PREMIER Daniel Andrews will strongly urge Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull this week to include regional areas in its new cities ministry, saying governments shouldn’t focus only on the nation’s capitals.
Mr Andrews will meet with Mr Turnbull at a Council of Australian Governments meeting in Sydney later this week.
“I’m going to make sure that at COAG, the prime minister and his government understand that it’s not good enough to have a capital cities agenda, you’ve got to have a capital cities and regional cities agenda,” Mr Andrews said in Bendigo on Friday.
“Whether it’s Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong or smaller regional centres like Shepparton, we need to make sure the national government is not all about Melbourne and Sydney and Canberra.”
Shortly after becoming prime minister in September, Mr Turnbull appointed Jamie Briggs as the first Minister for Cities and the Built Environment. He also signalled he had a greater interest in urban planning projects in capital cities than Tony Abbott, whom he ousted.
Mr Andrew said his government’s position that support for regional cities must be part of the federal government’s planning was “not negotiable”.
“Whether it’s infastructure or education or health, it’s not just a capital cities agenda, it’s got to include regional cities,” he said.
“That’s the position of the Victorian government and we do look forward to the prime minister agreeing.”
Mr Andrews believed support for his plan would come from premiers and chief ministers across the country.
“I’ll be speaking with a few of my colleagues ahead of the meeting and I’m sure they will be only too happy to support our push,” he said.
As part of the state government’s own efforts to improve regional areas, Mr Andrews said, senior staff appointed to Regional Development Victoria positions last week would help drive a “proper conversation” with regional communities about development.
Among them is former City of Greater Bendigo department director Stan Liacos who resigned from the council to take up a position as the Loddon Mallee regional director.
“Actually sitting down with local communities and asking what they want,” Mr Andrews said.
“Asking them for ideas on how to improve their community they’ve built, the community they live in.”
It was now the federal governments turn to step up, the premier added.
“If you are truly committed to making sure you govern in the interests of everyone … then you can have a cities ministry,” Mr Andrew said.
“What you can’t have is a capital cities ministry.”
