RDA Illawarra's response to "Transitioning Regional Economies Productivity Commission Initial Report Overview & Initial Findings, April 2017" was twofold:

• To address the Commission's Terms of Reference: "examine the prospects for change to the structure of each region's economy and factos that may inhibit this or otherwise prevent a broad sharing of opportunity, consistent with the national growth outlook"
• "To comment on the policy framework's assumptions, themes and observations as they relate to the adaptive capacity of the Illawarra region 

Wollongong City Council and RDA Illawarra made a joint submission to the Standing Committee on Infrastructure, Transport and Cities inquiry into the Australian Government's role in the development of cities.

The submission highlighted the benefits of Wollongong which included some of the following:

• Being globally connected
• Superb liveability
• Being a City of Innovation
• Supportive business environments
• Connectivity through infrastructure
• Diverse and changing economic environment 

The Aged Care Illawarra Workforce Action Group (ACIWAG) which made the submission to the Senate Inquiry includes representatives from Aged and Community Services NSW, and ACT, TAFE Illawarra, Training Services NSW, NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet, Regional Development Australia and Illawarra Forum.

The submission looked at the following areas of the Inquiry:

• The current composition of the aged care workforce (ToR a)
• Future aged care workforce requirements, including the impacts of sector growth, changes in how care is delivered, and increasing competition for works (ToR b)
• Challenges in attracting and retaining aged care workers (ToR d)
• The role of government in providing a coordinated strategic approach for the sector (ToR i)