Victories and disasters in planning.

The election of the Rudd national government in 2007 led to the creation of Infrastructure Australia and the strengthening of the Council of Australian Governments. Regrettably in the next year NSW premier Iemma deferred the NorthWest rail line and then converted it into a European-style NW Metro but then replaced it by a short CBD Metro - which Infrastructure Australia rejected.

The private sector lobbies were loud in proposing a full metro network with a radial structure to replace the existing rail system. Various private “plans” were extravagant in their tram and metro/rail proposals but thin on practicalities and on operational, economic, financial, environmental, energy and community information. Their proposals to further tax western Sydney residents did not acknowledge the inequities embedded in the metropolis or better ways of proceeding (strengthening the prospects of PPPs).

Then premier Rees appointed a metro review panel which largely comprised metro advocates but it disappeared without reporting. The Barangaroo development is proceeding without an effective mass transit solution or connection to the city’s existing rail and bus networks.

Against this background, there remains a debate about servicing a growing population. The Hurstville to Strathfield line is the major opportunity to reconfigure the rail system away from the CBD and Harbour Bridge but it has dropped off the agenda.

Discipline through planning

The federal government’s frustration and the explicit fears of other state leaders that Sydney’s accumulated needs would penalise them, led in December 2009 to the establishment of the COAG Cities Planning Taskforce and to COAG adopting national objectives and criteria for future strategic planning of major cities.

COAG agreed also that all States will have in place city plans that meet the criteria by 1 January 2012. Funding will be tied to compliance as federal minister Anthony Albanese tries to spend wisely across multiple communities. There is ample evidence of declining affordability and liveability in all of the major urban areas.

However, the reverse happened. New Premier Keneally persisted with the politician-led changes: the CBD Metro was dropped along with all metro rail proposals including Albanese-funded West Metro, an inner tram scheme was adopted in the face of possible superior options, a western fast rail proposal that had not been publicly mooted within memory was “approved”, and a small financing strategy popped out - all without meeting COAG criteria. Tram projects are proceeding on a compromised basis, with small service catchments but with prejudice to better routes should future generations choose to adopt a Zurich approach.

Keneally announced a series of developer-friendly policy initiatives such as sequestration of private properties for on-selling to developers; and the incentives to supermarkets to undermine mainstreets and accessibility/carbon futures identified by Mant.

The COAG agenda was diluted elsewhere. A large land release was approved on the fringe of Adelaide without rail transport provision and a freeway expansion promised in a South Australian election campaign. Albanese praised the “30 year strategic plan for Adelaide” which was dated 17 February 2010 but neither were in its “What is happening now”. Then he offered the election sweetener of an Epping to Parramatta rail link which was in no governmental priority list - a use of political discretion at the expense of systematic resource allocations across all states and territories, regions and cities, linked with measurable needs.

The federal trend now is to deal more directly with local government, with rationalisation of the latter. This is a complex prospect as amalgamations are challenging and the “begging bowl” approach of subsidiary levels and proponents masks their capacity to contribute.

The population debate is largely a distraction given existing backlogs and crises in the major urban conurbations. There’s little money left in the federal kitty with so many mouths to feed and no improvement in planning/implementation capacities in line with international best practice - at all levels.