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The National Growth Areas Alliance welcomes Infrastructure Australia’s new report, Planning Liveable Cities: A place-based approach to sequencing infrastructure and growth.

More than five million people already live in the fast growing outer suburbs of Australia’s capital cities, and those areas are experiencing population growth at double the national rate.

Our cities and in particular our outer suburbs have grown much faster than any level of government expected or planned for. The need for coordinated, well-planned growth is time-critical and essential to be able to maintain, and continue to build, resilient communities in liveable cities.

Our Alliance of 21 of the fastest growing Councils in Australia’s outer suburbs endorses Infrastructure Australia’s recommendations, in particular better strategic planning at the national, state and local levels which must be underpinned by a transparent three-tiered governance structure.

Fast growing outer suburbs generated 35% of population growth and 25% of job growth between 2011-16 but only received 13% of infrastructure investment. Political misalignments between levels of Government have delayed or obstructed vital infrastructure investment in growth areas.

The impact of insufficient planning and inadequate infrastructure investment on the everyday lives of five million people in fast growing outer suburbs must not be underestimated. We call upon the Federal and State Governments to work with local government to implement the findings of this report.