Committee for Melbourne

Reports and Submissions

Shaping Melbourne Volume Two - Released August 5. [29.07.2010]

In 2010, Melbourne is a thriving, cosmopolitan city that will only continue to grow. Our ongoing challenge, therefore, is to ensure that we get better as we get bigger.

In Volume One of this series, we explored the importance of appropriate governance and effective decision making in making our city the very best it can be in future. We also broadly articulated a long-term proposition or vision for how we feel Melbourne could best benefit from addressing issues of physical shape, population, development, growth and regional relations.

Here, in Volume Two, we take a closer look at the pressing issue of density and discuss the value of both creating new localised economies and reinforcing those that already exist.

These key issues have nuances that are critical to our city’s future prosperity and liveability, and it is fair to say that neither is without its fair share of controversy or opposition. This is precisely why they must be raised and debated now.

If we are to truly get better as we get bigger, then we must plan accordingly. Our planning must be considered and, importantly, it must not be limited to a minimum expectation of growth. We must think beyond a city of five million. In more ways than one, our future depends on it.

Density has long been viewed negatively. For many, it conjures images of unattractive high-rise towers and cramped, unappealing living. But this simply shouldn’t be the case. In many instances, the increased densities contemplated are often mild by local and international standards.

Clearly, density offers a number of challenges that must be carefully considered and decisively met. Complicating its already negative perception are issues surrounding construction affordability, the maintenance and enhancement of community character, and the need to create family-friendly open space designs. But, with vision and forethought, these are in no way insurmountable.

The importance of a vibrant local economy and engaging, dynamic community must not be underestimated. Indeed, increasing our density offers us many opportunities to enhance Melbourne’s liveability and economic prosperity, both locally and citywide.

In Volume One, we noted that it is preferable to embrace our city’s growth and plan accordingly, rather than just ignore it and pretend that it is not happening. The same applies to density. The long-term benefits of planning for it, far outweigh the potential negatives of simply letting it evolve organically and unconstrained.

Let’s plan for density and discuss it, together. Let’s weigh up the options and look at ways that increasing density can ultimately enhance our city’s liveability by providing extra facilities and economies of scale around communities. We agree that Melbourne must get better as it gets bigger. So, let’s plan for it.

Shaping Melbourne Volume One [31.05.2010]

Download Shaping Melbourne Volume One here.

Pdf Introduction:

Melbourne: Getting better as we get bigger

In 2010 we can agree that over the years Melbourne has been slowly improving as it grows. Melbourne in 2010 is a better city than it was in 1960.

For Melbourne to continue to improve, we as a community need to debate, discuss and agree how to make our city better. In a series of Shaping Melbourne Taskforce reports of which this is but the first, the Committee for Melbourne will be challenging the community to hold these debates, have these discussions and reach agreement on Melbourne’s future.

Our current trend of improvement began in 1990 when we were ranked the world’s most liveable city. In the years that followed people started to choose Melbourne over other Australian and global centres and our city’s growth and reputation were advanced by its liveability, affordability and connectivity. As a result we are forecast to soon have the largest urban population in Australia and one of the most diverse in the world.

The question now is: How do we, as a community, continue to grow while preserving and improving upon what makes Melbourne great?

As we get bigger, planned growth gives us significant opportunity to further enhance our city’s hard won characteristics of liveability, affordability and connectivity. However, unlike in the past, we must now consider these in the context of climate change and greater needs for sustainability.

No one is sure when, but it is inevitable that Melbourne will continue to grow and we will certainly move beyond five million, possibly surpassing eight million in the late part of this century. It’s not a debate about the numbers; it’s a discussion about the timeline.

Our parents ensured that we became a better city today while they doubled from two to four million in their generation. As custodians of tomorrow, our generation must ensure our city continues to get better as we get bigger.

Our need for an agreed and long term, sustainable vision for Melbourne must address our:

• Ultimate land size and physical shape for our city; • Optimal population densities of our central city and suburban residential areas; • Physical and community infrastructure development; • Location and character of central activities districts beyond the CBD; • Role with our neighbouring and regional cities and how we connect.

At defining times in any city’s history great communities respond not with segmented thinking, but with visionary planning. Instead of incrementally responding with little or no agreed vision for the future, we will pass to our children the same challenge our parents passed to us:

Melbourne must get better as we get bigger.

This first booklet in the Shaping Melbourne Series will look at the Governance of Melbourne and propose a vision for our future. Governance is treated first as that will be the defining factor in how we grow. If we get the governance right, all other things flow. Over the coming months this booklet will be followed by three additional discussions on:

• Density • Infrastructure • Community Connectivity and Economy

At the conclusion of the series we will have the foundation of a debate that must continue in broad and detailed terms. Our community needs to come together to create direction for our political decision makers to agree the long-term vision for Melbourne and, moreover, to implement it.

Climate Change Task Force [25.08.2008]

Climate Change Taskforce FutureMap: Melbourne 2030 Pdf

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Confronting a global shift in climatic conditions, Melbourne faces impacts of profound proportions. Predicted changes in temperature, rainfall, sea level and the number and severity of extreme weather events, will resonate across the lives of Melburnians. Indeed, evidence indicates that the changes are already affecting us.

In August 2007, the Committee for Melbourne formed a Climate Change Taskforce. Our Taskforces engage our Members who come from business, academia, community and government. They also leverage our Members’ expertise and passion for Melbourne to produce outcomes. These outcomes are in most cases, advocacy positions and tangible actions. The Climate Change Taskforce was established to consider the impacts of human induced climate change on our city, and examine what can be done to mitigate and adapt to these impacts. It also considered what specifi c opportunities this might present for Melbourne. For the past 12 months, 80 of our Members – our largest ever Taskforce – have collectively volunteered thousands of hours to bring clarity to the issue of climate change for Melbourne.

FutureMap details the impacts and opportunities identifi ed by the Committee’s Climate Change Taskforce.

Melbourne’s climate in 2030

By 2030, we can expect warmer conditions throughout the year, more hot days and fewer frosts. Drier conditions will prevail with less rain, fewer rainy days and hail storms. However more intense rainfall events are predicted. Indeed, frequency of extreme weather events in general is expected to increase with more storms, fl oods and drought years. There will also be higher sea levels.

Although science suggests that our actions before today have already dictated the climate change expected by 2030, actions taken as soon as possible will help curb the negative effects felt by our children, grandchildren and the generations beyond. Therefore, this FutureMap focuses on the timeframe to 2030.

Impacts of climate change

The key impacts of climate change considered by the Taskforce included the likely effects on our climate, including reductions in runoff and increased stormwater at periods of intense rainfall, and the implications for infrastructure. Coastal and riparian zones will be threatened by inundations from higher sea levels, tidal and storm surges. Alpine regions are likely to suffer reduced snowfall and increased bushfi res. Tourism and leisure, and our natural resources, including biodiversity will be impacted.

The future health of Melburnians is also discussed. Changes in climate may mean more skin cancers, and increased injuries and mortality from associated storms and heat stress.

There may be an increase in the distribution and abundance of disease transmitting insects, but there will potentially be a reduced incidence of respiratory viruses.

Trends suggest that climate change will lead to signifi cant industrial restructuring, so labour requirements and training will need to be considered.

Key issues for the building sector include: consideration of the urban heat island effect; managing water and energy demand, and waste disposal; the need to create or retrofi t buildings for energy effi ciency; and consideration of embodied energy in construction materials.

There are also signifi cant implications for transport and industry, with community expectations providing added pressure for energy effi ciency and responsible action.

The impacts of climate change are drawn from modelling, predictions and extrapolation, but the opportunities it presents are current, concrete and tangible. The challenge for Melbourne is to take existing and nascent technologies, and develop capabilities of international status to address climate change issues.

Barriers to change

The investigations undertaken by the Climate Change Taskforce, however, have found a lack of cohesive policy across the issues, and strategies sometimes at odds across sectors. The Taskforce also reports institutional barriers to curbing carbon emissions, such as tax incentives and concessions for some vehicle use. There are particular areas of weakness in public knowledge. Likewise, there is a risk that adopting broad brush greenhouse mitigation actions could unfairly penalise lower income earners, especially tenants.

Enabling opportunities

The Taskforce recognises the need for a holistic approach to address the challenges associated with climate change, and to assist Melbourne to take advantage of the opportunities it presents. Key areas were identifi ed where the Taskforce felt Melbourne organisations, including Committee Members could take specifi c actions or advocate for change. Specifi c recommendations in key areas are: BUILDINGS:

■ Provide guidance and decision support programs for tenants and building owners, to expedite retrofi ts of existing buildings

■ Advocate for mandatory building standards

SUMMARY

LOW EMISSION ENERGY:

■ Urge the State Government to work with the Federal Government and business to step up and coordinate funding support for research, development and commercialisation of low-emissions technology

■ Advocate for the Federal Government to direct the Essential Services Commission, in conjunction with the Australian Energy Regulator, to review regulatory arrangements that could be creating perverse incentives that constrain development or implementation of low emission/renewable energy technologies

■ Coordinate an independent position paper which takes into account previous State Government and other research to assess the practicality for commercial implementation of low emission coal technologies in Victoria

■ Introduce a ‘Low/Zero Net Emissions Award’ to recognise the efforts of companies in implementing best practice carbon management strategies that achieve genuine net emissions reductions

TRANSPORT:

■ Set strong national vehicle emissions intensity targets to align our vehicles with the best practice, lower benchmarks of the European Union

■ Reform federal tax arrangements to remove perverse incentives that maximise car use and discourage the use of public transport

■ Advocate for the State Government to include greenhouse gas performance targets in all tenders for the provision of public transport services

■ Increase government investment in transport infrastructure, particularly public transport, to assist in reducing emissions

■ Encourage Melbourne organisations, including Committee Members to introduce staff travel behaviour change programs

SOCIAL EQUITY:

■ Advocate for the acceleration of public funding availability through capital grants or rebates for low-income home owners to purchase energy effi cient products

■ Conduct a round table with private rental market investors, superannuation funds, industry associations, real estate agents, body corporates, fi nanciers and NGOs to discuss measures to help low-income private renters adapt to climate change impacts

URBAN RESILIENCE:

■ Incorporate vegetative roofs into building standards and promote the creation of ‘green’ roof credits

■ Modify Melbourne metropolitan planning and zoning to include mandatory standards for more green space

BUSINESS PROCUREMENT:

■ Create an index of sustainable procurement organisations

■ Develop educational curricula and training activities for decision support

OVERARCHING RECOMMENDATIONS:

■ All new and proposed amendments to Government legislation should require a climate change impacts assessment including measures to accommodate resilience to the effects of climate change

■ Advocate substantial amendments to existing planning schemes to include mandatory standards for sustainable retrofi t of existing buildings and minimum levels of urban green space as well as ‘as-of right’ 6-storey/30m height development along high frequency public transport routes, subject to local green space and heritage considerations

■ Utilise the Asia Pacifi c Institute for Sustainable Cities (APISC) to facilitate the co-ordinated uptake of existing funding schemes and business investment across Victoria. The APISC will facilitate the exchange of ideas, information and resources between the public and private sectors and NGOs to encourage reductions in GHG emissions

Role of Members

The Taskforce considers that Committee Members should assume the task of pioneering many of its recommendations. Community leadership is required to commit to and implement the scale of change required. Members are in a strong position to infl uence policy and behavioural change, and lead the uptake of mitigation and adaptation initiatives. Concern over climate change and its impacts has already prompted a shift in community attitude, creating behavioural change. Where we live, how we live, how we use water, our modes of transport, heating, cooling and waste disposal are now under scrutiny for energy use and long term impacts. The legislative background will see a national emissions trading scheme by 2010. Federal, state and local governments are now addressing water use effi ciency, greenhouse gas abatement and land use with a new focus. Melbourne is well placed to take advantage of the increased awareness of the impacts of climate change, and use its capabilities and resources to leverage associated opportunities. Working together, Melburnians can reduce these impacts, share their knowledge and expertise, and become international leaders

Higher Education Task Force [15.10.2007]

Higher Education Taskforce - 'Higher Education at a Tipping Point' 2007 Pdf

  1. INTRODUCTION With a value of $1.7b in 2004-05, higher education is one of Victoria’s largest exports. It is a key driver of research and development, the provider of a skilled and educated workforce and a major contributor to the city’s liveability and socio-cultural fabric. Higher education is unarguably a key factor in Melbourne’s current and future prosperity and plays an important role in positioning Melbourne globally, as validated by its #5 world ranking in the newly established University City Index. To maintain and improve that ranking, however, the university sector faces some very real challenges.

The temptation could be to leave things as they are on the assumption that our current economic and social success will continue. Positive indicators such as high foreign student numbers and a strong economy may be masking the true extent of a higher education tipping point. The warning signs are apparent: skill and capability shortages, limited growth in innovative, high prospect businesses, questions in the international student market on the quality of our higher education system, and a growing chorus from the private sector and academia on the need to act now to prevent irreparable, long-term damage.

Recognising the urgency and scale of the issues, the Committee for Melbourne1 drew together leaders from business, academia, Government and civil society, launching the Higher Education Taskforce in May 2006. The Taskforce’s primary objectives were to identify the key threats and opportunities facing our higher education sector and to develop a series of consensus-based, concrete and realistic responses to be implemented by business, Government and tertiary institutions by December 2008.

The Taskforce concluded that higher education is at a tipping point due to: declining levels of Government investment; low private sector engagement and investment; regulatory constraints; outdated structures and administration; and, increasing overseas competition.

This paper identifies specific actions that will serve to redress gaps and develop unique opportunities in Victoria. In part, it addresses symptoms of a flawed model. For the longer term, the Taskforce considers that the current “tinkering” approach to the issues of funding and governance is simply not sustainable.

It requires a fundamental review from first principles, if the important objectives of higher education are to be achieved.

In summary, Melbourne is performing well at present, but is faced with intensifying competition and a range of structural and funding issues, which could see its higher education sector at risk of decline. A decline would prevent Melbourne from achieving its full potential as one of the world’s leading cities. It would also have far-reaching effects on direct export earnings, government tax receipts, employment, liveability and, most importantly, Melbourne’s ability to future-proof its economy through the growth and development of innovative and profitable businesses.

Through the Taskforce process, the Committee for Melbourne has proven that business, academia, government and civil society can work together to create a forum for partnership that enhances the contribution of higher education to society. Building on this success, the Committee for Melbourne has committed to hosting an annual forum of key Melbourne business leaders and Vice-Chancellors and to undertake annual feedback surveys of its members to provide ongoing information to universities and government.

Older Reports and submissions [01.01.2007]

Reports

Liveability Report 2006

Transport Taskforce Bus Road and Rail Statement 2006

Transport Taskforce Public Transport Plan Overview 2005

Transport Taskforce Public Transport Statement 2005

Utility Debt Spiral Project Study 2004

Submissions

Victorian Climate Change Green Paper Submission September 2009

Urban Growth Boundary Review Submission July 2009

State Government Budget 2009/10

National Aviation Inquiry July 2008

East West Link Needs Assessment July 2008

Submission to the Productivity Commission - Science and Innovation Study 2006

Venture Capital Inquiry 2005

Standing Advisory Committee on Environment and Heritage Inquiry into Sustaiinable Cities 2004

Annual Reviews

Annual Review 2007

Annual Review 2006 Executive Summary

Annual Review 2006

Annual Review 2004