The Property Council of Australia has today released its 2022 Victorian Election policy platform, outlining priorities for the next Government that will fully unleash the power of the property industry to kickstart housing supply, support the next phase of CBD development and continue the state's economic rebound.
Property Council Interim Victorian Executive Director Cath Evans said the election presented an opportunity to truly move beyond the pandemic and called for bold leadership from political leaders that will truly unleash Victoria's immense potential, including a resumption of a planning reform agenda and a plan to secure a strong supply of housing across the
state.
Central to the Property Council's pitch to the parties and Victorian community are three critical themes:
- Addressing affordability to create better access to housing for all Victorians;
- Planning for liveability to deliver Victoria's future growth effectively and sustainably; and
- Promoting productivity to encourage investment in people, jobs and our broader supply chain.
Ms Evans said the Victorian property industry is the most significant sector of the state's economy, contributing $58.8 billion to the Gross State Product and employing approximately
400,000 people, offering the greatest capacity to secure the economic results and social impact we should be aiming for as a state.
"The property industry has an enormous role to play in supporting the rest of the Victorian economy to reach its full potential, but it's being hampered by an overly complex policy and
planning environment, high levels of regulation and rapidly increasing costs which requires significant reform over the next four years," said Ms Evans.
"Ensuring Victorians have access to suitable and affordable housing is one of the most critical elements of driving success for the wider state economy, while also delivering the kind of society we all want to live in.
"The only way we can deliver the economic growth the Victorian community needs and wants is if we make liveability and sustainability a core component of the planning process; delivering more housing in established areas, designing suburbs we want to live in and supporting the growth of our regional cities.
"Following our collective experiences of the global supply chain during the pandemic, the importance of a strong industrial and logistics sector has never been clearer. It's essential that the industry is supported to meet the huge anticipated future demand for logistics space by having enough suitable land available for development.
"Central Melbourne is the epicentre of Victoria's economy, accounting for more than 500,000 jobs and about 25 per cent of Victoria's Gross State Product. The health of the CBD is inseparable from the future of the Victorian economy and the lives of our citizens. Outlining and acting on a vision for the ongoing renewal of the central city should be a key focus of the next Victorian Government, including a plan to attract new business tenants and support the revitalisation of older, poorer performing buildings," Ms Evans said.
