You are absolutely right about the nature of the problems facing our community and the underlying sources. We have had massive population growth but investment in infrastructure has not kept pace. The result is increased pressure and need for new investment which of course pushes up prices. The Bligh government was insensitive about the cost pressures facing families and paid the price. The new government doesn’t have much of an idea either about how to bring down costs – promises to freeze car rego and electricity prices have already been broken.
I don’t think that immigration is a key part of the problem though. Skilled migrants are vitally important to help the economy grow. They also help to increase the tax base which can in turn help increase investment in core infrastructure. I agree entirely though that this needs to be carefully thought through.
What we should do as a community is identify where the key cost pressures are and how they might be addressed. Community dialogue is a very good way of doing this and of generating fresh new ideas to pass on to the pollies. We also need to have a full and frank discussion about the infrastructure we need the services we want and how we think they should be paid for. This online forum is the ideal place to start but face to face discussions might be a good way of furthering the discussion in the future. Either way it is imperative that communities guide the way these big issues are dealt with for the future. Well done to you for spearheading this brilliant initiative.