One of Infrastructure Australia’s top representatives says the Australian public is averse to population growth due to government mishandling of infrastructure development in the past.
Infrastructure Australia’s executive director for policy and research Peter Colacino says infrastructure development in Australia has not always been properly sequenced to meet population growth, and this has taken a toll on liveability.
“Liveability is not an abstract concept,” Colacino told the national congress of the National Growth Areas Alliance on November 19. “Safety, attractiveness, social cohesion and inclusivity, environmental sustainability and, affordable and diverse housing linked by high quality public and active transport.”
He said unplanned and uncoordinated population growth can threaten these elements, invoking community angst reducing cohesiveness.
“Infrastructure can strain if not sequenced to meet population growth,” he said. “Unfortunately, Australia’s governments have not always got this right.
“Too many communities have witnessed the delivery of poor quality development which is not well integrated into the local area and not accompanied by the infrastructure and services needed to support it. As a result, communities are understandably apprehensive about further growth and change.”
Colacino disagrees with recent discourse suggesting population growth is a threat to Australia’s prosperity.
“Despite potential growing pains, this growth is a good thing,” he said.
“It provides Australia with an opportunity to boost our productivity, strengthen our labour market, and enhances the diversity of our communities.”
Colacino therefore stressed the importance of governments listening to the advice of independent bodies such as Infrastructure Australia.
“A big part of delivering liveable places, wherever they may be, is making sure we’re delivering the right infrastructure to support growth, at the right time,” he said.
“Unfortunately, more often than not, Australian cities face a lag with infrastructure, particularly social infrastructure, not delivered until years after new development. To address this it is crucial we improve long-term planning and project selection.
“At its heart, improving project selection is simply about directing funding towards projects that address the largest gaps and opportunities. For this to occur, it is critical that we have a national vision, which outlines the type of country we aspire to become.”
He said Infrastructure Australia maintains the national Infrastructure Priority List to provide just this type of advice.
“The List provides a robust set of nationally-significant infrastructure investments required by the nation over the next 15 years,” he said.
“Addressing gaps in public transport was the most significant theme of the 2018 Priority List, reflecting the demands of a growing population.
“In particular, the Priority List highlights the need to deliver projects that build capacity along existing major transport corridors in our inner cities—making better use of what we’ve already got.”