TRDC-History

The Rural Development Centre

Brief History of the Rural Development Centre

In 1976, Professor Warren Musgrave of the Department of Agricultural Economics at the University of New England established the Kellogg Rural Adjustment Unit with funding obtained from the Kellogg Foundation. The aim of the Unit was to encourage the exchange of information and views relating to structural change in rural Australia and the effect of this on rural communities. Over the next four years, the Unit hosted a number of workshops and conferences on rural issues such as community development, rural counselling, the role of local government in social welfare, farm incomes, and price stabilisation of agricultural commodities. The proceedings of these conferences were circulated widely to policy makers and organisations with an interest in rural affairs.

In 1980, the Unit's name was changed to the Australian Rural Adjustment Unit, reflecting the impending cessation of financial support from the Kellogg Foundation. From 1980 to 1985, the Unit continued to host conferences and workshops on such issues as water allocation in the irrigation industry, rural taxation, rural income support, decline of rural communities, farm syndication and rural resettlement. This work led, in some cases, to changes in policy by government. For example, in 1986 the Commonwealth Government established a Rural Counselling Program based almost solely on the Unit's work and recommendations regarding this issue. This Program continues at present with about 70 counsellors employed Nation-wide. The Unit continued to play an important part in rural counselling through its provision of a resource and support service to rural counsellors.

In the early 1980s, the Unit began to undertake some applied research, with funds obtained from Australian sources, the most notable of which was the study of agricultural education in Australia by Jim Lees, Geoff Da Roza and Liz Carey. Published in 1982 as Competence and Curriculum this work had a lasting influence on curriculum design and educational philosophy in a number of agricultural colleges.

In 1984, the Unit underwent a second name change to the Rural Development Centre. This occurred for two main reasons. First, it reflected more accurately the type of work the Centre was undertaking at the time and would undertake in the future. And second, it provided a clear distinction between the days of the Adjustment Units, which received some funding from the Kellogg Foundation and the new organisation which would need to obtain all of its funds from Australian sources.

In the mid 1980s, the Centre was successful in obtaining a commitment to longer term funding of applied rural research by the Commonwealth Department of Primary Industries. Over the next ten years, the Centre carried out a wide range of research on rural and policy issues of interest to the Department. This work included studies on farm debt mediation, the impact of recession on rural communities, marriage and family counselling in rural areas, the impacts of fly-in fly-out mining on mining districts, overseas government policy on sustainable agriculture and the management of consultation processes with rural communities.

From the mid 1980s, the Centre reduced its involvement in information and outreach activities and diversified its research capabilities to obtain funding from a wider range of sources. Additional research areas in which the Centre undertook work in the late 1980s and early 1990s included evaluation of agricultural extension and education programs, development of new approaches in extending information on agricultural innovations, rural resource and environmental management, needs assessment for disadvantaged groups in rural areas and farm safety.

As part of its diversification strategy, the Centre also undertook a number of projects jointly with academic departments of the University, including the Departments of Agricultural Economics and Sociology. The success of the diversification strategy stemmed largely from the Centre's ability to differentiate its research approach from those of private consultants and academics, both of whom compete with the Centre for research funds.

In 1995, the Centre's position within the structure of the University changed from being within the Faculty of Economics, Business and Law to an independent centre reporting directly to the Vice-Chancellor.

The Rural Development Centre is currently located in a building adjacent to the Information Technology Sevices and Physics Department buildings.

Rural Development Centre Home Page

This page created and maintained by Ian Reeve and Jean Harris.
Last updated on 9 December 1999.
ireeve@metz.une.edu.au and jharri2@metz.une.edu.au