'; ?> Local Govt Calls on State to Adopt Population Inquiry Findings | What The People Want
Local Govt Calls on State to Adopt Population Inquiry Findings
Tuesday, 13 July 2010 21:01 | Written by Graham Young

With community polling confirming the findings of the McDonald Inquiry Report on the need for a state population policy, LGAQ president, Cr Paul Bell, has called on the state government to incorporate the report’s 18 recommendations in its Growth Management Study.

  “The final report of the Inquiry has been accepted and adopted by the LGAQ executive,” Cr Bell said today.

“The LGAQ executive is calling on the government to develop a State Population Policy before the next state election,” he said.

“The final report and community polling show there are major concerns throughout the state with labour market stresses, housing affordability, growth management, regional development, infrastructure Investment and sustainability of development.”

“All these issues need to be addressed in a state Population Policy,” Cr Bell said. 

After Inquiry chairman, Professor Peter McDonald, handed down his interim report a month ago, the LGAQ commissioned Graham Young, of the independent National Forum group, to undertake state-wide opinion polling on the Inquiry’s recommendations.

“Respondents to the polling overwhelmingly expect population growth to stay strong in Queensland, there is little that can be done to stop population growing, and that the growth can be handled with appropriate policies,” Cr Bell said.

“But more than 80 per cent of respondents believe that significant investment in infrastructure needs to be made upfront,” he said.

“In financing the infrastructure needed, respondents pin-pointed the development and resources industries as possible sources of funds. Developers should pay more, particularly in the area of transport infrastructure, they said.

“And although respondents were in favour of encouraging Queensland’s resources industries, they believed resource companies were not contributing enough to social and economic infrastructure,” Cr Bell said.

The McDonald Inquiry Report’s key issues centred on effective growth management and accommodating growth without compromising liveability, affordability and long-term ecological sustainability.

The report maintained that rapid population growth required significant upfront investment in new public infrastructure to meet the needs of all Queenslanders, including new residents.

Media release July 2, 2010

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Comments   

 
0 #1 I would like to have seen more wording a — Daniel Boon 2010-07-14 13:17
I would like to have seen more wording around the need for better resource use. i.e. energy efficiency from land development (where estates are so designed to make it easier for houses to be designed for energy efficiency (avoiding the brick veneral disease, concrete tiled roofs brought in from down south).
And while on the subject of roofs, having them face true north, which in turn would make solar hot water and solar power systems operate effectively, rather than the miss mash way of installing them now, coated with government sweetners.
 
 
0 #2 I found it sadly amazing that the enviro — Jasen 2010-07-14 13:54
I found it sadly amazing that the environment wasn't as much of a concern for people. Is it that most are ignorant of the connection between high population and a lack of diversity and an ever increasing extinction rate of native species..I think so.
 
 
0 #3 Infrastructure is in a very bad way pres — Russell Luck 2010-07-14 16:50
Infrastructure is in a very bad way presently.
Much more needs to be spent on it without even considering population "growth".
Housing prices are just disgusting and foreign ownership should be limited.
Rates, utilities, food are all on the increa$e.
With often less being provided.

Here I was thinking we just had a damn awful drought and Government scaremongering about water shortages.

I'll have to get someone to have a look at that short memory of mine.
Maybe Batman can sing a song about it?
 
 
0 #4 Humanity's greatest shortcoming is its i — Mike Stasse 2010-07-14 17:28
Humanity's greatest shortcoming is its inability to understand the exponential function.... Dr Albert Bartlett

This article is of course all piffle.

Growth WILL end, no ifs no buts. Fuel and food shortages coming in a town near you will see to that. The Club of Rome was 100% correct, it's payback time.
 
 
0 #5 Although 80% may think that growth in in — Joy Ringrose 2010-07-14 17:43
Although 80% may think that growth in inevitable, two thirds of Queenslanders are against further growth. We are rapidly approaching the limits of sustainability in QLd and elsewhere in Australia. Food and water security are going to be major problems for us in future.
It is high time that all Australians take on board the mantra "Prosperity Without Growth". It requires a completely new mindset, away from the Me First culture to the Us, Community First concept.
 
 
0 #6 "Humanity's greatest shortcoming is its — Andrew Bartlett 2010-07-15 01:04
"Humanity's greatest shortcoming is its inability to understand the exponential function.... Dr Albert Bartlett "

Far be it from me to contradict my namesake Dr Albert, but I understand the exponential function, and in my experience most other people do after 30 seconds explanation.

It seems to me that 'damnthematrix' is the one who doesn't understand that not all growth is exponential (including population growth) - which makes the quote of Dr Albert irrelevant in this context.

It's a good thing to debate and consider population issues, but much better again if the debate is based on reality.

There are a range of different types of growth, and a range of range of ways to work with and where desirable contain it.

Personally, I think it is better to consider these things in a holistic, global context, rather than pretending we live in our own little local bubble, but even if we only take the insular approach, there is still enormous scope for having our local infrastructure operate far more efficiently than it currently does.
 
 
0 #7 When politicians believe that global war — Kenneth Acushla 2010-07-19 17:46
When politicians believe that global warming is caused by human beings than their solutions are dangerously suspect.
 
 
0 #8 Water, soil fertility, animal and plant — ozideas 2010-07-23 14:08
Water, soil fertility, animal and plant life, people's comfort, all demand a stable population.
Lacking our own manufactures, we rely on escalating property values and the building industry, as well as imports, for our economic prosperity on the existing economic model.
We need another model.

The pressure groups for escalating population are all short-sighted.