Pushing for regional cities
LAST week we saw another indication of the growing importance of regional cities, when Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Federal Minister for Cities Paul Fletcher joined the state government to sign a memorandum of understanding to do a Geelong city deal.
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Geelong joins two other Regional Capitals Australia members – Launceston in Tasmania and Townsville in Queensland, who are also members of our association – to be nominated for a city deal.
In the deals that have been signed there has been a commitment to bring significant investment from both state and federal governments and also the private sector to the city and wider region.
It is disappointing, however, to see that smaller cities such as Horsham are ineligible for a city deal due to not meeting an arbitrary population threshold.
It is the position of Regional Capitals Australia, an organisation I chair, that regional cities such as Horsham are increasingly important to not only national prosperity but also the region it serves.
Horsham is an important regional centre, offering alternatives for business and families to escape the crushing congestion and growing unaffordable lifestyles of big cities such as Melbourne. Horsham also serves as a fundamental regional hub, providing essential economic and life-saving services and resources not only for people living in the city itself, but also for those living in the surrounding towns.
All evidence points to the fact that Horsham is worthy of this investment as it performs well above Melbourne on a range of indicators. These include overall population unemployment at 3.80 per cent, compared to 6.21 per cent in Melbourne while the median price for a home in Horsham is about $265,000 verses more than $650,000 in Melbourne. The rates of congestion are also significantly lower in Horsham, with employment easily accessible mere minutes from home – something which rarely happens for those living in Melbourne.
Through my role on the Australian Government’s Smart Cities Reference Group I will continue to advocate for the government to expand their focus to include smaller regional cities in their investment plans – making sure cities like Horsham remain the liveable, affordable and investable alternative.
Shane Van Styn, chairman, Regional Capitals Australia
Recognise work of women
VICTORIA is again leading the nation on gender equality by ensuring there is an even number of women and men nominated for 2018 Order of Australia awards.
Less than one third of nominations for Australia’s national awards system are for women, which is directly reflected in the awards outcomes.
The Victorian government is addressing this with the appointment of a dedicated awards officer who will focus on organising an additional 200 nominations of Victorian women each year to ensure a gender balance.
The awards officer will identify nominees, organise workshops, tap into existing Victorian based awards processes, such as the Victorian Women’s Honour Roll and work with community groups, such as Honour a Woman. It will complement work done to improve diversity of Victorian nominees by working with Aboriginal and multicultural organisations.
It is expected that the flow of nominated women from Victoria will reach parity with the number of men early in 2018 with improved outcomes for Victorian women in 2019.
Nomination information is available at gg.gov.au and for inspiration and advice on nominating women, go to facebook.com/honourawoman.
Jenny Mikakos, Acting Victorian Minister for Women