Professor Roberta Ryan
Director of the Institute for Regional Futures
Institute for Regional Futures
- Email:roberta.ryan@newcastle.edu.au
- Phone:+61 402209896
Career Summary
Biography
Professor Roberta Ryan is the founding Executive Director of the Institute for Regional Futures and the University’s inaugural Professor of Local Government. She has worked in leading private and public enterprises and as an advisor to all spheres of government, nationally and internationally, to help them meet the challenges and realise the opportunities in economic, social and spatial planning and development.
Professor Ryan is an expert in social planning, social research and evaluation, and strategic planning. She is also recognised nationally and internationally for her leadership in the design and delivery of innovative stakeholder engagement, particularly between governments and the community on contested and sensitive matters.
With her unique expertise, Professor Ryan is a trusted advisor to federal, state and local governments and major public and private enterprises on the development and delivery of strategy, policy and reform. This includes her Ministerial appointment as the Independent Community Commissioner for Sydney’s new third city: the Western Sydney Aerotropolis. Professor Ryan was appointed to this role to assess the issues and concerns of current landowners impacted by governments’ development plans and to make recommendations to the Minister on the optimal way forward. Following her success in this role, she has been asked to continue as Commissioner for other major land development in Western Sydney.
Professor Ryan holds further ministerial appointments as a state and local member of NSW Regional Planning Panels. Prior to joining the University of Newcastle, Professor Ryan was the inaugural Director of the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) Institute for Public Policy and Governance and the UTS Centre for Local Government and the Australian Centre of Excellence for Local Government. Before UTS, she was a partner and director at Urbis, then Australia’s largest planning and property advisory firm.
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Arts Honours, University of Sydney
- Bachelor of Social Studies Honours, University of Sydney
Keywords
- Applied policy
- Community engagement/public participation
- Impact research
- Local and regional governance
- Social and strategic planning
- Social research and evaluation
Fields of Research
Code | Description | Percentage |
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440709 | Public policy | 40 |
440801 | Australian government and politics | 30 |
330408 | Strategic, metropolitan and regional planning | 30 |
Professional Experience
UON Appointment
Title | Organisation / Department |
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Director of the Institute for Regional Futures | University of Newcastle Office PVC - College of Human and Social Futures Australia |
Academic appointment
Dates | Title | Organisation / Department |
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6/7/2020 - | Deputy Head of Faculty | Faculty of Business & Law, The University of Newcastle Australia |
30/11/2011 - 31/3/2020 | Director, UTS Centre for Local Government | University of Technology Sydney Australia |
30/11/2011 - 31/3/2020 | Director, Institute of Public Policy and Governance | University of Technology Sydney Australia |
30/11/2011 - 31/3/2020 | Director, UTS Centre of Excellence for Local Government | University of Technology Sydney Australia |
1/1/1989 - 1/1/2000 | Academic | University of New South Wales |
Professional appointment
Dates | Title | Organisation / Department |
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30/11/2005 - 31/8/2012 | Partner/Director | Urbis Pty Ltd |
1/1/2000 - 31/10/2005 | Director / Associate Director | Elton Consulting - Social Planning and Social Research Australia |
Publications
For publications that are currently unpublished or in-press, details are shown in italics.
Book (1 outputs)
Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link | |||||
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2016 |
Schoburgh E, Ryan R, (Eds) Handbook of Research on Sub-National Governance and Development, IGI Global, New York, 1--625 (2016)
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Chapter (11 outputs)
Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link | |||||
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2019 |
Ryan R, Drew J, 'Performance Monitoring in New South Wales Australia', Performance-Based Budgeting in the Public Sector, Palgrave Macmillan, New York 61-77 (2019) [B1]
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2019 |
Ryan R, Lawrie A, 'Local Government', Australian Politics and Policy: Senior Edition, Sydney University Press, Sydney 330-349 (2019)
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2019 |
Ryan R, Woods R, 'Women s political empowerment: Lessons for subnational levels of government - Nepal, Pakistan, Rwanda, and Indonesia', Gender and Diversity: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications, IGI 406-426 (2019)
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2017 |
Ryan R, Woods R, 'Women s Political Empowerment: Lessons for Subnational Levels of Government: Nepal, Pakistan, Rwanda, and Indonesia', Handbook of Research on Sub-National Governance and Development, IGI Global, Hershey, PA 385-405 (2017) [B1]
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2017 |
Ryan R, Woods R, 'Decentralization and subnational governance: Theory and praxis', Handbook of Research on Subnational Governance and Development, IGI Global, Hershey, PA 1-33 (2017) [B1]
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Show 8 more chapters |
Journal article (21 outputs)
Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link | |||||
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2020 |
Vogel RK, Ryan R, Lawrie A, Grant B, Meng X, Walsh P, Morris A, 'Global city Sydney', Progress in Planning, 136 (2020) [C1] Sydney has emerged as a major global city in the 21st century. We review the ¿global city thesis¿, which dominates urban scholarship and practice, and ask whether it adequately ca... [more] Sydney has emerged as a major global city in the 21st century. We review the ¿global city thesis¿, which dominates urban scholarship and practice, and ask whether it adequately captures the Sydney experience. Although the global city thesis is a useful analytical construct for policy makers and scholars, we argue that it does not adequately chart Sydney's rise as a leading global city and its current problems. The global city thesis ignores the political institutions and processes that shape and direct the global city. The City of Sydney is a small area of the city-region, accounting for only about four percent of the metropolis. Sydney lacks a metropolitan or regional government and has few regional collaborative processes or platforms. Instead the global city strategy of Sydney is shaped and directed by the New South Wales state government. This is contrary to the political decentralisation and devolution trends heralded by international actors such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Sydney also illustrates the dilemma of global cities in that those members at the top of the knowledge economy are highly rewarded and those in the middle and lower strata face difficulty maintaining or improving their situations. Local governments lack the capacity to act independently and the state and federal governments are unwilling to address serious urban problems associated with globalisation, such as public transit or housing. Given the governments' embrace of neoliberalism, the global city vision advanced by leaders is threatened. There is little concrete policy offered by any level of government to address the crisis.
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2019 | Ryan R, Lawrie A, 'Local Government in Australia', Australian Politics and Policy, (2019) | |||||||
2018 | Ryan R, Selim Y, 'Liveable Sydney: Liveable for Whom', Liveable Cities from a Global Perspective, (2018) | |||||||
2016 |
Grant B, Ryan R, Kelly A, 'The Australian Government s White Paper on Reform of the Federation and the Future of Australian Local Government', International Journal of Public Administration, 39 707-717 (2016) [C1] The Abbott Government announced its White Paper review of the Australian Federation on June 28, 2014. Set against this backdrop, discussions of the future of Australian local gove... [more] The Abbott Government announced its White Paper review of the Australian Federation on June 28, 2014. Set against this backdrop, discussions of the future of Australian local government may provoke an assumption that its role will be cruelled. However, reflection suggests that such an assumption is misplaced. In particular, when the complexities of regionalism in Australia are considered, the potential role of local government begs revisiting. We argue that local government ought to adopt a forthright position in the current debate, particularly with respect to financial reform.
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2016 |
Ryan R, Hastings C, Grant B, Lawrie A, Ní Shé É, Wortley L, 'The Australian Experience of Municipal Amalgamation: Asking the Citizenry and Exploring the Implications', Australian Journal of Public Administration, 75 373-390 (2016) [C1] Debate over municipal amalgamations in Australian continues to dominate local government reform agendas, with the putative need to achieve economies of scale and scope consistentl... [more] Debate over municipal amalgamations in Australian continues to dominate local government reform agendas, with the putative need to achieve economies of scale and scope consistently set against anti-amalgamation arguments designed to preserve extant communities. Following from an examination of recent episodes of consolidation in Australia, this paper reports on citizens' attitudes to amalgamation garnered from a national survey of 2,006 individuals. We found that generally, citizens are ambivalent toward amalgamation, although attitudes were influenced by particular demographic characteristics and attitudes to representation, belonging, service delivery requirements and the costs thereof. The results suggest that, away from the local government sector itself, structural reform may not be the vexatious issue it is often portrayed as. The implications of this are explored here.
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2016 |
Grant B, Ryan R, Martin J, 'Local governance and regional development: An introduction to the special edition of AJRS and strategic directions for research', Australasian Journal of Regional Studies, 22 2-8 (2016) [C1] In December 2015 the Australia and New Zealand Regional Science Association International (ANZRAI) held its 39th Annual Conference at the University of Technology Sydney. Prior to... [more] In December 2015 the Australia and New Zealand Regional Science Association International (ANZRAI) held its 39th Annual Conference at the University of Technology Sydney. Prior to the conference the Editorial Board of Australasian Journal of Regional Studies (AJRS) and the Executive of ANZRAI agreed to a Special Edition (SE) of the journal entitled 'Local Governance and Regional Development' to be developed and published as part of the outcomes of the conference. In this 'Introduction' the members of the ad hoc Editorial Board formed for the SE provide an account of the conference and a concise overview of the papers therein as they relate to the theme of 'Local Governance and Regional Development'. We also reflect upon the strategic directions for research in regional studies. |
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2016 |
Hastings C, Wortley L, Ryan R, Grant B, 'Community expectations for the role of local government in Regional Australia: Meeting the challenges of 'slow burn'', Australasian Journal of Regional Studies, 22 158-180 (2016) [C1] Regional Australia is confronted by specific demographic, social, economic and infrastructure challenges, which we are denoting as 'slow-burn' threats. This article inte... [more] Regional Australia is confronted by specific demographic, social, economic and infrastructure challenges, which we are denoting as 'slow-burn' threats. This article interrogates a recent national survey concerned with the value of local government to Australian communities, focusing upon differences in responses for regional and remote areas compared to those from urban capital cities. Findings indicate that regional and remote residents place more importance on local government delivering services that specifically focus on the long-term development and sustainability of the community than their urban counterparts, particularly economic and community development roles. We argue that this constitutes a demonstration of the different expectations that regional and remote communities have of local government in the face of 'slow burn' in regional and remote areas. Further, we suggest that the relationship between local governments in regional Australia and the communities they serve is usefully conceived in terms of what we denote as 'the close economy' and 'the local state'.
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2015 |
Ryan R, Woods R, 'Local government capacity in Australia', Public Policy and Administration, 14 225-248 (2015) This paper analyses how effectively local government in Australia performs its functions as a key element of subnational governance. Service delivery and local democracy are ident... [more] This paper analyses how effectively local government in Australia performs its functions as a key element of subnational governance. Service delivery and local democracy are identified as the core functions of local government. The analysis takes into account paradigms of public administration, democracy and management, the public organization, accountability and capacity. The concept of 'capacity' brings together many of the issues discussed in this paper. Questions of capacity relate to whether local governments are effectively performing their institutional functions, how they do so with regard to principles of good governance, and whether the dimensions of their capacity can be reformed if there was the need to meet additional demands.
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2012 | Emeljanow VE, 'Editorial', Popular Entertainment Studies, 3 1-6 (2012) [C3] | |||||||
2001 |
Rogers M, Ryan R, 'The triple bottom line for sustainable community development', Local Environment, 6 279-289 (2001) Rural communities in Australia are confronting a period of unprecedented change. They face declining commodity prices, the withdrawal of both public and private sector sen'ic... [more] Rural communities in Australia are confronting a period of unprecedented change. They face declining commodity prices, the withdrawal of both public and private sector sen'ices, such as banks and hospitals, and the closure of small businesses. Their populations are in decline, with young people leaving for the larger regional centres. Many also face a declining resource base as soils become saline and water resources are sold to areas with higher unit returns. This paper presents a framework for sustainable community development based on emerging ideas of performance auditing and the development of progress indicators. The triple bottom line community audit approach is recast for the community level, measuring performance on improved community wellbeing, reduced environmental impact and increased economic vitality. Rural communities need to redefine their future. A sustainability focus offers a way fonvard. © 2001 Taylor & Francis Ltd.
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Show 18 more journal articles |
Conference (37 outputs)
Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link | |||||
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2024 | Ryan R, 'Hunter New Energy Symposium - Breakout Session Community engagement and Social Licence', Newcastle City Hall (2024) | |||||||
2024 | Ryan R, 'Hunter Outlook 2024, Property Council of Australia', NEX Newcastle (2024) | |||||||
2024 | Ryan R, 'The Australian Energy & Battery Storage Conference', Swissotel, Sydney (2024) | |||||||
2015 |
Bligh G, Roberta R, Alex L, 'Dirty hands and commissions of inquiry: An examination of the independent local government review Panel in NSW, Australia', Research in Ethical Issues in Organizations (2015) We utilise the problem of dirty hands to consider the ethical dimensions of commissions of inquiry, particularly commissions of inquiry conducted for the purposes of public policy... [more] We utilise the problem of dirty hands to consider the ethical dimensions of commissions of inquiry, particularly commissions of inquiry conducted for the purposes of public policy. The Independent Local Government Review Panel (ILGRP) in NSW is used as an example for the purposes of discussion. Four questions endemic to considerations of dirty hands are derived from Coady (2014). The framework affords various insights into the ethical terrain of this particular inquiry and those undertaken for the purposes of public policy more generally. We argue that commissions of this type and the ILGRP in particular cannot be labelled examples of dirty hands and that the concept of determinatio from the work of St Thomas Aquinas sheds light as to the nature of moral claims around commissions. We also argue that a fruitful analysis is afforded by Wallis' (2013) analytic framework of the 'logic of fateful choices faced by the leaders of commissions of inquiry'. Nevertheless, confusion surrounding the nature and types of inquiries is partially responsible for accusations of their ethical incoherence.
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Show 34 more conferences |
Other (19 outputs)
Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link |
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2019 | Ryan R, 'The politics of suburban intensification', . Sydney: Sydney Architecture Festival (2019) | ||
2018 | Ryan R, Lawrie A, 'Local Councils: More Than Roads, Rates, and Rubbish', Inner Sydney Voice ( issue.134 pp.24-26). Sydney: Inner Sydney Regional Council for Social Development (2018) | ||
2018 | Lawrie AJ, Ryan R, 'Roles and responsibilities of Mayors, Councillors and General Managers in NSW', : Inner Sydney Regional Council for Social Development (2018) | ||
Show 16 more others |
Presentation (2 outputs)
Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link |
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2024 | Ryan R, 'The Great Australian Dream! Regional migration and implications for housing demand', (2024) | ||
2022 | Ryan R, 'Views from the Hunter - Advanced Political Leadership', (2022) |
Report (84 outputs)
Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link | |||||
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2022 |
Ahmed I, Johnson T, Tang LM, McKee J, Alston M, Ryan R, Ledger K, 'Improving Local Resilience to Floods in the Hunter Region to Address Sustainable Development Goal 13', The University of Newcastle, 54 (2022)
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2019 | Ryan R, Duxson S, Tindale A, 'Livingstone Shire Council Whole of Community Plan', Livingstone Shire Council (2019) | |||||||
2018 | French AN, Goodall A, Furby B, Haywood P, Ryan R, Rose K, 'Evaluation of the Statewide Eyesight Preschooler Screening (StEPS) Program Final Report', The NSW Ministry of Health (2018) | |||||||
Show 81 more reports |
Grants and Funding
Summary
Number of grants | 8 |
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Total funding | $7,900,187 |
Click on a grant title below to expand the full details for that specific grant.
20241 grants / $7,500,000
Accelerating the Development of Evidence-based Policy and Practice (ADEPPt) in Papua New Guinea / Field Epidemiology in Action$7,500,000
Funding body: Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Funding body | Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade |
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Project Team | Conjoint Professor David Durrheim, Conjoint Professor David Durrheim, Mr James Flint, Ms Rachel Hammersley-Mather, Doctor Tambri Housen, Doctor Megge Miller, Professor Roberta Ryan |
Scheme | Regional Health Partnerships |
Role | Investigator |
Funding Start | 2024 |
Funding Finish | 2027 |
GNo | G2300238 |
Type Of Funding | C1500 - Aust Competitive - Commonwealth Other |
Category | 1500 |
UON | Y |
20231 grants / $84,041
Child Safe Melville$84,041
Funding body: City of Melville
Funding body | City of Melville |
---|---|
Project Team | Professor Roberta Ryan |
Scheme | Research Grant |
Role | Lead |
Funding Start | 2023 |
Funding Finish | 2024 |
GNo | G2301310 |
Type Of Funding | C2300 – Aust StateTerritoryLocal – Own Purpose |
Category | 2300 |
UON | Y |
20221 grants / $39,900
Inner West Council Creative services stocktake$39,900
Funding body: Inner West Council
Funding body | Inner West Council |
---|---|
Project Team | Professor Roberta Ryan |
Scheme | Research Grant |
Role | Lead |
Funding Start | 2022 |
Funding Finish | 2022 |
GNo | G2200999 |
Type Of Funding | C1600 - Aust Competitive - StateTerritory Govt |
Category | 1600 |
UON | Y |
20205 grants / $276,246
Western Sydney City Deal Evaluation Framework$91,500
Funding body: Campbelltown City Council
Funding body | Campbelltown City Council |
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Project Team | Professor Roberta Ryan |
Scheme | Research Grant |
Role | Lead |
Funding Start | 2020 |
Funding Finish | 2020 |
GNo | G2000955 |
Type Of Funding | C2300 – Aust StateTerritoryLocal – Own Purpose |
Category | 2300 |
UON | Y |
Great Koala National Park Economic Study and Business Case$73,000
Funding body: Bellingen Shire Council
Funding body | Bellingen Shire Council |
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Project Team | Professor Roberta Ryan |
Scheme | Research Grant |
Role | Lead |
Funding Start | 2020 |
Funding Finish | 2020 |
GNo | G2000828 |
Type Of Funding | C2400 – Aust StateTerritoryLocal – Other |
Category | 2400 |
UON | Y |
Impact Evaluation Study$61,746
Funding body: Asian Productivity Organization
Funding body | Asian Productivity Organization |
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Project Team | Professor Roberta Ryan |
Scheme | Research Grant |
Role | Lead |
Funding Start | 2020 |
Funding Finish | 2020 |
GNo | G2000703 |
Type Of Funding | C3400 – International For Profit |
Category | 3400 |
UON | Y |
Economic Diversification: Research Implementation Road Map$30,000
Funding body: Muswellbrook Shire Council
Funding body | Muswellbrook Shire Council |
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Project Team | Professor Roberta Ryan |
Scheme | Research Grant |
Role | Lead |
Funding Start | 2020 |
Funding Finish | 2020 |
GNo | G2000853 |
Type Of Funding | C2300 – Aust StateTerritoryLocal – Own Purpose |
Category | 2300 |
UON | Y |
The Pulse 2020 Research$20,000
Funding body: Greater Sydney Commission
Funding body | Greater Sydney Commission |
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Project Team | Professor Roberta Ryan |
Scheme | Research Grant |
Role | Lead |
Funding Start | 2020 |
Funding Finish | 2020 |
GNo | G2000702 |
Type Of Funding | C2300 – Aust StateTerritoryLocal – Own Purpose |
Category | 2300 |
UON | Y |
Research Supervision
Number of supervisions
Current Supervision
Commenced | Level of Study | Research Title | Program | Supervisor Type |
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2021 | PhD | Improving Financial Sustainability of NSW Local Government - Lessons from Financial Failure | PhD (Accounting & Finance), College of Human and Social Futures, The University of Newcastle | Co-Supervisor |
2020 | Masters | Bricks and Beaches: The Suburbanisation of the Central Coast of New South Wales 1945-2001 | M Philosophy (History), College of Human and Social Futures, The University of Newcastle | Co-Supervisor |
Research Projects
Sydney Water: Social Research – community attitudes to water sources 2020 - 2022
Sydney Water: Social Research – staff attitudes to drinking water sources 2020 - 2022
Sydney Water: Policy Advisor- water supply options – appointed as socio political expert 2019 -
City of Sydney: Social Research – benchmarking measures of apartment sustainability in the City of Sydney 2017
Review of Library Services 2023 -
Collaborating with Dubbo Regional Council, Institute for Regional Futures under Professor Roberta Ryan as Project Director, is currently undertaking a review of the current operation of library services and the cost-effectiveness of supporting the Macquarie Regional library service.
Stakeholder Communication and Engagement in Lake Macquarie 2022 -
Institute for Regional Futures led by Professor Roberta Ryan is supporting communication and engagement activities on the redevelopment of land held by the Transport Asset Holding Entity at Glendale.
New Move Evaluation (Phase 2) 2022
Institute for Regional Futures led by Professor Ryan have been engaged by City of Newcastle to undertake an evaluation of the 2nd year of the New Move program, focusing on the time period from 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2022. It aims to assess the extent to which people remain in the program and how the program contributes to the economic and social outcomes for Newcastle.
Edit
News
News • 22 Feb 2024
Happier in the Hunter: promising findings for young people
Despite the challenges that young people in regional areas face, new data reveals Hunter youth are happier than their peers in capital cities.
News • 30 Nov 2023
New research reveals encouraging step for Hunter renewal
New research has revealed that the majority of Hunter residents support the need for the region to transition to new sources of employment, a finding buffeted by the strong showings for the region in key social areas such as resilience and community.
News • 2 Feb 2021
Report: Australia’s first national park for koalas projected to generate $1.2 billion in economic output and 9,800+ jobs
A landmark study into Australia’s proposed first large national park dedicated to protecting koalas has projected additional regional economic output of $1.2 billion over the next 15 years and $1.7 billion in biodiversity value.
Professor Roberta Ryan
Position
Director of the Institute for Regional Futures
Institute for Regional Futures
Institute for Regional Futures
Research and Innovation Division
Contact Details
roberta.ryan@newcastle.edu.au | |
Phone | +61 402209896 |
Mobile | +61 402209896 |
Office
Room | X833 |
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Building | NUspace |
Location | Level 8 NUspace Building , |