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Its Super, but what about our cities?
What do we think about the last Federal Budget?
One interesting response has been that of the Planning Institute of Australia (PIA). In its response PIA has established a direct connection between budget and the wellbeing (or otherwise) of our cities. It is not only "families" (the favourite and slippery term used by politicians buying votes) who are affected by budgets; it is all of us, including the cities and the environment.
I have not seen a response from the RAIA as yet, is there any coming?
I have taken the liberty to reproduce PIA's response to the budget for the sake of discussion.
One interesting response has been that of the Planning Institute of Australia (PIA). In its response PIA has established a direct connection between budget and the wellbeing (or otherwise) of our cities. It is not only "families" (the favourite and slippery term used by politicians buying votes) who are affected by budgets; it is all of us, including the cities and the environment.
I have not seen a response from the RAIA as yet, is there any coming?
I have taken the liberty to reproduce PIA's response to the budget for the sake of discussion.
Response to the Federal budget
Wednesday 10 May 2006
Its Super, but what about our cities?
PIA congratulates the Government on delivering a great tax and superannuation budget providing relief for many Australians who will take home a little more in their pay packets and will be rewarded for putting money away for retirement. However, it has failed in making a strong commitment to nation building, and investing in a sustainable future for Australia, said Di Jay, CEO of the Planning Institute of Australia.
The tax relief should help build national savings. Private capital is a key provider of vital national infrastructure for the building of better cities, towns and regions the concern of planners. Further Federal initiatives in this budget in roads infrastructure and in the future of the Murray River, are also highly commendable and important investments in our future.
There is also investment in building social capital and providing for the workforce through child care initiatives, mental health funding and medical research investment. PIA commends the government for doing more in these vital areas. Much of this is a sound investment which will underpin future GDP growth and help us achieve the budget growth forecasts which still stand at a strong 3.5%.
But, she added This budget primarily spends rather than invests the proceeds of the current commodities boom. We are living on the back of growth in Asia and strong demand for our exports. We should be doing much more to sure up our future GDP growth if we invest now in nation building.
Eliminating government debt is commendable, but not at the expense of sound, longer term investment. Debt that is effectively managed which builds our national asset base and underpins economic growth, is wise and responsible, she continued.
The Planning Institute of Australia considers that Governments need to spend better and invest more wisely, as is expected of Australian citizens. PIA is calling for better investment in infrastructure and in Australian cities.
Cities are our global portals. They are the exit point for our exports, the freight stations for elaborately transformed manufacturers, and the primary national employment hubs of one of the most highly urbanised countries on the planet. Our governments, state and federal, are not doing enough to ensure that our citizens and their cities are adapting to a knowledge and tourism economy future, continued Ms Jay.
When we have utilities bottlenecks we stymie production. When we have traffic congestion we inhibit workforce mobility and productivity. When we reduce livability and amenity, we cease to be an attractor of capital and a knowledge economy hub. When we reduce our attractiveness to tourists, we lose a key dimension to the new Australian economy.
The future of our cities and towns is the turn-key to maintaining our economic future. Planners are screaming out for a longer term view. We have a great opportunity to establish a prosperous future for the next generation if we can only see the GDP gains and underpinning of growth that is dependent on better spatial and infrastructure decision making and investment. The current pipeline and sightlines are too short.
How long will this boom last? Perhaps another couple of years then we will be saying why didnt we invest in our cities and towns when we had the capacity to do so and build a better future for coming generations?
The connection between sound spatial decision making, good urban and regional planning, management of the coastal shift, and GDP growth is the real key to a sustainable future and continued economic prosperity, Ms Jay concluded.
For information on the 2006 Federal budget issued 9 May, visit http://www.budget.gov.au/.
Ends.
Planning Institute of Australia | National Office
P: 02 6262 5933 | F: 02 6262 9970
PO Box 5427 Kingston ACT 2604
www.planning.org.au
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