I’m Andrew Leigh, the Assistant Minister for Charities – a portfolio that I regard as assistant minister for community‑building. I’m speaking to you from the traditional lands of the Ngunnawal people.
It is a pleasure to join you virtually for the National Small Town Reinvention Conference.
Let me begin by recognising Peter Kenyon. His tireless advocacy has reminded Australians that the future of our small towns will not be written in distant boardrooms or capital cities, but in the energy, imagination and collaboration of local people.
I would also like to acknowledge my state parliamentary colleague, Tony Piccolo, who lobbied for this location, and who shares Peter’s passion for small towns.
In our book Reconnected, Nick Terrell and I discussed both the problem and the solution. We showed how community life has frayed: fewer people volunteering, fewer joining clubs, fewer turning up to local events. But the book was also about renewal. We looked at the ways people are rebuilding community – re‑establishing connections, inventing new traditions and finding practical ways to draw people together again. That rebuilding work is precisely what this conference embodies.
The theme here – prosperity through connection, collaboration and community – could not be more timely. Across Australia, three‑quarters of our 1,600 small towns are static or shrinking. Yet the message of this gathering is not despair, but possibility. From the Town Team Movement’s workshop on sparking action, to sessions on community foundations, men’s sheds, co‑operatives and ageing well in place, this conference highlights the many ways local people are refusing to accept decline as inevitable.
It’s striking how broad the agenda is. You are exploring how to build leadership, create ‘wow factors’, attract and retain young people, and embrace community‑led innovation. You’ll hear from Liz Ritchie on the big picture for regional Australia, from Rhys Williams on creating wow factor, from community foundations that are strengthening local investment and from leaders in small towns who are showing what reinvention looks like on the ground.
I’m especially heartened by the focus on collaboration. The session on ‘Rules, Rebels and Results’ captures something I’ve seen again and again – that when councils and communities find ways to work together, the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts. Likewise, the workshop on disaster‑response systems reminds us that resilience doesn’t come from waiting for outside help, but from neighbours looking after one another.
Yes, our nation faces big challenges: climate change, economic transition, loneliness and disconnection. But what I take from this conference is optimism. Optimism that small towns can reinvent themselves. Optimism that connection and collaboration can generate prosperity. And optimism that the lessons from your conversations will ripple out across Australia.
Thank you for the work you’re doing. When small towns thrive, our whole nation is stronger.