Growth areas are not on the edge of Australia’s economy, they are central to it.
Home to 2.4 million workers (18% of the national workforce) growth areas play a critical role in manufacturing, construction, freight and logistics. These industries underpin national supply chains, essential services and industrial capacity. In 2024 alone, growth areas contributed $331 billion in Gross Regional Product (12% of GDP) and generated $713.5 billion in annual economic output.
Yet the economic story is incomplete.
With only 1.6 million local jobs, growth areas face a 750,000-job deficit and up to two thirds of residents must leave their LGA for work. Long commutes and congestion, increasingly recognised as barriers to productivity, workforce participation and wellbeing, continue to constrain economic potential. Time spent travelling is time not spent working, studying, innovating or contributing locally.
Growth areas are positioned to be engines of Australia’s long-term economic resilience and wellbeing but unlocking this potential requires deliberate investment, policy alignment and leadership.
This year’s Congress will explore how councils can help close the jobs gap, attract investment into precinct development, and position outer metropolitan regions as nationally significant hubs for industry, employment and innovation.
This isn’t just about managing growth; it’s about leading it.
