Prime Minister Rudd has announced that the Labor government will appoint a Minister for Cities if it is re-elected in the upcoming 7 September Federal Election.
Seeking to improve planning in Australia’s biggest cities, Rudd announced the policy on Friday 30 August, stating that “the minister for national cities will consider all government policy decisions from the perspective of how they relate to cities.”
He said that despite the vast majority of Australians living in capital cities and their suburbs, too little attention has been given to urban policy.
''We have ministers for regional development, we have ministers for primary industries but we do not have ministers responsible for our cities, the cities that generate around 80 per cent of the country's gross domestic product and employ three out of every four Australians,” he said.
The policy plan includes an “outer suburban growth taskforce” which will develop a 10-year comprehensive jobs and growth strategy to address issues that people living in the outer suburbs of cities face, such as transport congestion and limited job opportunities.
''The truth is many of our national major cities [are] on the verge of gridlock so the minister for cities would work with colleagues to reduce congestion through, for example, investment in public transport or investment in bike paths,'' said Rudd.
''The minister would integrate transport and planning and oversee the co-ordination between federal, state and local governments at a national level for the future of our cities.''
This announcement has been welcomed by various industry bodies.
Having lobbied for the creation of such a role for many years, the Australian Institute of Architects (AIA) believes that a federal champion is urgently needed to drive reforms that can better connect urban policies and programs across all levels of government.
AIA CEO David Parken notes that a Minister for Cities position in an expanded Major Cities Unit will bring “much needed leadership and vision to the strategic planning of our cities and regions”, with the federal government playing a key role in ensuring that Australian cities function as well as they can.
The Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) has also applauded the move by the Labor government, and calls on a similar commitment from the Coalition.
As a member of The Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council (ASBEC) and Urban Coalition, the GBCA recommends the establishment of a Minister for Cities and Urban Development alongside an Urban Infrastructure Fund to meet a backlog of more than $500 billion in infrastructure needs for Australian cities. This fund will go towards better managing challenges like population growth, demographic change and the effects of a changing climate.
“A coordinated approach to urban policy development is required to meet Australians’ desire for sustainable, resilient and liveable cities,” says GBCA chief operating officer, Robin Mellon.
“[This will] maximise the opportunities of our cities as drivers of Australia’s productivity and innovation.”
