Future prosperity dependent on a more liveable Victoria

 

THE State Government must prioritise measures such as regional growth and infrastructure in the upcoming state budget to make Victoria more liveable, says Victoria’s peak employer body. 

“Liveability is crucial to a strong economy. The focus must be on initiatives that strengthen this, including employment and infrastructure, the quality of our built environment, urban design and amenity, transport, planning and community participation,” says VECCI Chief Executive Mark Stone. 

“It is expected Melbourne will grow by an additional one million people over the next decade, so effective, whole-of-state planning and adequate investment is necessary to ensure Victoria remains the most liveable state.” 

Regional Victoria plays a major part in this, and VECCI welcomes the State Government’s pledges to relocate the Victorian WorkCover Authority to Geelong and VicRoads to Ballarat. 

s comments follow the release of the VECCI 2014-15 State Budget Submission: Accelerating Growth and Building Business Success. 

Priority VECCI recommendations for building a more liveable Victoria: 

• Assist Victoria’s small towns to adapt to industry restructuring and changes in agricultural practices and technologies and generate new business opportunities. 
• Support infrastructure development in Melbourne’s high population growth interface areas by creating a dedicated fund, similar to the Regional Growth Fund.  
• Investigate the scope to even further decentralise key state government departments and/or agencies to regional locations in order to improve regional stakeholder access to these agencies and support regional employment.  Implement a 5-10 year reform timetable. 
• Address outstanding regional infrastructure and related major projects, including but not limited to:
  
          - Development of the Gippsland Logistics Precinct.
          - The Mildura Riverfront Precinct.
          - The Shepparton Bypass.
          - The Ballarat West Employment Zone.
          - The Bendigo Airport Upgrade.  
   
  VECCI’s state budget submission focusses on measures to create a more liveable, competitive, internationally focussed and smarter state.
   
  Read VECCI’s full budget submission at:
  http://www.vecci.org.au/policy-and-advocacy/state-budget-summary

ends