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Letter to the Editor (Population Policy)Managing our future population is one of Victoria’s most important challenges and it is vital we start making these plans today. By Portal Admin - 18th November 2016 - Back to News Population growth is not a challenge that is unique to the city, we also need to plan for the future populations of our rural and regional communities.
I grew up not far from Boort, in the Loddon Shire.
It is a proud community in the heart of agricultural Victoria but, like many parts of country Victoria, more people are moving away than settling in.
In the late 1980s, the Loddon Shire area had a population of nearly 10,000, but by 2011 it had dropped to just under 7500.
It is a story repeated many times over in regional Victoria – we are becoming a city state, when we should be becoming a state of regional cities and towns.
The Liberal-Nationals have launched the Victorian Population Policy Taskforce to look at the best way to manage this population growth, which is already putting pressure on law enforcement, the public transport system, roads, and services.
The Taskforce will meet with councils and key stakeholders from across the state to develop a set of recommendations that will be used to inform our policies towards the 2018 election.
Regional Victoria must have a central role in any plan for our state’s future population and I encourage regional Victorians to have their say at www.vicpopulation.com.au
Peter Walsh
Leader of The Nationals
Member for Murray Plains
Source: www.gippsland.com Published by: support@gippsland.com
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