The State of Australian Cities 2013 report, which was launched by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Anthony Albanese on 30 July, details the changes in urban population and settlement, and examines indicators relating to productivity, sustainability and liveability for the nation’s 18 biggest cities.

Compiled by the Major Cities Unit within Albanese’s department, the massive report builds on current data about the continual urbanisation of Australia and the world.

In 2008, more than half of the world’s population lived in cities, and it is expected that by 2030, an estimated five billion people will be urbanised.

Apart from city states like Singapore and Monaco, Australia is the most urbanised nation. More than three in four of Australians live in one of 18 cities of 100,000 people or more. From 2011-2012, the larger capitals grew almost 50 per cent faster than the rest of the country.

The State of Australian Cities 2013 report brings together current research, including newly released data from the 2011 Census, to present a comprehensive snapshot of this urbanisation in Australian cities.

“As one of the most urbanised societies in the world, and with our cities generating 80 per cent of our national income, our continuing prosperity largely depends on the productivity, sustainability and liveability of our cities,” said Albanese.

“Not only does this report contain the most recent data on our cities, it also provides a much richer picture than ever before of where change is occurring in our cities. Yes, our cities rank well globally. But it is important that we look further to the vastly different landscapes within and between our cities.”

This includes looking at job accessibility, commuting times, proximity to public transport, the use of renewable energy for homes and workplaces, as well as protecting the nation from the damaging effects of climate change.

For instance, the report points out changing work-force patterns will pose future challenges for transport infrastructure planning.

Central areas and major cities in Australia have already experienced a large increase in the number of higher-paying knowledge-intensive jobs, yet more people are living further away from city centres.

The report finds that there are three ways to improve the connection between work and homes in major cities. Firstly, to bring workplaces close to home; secondly to increase the number of dwellings in areas that have the greatest number of jobs so that people can live closer to work; and thirdly by improving transport links between work and home.

Currently, private vehicles provide easier access to a higher number of jobs than mass transit in Australia’s major cities. This has a number of implications, such as environmental effects. From an energy perspective, residential energy use accounts for 12 per cent of national energy use, while transport accounts for 40 per cent. The potential energy efficiency savings that urban mass transit systems could clock up is considerable, although more detailed information in this area is still needed to inform public policy decisions.

The report concludes with a discussion of governance in Australia's 18 major cities and an evaluation of progress in implementing the National Urban Policy, identifying the specific initiatives of local councils and state planning authorities which are proving effective at promoting more productive, sustainable and liveable urban communities.

A Cities Group has been established under the Transport and Infrastructure Senior Officials Committee to expedite the progress of intergovernmental collaboration on cities through the COAG Standing Council on Transport and Infrastructure.

Albanese stresses that Federal Labor has a plan to keep Australian cities moving in tandem with these urban changes.

“[It is] one that involves investing in both road AND rail infrastructure. That’s why we’ve doubled the roads budget and committed more to urban public transport infrastructure than all our predecessors since Federation combined. Right now, major projects are underway in Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Brisbane, Sydney and on the Gold Coast.”

Australia’s 18 major cities are Adelaide, Albury-Wodonga, Brisbane, Cairns, Canberra-Queanbeyan, Darwin, Geelong, Gold Coast-Tweed, Hobart, Launceston, Melbourne, Newcastle, Perth, Sunshine Coast, Sydney, Toowoomba, Townsville, and Wollongong.

For more information or to access the full report, please visit www.infrastructure.gov.au.

Geraldine Chua

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