An index ranking the liveability of Melbourne suburbs has given Tarneit and Truganina high scores for employment opportunities, but has found that the west has overall low accessibility to entertainment, parks and recreation resources.
The CityPluse index from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) last week revealed the top 10 places in Melbourne in the categories of live, work and play.
In the work section of the index, Truganina placed sixth and Tarneit equal eighth (with Richmond) based on a fast-expanding industry of distribution and logistics hubs that are providing job opportunities.
The work section of the index was topped by Docklands.
As part of its liveability index, PwC also released a report into Melbourne’s western suburbs that maintains there is “a distinct lack of play for most areas in the west”.
The report says that although there are some great facilities in the west – such as the Substation Centre for Arts and Culture in Newport, the Wyndham Cultural Centre and Werribee Zoo – population growth meant more options were needed in the play category.
“Perhaps most starkly revealing for the west is its comparatively lower access to open areas, with the northern and eastern suburbs having significantly higher access to parks, gardens and ovals,” the report states.
PwC economics and policy partner James van Smeerdijk said that as the west continued to grow, residents would look for more accessibility to entertainment, culture and open spaces to complement their strong access to jobs.
“As creativity becomes an increasingly important driver of our economy, we will see the positive impact of more ‘play’ flow through to the attraction of knowledge workers and the growth of advanced industries that will ultimately create quality sustainable jobs for more Melburnians,” Mr van Smeerdijk said.
