Regional matters: An inter-agency approach to understanding regional issues

Whole-of-government approaches to policy development are increasingly seen as critical in developing comprehensive understanding of issues and development of policies. This article argues that cooperative approaches to using and understanding information are as important as cooperative approaches to policy development and implementation. In August 2002 the Victorian government released Regional Matters: An Atlas of Regional Victoria which was the result of whole-of-government collaboration. The publication provided a review of regional issues across a wide range of topics. This article highlights both the opportunities and challenges of a whole-of-government approach using the experience of this Regional Atlas project. This article also puts forward some lessons that may be used to enhance whole-of-government approaches to research and information provision.