Via Domain:
The Morrison government must select 10 regional towns to power the economy outside of Sydney and Melbourne, Australia’s top business lobby has warned, calling for a list of cities with airports, universities and industry to be given special status to stimulate economic growth.
Geelong, Ballarat, Newcastle, Wollongong, Toowoomba and Busselton would be among the top contenders for priority status, which would see infrastructure delivered to funnel workers into the key areas at the expense of other towns and cities.
Business Council of Australia chief executive Jennifer Westacott will on Tuesday tell the National Press Club “Australia has become stuck in a pattern of projects, rather than places” and that a top-10 list needed to be drawn up immediately to “get the ball rolling”.
Ms Westacott will say the top 10 should be chosen on the basis of having nearby gateway infrastructure such as an airport or major transport routes, two successful industries, strategic importance, proximity to major power grids, a university and a TAFE, and available housing and health services.
“We cannot spend twelve months arguing about which places should be chosen. Using my criteria, the places select themselves,” she will say.
Jeez, it’s real bonfore of the vanities stuff now. This is pure Chinese Communist Party forced urbanisation central planning, dictated not just by the Busines Council, but autocrat Jennfier Westacott herself.
Can we just take a monent to consider the alternatives rather than run headlong into another half-arsed immigration fattened, non-plan which is little more than an attempt to secretly create low wage economic zones more at home in North Korea.
