The Federal Government’s National Urban Policy draft aims to ensure Australia’s towns and cities are liveable, equitable, productive, sustainable and resilient.
Engineers Australia, the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australia (IPWEA), and the Transport Australia society collaborated to provide a response touching on housing, sustainability, skills and transport.
Engineers Australia’s General Manager of Policy and Advocacy Jenny Mitchell said partnering strategically with our technical societies and IPWEA empowers us to champion the needs of the engineering community effectively.
“Together, we leverage our collective expertise and influence to drive positive change and innovation within the industry.”
The submission supports the approach of the National Urban Policy in planning for the right balance of future infrastructure.
“It is vital that we continue to invest in our communities,” Ms. Mitchell says.
The Federal Government’s plan to reassess its approach to transport policy and infrastructure delivery is a positive step forward. It will ensure:
- Infrastructure expenditure is sustainable, provides good value for money and is appropriately targeted to meet the current needs of Australia
- We are making a significant contribution to cost-of-living pressures by reducing transport user costs
- Our transport investment strategy is supportive of sustainable solutions rather than projects with short term benefits
For housing, our submission supports greater alignment between federal and state governments on building standards. With eight different building acts, which account for differences in topography, density, climate and other factors, we note national consistency across these should be one of the goals of building regulation to provide high quality housing across the country.
We also reiterate the importance of a strong engineering talent pipeline to deliver the National Urban Policy and other initiatives. Engineers Australia calls for the Federal Government to adopt a target of 60,000 additional engineering graduates over the next ten years.
Read the full submission on our website.