Podcast | Series 2
How can we drive economic and social prosperity in Australia?
Join Professor Danielle Logue from UNSW for Series 2 of Leading Australia’s Just Transition and hear from global and local leaders with new ideas driving social and economic prosperity.
From Scotland's Community Wealth Building legislation to Wollongong's place-based innovation, to Indigenous entrepreneurship in the Kimberley, we talk with those changing the role of business, developing places and regions, and building prosperous communities.
Episode 1: What is Community Wealth Building and how did Scotland legislate for it?
Community Wealth Building starts with a simple idea: the everyday decisions of public institutions can shape where local wealth is created, where it flows, and who benefits. Scotland has become the first country to embed this approach in legislation. What does that mean for local economies, and how can Australia learn from it?
Professor Danielle Logue speaks with Sarah Longlands, Chief Executive of the Centre for Local Economic Strategies (CLES), an organisation that actively developed the idea of Community Wealth Building across the UK. Listen to discover how public institutions can become powerful drivers of local prosperity and why changing where wealth flows may be just as important as creating it.
Resources:
- Centre for Local Economic Strategies (CLES): https://cles.org.uk/community-wealth-building/
- Community Wealth Building Scotland Bill: https://www.parliament.scot/bills-and-laws/bills/s6/community-wealth-building-scotland-bill
Topics covered: community wealth building, place-based development, Scotland, CLES, economic development, anchor institutions.
Episode 2: Can economic democracy help transform local economies?
In little more than a decade, Preston in the UK has gone from being one of the most deprived cities to becoming a leading example of Community Wealth Building and being recognised as one of the best places to live in the country.
Professor Danielle Logue speaks with Neil McInroy, a leading voice in the global Community Wealth Building movement, about how Preston’s approach took shape and what it can teach us about building more inclusive local economies globally.
Find out what economic democracy looks like in practice in cities around the world and how local institutions are key to keeping wealth circulating locally.
Resources:
Topics covered: economic democracy; economic justice; economic empowerment; place-based development; anchor institutions; participation.
Episode 3: Community Ownership. Who should own the businesses and services that keep regional Australia alive?
Across Australia, communities are rethinking who owns the assets that shape their future. From local pubs and childcare centres to renewable energy projects, community ownership is emerging as a model to build local resilience, create community wealth and strengthen social cohesion.
Professor Danielle Logue speaks with Matt Pfahlert, Co-Founder and CEO of the Australian Centre for Rural Entrepreneurship (ACRE), to explore how successful models of community ownership from around the world are being adapted for regional Australia. Discover why ownership, not just investment, may hold the key to stronger local economies.
Resources
- Australian Centre for Rural Entrepreneurship (ACRE): https://acre.org.au/coa
- Community Owned Australia: https://acre.org.au/our-services/community-owned-australia/
- Development Trusts Association Scotland (DTAS): https://dtascot.org.uk/
- Plunkett UK: https://plunkett.co.uk/
Keywords: community ownership, economic empowerment, power, wealth distribution, regional Australia.