The University of Canberra's regional wellbeing survey indicated inner regional areas such as Wodonga and Wangaratta recorded higher results in certain criteria than more remote centres.

But Associate Professor Jacki Schirmer told this week's Murray Darling Association national conference there remained a common theme across the Basin.

"There may be challenges with services, infrastructure, population, but community and social connection, they're generally similar or better than the regional Australian average," she said.

"The more a community was dependent on agriculture, the poorer it tended to be going in terms of population change, in terms of economy, some of those measures we used, but it tended to be doing pretty well on social connection.

"Apart from areas that are quite close to very large regional centres, most of the Basin report poorer access to services and infrastructure than other parts of regional Australia"

She encouraged people to take part in the 2020 regional wellbeing survey, now available online, and acknowledged the impact of events this year like bushfires and the coronavirus pandemic.

The research indicated the wellbeing of people over 65, although they were worried about COVID-19, had not been affected as much as those more likely to be losing jobs, trying to oversee children's home learning or working remotely.

Dr Schirmer said communities needed to identify day to day ways of supporting each other during times when it was harder to meet at a pub, go to the football or visit a men's shed.

"There's been a lot of pressure put on people to cope well with COVID, it's fine not to cope well with COVID," she said.

"I think we need a little bit more permission to not be coping well and to think that's OK."

The three-day virtual Murray Darling Association conference, opened by national president David Thurley, of Albury, explored the theme of Local Leadership: A National Priority.

National Farmers Federation president Fiona Simson said the Basin remained an important part of the federation's overall vision.

"It's such a diverse production zone," she said.

"It's the home to many, many rural and regional communities and family farms and businesses that are focused on the sustainability of their business in every sense of the word, that's in terms of the environmental sustainability as well as the financial sustainability of their business and their community."

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Ms Simson highlighted the need for collaboration, with organisations and different tiers of government working together.

"Locally led is the gold standard," she said.

"It's about local people and local communities being able to focus in on what do they best."