Anthony Byrne (Holt, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise tonight to talk about a great initiative which will be an important vehicle and a voice for people living in the outer suburbs of Australia's major cities, including people living in suburbs in my electorate of Holt, including Cranbourne, Doveton, Hallam, Narre Warren and Endeavour Hills. Australian governments have traditionally been perceived to be good at delivering services and facilities for the needs of people living in the inner suburbs of Australia's major cities, but the needs of people living in the rapidly growing outer suburbs have often been neglected—in many cases, put in the too-hard basket. The interests of people living in the outer suburbs are certainly not helped by an increase in criticism of people living in the outer suburbs and of their communities more generally, nor by the perception that the further they live from the CBD the less their views count. There is a richness that exists in many, virtually all, of our outer suburbs. So many people make a positive contribution to our local communities, and people are always advancing the interests of the suburbs where they live.

The facts about our outer suburbs are compelling: over 3.6 million Australians live in 25 of the nation's fastest-growing municipalities in Australia's outer suburbs; 1.3 million Australians living in our outer suburbs are children and young people—our nation's future; and 40 per cent of people living in the outer suburbs are migrants who have come from countries all around the world and now call Australia—and its outer suburbs—home. By 2026, one in five, or 5.4 million, Australians will live in the outer suburbs. By 2050, Melbourne's population according to the ABS will be 6.4 million people. The City of Casey's projections indicate that Casey's population will reach 450,000 by 2036, which is the same size as Tasmania. With the outer suburbs comprising such a substantial proportion of the Australian population, it is vitally important that we fully and completely address their needs and aspirations.

Since 1835, cities like Melbourne have developed a wonderful suburban culture. It is important for governments to provide the much needed social infrastructure to those outer suburbs that have just been established, to give them that suburban culture that they crave and to meet those community centred needs that they have—and that they feel are being denied because of their postcode. People living in the outer suburbs, like those living in the local area that I represent, face a number of daily challenges including traffic congestion, lack of access to public transport, lack of access to quality roads, lack of access to health and education services, community facilities bursting at the seams and lack of access to a range of local jobs.

To help overcome these challenges I wish to encourage all people living in the outer suburbs of Australia's major cities to participate in the Voices of Outer Suburbs campaign run by the National Growth Areas Alliance, NGAA, a coalition of Australia's 25 fastest-growing municipalities. The NGAA's Voices of Outer Suburbs campaign is vitally important so that we can hear directly from people in the outer suburbs about the challenges that they face, their ideas and their needs, in order to improve their local communities. One of the key issues that we face in the outer suburbs is the need to improve employment opportunities and employment skill bases.

Recent investments, such as the $10.5 million Hallam Valley Trade Training Centre, are providing job-ready training in traditional and emerging trades for young people in my electorate of Holt. Last year there was a $320 million upgrade of Westfield Fountain Gate shopping centre, which increased employment opportunities for locals in Holt by creating over 800 new jobs. However, despite these investments, there is still much more that can be done to meet the skills and employment challenges facing our areas. According to the NGAA, to meet the shortfall in employment another 660,000 more jobs in 2011 were needed in Australia's outer suburbs.

Unfortunately, a growing unemployment rate is emerging in national growth areas; however, our youths need to know that there will be good local jobs available in the outer suburbs when they need them. Whether it means relocating public service departments to the outer suburbs or creating incentives for businesses to relocate there—or expanding campuses, such as the Monash campus in Berwick—all options need to be put on the table. Our young people will be watching future state and federal governments closely to see what they do to create additional jobs and employment opportunities in the outer suburbs. Failure to act will not provide the employment opportunities and will only create additional pressures for our young people. When meeting with some young people today, that was emphasised. I commend this initiative and the City of Casey for backing it. Voices in the outer suburbs are as important as voices in the inner city.