Future Strategy for Community Transport in Regional, Rural and Remote NSW 2022-2025

Access to transport remains a significant challenge across Regional, Rural and Remote (RRR) NSW with a range of complex contributing factors. Transport disadvantage is ultimately a form of social exclusion, as a lack of access to transport means people cannot participate fully within their community.

There is an over-representation of people experiencing transport disadvantage in RRR NSW with the presence of additional and unique barriers, impacting wellbeing and functioning of communities. There is also a growing unmet transport need among vulnerable cohorts in these communities, including elderly Australians, people with a disability, and First Nation’s peoples.

The community transport sector seeks to address this transport disadvantage through provision of services that are accessible, affordable and responsive to the specific needs of people in the community.

Community transport is therefore much more than just a transport service. It is also a significant enabler of equitable inclusion and access to health, social and community care and a critical determinant of health outcomes in regional, rural and remote NSW.

Community transport provides a range of benefits both to individual customers and local communities across social, health, aged care, disability, Indigenous and transport policy outcomes.

In order to help deliver on this, the Community Transport Organisation (CTO), in partnership with New England Sector Support Team (NESST) and supported by Transport for New South Wales (TfNSW) and the Department of Health and Aged Care, worked hand in hand with the sector to develop a future strategy for community transport in regional, rural and remote NSW.

The process for developing the strategy incorporated the recognition that this is not a homogenous region, rather a grouping of diverse communities, each with distinct characteristics.

Extensive consultation took place through surveys, stakeholder interviews, regional workshops, and feedback sessions to ensure the strategy reflected the unique needs of each region, and was stakeholder owned and led.

The strategic planning process developed a shared vision for the sector and identified the most pressing challenges and opportunities to work collaboratively to address them. Underpinned by three priority areas of: enabling our communities, improving sector coordination and integration, and supporting sustainability, ten strategic initiatives were developed which work toward achievement of a shared vision.

With a 3 year strategic plan in hand, the CTO will work collaboratively with the sector to achieve this ambitious, and inclusive vision of connected and thriving communities within regional rural and remote New South Wales.

Thank you to our stakeholders and partners supporting this work. This project is supported by NESST. This project is funded through Sector Support and Development funds administered through TfNSW

Social Ventures Australia (SVA) is a not-for-profit organisation that works with partners to alleviate disadvantages – in an Australia where all people and communities thrive.

Their work seeks to influence systems to deliver better social outcomes for people by learning about what works in communities, helping organisations be more effective, sharing perspectives, and advocating for change.

SVA has a depth of experience developing sector-wide strategies, and have strong knowledge of the unique challenges of delivering services in rural regional and remote NSW

Find out more here.

SVA is working closely with the CTO team on the development of the strategy.