11 May 2011
The Government will provide $100 million over four years “to assist state and local governments to plan and provide for employment hubs to support local jobs, close to residential areas in order to reduce travel times to work and services”.
It will also provide grants to companies who “fund innovative ways to use the National Broadband Network to reduce travel times”. The program will apparently focus on the outer suburbs of our major cities that are experiencing pressures from population growth and transport affordability.
The scheme will start off small in 2011/12 with just $4 million, following with $32.5 million in 2012/13, $42 million in 2013/14 and finishing with $21.5 million in 2014/15.
This is a very practical measure to reduce congestion in our big cities. Instead of banning or stopping urban expansion, The Federal Government is now talking about pro-actively supporting employment growth. This will help match jobs to the strong need for expanded residential areas at the edge of our cities. Ultimately this scheme will need a lot more money, but it is an excellent start.
