On 23 September, The SMH will hold a Population Summit to discuss “where key decision-makers and thought-leaders in government, transport, property, planning, banking, finance, architecture, economics and the law will come together to discuss how we successfully plan for a growing Sydney”.
The topics for discussion are:
- Towards a coordinated population policy
- Congestion costs and congestion busters
- Demography and immigration
- Social and affordable housing
- Urban density and avoiding anonymous sprawl
- Making infrastructure dollars go further
- Western Sydney Airport and Aerotropolis
- Towards a polycentric city
- Fast rail and a Newcastle-Sydney-Wollongong mega-region
- Lessons from some other fast-growing international cities
- Jobs, innovation and workplaces of tomorrow
- Congestion and road-user charging
- Sydney vs Melbourne – Australia’s heavyweight title bout
As usual, the speakers list features a grab-bag of ‘Big Australia’ mafia, with nobody from the opposing side represented:
- The Hon Alan Tudge MP Minister for Population, Cities and Urban Infrastructure
- The Hon Anthony Albanese The Leader of the Opposition
- Lucy Hughes Turnbull AO Chief Commissioner, Greater Sydney Commission
- The Hon. Rob Stokes MP Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, NSW
- Kiersten Fishburn hief Executive Officer, Liverpool City Council
- Romilly Madew AO CEO, Infrastructure Australia
- Kristin Brookfield Chief Executive Industry Policy, Housing Industry Association (HIA)
- Lisa Davies Editor, The Sydney Morning Herald
- Leilani Frew Chief Executive, Infrastructure and Project Financing Agency (IPFA)
- John Brogden AM CEO, Landcom
- Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes City of Newcastle
- Dig Howitt CEO & President, Cochlear
- Melissa Widner Managing Director, NAB Ventures, National Australia Bank
- Gabriel Metcalf CEO, Committee for Sydney
- Professor Attila Brungs Vice-Chancellor and President, UTS
- Marion Terrill Transport & Cities Program Director, Grattan Institute
- Wendy Hayhurst Chief Executive, Community Housing Industry Association
- Jillian Kilby CEO & Civil Engineer, The Infrastructure Collaborative
- Gary Barnes Coordinator-General, Regions, Industry, Agriculture and Resources, Department of Planning, Industry & Environment (DPIE)
- Craig Blair Co Founder and Managing Partner, AirTree
- Scott Langford Chief Executive, St George Community Housing
- Professor David Hensher Founding Director, Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies, University of Sydney
- Guy Templeton President & CEO, Australia & NZ, WSP and Chair of Business Council of Australia, Infrastructure and Growth Committee
- Steve O’Connor Partner, KDC and President, Planning Institute Australia
- Adrian Dwyer Chief Executive, Infrastructure Partnerships Australia
- Wes Ballantine Group Executive Victoria and Group Strategy, Transurban
- Mark McCrindle Principal, McCrindle Research
- Chris McNeill Director, Ethos Urban
- Paul Plowman GM- Liveable City Solutions, Sydney Water
Expect lots of pontification on the need for policy band aids like: ‘better planning’, more infrastructure investment, dense living, congestion pricing, and polycentric cities. But don’t expect anybody to prosecute the case to slash immigration back to historical levels:
This would prevent Sydney’s population from doubling over the next 50 years and avoid the myriad of problems that come alongside this manic growth:
