Regional NSW

Across regional NSW, Polis Partners has supported government agencies and delivery bodies to design and justify major programs and investments that respond to place-based needs, particularly where markets are thin, delivery conditions are complex, and community expectations are high. Our work spans energy transition, water security and drought resilience, and regional housing supply and affordability. It combines rigorous economic and financial analysis with practical governance, delivery design and stakeholder engagement to help our clients make transparent decisions and deliver measurable benefits for regional communities. Some of our work includes:

• Business case development, cost-benefit analysis and financial analysis for critical regional infrastructure (including investment logic, options assessment, staging, risks and delivery).
• Design of reinvestment and grant/investment frameworks that demonstrate local benefit and meet government accountability requirements (principles, eligibility, assessment criteria, governance and decision pathways).
• Assessing the impact that major infrastructure projects have on regional housing markets and workforce demand.
• Policy and program feasibility studies for non-metropolitan markets (e.g., build-to-rent viability, short-term accommodation impacts) and development of actionable roadmaps and pilots.
• Co-design and consultation with agencies, delivery partners, investors/developers and community stakeholders to ensure solutions are implementable and grounded in regional priorities.

Examples of this regional experience include developing EnergyCo NSW’s Community Strategic Investment framework to reinvest Renewable Energy Zone access scheme fees; preparing multiple WaterNSW strategic and final business cases for pipelines, a new weir and drought security initiatives; and delivering several studies for the Department of Regional NSW on housing system pressures, including build-to-rent feasibility, key worker housing, housing impacts from major infrastructure delivery, and the effects of short-term accommodation on regional markets.