Background

The origins of LeadWest stretch back to regional development bodies created in the 1970s throughout Australia, particularly the creation of the Western Region Commission.

In the mid-2000s, several organisations in Melbourne's west resolved that the region needed a collective forum for the development of a strategy and expression of a common voice.  

With Geelong's G21 Alliance as a model for the initiative, five of the six local governments in Melbourne's west agreed to form and fund LeadWest.

To ensure the structure of LeadWest reflected best practice in regional development, some effort was invested in examining regional bodies internationally.  This lead to the conclusion that LeadWest should be established as an independent company limited by guarantee, with representatives from the councils forming a majority of the Board of Directors, supplemented by representation from key businesses and institutions in Melbourne's west.