The chasm between the British Conservative Government and the Abbott Government when it comes to cities has again been highlighted with the latest expansion of the UK’s City Deals program.
British Chancellor, George Osborne’s latest Budget statement has continued the rollout of City Deals, which has bipartisan support in the UK, and involves a combination of government grants and borrowing powers to secure a region's economic future.
In the UK, there is bipartisan recognition of cities as economic regions whose growth the national government can help facilitate.
Australians can only look with envy at a national government that has a robust suite of policies for its cities.
Instead, Australians are stuck with the Abbott Government’s chaotic stumbling towards another Budget, which is likely to have no regard for where four out of five Australians live and where 80 per cent of Australia’s GDP is generated.
Only Labor understands the importance of having a national cities policy.
To this effect, Anthony Albanese, Labor’s Shadow Minister for Cities, has released a ten-point action plan for better, more prosperous cities aimed at lifting productivity, sustainability and liveability of urban Australia.
It’s time the Abbott Government followed Labor’s, and the British Conservative lead Government’s example, and took our cities seriously.