Rail services, training and employment, and decentralisation were among the hot topics at the Victorian Population Policy Taskforce meeting, which Business Horsham hosted.

Representatives from Wimmera councils, development agencies, businesspeople, and residents discussed challenges and solutions for growing the region’s population.

The taskforce is a Victorian Coalition initiative designed to determine how much growth capacity exists in the state, and what changes are needed to manage population increases.

Taskforce vice-chairman Danny O’Brien and Member for Lowan Emma Kealy chaired the Horsham event at The Royal Hotel.

Former Horsham Rural City Council chief executive Kerryn Shade spoke about city planning schemes, and how this affected regional Victoria’s population growth.

“Metro planning schemes are too liberal. They are building so many units and subdivided properties, but people can’t afford them,” he said.

“If laws were made tighter to stop all these subdivisions and units – and instead encourage people to go to regional areas – that would solve some of the problem.

“Planning laws in Melbourne need an overhaul.”

Regional Development Australia Grampians region chairman Stuart Benjamin said governments needed to put population growth at the forefront of everything they did.

“Red tape isn’t why people don’t move to regional Victoria,” he said.

“My great concern is that in 20 years, Emma’s electorate gets even bigger and we’re losing representation.

“The only way to fix that is growing population.

“Every single thing you do and decision you make has to come from a construct of, ‘how do we get people to move?’

“We should be burning stuff in the streets about this –  the legacy we’re leaving future generations is diabolical.” 

Former Member for Lowan Hugh Delahunty said stamp duty concessions for housing and people starting businesses could help address population decline in the Wimmera and other rural areas.

He said other types of discounts or abolishing payroll tax in regional areas could also help attract people to rural Victoria.

Mr Delahunty also spoke about decentralisation, and said moving some staff to regional areas rather than relocating whole departments was an option worth exploring.

The taskforce is due to present a final report on its findings from 17 forums across Victoria in December.