Australia’s Regional Cities – The Future Policy Agenda
Preamble
In late September 2010 the Community Planning and Development Program at La Trobe
University’s Bendigo campus held a Policy Workshop to review issues relating to Australia’s
Mid Sized Cities. Over 70 representatives from all six states, from over 20 cities, regional
universities, regional campuses, local, state and federal government and the community
attended. At the conclusion of the Workshop a Plenary Session of participants reviewed the
workshop outcomes and following a consultative process prepared the following statement
for circulation to relevant persons and organisations.
Australia’s regional cities - what are they?
The classification and identity of regional cities is not clear. Regional cities often lack an
urban identity when they are included within such terms as’ non-metropolitan Australia’,
‘rural’, ‘the bush’ and ‘rural and regional Australia’. The reality though is that such descriptors
are misleading; the vast majority of Australians who live outside of the five metropolitan
areas are urban residents. Terminology to describe regional cities is not clear and
stereotyping has been particularly unhelpful. The term regional city does not necessarily suit
the largest cities as it is more generally equated with smaller places. ‘Mid sized’ or ‘medium
sized’ cities excludes many smaller cities, but the term ‘small’ cities, which is widely used in
north America and Europe, does not translate well to Australia. ‘Second tier cities’ is vague
as is ‘regional centres’, while the overseas emergence of the term ‘micropolitan’ is not
readily identifiable with Australia.
Given the current prominence of regions and regional Australia we have used the term
‘regional cities’ to embrace all the scores of urban areas outside of the five major
metropolitan areas and their immediate hinterlands with a population of over about 10,000
persons. Such cities are part of a complex and significant network of cities that form a critical
element in the future of regional Australia but equally as importantly in the nation’s urban
system.
Why are regional cities important to Australia?
The five large metropolitans areas dominate Australia’s ongoing debate and policy
formulation about its cities and about population generally. Even though about one in four
Australians live in regional cities they are not well represented in public debates and are
barely heard when policy for cities is canvassed. The body of research about regional
centres is limited, scattered and lacks a clear focus. Yet regional cities are important,
fourteen of these cities have populations of over 100,000 and some are now in excess of
half a million people. Most of the larger regional cities are now growing at faster rates than
the metropolitan areas.
Regional cities form a critical element of the Australian settlement network. Australia’s
unique geography, its distances and scattered population mean that regional cities perform
roles and functions unlike similar sized cities in many other countries. They provide liveable
and sustainable alternatives to metropolitan areas; they offer diversity in employment and
housing opportunities, they perform important roles in terms of the delivery of services such
education, training, health, sport and recreation, culture and entertainment for their residents
and the regions they serve, they support the productive use of Australia’s natural resource
base and they boast a distinct identity and sense of community. Regional cities fit into global
flows of capital, culture and people, in essence regional Australian cities can only really be
understood in terms of broader urban systems. In many respects as a microcosm of the
metropolis, aspects of regional cities can indeed provide tested solutions for many of the
issues and challenges facing metropolitan cities and their suburbs.
What are the challenges for Australia’s regional cities?
Regional cities need to be better recognised, researched and figure more prominently in the
policy agenda that surrounds our cities and their futures. Regional cities are critical to the
debate around Australia’s future population and where people and investment in
infrastructure will take place. How much growth should take place in our regional cities,
should some regional cities be targeted for further growth, how could regional cities
complement the forecasted growth in metropolitan areas, are some of the challenges that
have been given little consideration. On the one hand there is a danger that the challenges
faced by regional cities will be seen as merely a subset of the challenges facing Australia’s
largest cities and will be largely overlooked because individually they are overshadowed by
the size and apparent complexity of larger cities. Alternatively ‘one size fits all’ policies and
strategies could be rolled in the belief that all regional cities experience similar challenges
and agendas. Neither approach is relevant, certainly without any substantial research to
identify what are the challenges and how they play out in each city.
What needs to be done in regard to Australia’s regional cities?
We advocate four key actions for Australia’s regional cities.
1. Australia’s regional cities must be recognised as a distinct and critical part of
Australia’s urban network and not seen as simply part of the policy agenda of rural or
regional Australia.
2. The level of resources devoted to the planning, development and provision
infrastructure, facilities and services for Australia’s regional cities should be
commensurate with their role in the national urban network.
3. Australia’s regional cities need a clear representative voice about their interests in
the discussion and debate about Australia’s cities and the future scale and
distribution of Australia’s population.
4. The research agenda about Australia’s regional cities, the needs of their population
and the capacities and development of these cities requires funding and resources
commensurate with their role and significance in Australia’s urban network.
Submitted by
Associate Professor Trevor Budge
La Trobe University Bendigo Campus
On behalf of the delegates at
Australia’s Mid Sized Cities Workshop held at Bendigo September 2010.
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