Issue 2

This study explores the fishing industry’s perception of its contribution towards the sustainability of the Eyre Peninsula region. The contribution of the fishing industry to the sustainable development of the regional Eyre Peninsula is yet to be fully documented. Thematic analysis of interviews with 54 actors of the fishing industry and indirect observations reveal that three essential descriptors explain the industry’s contribution towards the sustainability of the Eyre Peninsula region: (a) green conscious (b) economic pillar and (c) social buffer. The contribution of this study is threefold: It proposes conceptual and empirical models that enhance our understanding of the symbiotic relationship between industry and regional sustainability; It advances industry sustainability research from a regional perspective—the study adds fishing industry perspective to regional sustainability transition research; Finally, this study further develops the notion of regional industry sustainability through empirical evidence from the fishing industry. The implications of the findings for theory, management, policy and research are discussed.

Samuel Howard Quartey and Sam Wells

Page Number - 135

The literature on leading and lagging regions has paid scant attention to how heterogeneity between the two regions impacts the provision of a public good. Given this lacuna, our contribution is to construct a game-theoretic model of an aggregate economy consisting of a leading and a lagging region and to then analyse this model. We show how two kinds of heterogeneity affect the provision of a public good such as higher education. In addition, we focus on decentralised and centralised public good provision and comment on the resulting welfare implications. We obtain two key conclusions. First, under decentralisation, there exist several situations in which it is optimal for only one region to provide the public good. Second, under centralisation, this exclusive provision is not optimal but the amount of the public good provided can be larger or smaller than the amount provided under decentralisation. Our research shows policymakers that population size and values differences between the two regions and the use of majority voting are key factors to consider when pondering the optimal provision of a public good.

Amitrajeet A. Batabyal and Seung Jick Yoo

Page Number - 177

A comparison of data from census 2011 and census 2016 indicates that a slightly higher proportion of commuters within the Sydney Greater Metropolitan Area use public transport, with the figure increasing from 17.3 per cent in 2011 to 19.8 per cent in 2016. The same data also indicates that, not only has the number of cars increased, but so too has the number of cars per household. Furthermore, car ownership by household is found to vary across the Greater Metropolitan Area. Other work has reported that Australians in the bottom income quintile are more likely to experience transport difficulties. Households in this category are more likely to live on the urban fringe, where there is lower access to public transport. This change in accessibility will likely impact on the relationship between household income and car ownership. The aim of this paper is to estimate the strength of this relationship and see if it varies across Sydney’s Greater Metropolitan Area. This is done by introducing spatial regimes into the modelling. The novelty of the work done here, is that rather than specifying these regimes, they are created by letting the data speak for itself. Natural breaks in the variable measuring of the proportion of employed persons journeying to work by public transport are identified and used to define the regimes.

Bernard Trendle

Page Number - 196

This study seeks to empirically explore whether there is a relationship between the severity of infrastructure renewal backlog and the salience of stakeholders at either the government level or the public level, according to the perceptions of mayors and chief executive officers of local government authorities. The findings add to stakeholder salience conceptualisation by proving that financial resources act as a critical impact on stakeholder salience and its influence on infrastructure renewal initiatives. Further, findings indicate that the backlog problem cannot be resolved only through a process of stakeholder groups influencing infrastructure decision-making at the local community level. Dependency on the influence of existing public stakeholders is a crucial issue for the infrastructure renewal backlog problem and the burden of the need to renew infrastructure may be transferred to future generations of ratepayers. [Revised January 2020 to correct some referencing discrepancies.]

Pavithra Siriwardhane and Tehmina Khan

Page Number - 223

Economic development in regional areas is a high priority social and political objective in Australia. Regional and rural coastal towns have suffered as a result of the declining value of primary production from traditional industries, including fishing, farming and forestry. As a result, attention has shifted to alternative employment and revenue sources, especially from service industries such as tourism and hospitality. Using a case study of the New South Wales (NSW) South Coast fishing industry combined with a review of global trends gaining prominence in food systems, we argue that primary industries—like professional fishing—are now well positioned to foster a revival in rural and regional communities. Consumer interest in food provenance and sustainability, a movement towards ‘localism’, and the growth in food-based tourism have created new opportunities for the sector. The industry will, however, need support from regional development agencies to assist the transition to new business models, and recover from a prolonged, and at times traumatic, period of reform.

Freya Croft, Michelle Voyer, Michael Adams, Candice Visser, Duncan Leadbitter, James Reveley, Frances Steel and Jade Kennedy

Page Number - 254

Tourism promises to be the panacea for many economic and social inequalities, particularly in regional areas. Tasmania, Australia, is one of those places. Combined with aspirations for higher levels of educational attainment and a prospering tourism industry, optimism is evident on the island. However, while tourism is growing its economic contribution, the workforce is dominated by low-skilled, low-pay occupations. The promises of economic prosperity, better jobs and social equality through a better educated workforce and a growing tourism sector are challenged; tourism may be exacerbating social inequalities. This paper analyses the political economy of tourism in Tasmania by addressing two issues. The first is the economic and social expectations attached to tourism. The second is the existence of job polarisation. This discussion outlines the contradictions for tourism: 1) how jobs and workers’ education and are mis-matched, 2) the economic status of workers, and 3) how benefits are distributed in society.

Lisa Denny, Becky Shelley and Can-Seng Ooi

Page Number - 282