| |
|
|
 |
News
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
 |
| Article Details
|
|
 |
|
 |
| |
Lord Mayors welcome progress towards Australia's first population strategy
Minister for Sustainable Population Tony Burke today announced the appointment of CCCLM Chair, Lord Mayor of Darwin Graeme Sawyer to a panel to assist in developing Australia’s first population strategy.
Lord Mayor Sawyer joins a panel chaired by Professor Graeme Hugo to examine changing demographics and the role of planning to accommodate population growth. With two thirds of Australians currently living in a capital city, Lord Mayor Sawyer said cities would play a major role in housing our future population.
“Australia’s Lord Mayors welcome the opportunity to participate in developing a population strategy. Our priority is to ensure our cities are future ready.
“Our capital cities are at the forefront of accommodating Australia’s population. Clearly our cities will grow in coming decades; identifying the smartest way to accommodate growth is our primary objective.”
Lord Mayor Sawyer said planning has to be more of a focus than it has been in the past and local government must be involved in this planning.
“Australia’s Lord Mayors don’t want to engage in a debate on population size, our focus is on managing an already growing population. Robust planning processes need to be established to ensure growth is well informed, coordinated and managed.
“As the closest level of government to the people, local government must play a key role in informing Australia’s population strategy. Our local knowledge and expertise can help build national understanding and help guide national decisions.”
A CCCLM position paper Towards a City Strategy released in May highlighted how Australia’s’ cities could accommodate a growing, ageing population without impacting the majority of suburbs.
“A bigger population needn’t jeopardise our quality of life. With the right planning and investment in infrastructure we could house more people,” Lord Mayor Sawyer said.
“For us, a population strategy is not a numbers game. It’s about planning to accommodate the next generation of Australians in the most efficient, equitable and sustainable way possible. This will require greater density in some areas, but it must be sustainable.
“Australia’s Lord Mayors stand ready to work alongside their federal, state and territory counterparts and the private sector to prepare our cities for the future.”
Return
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|