17.07.2024Committees for Capital Cities

Please see the media release

Committee for Melbourne joined the coalition of Committees for Capital Cities in Canberra to advocate for policy and investment outcomes for metropolitan regions.

Committee for Melbourne’s Director, Policy & Advocacy, Leanne Edwards, joined the teams of Committees for Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Hobart for a round of meetings with government, opposition, spokespeople and department leaders on the importance of urban economies and communities, and the National Urban Policy.

The group was pleased to hear from the Hon Catherine King MP, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, on the shared strengths, challenges, and future opportunities for Australia’s capital cities. Kate Meyrick, Urbis spoke on the important attributes of liveability for cities and how the major cities in Australia are performing. A lively panel discussion highlighted important issues such as infrastructure investment; innovation & productivity; arts & culture; skills & education; housing availability & affordability; and freight, for the planning of cities.

With the six capital city areas being home to more than two-thirds of the country’s population and 70% of the Australian economy, then the importance of getting our policy settings right, is evident. This means working together on several policy priorities:

• The need for a strong national urban policy
• Ensuring cities are affordable
• Investing in infrastructure to support growth
• The role of cities in Australia’s net zero aspirations
• Enabling national economic and industry policy in place
• Unlocking international education and tourism opportunities

Key takeaways included:

• National urban policy is critical to drive place-based outcomes on infrastructure spending, industry policy and housing growth
• Infrastructure spending needs to align with our broader objectives – enabling affordable, sustainable and productive cities
• Cities can play a vital role in the decarbonisation of industry, transport, buildings and energy, but this requires certainty for investors and communities

The Committee enjoyed collaborating with other city committees and strengthening the voices from the majority of the country’s population. We look forward to future opportunities to work with committees and the federal government.

For more information you can contact Leanne Edwards at ledwards@melbourne.org.au