Australia’s major cities unite to create better cities

9 November 2009

Australia's capital cities have joined with major regional cities Newcastle, Geelong and the Gold Coast to form a Major City Working Group that will dedicate itself to ensure a sustainable future for Australia's cities.

At a meeting of the Council of Capital City Lord Mayors (CCCLM) in Sydney today, the Lord Mayors unanimously agreed to form an alliance and working group to ensure that the Prime Minister's call for the future of Australia's cities to accommodate significant population growth is managed effectively.

The Lord Mayors and Mayors of Australia's major cities moved to form the group to forge stronger links with the Commonwealth Government and to work closely with the Prime Minister to develop productive, affordable, liveable and sustainable cities.

Newcastle Lord Mayor John Tate was elected Chair of the Group, and Darwin Lord Mayor Graeme Sawyer was elected a Co-Chair.

"It is important that the policy and planning for our major cities is grounded in the knowledge and experience of the city councils and State and Territory Governments," Mr Tate said.

"This initiative will not only put the major capitals at the forefront of the planning agenda but also the major regions which collectively represent a significant part of Australia's population, urban infrastructure and environment.

"This is a landmark occasion and is a new approach that will best prepare our nation for the anticipated population growth announced by the Prime Minister last week. It will enable us to capture opportunities and meet future challenges.

"On behalf of the working group of Lord Mayors and Mayors, we welcome the opportunity to work with the Rudd Government to achieve our common objectives," he said.

Graeme Sawyer said the group would start the right conversations with the Federal Government.

"Infrastructure funding will not flow unless we have communication between levels of government," Mr Sawyer said.

"Major cities are engaged on a daily basis in balancing the economic and social needs of their city. City councils have the experience in maximising urban activity while designing for the density required to accommodate the forecasted population increase.

"As Lord Mayors and Mayors of major cities, we know how to engage the community and key stakeholders in both understanding and planning for the changes that are required to ensure the future sustainability of our cities."

Working Group Members:

• Chair John Tate, Lord Mayor of Newcastle
• Deputy Chair Graeme Sawyer, Lord Mayor of Darwin
• Michael Harbison, Lord Mayor of Adelaide
• Campbell Newman, Lord Mayor of Brisbane
• John Mitchell, Mayor of Geelong
• Ron Clark, Mayor of Gold Coast
• Rob Valentine, Lord Mayor of Hobart
• Robert Doyle, Lord Mayor of Melbourne
• Lisa Scaffidi, Lord Mayor of Perth
• Clover Moore MP, Lord Mayor of Sydney

SNAPSHOT OF THE INPUTS OF CAPITAL CITIES

• 64 per cent of the total population
• 63 per cent of small, medium and large businesses
• 78 per cent of economic growth (2001-06)
• 70 per cent of Gross Domestic Product
• 66 per cent of total jobs
• 70 per cent of total international visits (6 million plus visitors a year)
• $1trillion in managed funds (the fourth largest in the world)
• $3 billion a year investment by capital city councils
• Administration by capital city councils of more than 25 billion in assets

Media contact: Graham Cassidy, Cato Counsel, 0419 202317, or Deborah Wilkinson, CCCLM, 6285 1672