John Alexander (Bennelong, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I thank my friend and colleague the member for Indi for bringing this important issue forward. I also recognise the member for Ryan, Jane Prentice, who some years ago worked on the Sustainable Cities Taskforce, which commenced our work in this area. I'm honoured to chair the Standing Committee on Infrastructure, Transport and Cities, which tabled the report Harnessing value, delivering infrastructure, which also benefited from the member for Indi's expert contribution.

The debate today is timely because in just a few hours time the committee will be tabling another report Building up and moving out, which builds on many of the same themes. These include the importance of master planning so we can avoid the disastrous sins of the past and increase the incentivisation of moving people to the regions through infrastructure like high-speed rail.

I often get asked, as an MP who represents a seat in the northern suburbs of Sydney, why I am so passionate about regional decentralisation. This motion mentioned that the population of Australia has reached 25 million a decade earlier than anticipated. The vast majority of this new population has chosen to reside in Sydney and Melbourne. The result is a huge increase in house prices in my electorate, a construction boom that is dotting high-rise developments across our suburbs and a resulting increase in the number of cars on our roads—a number that our roads cannot hold. As a result, our infrastructure is playing catch-up. The metro line that goes through my electorate will make a huge difference, but it won't be open until thousands of new residents have moved into the electorate. Similar issues face the residents of Meadowbank and, particularly, Melrose Park, who will be served by the proposed light rail, when it opens, years after the 10,000 new homes being built will already be occupied.

This is why we need a master plan in our community. We need to plan infrastructure alongside land use, and we need to find ways to encourage people to move into the regions. The regions of Australia offer a fantastic alternative to city life. There is less congestion and associated stresses, communities are tighter and cost of living is usually dramatically lower than in the cities. But who can take advantage of these huge benefits if there aren't the jobs or the opportunities? This was the central question of the two inquiries in this motion today and in the inquiry that will be tabled later today.

The answer has been unequivocal: connectivity is what we need to unlock our regions. Regional centres need to be connected to the existing business hubs in our capital cities before they can compete with them. The simplest way to do this is through high-quality transportation infrastructure that can move people and goods between the regions, the cities and distribution sites. If people can get between these hubs we won't need to force migrants into our regions or to transplant departments. People will want to move there as they recognise the benefits and quality of life there. Departments, as well as private enterprise, will follow, seeking the competitive advantage of lower costs, as well as following a new client and customer base. Fast rail and integrated transport links will be the silver bullet for our regions.

The second part of the motion calls on the government to deliver on the recommendations of the Select Committee on Regional Development and Decentralisation. I would like to extend this request to the two inquiries by the Standing Committee on Infrastructure, Transport and Cities. The response to the first inquiry was timid, and I would hate to see a similar response to the one being tabled today. Parliamentary inquiries are underappreciated tools that gather, on the ground, evidence for the benefit of ministers and departments. Months of work go into these documents from both the deeply committed secretariats and the scores of Australian organisations who feel the need to give their independent and critical insights into these vitally important policy areas. These two are substantive reports that contain a strong evidence based plan on how to solve the many problems of our settlement, and they must be taken seriously. Here lies the opportunity to commence a battle of ideas and vision—a far more attractive contest that may even restore respect for our leaders.

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