4/11/01
Australians will have an opportunity to focus on the contribution and potential of regional Australia next year, which has been designated the Year of the Outback.
At the State launch of 2002 Year of the Outback in Kalgoorlie today, Minister for Local Government and Regional Development Tom Stephens said the year would showcase a range of events and activities demonstrating the outback's past and future.
Already more than 100 organisations throughout the State had registered activities they would host during the year, and this list was growing daily.
Mr Stephens said the outback's role in Australia's history was well recognised and it remained the symbol of Australia and being Australian.
"All Australians relate to the outback and retain some of its spirit within us," he said.
"The Year of the Outback will pay tribute to that quintessential spirit of Australia, and to the pioneers who explored, settled and developed the outback.
"The Year won't just highlight the past, but will also focus on its current role in the social and economic development of Australia, and on its future.
"Its aim is to give all Australians a greater understanding of regional Australia's relevance and its potential. It is about our future as a nation."
The Year was the idea of Bruce Campbell, long associated with Australia's rural sector, who has been concerned over the growing divide between urban and rural communities.
His concept was endorsed by States and Territories and the Federal Government, which provided funding for a National Secretariat and full-time staff.
Steering committees with full-time co-ordinators are being established in the States, and Barry Sullivan has been appointed WA co-ordinator, with the help of the Goldfields Esperance Development Commission taking the lead role in securing funding.
Media contact: Julie Cole 9213 6500
