Policy Taskforces
Shaping Melbourne Taskforce
The Shaping Melbourne Taskforce Report Volume One is here!
Established in 2009, the Shaping Melbourne Taskforce is led by Co-Chairs Ms Pru Sanderson, CEO, VicUrban, Mr Tom Fricke, Executive Manager, GHD, and Mr Roger Poole, Executive Chairman, Bates Smart.
The series of reports, released from June 2010 raise significant issues about Melbourne, under one general theme:
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.
The 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.
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Climate Change Taskforce
Established in 2007, the Climate Change Taskforce is led by Co-Chairs Mr Tony Wood, Director Clean Energy Program, Clinton Foundation, and Dr Philip Moors, CEO, Royal Botanic Gardens.
The Taskforce has identified the impacts of climate change on Melbourne and ways in which opportunities can be seized for positive action to adapt and mitigate to changes in our environment.
Following the publication the Climate Change Taskforce’s Report, ‘FutureMap: Melbourne 2030’, it has:
- Positioned Melbourne as a leader in climate change knowledge, proactive adaptation and mitigation, as well as business development;
- Highlighted what climate change trends mean for Melbourne’s community and key industry sectors in the lead up to 2030 and beyond;
- Investigated opportunities of a changing climate, and set priorities for government, business and community action.
Climate Change Taskforce Action Groups
Following on from the release of our FutureMap:Melbourne 2030 report, seven action groups were formed.
The Climate Change Bill Action Group is seeking to have ensconced in regulation that climate change issues be considered as part of the introduction of any new legislation.
The Coal Action Group is seeking to review all existing data relating to the possible introduction of low emission coal technology in Victoria with a view to establishing if this is commercially viable in our State.
The Low Income Renters Adaption Action Group is identifying initiatives that can incentivise landlords and support low income renters to adopt energy saving retrofits and appliances. Members of this action group are also participating in Minister Jennings roundtable on this issue being held on 17 December 2008.
The Procurement Action Group aims to encourage members to adopt carbon neutral practices for their business including purchasing green products by joining a procurement purchasing group and bringing discounts to purchases of green products.
The Retrofit Action Group works to encourage the retrofit of existing commercial buildings and tenancies to meet new green objectives by providing our members with information on how to reduce energy costs through behaviour change and retrofit measures thereby reducing costs for the business.
The Staff Travel Action Group seeks to assist members to develop transport management plans for their staff to improve the efficiency of travel to and from work and around the city grid during business hours.
Higher Education Taskforce
Established in 2006, the Higher Education Taskforce is led by Co-Chairs Mr David Miles, Chairman, Innovation Australia and Mr Michael Andrew, Australian Chairman, KPMG.
The Taskforce has looked at a number of important issues impacting the economic contribution of education to our state and how this affects our education and business sectors.
Following the publication of the Higher Education Taskforce’s Report, ‘Higher Education at a Tipping Point’, it has:
- Improved Melbourne’s University City ranking;
- Cultivated industry and higher education sector partnerships;
- Advocated effective partnerships between university and industry;
- Advocated efficient higher education funding and governance outcomes; and
- Promote recognition of the higher education sector within State and Federal Government.
Melbourne's Transport Taskforce
Taskforce outcomes achieved to date
Credited with being behind breakthrough work which put a $4 billion annual price tag on Melbourne’s transport congestion, the Taskforce has produced several key pieces of work, prior to its submission to the EWLNA, including the Bus, Road and Rail Policy Statement, in June 2005, and the Five Year Public Transport Priorities Report, in November 2005.
Recommendations from the latter were taken up in the State Government’s 10-year transport plan, Transport and Liveability Statement (TLS), Meeting Our Transport Challenges, released in May 2006.
The TLS pledged $10.5 billion over 10 years to ease transport congestion, took a long-term approach to managing the issue, and planned improvements in public transport services, infrastructure, and accessibility – all recommendations of the Taskforce.
Four areas in which the TLS reflected the Taskforce’s suggestions were capacity and performance, signaling and control, expanded peak and off-peak services, and attractiveness of the public transport to encourage patronage.
Additionally, the Taskforce’s Bus, Road and Rail Policy Statements released early 2005, recognised key problem areas for Melbourne’s transport system in economic, environmental and social terms, and highlighted the impending crisis developing in Melbourne if these problems were not urgently addressed.
The Taskforce emphasised that the solutions to these emerging problems required significant investment across co-ordinated, key projects which included completing the road network, upgrading the bus system and a reform of the road user pricing and funding system.
Led by Co-Chairs Mr Russell Caplan, Chairman, Shell Australia, and Mr Roger Poole, Executive Chairman, Bates Smart, the Taskforce has:
- Delivered Melbourne one of the World’s best intermodal integrated transport system; and
- Led debate on innovative funding choices and major issues such as congestion.
Transport Taskforce Background
The Committee views Melbourne’s reputation as the world’s most liveable city as a vital foundation for its economic and social development.
Melbourne’s success is reflected in currently having the fastest population growth of all Australian capital cities.
An efficient and effective transport system is important to sustain Melbourne’s liveability and prosperity, both of these aspects, the Committee for Melbourne works to preserve and further develop.
The Committee established the Transport Taskforce in 2004, and advocates a multimodal, integrated transport system for Melbourne, innovative funding choices and continued action to tackle the big, difficult issues, such as congestion.
The Transport Taskforce has been running since 2004 and achieved the following key outcomes:
- Phase 1: Bus, Road and Rail Policy statements
- Phase 2: Five Year Public Transport Priorities Report
- Phase 3: Submission to Sir Rod Eddington’s East-West Needs Assessment
Shaping Melbourne volume Two
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.