorrigo peppers, the embedded challenge is sourcing sufficient foods to cook commercially. Consequently, he has established the Orana Foundation, supporting farming projects in Indigenous communities to scale up to commercial cultivation of native ingredients, through aquaculture, hydroponics and traditional farming. This approach partners Indigenous knowledge with commercial markets. Source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2017-08-30/native-bush-food-demand-outstripping-supply-says-industry/8855058 and https://www.gourmettraveller.com.au/news/restaurant-news/why-orana-is-australias-restaurant-of-the-year-4021


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RAPAD community, irrespective of whether students are in a physical classroom or a home-based learning environment. These include:

• Augmented reality (AR) / Virtual Reality (VR) / Mixed Reality (MR), bringing the outside world into the classroom (and vice-versa). With little more than a smartphone and a $10 VR cardboard headset, students can explore remote world sites such as ancient cities and Egyptian tombs; stroll through the world’s best art museums; dissect a frog; sit in the front seat of the Apollo 11 mission, and travel through the brain and anatomy. These applications of technology already exist, and only begin to scratch the surface of potential learning opportunity.

• Artificial Intelligence in the form of chatbots, including intelligent tutoring systems, complementing the instruction of teachers, not replacing them.

• Personalised learning that facilitates greater discovery-based learning rather than the directed education based learning of the past, adapting the timeframe and path of learning to meet the needs of the individual student.

• Gamification, turning challenging subject matter into interactive games. These games are increasingly reflecting real-life issues, and enhancing the development of problem-solving skillsets, by applying new knowledge in critical decision-making scenarios.

In effect, a child educated within the RAPAD region has the potential to access a world-leading education, leveraging world-class resources, whether regional or remote – when connected into a high functioning digital economy. In addition, information and technology employment opportunities are likely to be significant over time, for a RAPAD region underpinned by a digital economy. However, digital access alone will not simply enable a free flow of these technologies and applications. The capacity to access a world-class education is essential to families considering moving into the region – which means that RAPAD will need to drive change and expectation in the current education system, as transformation will not occur fast enough on its own. Working with regional schools and the distance education system, some options for opening opportunity further could include:

• Education partnerships (e.g. “sister schools”) with leading technologically advanced schools around Australia (particularly capital city schools). Creating points of knowledge exchange, and building a cohesion of education networks.

• Virtual enrolments. This approach is particularly relevant for distance education students, and similar to the delivery of university around Australia now. However salient differences could include the student virtually attending classes via webinar, able to interact with peers and teachers in a classroom. Increasingly courses around the country are delivered via technology (smart boards, computers, online resources). For schools (particularly fee-paying) there is the opportunity to expand student numbers, without further investment in hard infrastructure. Similarly, opportunities for the student include participating in a live classroom dynamic, involved in discussion, developing relationships, and embedded in a school community, all from their home study room.


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The story is similar in health services. While Smart Hospitals are likely to emerge by 2020, e-clinics are a reality today. Telemedicine requires just an internet connection and smartphone but enables doctor-patient conferencing for the highest level of care, convenience and lowest costs. Managing chronic disease, providing online consultations with general practitioners (GP), specialists and allied health professionals, executing medical and carer certificates, referral letters to specialists, and online prescriptions are just some of the services delivered online that are transforming medical interactions in the digital world. In the RAPAD region, a visit to a GP may require several hours out of a day, or several days if requiring an appointment with a specialist – and this doesn’t even consider the widely acknowledged general reluctance of men to visit a GP. The opportunity to visit with a GP within the privacy of one’s own home, at a time convenient to the patient, is a powerful advantage to delivering targeted health services However, the most significant impact in e-health to date has been delivered through online mental health services, providing emotional support with the click of a button.

Mobile and wearable medical technology, also known as the Internet of Medical Things (IomT), provide a new dimension to the relationship between doctor and patient, generating a range of individual data (e.g. weight, activity, heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen levels) seamlessly to doctors or healthcare systems from the device, enhancing preventative and post care. From fitbits to Kenzen patches, medical wearable devices supplement the supervision of a doctor, while improving a patient’s independence.

However, the broader community opportunities come from artificial intelligence and big data, providing the opportunity to pool information from the region, identify key health trends, bacterial and viral outbreaks, and potential clusters of mental health issues. This level of knowledge creates the opportunity to take community action to ensure the health and wellbeing across the region.

Norway’s energy data e-health communities As our population ages, the challenge is to deliver appropriate health services in our communities, beyond institutional solutions. There is strong recognition that our elderly thrive when able to remain in their own homes for as long as possible, with support services. However, how do we maintain monitoring in a sparsely populated community, where there are significant distances between neighbours, let alone service providers? Greenbird, a Norwegian energy data integration company, is currently trialling an e-health solution in the highlands of Norway, with a significant aged population living in single occupancies. A sophisticated and infinitely sensitive energy data platform, Greenbrid’s technology collects real-time data from individual households, and develops live and predictive profiles. The daily routine of a home has a distinct and unique data footprint: Rise in the morning around 7 am, turn on the light and kettle for a cup of tea, energy data is collected and interpreted. Take a hot shower at 8 am, use a light or fan in the bathroom, more energy data. Turn off the light, adjust the house heating for the day, more energy data. As creatures of habit, humans very quickly develop predictable patterning around our behaviours. Greenbrid’s platform analyses this data and predicts energy use at intervals within the home. If a pattern suddenly departs – particularly no use of energy, or extreme changes, a welfare alarm is triggered. A welfare check may take the form of a phone call or a home visit in the absence of response. The platform is part of a range of integrated monitoring solutions within the home designed to improve the quality of life and care.


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The e-health opportunities for the region are likely to demonstrate significant economic and productivity gains across the community, increase the potential of retaining population that may require ongoing specialist maintenance of chronic diseases – and most critically drive an uplift of health in the region. This level of service uniquely empowers patients to regain control of their health care, allowing choice and access to the best medical advice and services, in time. Again, a digital economy doesn’t replace current medical providers, but complements existing services and establishes a direct connection to new services, enabling targeted healthcare delivery.

The RAPAD Education and Health Challenge A well supported digital framework provides the infrastructure for service delivery – but not the services. Health and education services are two critical liveability factors for families in the RAPAD region, where families are the core population growth prospect. While work in both service areas will occur in Queensland Government, the pace is unlikely to suit the immediate needs, or necessarily have the particular focus of the RAPAD region. Hence it is critical that RAPAD take ownership of the direction. Key steps could include:

• Develop health and education policies/plan for the region. This can and should be done in collaboration with the Queensland Government, but led by RAPAD, clearly capturing the region’s priorities/needs.

• Identify potential pilot programs that play to community needs and strengths, that state and federal government may want to be a part of. For example, RAPAD is seeking to progress drone technology and capability – a pilot partnering a drone company/ies with pharmacies in the region, to deliver scripts ordered online provides a proof of concept while delivering a core health service.

• Identify families in the community that may be interested in trialling virtual school programs, and potential school partners.


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Figure 12: the sixth transformative stage: services and international markets.

Is this the vision? This document is a Global Futuremakers and Department of Environment and Science (DES) conceptualisation of how RAPAD might choose to achieve its vision. The examples used to demonstrate each stage of transformation does not constitute formal advice to RAPAD, serving only to enrich contextualisation. However, the information provided through the six stages of transformation is a risk-managed approach that directly benefits the entire region in every tier, namely: 1. Valuing of the knowledge base and existing resources 2. Improved cost of electricity and reliability, and access to a digital economy 3. Improved access to water and opportunities to utilise 4. Access to higher quality food at potentially lower prices 5. Enhanced supply chain value across the whole region, regional jobs growth 6. Enhanced liveability

Services and international markets

Manufacturing + waste management




RAPAD

Valuing knowledge


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Next Steps Global Futuremakers, Regional Economic Solutions and The Circular Experiment will be conducting consultation forums in the RAPAD region during November 2018, in addition to running a community wide survey. The purpose of these forums is to gauge the community appetite for a community self-sufficiency driven economic transformation. If supported by the community, RAPAD will further commence negotiations with Queensland Government, and critically, undertake a techno-economic feasibility assessment. There are numerous international, national and state companies, researchers and financers, who have expressed direct interest in working with the RAPAD region to realise its vision. However, a critical step is assuring the Queensland Government that this approach is indeed what the RAPAD community is seeking. This is a complex discussion to undertake with the Queensland Government, as it is a major departure from the way in which it currently delivers services to the region.

Our Region, Our Future Right now, we are seeking your comments on this proposed approach. There are key steps in this process that are a major departure from the traditional government model of central service delivery. We are proposing that increasingly, the region will exercise greater direct control of its own destiny. That is, the community will increasingly control and direct the futureproofing of the region. Have your say – and respond to our survey at www.ourregionourfuture.com. The survey will be open for the months of November – December. There will be several workshops and community forums conducted in the region from 5 November- 15 November – visit the website for more details. We value your feedback – and look forward to meeting you in the region.

http://www.ourregionourfuture.com/


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This document has been prepared on behalf of RAPAD, through the support of the Department

of Environment and Science. It is intended to conceptualise possible vital steps involved in

meeting the broader RAPAD vision around regional economic transition. As such, the document

provides a framework, based on recognising the region’s natural advantages in renewable energy

resources, indigenous and local knowledge, agricultural presence and potential future mineralogy

– and critically, the community desire for mobilisation and empowerment. This document does

not constitute formal advice.

Prepared by Sharon Denny

Sustainable | Innovative | Empowering

Global Futuremakers Pty Ltd ABN 52 620 555 142

PO BOX 6997 MOUNT CROSBY QLD. 4306

M +61447 766 611 E [email protected]

www.globalfuturemakers.com

i https://www.rapad.com.au/assets/Documents/Region/RAPAD-region-map.pdf ii ABS, 3235.0 Population by Age and Sex, Regions of Australia. iii Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2018. Outline of a Circular Economy.

https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/circular-economy/interactive-diagram

mailto:[email protected]

https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/circular-economy/interactive-diagram