Dr. David Meredith:

Yes. It has taken an innovative approach to the development of the community over time. There are other really goods examples of that throughout the country but there are parts of the country that do not have that type of history behind them. For this reason, support must be not only resource-based but assistance-based to enable the development of that leadership capacity. Looking to America, the Ford Foundation funds a huge community leadership programme that looks at styles of leadership, bringing communities together, support networks within and between communities, strategy development and, most important, how to link that strategy development to the funding ecosystem.

Senator Marie-Louise O'Donnell also asked where the gap is in research funding at this point. I am sure the Senator is aware that the challenge with regard to rural is that it is across all areas, including health, education, economic development, social isolation and so on such that funding is spread across many different agencies, with no focus on particular rural questions.