Planning For Melbourne’s Rapid Population Growth

The Andrews Labor Government is planning for Melbourne’s rapid population growth, as the latest ABS figures again show Melbourne is the nation’s fastest growing capital city.

An average of 1760 people are added to our population each week, totalling 91,600 in the 2014-15, compared to 1600 per week and 83,300 last financial year in Sydney.

The Labor Government is accommodating population growth through good planning policy which targets long-term liveability, while investing heavily in education, health and infrastructure.

Planning work targeting smart growth is underway around the CBD, urban infill sites and out on the fringe:

• Plan Melbourne, the over-arching planning document guiding how our city will be shaped, is under review to include housing affordability and climate change, which the previous Government left out
• A review into the previous Government’s widely-criticised residential zoning roll-out is progressing, and public submissions have been invited as part of work to ensure the zoning mistakes made under the previous Liberal Government are not repeated
• Detailed plans for 640 hectares of land within five kilometres of Melbourne’s CBD, which will allow more people to live closer to inner city jobs and services without adding to urban sprawl on the fringe
• The newly-established Fishermans Bend Taskforce is drafting detailed plans for five separate neighbourhoods which will accommodate about 80,000 people, following the previous Government’s overnight rezoning of the precinct without any plans in place
• On the fringe, the Metropolitan Planning Authority is preparing precinct structure plans to keep a healthy supply of land to the market, maintaining Melbourne’s affordability
• The Labor Government has also released Managing Growth, our long-term infrastructure plan for Melbourne’s outer areas

The Labor Government recognises that Melbourne is already growing faster than any other city and needs proper plans in place.

Encouraging new development and planning for growth will improve Melbourne’s housing affordability and make housing available to all Victorians – nurses, teachers, cleaners and hospitality workers – the people Liberal governments always forget.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Planning Richard Wynne

“The Andrews Labor Government has a plan for smart growth – that’s in stark contrast to the previous government’s strategy of shunting new residents into boxy CBD apartments while protecting the blue-ribbon leafy-east.”

“We need to make sure housing is available to everyone, delivering housing options throughout the city with the access to education, health services and transport people deserve.”

“We are the world’s most liveable city, the country’s sporting capital, and Victoria is the Education State – people are naturally drawn to Melbourne and we need to plan accordingly.”