THE University of Newcastle has launched its Institute for Regional Futures with a workshop including insights from regions in transition.
Institute executive director Professor Roberta Ryan said the audience heard about Latrobe Valley power station workers being given short notice about closures.
"The big lesson out of Latrobe really is don't wait for the crisis, accept that change is happening... get prepared," she said.
"One of the things our research shows is very low levels of confidence in government capacity to support change. So communities need to have localised solutions that are place based and we need to have communities doing it for themselves... and their fear acknowledged."
The institute will strengthen regions by "providing social, spatial and economic evidence to assist industry, community and governments".
"We see ourselves as being experts in regions and regionalism and the drivers of regions. Nobody else does this."
She said jobs, affordable housing, livability, health and education attracted people to regions, but wages must keep up to retain them.
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