RDA DDSW

What RDA DDSW does

Regional Development Australia Darling Downs and South West (RDA DDSW), legally Regional Development Australia Darling Downs and South West Inc., is a non-profit community-based regional development organization headquartered at 123 Margaret Street, Toowoomba, Queensland. It is one of 50 Regional Development Australia committees jointly appointed by the Commonwealth and Queensland Governments, and operates with a committee of ten volunteer members and a small paid team of 1–10 staff. The organization covers ten Local Government Areas — Balonne, Bulloo, Goondiwindi, Maranoa, Murweh, Paroo, Quilpie, Southern Downs, Toowoomba, and Western Downs — and works with all tiers of government, business, and community groups to advance regional economic and social development.

Its service portfolio comprises grant funding assistance (identification of opportunities, proposal writing support, letters of support, impact assessments), a monthly grants newsletter, the ASBAS Digital Solutions Program (delivered with RDA Brisbane), the ID Profile economic and community data repository, regional publications including the Regional Housing Audit and Digital & Telecommunications Connectivity Audit & Strategy, and education/workforce programs such as the Darling Downs and South West STEM Hub, Coder Dojo Toowoomba, the State Library of Queensland Coding and Robotics Program, and a migrant work experience program. It also convenes Regional Business and Community Roundtables and forums such as the Dalby Drone Forum and the Connecting to Thrive Digital Connectivity Roadshow.

There is no proprietary technology platform and no commercial pricing model. All services are provided free of charge; the organization is funded through Commonwealth and Queensland Government appropriations routed via the national RDA program, with supplementary co-funding from partners such as nbnCo, Powerlink, and Origin APLNG for specific projects. Leadership comprises Chair Rouz Fard, Acting Deputy Chair Johanne Hancock, Director Robyn Haig, and program staff including David New and Firas Saad on the Darling Downs Local Jobs Program.

Name

RDA DDSW

Legal name

Regional Development Australia Darling Downs and South West Inc.

Website

https://rda-ddsw.org.au

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Regional Development Australia Darling Downs and South West (RDA DDSW) is a non-profit, government-appointed regional development organization serving ten Local Government Areas in Queensland from Toowoomba, providing free grant facilitation, digital advisory, data, and workforce programs to councils, small businesses, and community groups.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Development Services

NAICS

Administration of Urban Planning and Community and Rural Development (92512), Administration of Urban Planning and Community and Rural Development (925120), Administration of Housing Programs, Urban Planning, and Community Development (9251), Administration of Housing Programs, Urban Planning, and Community Development (925)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Facilities Support Management Services (8744)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Development & ICT4D / GovTech Technical Assistance (BPADAEAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus & Resilience Programming (BPADAEAK), Regional Development Banks (BPADACAB)

Keywords

• Regional development services
• Government grant advisory
• Small business support
• Community economic development
• Regional planning consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Toowoomba City, Queensland

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: As a non-profit committee jointly appointed by the Australian Government and Queensland Government, RDA DDSW operates through government funding to support regional economic and social development across the Darling Downs and South West Queensland region.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

RDA DDSW is a non-profit regional development committee that provides free advisory, funding-assistance, and capacity-building services to local councils, small businesses, community groups, and industry sectors across the Darling Downs and South West Queensland region. It connects regional stakeholders with Australian and Queensland Government programs, delivers the ASBAS Digital Solutions Program for small businesses, maintains the ID Profile economic and community data repository, publishes regional reports, and facilitates roundtables, forums, and workforce development initiatives.

Product overview

Regional Development Australia Darling Downs & South West (RDA DDSW) is a non-profit regional development organization that functions as a service and advisory body rather than a product company. The organization offers a coordinated portfolio of programs and services including the ASBAS Digital Solutions Program (digital advisory services for small businesses), grant funding assistance, the Data Repository ID Profile service, regional publications (Digital & Telecommunications Connectivity Audit, Regional Housing Audit), and educational programs (STEM Hub, Coder Dojo Toowoomba, Coding and Robotics Program). The organization also facilitates events and roundtables such as Connecting to Thrive Digital Connectivity Roadshow, Dalby Drone Forum, and Regional Business and Community Roundtables to drive economic development across the 10 local government areas in the Darling Downs and South West Queensland region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ASBAS Digital Solutions Program Digital advisory services program delivering low-cost, high-quality digital solutions to small businesses, including workshops, webinars, and one-on-one consultations to help increase online presence and compete in a digital world. Delivered in collaboration with RDA Brisbane.
• Data Repository - ID Profile

Quantifiable outcome

• 16 small businesses connected with 30 ASBAS Digital Solutions services
• +3 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

25 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Australian Government (RDA Program)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRDA DDSW is part of a national network of 50 RDA committees jointly appointed by the Australian Government. The national RDA program works with all levels of government, business, and community groups to support regional economic and social development.
• Queensland Government Department of State DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerQueensland Government partner providing regional development support and coordination for the Darling Downs and South West region.
• University of Southern Queensland (USQ)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner collaborating on research projects including the Metrics Project for community resilience framework development and the Community Resilience Indicators Project.
• Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise (TSBE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with TSBE to develop an investment attraction prospectus. TSBE has investment attraction as a core function, and RDA DDSW contributed to the Industrial Locations Factsheet and investment prospectus development.
• Western Downs Regional CouncilmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with Western Downs Regional Council and State Development to deliver the Dalby Drone Forum with over 300 delegates. Council partner in various regional initiatives.
• Regional Local Government Councils (10 LGAs)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with 10 Local Government Areas: Balonne, Bulloo, Goondiwindi, Maranoa, Murweh, Paroo, Quilpie, Southern Downs, Toowoomba, and Western Downs for regional economic development coordination.
• Welcoming CitiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorking closely with Welcoming Cities as part of a working group providing feedback on a welcoming toolkit for local governments, supporting migrant settlement in the region.
• Regional SolutionsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional development partner organization supporting economic development initiatives across the region.
• Centre for Policy Development (CPD)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRDA DDSW is the only regionally-based representative on CPD's Cities and Settlement Project. Director and Chair travelled to Canberra for launch of CPD's Seven Steps to Success on refugee entrepreneurship.
• nbnComajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with nbnCo to deliver the 'Connecting to Thrive' Digital Connectivity Roadshow across the region, connecting government, industry, and community to plan for digital infrastructure improvements.
• Darling Downs and South West STEM HubmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRDA DDSW is a foundation partner in the STEM Hub, which now sits under the Employment and Skills Portfolio. RDA DDSW played a key role in refocussing the group in 2018-19.
• Toowoomba Regional CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor council partner for the Toowoomba region, collaborating on events, initiatives, and economic development activities including Coder Dojo Toowoomba foundation support.
• SEGRAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional development organization partner listed among key stakeholders.
• Canvas Co-working/Toowoomba Start-up CentreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoder Dojo Toowoomba is operated through Canvas Co-working/Toowoomba Start-up Centre, where RDA DDSW is a foundation supporter along with Toowoomba Regional Council.
• Queensland Major Contractors Association (QMCA) and Infrastructure Queensland (IAQ)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosted the 2019 Queensland Major Projects Pipeline Report launch event in Toowoomba, working with QMCA and IAQ to showcase major engineering projects in Queensland.
• State Library of QueenslandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJointly funded project to provide accessible funding for LGAs within the region to support regional and remote libraries deliver SLQ's Coding and Robotics Program.
• Goondiwindi Regional CouncilmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCouncil partner for the Goondiwindi region, participating in Regional Business and Community Roundtables and various economic development initiatives.
• Southern Downs Regional CouncilmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCouncil partner for the Southern Downs region, collaborating on bushfire recovery efforts and regional development activities.
• AgriFood Connect / Regional Tech HubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnology and agricultural innovation partner supporting digital connectivity and agtech initiatives in the region.
• AgTech Logistics HubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner supporting agricultural technology and logistics innovation in the region.
• Powerlink and Origin APLNGmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry partners who invested in the Regional Housing Audit report, making the resource available for communities, organizations, agencies, and businesses working to address housing issues.
• Kehoe MyersminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerConsultants engaged to undertake the Regional Housing Audit study in June 2024, covering 11 Local Government Areas.
• RDA BrisbaneminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRDA DDSW worked in collaborative arrangement with RDA Brisbane, which is contracted to deliver the ASBAS Digital Solutions program throughout Queensland.
• South West Regional Economic Development Group (SWRED)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRDA DDSW funded an additional ID Profile portal for SWRED to ensure councils in the South West region had access to appropriate economic and community data.
• SEQ Council of MayorsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Toowoomba Chamber to engage with SEQ Council of Mayors on South East Queensland City Deals proposal, facilitating a luncheon with over 250 attendees.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Western Downs Regional Council: Western Downs Regional Council is one of the 10 LGAs that RDA DDSW serves and a direct delivery partner (notably on the Dalby Drone Forum). It is comparable as a regional economic development stakeholder with overlapping constituent focus, though as a local government entity it operates with broader service delivery scope.
• Southern Downs Regional Council: Southern Downs Regional Council is one of RDA DDSW's 10 partner LGAs and a key collaborator on bushfire recovery and regional development. It is comparable as a regional government entity with overlapping stakeholder relationships and economic development responsibilities within the same sub-region.
• Toowoomba Regional Council: Toowoomba Regional Council is the principal local government within RDA DDSW's footprint and a core strategic partner (foundation support for Coder Dojo Toowoomba). It is comparable as a regional government body with overlapping economic development responsibilities for the same constituency.

Direct peers

• Regional Development Australia (other RDA committees, e.g., RDA Brisbane, RDA Sydney): The other 49 RDA committees across Australia share an identical operating model, governance structure (joint Commonwealth-State appointment), and community-led development mandate. RDA Brisbane in particular is a contracted delivery partner for the ASBAS Digital Solutions program, making it a directly comparable operational peer.
• Regional Australia Institute: Regional Australia Institute is an independent think tank focused on research and policy advocacy for regional Australia, comparable to RDA DDSW in its regional development focus but differentiated by its national research mandate versus RDA DDSW's sub-state implementation focus.
• Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise (TSBE): TSBE is a regional economic development organization covering Toowoomba and the Surat Basin, directly comparable to RDA DDSW in mandate. The two organizations actively co-develop investment attraction materials, and TSBE's investment attraction as a core function closely mirrors RDA DDSW's role in facilitating regional economic growth across overlapping geographies.

Others

• SEQ Council of Mayors: SEQ Council of Mayors is a collaboration of South East Queensland mayors that RDA DDSW engaged with on the SEQ City Deals proposal. It is comparable as a regional governance and economic development coordination body, though focused on South East Queensland rather than the Darling Downs and South West.
• Centre for Policy Development (CPD): CPD is an Australian think tank with a Cities and Settlement Project on which RDA DDSW's Director and Chair represent regional interests. CPD is comparable as a policy/research counterpart that informs regional development and migration policy, though CPD does not deliver direct community services.

Emerging players

• Welcoming Cities: Welcoming Cities is a national initiative supporting local governments on migration settlement and inclusion, with which RDA DDSW works as part of a working group on welcoming toolkits. Both organizations focus on migrant integration in regional/urban contexts, though Welcoming Cities operates at a national network level.

Broad incumbents

• Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ): LGAQ is the peak body representing Queensland councils, comparable to RDA DDSW in its role interfacing between government and regional communities. LGAQ operates at the state-wide policy and advocacy level, whereas RDA DDSW delivers at the sub-state regional implementation level.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about RDA DDSW