City policy taking shape
A more targeted approach to infrastructure looms, as the Federal Government looks to lift productivity in Australia’s major cities.
Cabinet has reportedly ticked off on a proposal to allow Cities Minister Jamie Briggs to negotiate landmark deals with the state and territories to better link housing with jobs and infrastructure.
The Government would use $6 billion in annual infrastructure spending in negotiating the deals and improved planning outcomes.
Infrastructure Australia’s 15-year plan due for release early next year would be a keystone part of the process.
“We need better integrated, long-term master planning for Australia. This is not the federal government’s job but it has huge economic impact on our country so we have got to be interested in it,” Minister Briggs told The Australian.
Speaking at an exclusive Leaders Forum hosted by the Property Council and The Australian last week, Federal Minister Briggs said the Turnbull Government would release a discussion paper in February.
The government is looking at a more co-ordinated, targeted approach to infrastructure spending and planning to lift city productivity, Briggs said.
“The ultimate aim is to make our cities more productive, more liveable and more attractive for people to be in,” Briggs said.
Mirvac Group’s chief executive Susan Lloyd-Hurwitz said “better co-ordination between all three layers of government” should be a central tenet of city policy.
“A key priority would be to work out what is the role of federal, state and local governments, and how can we make the rules transparent, efficient and co-ordinated,” Lloyd-Hurwitz said.
Property Council national president and managing director of Stockland, Mark Steinert, argued that it’s “not about more taxes”, but about “doing things more efficiently, less politically and more transparently”.
In an opinion piece published in The Australian on Friday, Property Council chief executive Ken Morrison argued that genuine tax reform “switching from old, inefficient taxes to better ones” would enable governments to collect the same amount of revenue while accelerating economic growth.
“That means more jobs, greater revenues to fund critical public services and improvements to everyone’s economic welfare,” Morrison said.
Meanwhile, the Standing Committee on Infrastructure, Transport and Cities Committee has launched a parliamentary enquiry that will examine increased transport connectivity and economic activity, with a particular focus on value capture as a funding mechanism for infrastructure development.
Morrison says the Turnbull Government’s focus on city policy is being warmly welcomed by the property industry, and that “striking bilateral agreements with state governments will deliver better policy outcomes that drive economic growth, support industry and benefit the whole community.”
Caption: Susan Lloyd-Hurwitz, Turi Condon and Jamie Briggs at the Leaders Forum. Photo courtesy of The Australian.