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Decentralisation; Now A Must! - Howard EmanuelWith the job loss situation in the Latrobe Valley seemingly worsening at an alarming rate... Read More... By Howard Emanuel - 4th October 2004 - Back to News 
With the job loss situation in the Latrobe Valley seemingly worsening at an alarming rate and other areas in Gippsland experiencing similar trends, both the Federal and State Governments simply must begin to support decentralisation of business and industry from Melbourne into Gippsland. Melbourne’s own growth forecasts are out of sync with available future water resources and at the same time the urban sprawl continues to consume high quality agricultural and natural land resources, making any further expansion of the city’s boundaries inappropriate and unsustainable.
There is adequate housing available; there is high quality social infrastructure such as schools, health care facilities and recreational complexes of various forms in the communities of Gippsland and the Latrobe Valley . There is also in place a highly skilled workforce "ready to go", all that is missing is jobs.
We can relieve the pressure on Melbourne and at the same time ensure the future of regional centres and it is axiomatic to suggest small rural communities as well, simply by committing to the moving of jobs to the country.
I have long spruiked the benefits of decentralisation and as an Independent candidate for the federal seat of McMillan believe we must establish a National Centre for Decentralisation Action. This body will track trends, catalogue possibilities and actively encourage and support local government to enhance opportunities for industry and business to relocate to regional Australia. This national body must also be adequately funded to financially support relocation and set-up costs if necessary, with of course appropriate caveats in place to protect taxpayer funds.
It is demonstrably time to act before the impact of downsizing in regional Australia becomes irreversible and complete, moreover to further dither will mean only more hardship. All that is really needed is the political will to support the regional and rural sector.
If elected as an Independent member of the Commonwealth parliament I will call for the establishment of an appropriate office to address this issue as a matter of urgency, in the meantime of course the current government can express their tangle support for rural Australia by simply beginning to act in a similar vein.
Thank you.
Howard Emanuel.
Independent Candidate for the Federal Seat of McMillan.
Convener: Rural Social Justice Movement
Tele/Fax: (03)5684 1561
Mobile: 0400 158 896
E-mail: howard@howardemanuel.com
Website: www.HowardEmanuel.com
www.HowardEmanuel.com
"Bringing the People back into Policy!"
Source: http://gippsland.com/ Published by: kris@howardemanuel.com
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