State opposition launches population strategy on 3AW Drive

3AW Drive launches the opposition party’s population strategy.

Opposition leader Matthew Guy alongside Chair of the Population Taskforce Tim Smith MP and President of the Australian Population Institute and Population Taskforce Member Jane Nathan talked about ways they plan on dealing with population growth in Victoria.

Jane Nathan says that parts of the outer suburbs have been forgotten as suburbs continue to expand.

‘If we could get some of those jobs out in those areas you would get a fall out in those areas that have infrastructure already built in,’ Ms Nathan said.

The opposition is proposing expanding regional cities and helping stem the urban sprawl mushrooming into outer Melbourne. 

WATCH State Opposition launches their ‘Population Taskforce’ in studio

‘The next incarnation of the states growth is in regional cities, its not being looked at anywhere across Australia, there is no government in Australia that is properly looking at how we are going to grow the corresponding states in the longer term.

‘Victoria has no choice, we must move to a model of decentralisation and the state has to play a key role in leading that,’ Mr Guy told Tom Elliott. 

The taskforce will be looking at growing these cities in an environmentally friendly way. 

‘We have to manage our natural resources appropriately, we’re talking about growing regional cities, but not at the expense of Victoria’s agriculture industry which is a key export industry and really important to our states economy,’ Tim Smith said. 

Click PLAY below to hear more on 3AW Drive