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Major Cities Unit

The Major Cities Unit has been established to provide advice to the Australian Government and Infrastructure Australia on issues of policy, planning and infrastructure that have an impact on our cities and suburbs. The Unit aims to provide coordinated action across all spheres of government, the private sector and the community to help secure the nation's economic, social and environmental wellbeing through our cities.

The vision for Australia's cities is that they are:

• Productive, and globally competitive, with integrated land use, transport and infrastructure planning driving more efficient investment and outcomes
• Liveable, improving the quality of life, health and wellbeing of people who live in, work, or visit cities
• Sustainable, environmentally, socially and economically.

The Major Cities Unit consists of a small multidisciplinary team located in Sydney with Infrastructure Australia.

Major Cities Unit work program

The Major Cities Unit strategic work program includes the following streams:

Governance and Policy

A key role of the Unit is to advance integrated governance structures and best practice strategic planning to support the coordinated development of Australia's cities, and to set a geographic context for policy, planning and investment decisions, including infrastructure. The Unit works across portfolios to link cities with other relevant national priorities such as climate change, housing, health and innovation.

Engagement and Consultation

All three spheres of Australian Government national, state and territory, and local have roles to play in meeting the key challenges and opportunities to improve the productivity, liveability and sustainability of Australia's cities. This can only be achieved by working in partnership with communities and the private sector. The Major Cities Unit works across all of these stakeholder groups to provide input into the development of urban policy and planning.

Research, Benchmarking and Best Practice

A strong information base is required to better understand growth and change in Australia's cities, to identify issues and priorities for action, and to inform the best paths for public and private investment. It also enables us to benchmark the performance of our cities, and to monitor progress towards goals.

The State of Australian Cities 2010 report represents the first major output under this stream.

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What's New

• On 5 March 2010, the Hon Anthony Albanese MP, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government launched the State of Australian Cities 2010 report. The report draws together existing data and information across a range of economic, social and environmental parameters to provide a national snapshot of the 17 Australian cities with populations over 100,000 at the 2006 Census. It also highlights emerging trends and issues to promote discussion and debate on managing growth and change in our urban centres.
  
  The State of Australian Cities 2010 report progresses the cities agenda at the national level, setting the context and scope for further involvement by the Australian Government in urban policy and planning. The next stage will involve the development of a national cities strategy that outlines the Australian Government's approach to achieving more productive, liveable and sustainable cities in the future.
  
  The full report and individual chapters can be downloaded below. It can also be accessed on the Publications page of this website.

  • State of Australian Cities 2010 - Full Report [PDF: 10136 KB]
    • Contents [PDF: 462 KB]
    • Executive Summary [PDF: 94 KB]
    • Chapter 1: Introduction [PDF: 152 KB]
    • Chapter 2: Australian cities in an international context [PDF: 436 KB]
    • Chapter 3: Population and settlement [PDF: 962 KB]
    • Chapter 4: Productivity of Australian cities [PDF: 532 KB]
    • Chapter 5: The sustainability of Australian cities [PDF: 702 KB]
    • Chapter 6: Liveability of Australian cities [PDF: 1675 KB]
    • Chapter 7: Social inclusion and equity [PDF: 241 KB]
    • Chapter 8: Governance [PDF: 199 KB]
    • Appendix A: Major city relative share of Australia's sociodemographic profile [PDF: 80 KB]
    • Appendix B: Local government in Australia's major cities [PDF: 5677 KB]

  • Minister's Speech: Queensland Media Club - State Of Our Cities Report, Launch, 5 March 2010

• On 7 December the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) agreed to adopt a national objective and criteria for future strategic planning of capital cities. More detail on the agreement can be found on the COAG website.

• On 27 October 2009 the Prime Minister addressed the Business Council of Australia highlighting the need for leadership in planning the future of cities, signaling the re-entry of the Australian Government in urban policy. The full speech can be accessed on the Business Council of Australia's website.

• On 7 August 2009, the Hon Anthony Albanese MP, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government addressed the Partnerships 09 Infrastructure and Investment Conference on the subject of urban policy. The full speech can be accessed on the Minister's website.