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small business | April 04, 2017

Kealy: Melbourne explodes, while regions stand still

The Nationals Member for Lowan, Emma Kealy MP says population figures recently released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) only go to prove that the current city-centric Andrews Labor Government has no policy to manage and grow the population of regional Victoria.

“The most recent population figures show that in 2016 Victoria grew by 123,131 people, with 107,770 or 87.5% of these people moving to Melbourne”, Ms Kealy said.

“Just 15,361 people moved to regional communities, a growth rate of 1.1 per cent.

 “Greater Melbourne now makes up 76.5% of Victoria’s total population and is bursting at the seams while our regional communities remain at a standstill.

“Our regional communities want to grow – they want more job opportunities, new developments and improved public transport, but the Andrews Labor Government still has no plan to manage Victoria’s growing population.

“We need strong leadership and a plan so that our wonderful rural communities not only survive, but thrive into the future.

“Only the Liberal Nationals are speaking to Victorians across the state to develop a whole-of-state approach to managing our growth and sharing the opportunities it brings”, she said.

Through the Liberal Nationals Population Policy Taskforce, Victorians right across the state have had a say in developing a thorough and considered response to one of the greatest challenges facing Victorians.

“The challenge for Victoria is not just about the number of people, but where these people are choosing to live and how state government can regionalize this growth for the benefit of our whole state. We cannot focus on Melbourne alone like the current Andrews Labor Government is doing”, Ms Kealy said.

The Population Policy Taskforce interim findings will be released in coming months.