MARCH 23, 2015: REGIONAL development will benefit from the appointment of Regional Development Australia (RDA) committee members to RDA Mackay-Isaac-Whitsunday.The Australian Government today announced the following appointments:Mr Robert Cocco; Mr Colin Streeter; Mr Barry Omundson; Ms Kylie Porter; Mr Stephen Schwer; Prof Pierre Viljoen; Mr Scott Waters; Mr Quinton Hildebrand and Miss Jessica Simpson have been appointed as committee members.RDA Mackay-Isaac-Whitsunday is made up of committee members from across the region.The RDA committees are well placed to help foster stronger regions across the nation and ensure all three tiers of government work together effectively.They will advise on priority activities that will unlock regional economic development and improve the productivity of their regions.RDA committees will provide advice to the Government on critical issues affecting each region and are an important mechanism to increase access to Australian Government programmes in regional communities.This announcement is good news for the local area as it ensures the best expertise and experience will continue to be brought to regional development.I look forward to Mackay-Isaac-Whitsunday’s continuing good work in assisting local community stakeholders to develop project proposals and directing them to the appropriate public and/or private funding sources—including the $1 billion National Stronger Regions Fund.Regional Development Australia consists of a national network of 55 committees that are well placed to strongly focus on regional economic development and facilitate local projects that aim to make a difference in their local communities.Information on the work currently being undertaken by RDA Mackay-Isaac-Whitsunday can be found at http://www.rdamiw.org.au/For more information and the latest news from the national RDA network visit www.rda.gov.au.