By Alesha Capone
The National Growth Areas Alliance (NGAA) is calling on the federal government to appoint a minister for Australia’s outer metropolitan growth areas, including Wyndham and Melton.
The NGAA is the peak body for councils in Australia’s urban growth areas, and advocates to state and federal governments on behalf of the 5.2 million residents living in these regions.
Wyndham mayor Peter Maynard is a member of the NGAA’s strategic advisory committee.
The NGAA last week revealed its priorities ahead of next year’s federal election, for which a date is yet to be set.
NGAA chief executive Bronwen Clark said that appointing a dedicated minister for growth areas would help to deliver planning for infrastructure, jobs and housing “more evenly” across all metropolitan areas.
“Wyndham is definitely out the front of growth areas, especially because of the stage of growth that Wyndham is at, they are really feeling the long-term concerns of governments overlooking growth areas,” Ms Clark said.
She said there were 110 babies being born in Wyndham every week.
In addition, Wyndham residents lodged 2088 Homebuilder applications with the federal government between June 4, 2020, and January 19, 2021, the highest amount in Australia.
“What this has caused, with long-term planning for things people need – including parks and reserves – is they are all being brought forward by five years by council, because that growth wasn’t planned,” Ms Clark said.
She said that from 80,000 interviews commissioned by NGAA with outer suburbs residents, the research showed that one in five (21 per cent) individuals reported they were living in “financial survival mode”.
She said one key task for a minister for growth areas would be to help alleviate financial pressure on residents by driving the creation of jobs in outer metropolitan areas, where ample land is could be transformed into industrial, manufacturing and high employment zones.
“Research we did last year shows 17 per cent of household income in Wyndham is spent just on travel costs, often to get to work,” Ms Clark said.
She also said it was critical that a minister for growth areas be appointed to lead a national response to growth area inequities and COVID-19 recovery.
