Business vote essential for urban centres

10 June 2014

The recent proposals to make businesses vote in the City of Sydney need to be extended to all areas with urban centres, says the Urban Taskforce.

 

“It is clearly inequitable to have 78.5% of the rates in the City of Sydney come from business owners yet they only represent 2% of those who voted in the last local government election,” says Urban Taskforce CEO, Chris Johnson.

 

“There is a big trend in metropolitan Sydney to urban living where residents live next to the local coffee shop or the supermarket and often walk to work. The local council must encourage the mixed use dynamics of urban environments and this is best done by having all the stakeholders involved in voting for their representatives on the local council.”

 

“With Sydney needing over 1.6 million new homes over the next 50 years, the majority of these are likely to be in apartments in urban centres or along transport routes. This urban environment will protect the suburban areas of Sydney but it will create tensions if councillors are only elected by residents dominated by those living in non-urban areas. To best represent the growing number of cosmopolitan urban areas in Sydney, the businesses should also vote for councillor representation thus ensuring lively local businesses are integral components of town and city centres.”

 

“The old days of a commercial only city centre serviced by low rise spreading suburbs have changed to a more dynamic mixed use environment and our attitude to who votes for the councillors in local government also needs to change.”

 

“The City of Sydney should be the first urban centre to incorporate the business vote as it has a national role in driving our economy as Australia’s global city. Newcastle, Wollongong, Penrith, Parramatta, Gosford and Liverpool must then follow as well as centres like North Sydney, Chatswood, Hurstville and similar urban areas.”

 

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