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This report explores patterns of regional economic growth in Australia over the period 1984 to 2002 in order to determine how and why these patterns evolved. From the results, the authors have attempted to identify regional opportunities and the policies and practices that can assist in realising them and, in particular, the potential contribution of the vocational education and training (VET) sector towards regional growth. Understanding the patterns and determinants of regional growth is an important prerequisite before any policy or practice can effectively be designed and implemented. A multi-methods approach was used to ensure that factors determining both the breadth and depth of regional growth variation within a national framework of all regions were identified. The quantitative side of the analysis used econometric modelling across 94 regions, while in-depth, facilitated community workshops in 11 diverse regions enabled the authors to inform the quantitative results with specific regional circumstances, thereby gaining a closer understanding of how regional growth actually occurs. The following are appended: (1) Regional delineation; (2) Theories of regional development; and (3) Variables used to measure regional variations in local economic growth drivers. (Contains 7 tables, 1 figure, and 5 footnotes.) [This work has been produced with funding provided through the Australian Department of Education, Science and Training. The author/project team was funded to undertake this research via a grant under the National Vocational Education and Training Research and Evaluation (NVETRE) Program. For the Support Document containing additional information, see ED499666.]