Images: Destination NSW
“This initiative is a game-changer for regional Australia,” says Justine Campbell, CEO of Regional Development Australia Orana, “providing a clear pathway for energy organisations and communities to work together to achieve shared goals.”
It is a line about energy but also captures the broader story RDA Orana is sharing about inland NSW in 2026: that Orana’s future will be shaped not by one project or one sector alone, but by whether infrastructure, workforce, culture and community can keep pace with the scale of change already underway.
A corridor under pressure
Nowhere is that clearer than on the Golden Highway. This month, with the backing of the NSW Minister for Roads and Regional Transport Jenny Aitchison, RDA Orana and RDA Hunter convened the Golden Highway Taskforce in Maitland, calling for coordinated road and rail investment along the Dubbo-to-Newcastle corridor as freight, mining and renewable energy pressures intensify. The route has become critical national infrastructure and RDA Orana and Hunter’s recent Transport Study says freight volumes are forecast to rise by 150% over the next decade, reaching 6.3 million tonnes, driven by driven by mining, agriculture, containerised freight and the rapid expansion of renewable‑energy and critical‑minerals projects feeding into the Port of Newcastle. It also points to the sheer scale of the clean energy freight task ahead, including around 30,000 oversize truck movements, 30 million solar panels and hundreds of thousands of tonnes of steel.
For RDA Orana, this is not simply a transport story. It is about safety, productivity and the ability of regional communities to absorb national ambition without being overwhelmed by it. The taskforce says the economic case for investment is strong: analysis suggests a proposed $500 million road upgrade program would return about $2.30 in benefits for every dollar spent, while $1.1billion in rail improvements would generate an estimated $1.86 for every dollar invested. The Taskforce will advocate for targeted, practical and high impact priorities including overtaking lanes every 10 kilometres, bridge and intersection upgrades and rail connectivity improvements that would help the corridor carry growing volumes more safely and efficiently.
RDA Orana CEO Justine Campbell, NSW Minister for Roads and Regional Transport Jenny Aitchison and RDA Hunter CEO Kate O’Mara.
Bringing inland leaders together
That same sense of urgency runs through much of RDA Orana’s agenda this year. On 22 and 23 April, RDA Orana will host the eighth annual Inland Growth Summit, one of the region’s flagship events and a forum designed to bring together leaders working across agriculture, tourism, water, transport, health, workforce and energy. The summit has become a key space for testing ideas, building connections and putting inland issues squarely on the table. The published 2026 speaker lineup includes Co-Founder of the Food Ladder Kelly McJannett, Founder of Hearts of Australia Dr Rolf Gomes, Australian Energy Infrastructure Commissioner Tony Mahar, CEO of Regional Australia Institute Liz Ritchie and others from across policy, industry and innovation. More information about the summit is available here.
There is a practical logic to that convening role. Regional development organisations are often asked to do more than advocate: they are expected to connect sectors, translate between community and industry and keep a long view when immediate pressures are piling up. In Orana, that broader role is also reflected in events such as the Orana Youth Forum (17 June 2026) , the Resources, Energy and Industry Innovation Forum (9-11 September) and the Orana Outlook Forum, which connect the region’s next generation, employers, investors and decision-makers to the opportunities and tensions shaping inland NSW.
Ensuring the energy transition works for regions
Energy transition is one of the clearest examples. RDA Orana has been positioning itself not simply as a commentator on change, but as an active regional partner in how that change is discussed, coordinated and delivered. Its partnership with The Energy Charter, which has recently expanded to RDA Riverina, RDA Murray and RDA Northern Inland, is intended to strengthen regional engagement as renewable energy and transmission development accelerates across NSW. While the collaboration spans several regions, Orana sits at its centre in a very real sense: this is home to the country’s first and largest renewable energy zone and one of the places where the national transition is already well underway and being felt most intensely.
That role has already moved beyond principle into practice. In February, RDA Orana and The Energy Charter hosted more than 40 local leaders in Mudgee for the Central-West Orana Regional Energy Accord Roundtable, bringing together representatives from community groups, local councils, community organisations, business, the energy sector and government. Held as part of a national series, the roundtable gave Central-West Orana stakeholders a direct role in shaping the Regional Energy Accord, a framework being co-designed to ensure regional communities have agency, influence and a collective voice as the transition accelerates.
For Ms Campbell, that shift in posture is crucial. “The transition is happening,” she says. “What matters now is ensuring the people who live and work, not just in our region but across all of regional Australia, help set the priorities, manage the impacts and secure the longterm benefits.” It is a framing that places RDA Orana firmly in the role of broker, advocate and convener. The strong turnout in Mudgee, Ms Campbell says, reflects the region’s determination to move from being a passive host of energy projects to an active partner in shaping outcomes. In a region facing profound change, that distinction is vital. It speaks to who gets heard, who carries the burden of development and who shares in its benefits.
Ms Campbell has also made clear that, for Orana, the Accord is not simply about consultation. “With our region sitting at the forefront of Australia’s energy transformation, we see the Accord as a critical mechanism to ensure development is coordinated, transparent and genuinely beneficial for local communities,” she says. The focus, in other words, is not just on whether projects proceed, but on the terms under which they proceed and the legacy they leave behind.
That local lens is what gives the framework its substance. “The Accord provides a pathway for regions to secure improved energy affordability, local jobs and procurement, better planning for housing and essential services, and stronger protection of land, water and biodiversity – all priorities for the Orana’s long-term prosperity.” In that sense, the partnership is about much more than energy. It is about whether regional communities can turn a period of rapid transformation into something lasting, fair and locally shaped.
RDA Orana Regional Energy Accord Roundtable, Mudgee.
Culture, place and the stories that endure
There is culture in this regional future too. In Wilcannia, the Baaka Cultural Centre is moving towards opening later this year as a major art and culture hub for the middle and lower Darling River region. The Centre will include a keeping place for Barkintji/Paakantji art, language and artefacts, alongside exhibition space and facilities intended to preserve culture, support cultural initiatives, create local employment opportunities and create a place for artists and community stories to be seen and heard.
RDA Orana’s involvement in the project has been substantial. Ms Campbell says it is working closely with the Board of the Baaka Cultural Centre Wilcannia Aboriginal Corporation and Central Darling Shire Council to provide executive support for the centre’s funding, development and activation.
“This long-running project is now entering its final phase, with construction complete, recruitment under way and an opening expected later in the year,” Ms Campbell says. “It’s been an amazing project, particularly the way community narratives have been drawn into a permanent interactive experience. It’s going to be spectacular.”
Baaka Cultural Centre, Wilcannia.
Helping people make a home in the region
Then there is the quieter work of regional development: helping a place become somewhere people can actually build a life. Through The Welcome Experience Orana, RDA Orana supports essential workers and their families who are considering moving to, or have already moved to, the region. The service helps newcomers navigate the practicalities of settling in, from schools and childcare to community connections and job opportunities for partners. RDA Orana was named host agency for the Orana region in 2024, with local connectors supporting communities including Bourke, Walgett, Wellington and Dubbo.
The importance of that graft is hard to overstate in a region facing significant workforce pressure across health, education, care and other essential services. RDA Orana has also made clear that the program is intended to grow, extending its reach and deepening local support as more workers and families look to relocate to regional NSW. To date, 1130 essential workers have been supported through the local program and 644 people have actually moved to the region thanks to The Welcome Experience Orana. But even without it, the principle is clear enough. Roads and freight corridors matter. So do summit stages and investment forums. In the end, though, regional growth depends just as much on whether people arrive, stay and feel they belong.
The Welcome Experience.
Shaping what comes next
That is what gives RDA Orana’s current program of work its coherence. The Golden Highway taskforce is about the physical infrastructure needed to carry the future. The Inland Growth Summit is about creating a space to debate and shape it. The Energy Charter partnership is about ensuring regional communities have a stronger hand in decisions that affect them. The Baaka Cultural Centre is about preserving and elevating the stories that define place. The Welcome Experience Orana is about helping new arrivals make a home in it. Taken together, they suggest an organisation trying not merely to respond to change, but to help shape what that change looks like.