Entered by Office of the 24-Hour Economy Commissioner, New South Wales

When the NSW Government’s Office of the 24-Hour Economy Commissioner expanded its remit across NSW in 2023, it faced a new challenge: how could an approach that was initially developed in metropolitan Sydney support regional communities with very different economies, geographies, identities and levels of capacity?

The Office’s Uptown District Acceleration Program had demonstrated the value of bringing local businesses together to strengthen going-out districts. However, simply extending that model statewide risked applying a metropolitan solution to communities facing different local conditions and needs.