The Riverina stretches from the foothills of the Snowy Mountains in the east through to the plains of Hay and Carrathool in the west. The Murrumbidgee River flows through the region, providing water to the irrigation areas around Griffith and Leeton. The regional city of Wagga Wagga is positioned on the main Sydney-Melbourne railway line, equally close to both state capitals.

The Riverina region occupies a large southern segment of the Murray Darling Basin. This system of rivers drains 15% of the Australian continent. It covers parts of the states of Queensland, Victoria, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.

The Basin is characterised generally by low rainfall, light soils, hot summers and cool winters, with long sunlight hours. Where irrigation water can be delivered the soils and long sunlight hours ensure fast and luxuriant growth of crops.

The Riverina region enjoys unique advantages because of the combination of varied soil types and land forms, together with a warm climate, and an ample supply of water for irrigation. This has helped create an economy based on agricultural production, food and beverage manufacturing, and wood processing.
Manufacturing, Agriculture Forestry & Fishing are the two key drivers of the Riverina’s economy.

The Riverina stretches from the foothills of the Snowy Mountains in the east through to the plains of Hay and Carrathool in the west. The Murrumbidgee River flows through the region, providing water to the irrigation areas around Griffith and Leeton. The regional city of Wagga Wagga is positioned on the main Sydney-Melbourne railway line, equally close to both state capitals.

The Riverina region occupies a large southern segment of the Murray Darling Basin. This system of rivers drains 15% of the Australian continent. It covers parts of the states of Queensland, Victoria, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.

The Basin is characterised generally by low rainfall, light soils, hot summers and cool winters, with long sunlight hours. Where irrigation water can be delivered the soils and long sunlight hours ensure fast and luxuriant growth of crops.

The Riverina region enjoys unique advantages because of the combination of varied soil types and land forms, together with a warm climate, and an ample supply of water for irrigation. This has helped create an economy based on agricultural production, food and beverage manufacturing, and wood processing.

Manufacturing, Agriculture Forestry & Fishing are the two key drivers of the Riverina’s economy.

The Riverina stretches from the foothills of the Snowy Mountains in the east through to the plains of Hay and Carrathool in the west. The Murrumbidgee River flows through the region, providing water to the irrigation areas around Griffith and Leeton. The regional city of Wagga Wagga is positioned on the main Sydney-Melbourne railway line, equally close to both state capitals.

The Riverina region occupies a large southern segment of the Murray Darling Basin. This system of rivers drains 15% of the Australian continent. It covers parts of the states of Queensland, Victoria, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.

The Basin is characterised generally by low rainfall, light soils, hot summers and cool winters, with long sunlight hours. Where irrigation water can be delivered the soils and long sunlight hours ensure fast and luxuriant growth of crops.

The Riverina region enjoys unique advantages because of the combination of varied soil types and land forms, together with a warm climate, and an ample supply of water for irrigation. This has helped create an economy based on agricultural production, food and beverage manufacturing, and wood processing.

Manufacturing, Agriculture Forestry & Fishing are the two key drivers of the Riverina’s economy.

New South Wales is transitioning to a circular economy over the next 20 years. This means we will minimise what we throw away and use and reuse our resources efficiently, making them as productive as possible. We will end up with less waste, less emissions, less harm to our environment and more jobs. The move will boost innovation and help drive our economy.

The Murray Murrumbidgee is one of NSW’s most important agricultural regions, supporting a range of farming types and related industries such as manufacturing. The region contains diverse landscapes and ecosystems, including alpine areas in the Snowy Mountains to the meandering rivers and wetlands of the low-lying floodplains.

Based on long-term observations, temperatures in the Murray Murrumbidgee Region have been increasing since about 1950, with higher temperatures experienced in recent decades.

Spring and summer are projected to experience the greatest increases in maximum temperatures, increasing by 2.4°C in the far future. Increased maximum temperatures are known to impact human health through heat stress and increasing the numbers of heatwave events.

Rainfall is projected to decrease in spring and to increase in autumn. Severe and average Forest Fire Danger Index is projected to increase. Severe fire weather for the region is projected to decrease in autumn in the near future.

Wagga Wagga has long been recognised as a culturally rich and creative city. The Art Gallery inspires a vibrant, innovative and diverse Riverina arts culture.

Home of the Margaret Carnegie Print Collection, which consists of over fourteen hundred original prints by some of Australia's foremost artists, the Wagga Wagga Art Gallery also houses a world class, nationally significant collection of contemporary art glass, featuring approximately five hundred pieces in a stand-alone gallery.

The Riverina stretches from the foothills of the Snowy Mountains in the east through to the plains of Hay and Carrathool in the west. The Murrumbidgee River flows through the region, providing water to the irrigation areas around Griffith and Leeton. The regional city of Wagga Wagga is positioned on the main Sydney-Melbourne railway line, equally close to both state capitals.

The Riverina region occupies a large southern segment of the Murray Darling Basin. This system of rivers drains 15% of the Australian continent. It covers parts of the states of Queensland, Victoria, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.

The Basin is characterised generally by low rainfall, light soils, hot summers and cool winters, with long sunlight hours. Where irrigation water can be delivered the soils and long sunlight hours ensure fast and luxuriant growth of crops.

The Riverina region enjoys unique advantages because of the combination of varied soil types and land forms, together with a warm climate, and an ample supply of water for irrigation. This has helped create an economy based on agricultural production, food and beverage manufacturing, and wood processing.

Manufacturing, Agriculture Forestry & Fishing are the two key drivers of the Riverina’s economy.

Charles Sturt may be the largest inland university in Australia, with students from across Australia and around the world, but it is our sense of community in the cities in which the university is located that sets us apart.

The Charles Sturt Three Rivers Department of Rural Health has six major sites across our regional footprint in Albury, Bathurst, Dubbo, Griffith, Orange and Wagga Wagga.

The Three Rivers DRH aims to improve the recruitment and retention of nursing, midwifery, allied health and dentistry professionals in rural and remote Australia.

The Charles Sturt Winery is an integral part of Australia's leading wine science school and is at the forefront of viticultural practices and winemaking techniques.

The winery focuses on excellence, using state of the art technology without sacrificing tradition. We are a professionally run winery reflecting the commercial environment of the Australian wine industry, being market-driven and producing the quality and styles of wine that obtain ready acceptance from wine consumers in the market.

Agriculture is of great significance to the Riverina region, with cropping, irrigation and grazing supporting a processing and value adding industry for cereals for grain, vegetables, fruit, livestock, milk and eggs.

The region is Australia’s largest citrus-growing region. One-third of Australia’s citrus is grown in the Riverina. Walnut, almond and hazelnut orchards have become significant in recent years. And the growth looks set to continue with strong demand from the Asia Pacific.

Cotton production is expanding in the region to become one of the most significant cotton regions in Australia. Australian rice is grown, milled, packed and branded in the Riverina by SunRice. And the Riverina is one of Australia’s largest wine producing regions, producing 15% of the nation’s wine. Griffith is the centre of the wine production zone.

The Wagga Wagga Base hospital is the largest in the region with 325 beds, providing medical services to the wider Riverina.

Wagga Wagga Health Service provides services including critical care, medical, surgical, paediatric, obstetric, and rehabilitation care. We also provide mental health and community health services.

The Charles Sturt Three Rivers Department of Rural Health has six major sites across our regional footprint in Albury, Bathurst, Dubbo, Griffith, Orange and Wagga Wagga.

Three Rivers DRH aims to improve the recruitment and retention of nursing, midwifery, allied health and dentistry professionals in rural and remote Australia.

Is Australia’s housing crisis self-inflicted? If so, then we need a series of reforms to reverse it
The best long-term solution to the structural problems of the rental crisis is to build more public and/or affordable housing.

Make renting more Sustainable. Increase rent assistance or look at rental caps, similar to countries in Europe and some US states, long term tenancy agreements with incentives for all parties to the agreement.

Build to Rent
The Build to Rent property sector is growing in Australia – this new class of housing is focused on providing high quality purpose designed and built rental stock, creating an additional housing choice for Australian renters with greater security and service.

Build to Rent developments are typically owned by institutional investors for the long term and the owner could be the developer/ongoing building manager. The format provides tenants with the flexibility of renting with the security of home ownership.

Build-to-Rent developments are usually large-scale residential properties specifically designed, built and managed for long-term ownership and rental.

Social Housing
In the 40 years between 1981 and 2021 the percentage of all Australian households living in social housing (i.e. state owned and managed public housing or community managed housing) has ranged from 4.9 per cent in 1981 to 3.8 per cent in 2021. Such a drop in the proportion of social housing raises the question of has Australia achieved the balance right, and also just what is the right level of social housing for Australia?

In 2018 Statistics Canada said 628,700 Canadian households, more than one in ten renter households nationally (13.5% of 4,652,500), were living in social and affordable housing.
In New Zealand, as of 30 June 2021, there were 74,337 public housing households. This equates to 4.0% of households living in social housing.

In England (in 2018) 17% of households (3.9 million) lived in social housing, while the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development publishes that 1.2 million households live in public housing, which is 0.98 per cent of all housing.

Australians have a talent for ingenuity and creative thinking. From ancient times, Australians have used the materials around them to develop unique and practical tools to help them live and prosper. Among the huge variety of Australian inventions are the boomerang, cochlear implants, polymer banknotes and wi-fi technology.

Science, research and innovation are central to securing Australia’s future. For too long Australia has relied on the commodity cycle to underwrite its prosperity. Australia must become a ‘smart’ nation, drawing on knowledge and ideas to build competitive and sustainable businesses that create high skill, high productivity jobs and that capture value through integration into the global economic system.

Advances in digital and other enabling technologies are transforming some commodity industries into ‘high tech’. But these industries only employ a small number of workers. It is therefore important to develop other parts of the economy, particularly in advanced manufacturing and services, where there are untapped opportunities for innovation and the creation of high skill, high wage jobs.

Australia can also build on its already strong mining, energy and agriculture base and extend it into value added products and services through the application of science, advanced technologies and creative talent.

Australia must be able to respond to and capture the opportunities of changing patterns of international trade, especially through our closer economic ties with China, India and the Asia-Pacific region. At the same time, like other countries, Australia also faces the challenges of climate change, urbanisation and securing a sustainable energy future.

The region’s extractive operations are mainly for construction materials - sand, road and concrete aggregates, with the exception of a significant gold mining operation (Cowal Gold Mine), north of West Wyalong in Bland that employs around 385 people.

The Defence Riverina Murray Alliance (DMRA) is a regional network of government, partner organisations and industry operating throughout the Riverina Murray regions of NSW.

Although Defence facilities in the Murray Riverina are predominantly centred around Wagga Wagga, there is a strong industry base in the Albury Wodonga region in advanced manufacturing, communications and technologies. Defence industry in the Murray Riverina is focused on military training, specialised contract engineering, propellant and military explosive manufacturing and includes design, engineering remote control systems and munitions disposal.

Defence investment is already one of the drivers of employment and economic growth in many regional centres. The defence industry is a major employer and attractor of skilled workers in regional NSW and the local economy also benefits from the movement of skilled workers out of Defence and defence industries into local education and technology-dependent sectors.

The Defence presence in Wagga Wagga consists of the RAAF Base Wagga (which includes the National Aerospace Training Centre, and aviation Initial Technical Training (ITT) for Navy personnel), and Blamey Barracks Base at Kapooka (which includes the national Army Recruit Training Centre).

The NSW coastline might stretch for 2,000 kilometres, but with an area of 800,000 square kilometres, the state is more red dirt than sand. Country NSW offers ancient Aboriginal culture, extraordinary produce made by passionate producers and rural towns where the welcome mat is always out

Wagga Wagga is a vibrant regional centre on the banks of the Murrumbidgee River in the heart of the Riverina. With four distinct seasons, there’s always something new to explore. Discover the delicious food and wine scene, wonderful galleries, tranquil riverbank walks, gorgeous gardens and parks, and fascinating heritage. And Wagga Wagga is the entry point to exploring the region.

One of the major changes in purposes for visiting the Riverina has been the number of people coming to ‘Sightsee’. This number increased 44% from 2016 to 2017, however the most popular reason given for travelling into the Riverina is to ‘Eat out/dine at a restaurant and/or café’.