A gateway to city’s growth

LAST week the Committee for Geelong was in Canberra with the Minister for Population, Cities and Urban Infrastructure Alan Tudge, who launched a new report, Australia’s Gateway Cities.

With the seemingly unstoppable growth of Australia’s metropolitan capital cities becoming an issue of national concern, there has been a renewed interest in identifying ways by which the current and prospective economic and social impact of major regional cities can be better leveraged.

The concept of a Gateway City possessing size, scale and a sufficiently diverse economic base capable of maximising returns on financial, infrastructure and other forms of investment provides the opportunity to identify cities and linked regions that will afford the best return for government investment and, by extension, the national economy.

By adopting for the first time a holistic suite of analytical criteria, Australia’s Gateway Cities report identifies examples of three such cities — Newcastle, Geelong and Wollongong.

The Committee for Geelong, in partnership with the councils of Newcastle, Greater Geelong and Wollongong, commissioned Deakin University and the universities of Newcastle and Wollongong to undertake the research.

From a commonwealth policy perspective, the Prime Minister launched Planning for Australia’s Future Population’ document in early 2019, which recognises the need for a more comprehensive population and investment strategy. This includes initiatives in regional investment, infrastructure support and improved transport networks.

The Gateway Cities report extends regional modelling to identify factors that lead to some regional cities offering greater impact and benefits for investment. They include: MARKET interconnectivity: An ability to demonstrate a deep connection to broader markets — with metropolitan capitals, the national economy and a global economy; ECONOMIC pull and retention: Not only having the economic “pull” factors to draw in capital, private investment and skilled labour but also the attributes and ability to retain them;

ECONOMIC resilience and transformative capacity: Demonstrating a genuine economic and community resilience over a prolonged period and a capacity to adapt to external shocks that challenge their economic and industrial base and long-term viability; DEMONSTRATED long term regional and national economic integration; and, STRENGTH of the revenue base.

As a consequence of the Australia’s Gateway Cities report, the three cities that are its focus are now establishing the Gateway Cities Alliance to pursue its recommendations.

The report can be downloaded from committeefor geelong. com. au/ currentinitatives

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