Peri Urban Councils Victoria (PUCV), an advocacy group that includes Moorabool council representatives, has been invited to join a new federal government roundtable tasked with shaping Australia’s new National Urban Policy.
The Urban Policy Network is a new initiative to provide advice to the federal government on urban policy issues including the development of a National Urban Policy. The invitation for PUVC to join the network was extended by Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Minister Catherine King.
PUCV chair and Baw Baw deputy mayor Michael Leaney said the group is pleased to see that the unique growth pressures faced by the peri urban regions in Australia will have a voice in this important national forum.
“We will be advocating strongly that peri urban issues need to be front and centre when the government puts together its new National Urban Policy,” he said.
“Nationally, peri urban regions are experiencing some of the most rapid growth in the country, however our policy, planning and funding systems have not kept pace with what is happening in the fast growing peri urban towns and localities that surround our major capital cities.”
PUCV will advocate for key regional issues that Moorabool has been experiencing such as the inclusion of peri urban regions in policy and funding mechanisms, managing urban growth while protecting agricultural lands and safeguarding the unique character and amenity of peri urban towns.
The PUCV member regions are expected to grow by almost 50 per cent by 2036.
A federal government spokesperson said the Urban Policy Network will help to inform the National Urban Policy, which will present a shared government vision for the sustainable growth of our cities.
“The development of the National Urban Policy is being informed by feedback from all levels of government and urban policy experts such as the Peri-Urban Councils Victoria. All stakeholders and the community will be invited to have their say on a draft National Urban Policy via a public consultation process,” the spokesperson said.
