A national lobby group argues a federal government push to tackle the jobs and skills crisis will fall flat without investment into the outer suburbs.
Chair of the National Growth Areas Alliance Matthew Deeth said the federal government had acted quickly to establish “Jobs and Skills Australia” – a welcome move.
“However, to unlock the full potential for the five million Australians living in growth areas, the government must also take action to address the reasons behind employment and education deficits in fast growing outer suburbs,” Mr Deeth said.
Logan’s unemployment rate tips 7% compared with the national rate of 4%.
Rates of young people’s disengagement from work or study are also particularly high (an average of 11.6% compared to 8.3%.
“Chronic infrastructure and service deficits in growth areas are holding back their full potential and require a national solution,” Mr Deeth said.
“The Jobs and Skills Australia Bill refers to workforce needs in regional, rural, and remote Australia, yet there is no mention of the outer suburbs. This is disheartening given that one in every five Australians lives in an outer urban growth area. People living in these communities are bearing the brunt of the cost of living crisis, but it doesn’t have to be this way.
“We are at an important moment in time where Jobs and Skills Australia can set a direction from the outset that elevates and appreciates the untapped potential of the growth areas to support national productivity ambitions.”
Initial findings from new research commissioned by the NGAA has shown that modest federal government investments in growth area infrastructure and services significantly increase local employment and stimulate local economies, amongst other benefits.
“Now is the moment for the federal government to show it sees and recognises the outer suburbs”, Mr Deeth said.
“To build on the recent and positive momentum, we want the federal government to act now on the city policies it announced during the election campaign. In particular, the national coordination of outer suburbs infrastructure planning and investment would be a powerful step forward.
“With a labour force of more than 2.2m, industrial land ready to develop and the freight and transport facilities that keep Australia moving, the outer suburbs hold the answer to the employment and productivity problem the Australian Government is desperate to solve. A little investment now will go a long way.”
