The story of how three families of refugees have revitalised a dying village in the western reaches of Tenterfield Shire was just one of the case studies presented at a Regional Australia Institute (RAI) conference at Parliament House on May 22.

Mingoola project driver Julia Harpham was invited to participate in the conference to share her experience of the challenges involved, including identifying empty farm houses to accommodate the families and employment opportunities.

Mingoola is among a handful of rural towns across Australia that have welcomed migrants to arrest population decline, in Mingoola’s case leading to the local school being reopened. The RAI says it’s time the rest of the country gets on board.