A Better Model for the Highlands: Community insights, future possibilities and the community counter-offer

What kind of future do we want for the Southern Highlands - and how can our community have a stronger role in creating it?

This isn't your typical community forum or consultation. Think part community gathering, part futures festival: an afternoon of ideas, insights, food, creative activities and family-friendly fun, all designed to help explore what's possible for the future of the Southern Highlands.

Over the past few months, people from across the Southern Highlands have come together to tackle an important question:

What should our community expect from major developments such as data centres? What are our red lines? And what would a genuinely good project look like?

Through interviews, workshops, surveys and community conversations, we've explored how large-scale developments could contribute more to the places that host them, and what a stronger community voice in these decisions might look like.

This forum marks the end of an important phase of the Better Model for Data Centres project.

Join us as we share what we heard, reveal the emerging Community Counter-Offer - what must be protected, what lasting value communities should receive, and who gets a say, and explore how these ideas could help shape not only future data centre proposals, but the broader future of the Southern Highlands.

Together, we'll explore what becomes possible when communities move beyond simply responding to change and start helping shape it.

On the day, we'll:

• Share key insights from the Better Model for Data Centres deliberations

• Reveal the emerging Community Counter-Offer

• Explore future scenarios and possibilities for the Highlands

• Celebrate local people, projects and ideas already creating positive change

• Add new perspectives, priorities and opportunities

• Help shape the next chapter of Highlands Homegrown Economy

Expect short and engaging presentations, good food, music, creative activities and plenty of opportunities to participate. There'll also be family-friendly entertainment so parents and carers can join in.

Whether you've been involved from the beginning or are hearing about the project for the first time, you're warmly invited.

Come and see what your community created together and help decide what happens next.