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Community Transition - adapting to the emerging future

Category: Population

Our Future Your Say population debate highlights

Comments by a panel of top speakers on population growth in South-East Queensland

Professor Brendon Gleeson:

  • Peak Oil Climate Change: our 1st and last line of defense is the suburbs. 
  • We’ve been embarrassed about our urban reality sought to deride a suburban lifestyle
  • Vast majority live in suburbia & this disenfranchises them unjust self-defeating
  • Commonwealth scores a C-
  • Have to deal with our unwillingness to fully embrace the sustainability imperative
  • Population carrying capacity is not a straight-forward thing: We need to drive down the ecological footprint.

Jane O’Sullivan of Sustainable Population Australia

  • The argument for the growth we are now having is based on the need to grow.This is circular. We need to stabilize.
  • The talk about establishing an ideal population first is a distraction from the real issue
  • The real argument is around growth itself and the dishonesty of the justifications for it.
  • We need a national population strategy
  • The costs of growth are not being acknowledged against the purported benefits
  • The costs of growth are much greater than the costs of aging
  • The reason that I think talk about carrying capacity is a distraction is that Gleason is right – there is no figure that you could build concensus on because it depends on so many value judgements.  It’s also evident that we’re well over carrying capacity based on our current behaviour so it becomes a bit academic since we’re not planning to cull people.  Even if we’re arguably under carrying capacity by some definitions it’s easy to demonstrate that being well under carrying capacity is a good thing so that’s no reason to grow.

Councillor Campbell Newman:

  • We need a National Population Policy.
  • I’d like to see population throttled back
  • The Regional Plan isn’t broken but there are a few things to fix.
  • Some projections need challenging (migrant intake intergenerational). The Federal Government has to make the case.
  • Let’s build up Maryborough Rockhampton Bundaberg Logan Ipswich Scenic Rim Lockyer Somerset.
  • Not confident we can provide the infrastructure.
  • Federal Government is “shovelling them in through the door” We need help to deal with it
  • Commonwealth Government has no involvement. They need to be at the table.

Councillor read more

Posted in Population |

Local govt calls on state (QLD) to adopt population inquiry findings

Local Govt Calls on State to Adopt Population Inquiry Findings

Tuesday 13 July 2010 11:01 | by Graham Young

With community polling confirming the findings of the McDonald Inquiry Report on the need for a state population policy LGAQ president Cr Paul Bell has called on the state government to incorporate the report’s 18 recommendations in its Growth Management Study.

“The final report of the Inquiry has been accepted and adopted by the LGAQ executive” Cr Bell said today.

“The LGAQ executive is calling on the government to develop a State Population Policy before the next state election” he said.

“The final report and community polling show there are major concerns throughout the state with labour market stresses housing affordability growth management regional development infrastructure Investment and sustainability of development.”

“All these issues need to be addressed in a state Population Policy” Cr Bell said.

After Inquiry chairman Professor Peter McDonald handed down his interim report a month ago the LGAQ commissioned Graham Young of the independent National Forum group to undertake state-wide opinion polling on the Inquiry’s recommendations.

“Respondents to the polling overwhelmingly expect population growth to stay strong in Queensland there is little that can be done to stop population growing and that the growth can be handled with appropriate policies” Cr Bell said.

“But more than 80 per cent of respondents believe that significant investment in infrastructure needs to be made upfront” he said.

“In financing the infrastructure needed respondents pin-pointed the development and resources industries as possible sources of funds. Developers should pay more particularly in the area of transport infrastructure they said.

“And although respondents were in favour of encouraging Queensland’s resources industries they believed resource companies were not contributing enough to social and economic infrastructure” Cr Bell said.

The McDonald Inquiry Report’s key issues centred on effective growth management and accommodating growth without compromising liveability affordability and long-term ecological sustainability.

The report maintained that rapid population growth required significant upfront investment in new public infrastructure to meet the needs of all Queenslanders including new residents.

Media release July 2 2010


Posted in Population |

Population growth in The Grove

Population growth in The Grove and regions close by Upper KedronThe Upper Kedron region of The Grove has been identified as an area where increased population can be channelled. Attempts to track down exact projected growth figures growth rates and eventual population of Upper Kedron and The Grove have so far not turned up the exact planning figures but have located the BCC’s Cityplan 2000  Local Area plan for this region. MitcheltonThe Mitchelton area around Blackwood St Osborne Rd McConaghy St Brookside Prospect Rd and a fringe residential precinct is planned for increased height restrictions between 3 and 10 storeys. Concerned local residents from Mitchelton Action Group (spokesperson Paul Poulus) are concerned that the draft Neighbourhood Plan would brind an influx of up to 20000 new residents into Mitchelton in the next 20 years. We have estimated if every block were developed it would lead to somewhere between 29000 and 40000 new residents in a compact area. The planning professionals and urban designers tested the plans within the building constraints and they showed an estimated uptake of more than 2200 was unlikely. The Neighbourhood Plan is a concept plan and it is important to get community input about what the community wants.
Posted in Population |