My Vision for Victoria

Building a Stronger Victoria

The AFL’s ‘Gather Round’ franked the deserved popularity of South Australia’s Premier, Peter Malinauskas. His state’s growing resurgence is in no small part due to his energy, leadership and vision for a better living environment.

Contemplating the general confidence and optimism of the Croweaters leads to comparisons with Victoria. Many times I have written in these pages of the continuing disappointments we have been forced to digest. I’ve also made and broken pledges to be more positive! So much so that I was recently challenged to share my own thoughts on what I would do if I was in charge. So, I’ve given it a go.

Please enjoy my first effort at creating a platform for my pretend role as Victoria’s Premier. Not a job anyone is likely to crave.

Let’s start with today’s harsh reality: Victoria has some very significant challenges. We need to grow; success will not be achieved if we only nibble at the edges, our leaders need to deliver an aggressive, positive plan. And it would be foolhardy to think our newly elected Federal Government will be our saviour, it is a mess we need to fix.

“Victoria has some very significant challenges. We need to grow; success will not be achieved if we only nibble at the edges.”

The way I understand, approach and prepare for my theoretical challenge is influenced by my unique biases and motivations. I lead a 130 year old family company, wedded to the growth of the Victorian economy, and we are looking for more than a ‘quick fix’. To achieve business success we need a healthy construction industry, full of builders and trades excited by sensible planning laws, reducing input costs and an economy capable of investing in good projects. As a make-believe ‘Premier’ I should consider the diverse needs of the entire electorate – on this point I have failed before I have begun!

Even so, in the space I have available, let me provide five summarised priorities.

1.  Be Attractive

• First and foremost, we need to be a safe place to live. All Victorians and visitors to our state should feel comfortable walking the streets and sleeping without fear of unwarranted intruders.
• If we want to attract and retain businesses, workers and homeowners alike, we need to create the ‘best’, most competitive taxation policies.
• Tidy our streets, lock-up the graffiti ‘artists’, fix the roads, improve our airport! Being state-proud means we look after our assets. I have visited Tokyo, Japan a few times. While most of its infrastructure and buildings were constructed 40 years ago, the quality of the city remains outstanding.

2. Be known for something, multiple things.

• Enhance and build on our strengths. Remember the big events or natural advantages of the state while pushing for more. Secure the Grand Prix, Melbourne Cup, Australian Tennis Open, big concerts and mega NGV installations.
• While we are growing our renewable energy infrastructure, don’t be scared to give industry a bump with improved pricing on natural resources, such as gas. It is in abundance across the country, let’s organise to look after the Aussies, first.
• Native forests cover approximately 7.8 million hectares in Victoria, almost 35% of the state’s total land area. We must work with the Green movement and foresters to ensure both sides are satisfied.
• In the March edition of the Bowens Builders Bulletin I quoted Eric Johnston, from an article he wrote in The Australian newspaper. In his considered opinion Victoria has a sizeable competitive advantage across four world class exports: our universities, technology based businesses, healthcare and capital markets. If you missed my summary, or, more notably, Mr Johnston’s words, I encourage you to go back. Again, we need to augment what we are already the best at doing.
• All of the time sell our state to Australia, to the world. Make it known, ‘we are on the march’. And remember to repeat the message again and again. Promote our advantages.

“All of the time sell our state to Australia, to the world. Make it known, ‘we are on the march’.”

3. Encourage Immigration

• It is hard to see how we grow without adding more people. An ageing populous converts taxpayers to those with an elevated reliance on government and health services. Critical jobs need to be filled with tax paying workers.
• If we are to accept more people from overseas it is essential we improve our assimilation programs. We should be a favoured place to live, while providing our existing population with the confidence integration will be expertly managed.
• At the same time, fill critical jobs. In my world, more tradies – carpenters, roofers, plasterers, brickies … while others might suggest teachers, nurses and aged care workers … etc. While immigration is the responsibility of the federal government, Victoria should push to prioritise its most necessary requirements.

4. Great Housing Stock

• Be price competitive. In spite of ourselves, we might already be closer to this aim than most of us realise. While we have flatlined, other states have experienced a growing cost in land and house building inputs. Forever Melbourne was the second most expensive city for new and existing real estate. Over the past year Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide have pushed above.
• Make available all housing options – detached, high-rise, big, small, NDIS, public, regional …
• Use our advantages. We have flat, housing appropriate land to the north and west – build on it. “If you want to live in Australia, Melbourne is affordable and keen to be your new home.”
• Learn how to build more efficiently. Start with the Australian Productivity Commission’s recent review – https://www.pc.gov.au/research/completed/housing-construction
• Train more apprentices. Pay them more, if this is the problem. Match what their ‘boss’ gives them with a HECS type arrangement. Whatever it takes, we need to grow our available trades.
• Every person should have a roof to sleep under. Consider the best government and private partnerships and get to work. We can do better.
• There has been a lot of talk about factory built homes being the answer to the reducing volume of new builds. Bunkum! We need to be careful where this thinking takes us: e.g. sub-optimal dwellings, fully imported units. Our house building industry has underutilised capacity, let it loose.

5. Get our Infrastructure Right

• Support our goals (see above – point 2)
• Fast trains to Geelong, Ballarat, Shepparton, Warragul (forget Sydney!).
• Cost our builds accurately. Stop the ridiculous overspending we have seen for the past two decades. We frequently hear of astronomical rates being paid for traffic controllers on government jobs; none of it passes the pub test. I can’t afford these rates as a private business, why is it okay for governments to let them go through?
• Create liveable new suburbs. Build hospitals, train stations, sporting fields and shopping strips within walking distance of most homes.

“Create liveable new suburbs. Build hospitals, train stations, sporting fields and shopping strips within walking distance of most homes.”

Whoever our next leaders are and whatever their policy priorities might be, I only hope they are positive and authentic. As it seems with the Premier of S.A., people will come on the journey if they believe in the vision and witness sensible action being taken.