We hope our political leaders take note of a new university research paper that provides insight into how Victoria can approach the concept of decentralisation.
Researchers from RMIT, Monash and University of Melbourne have used the nation’s capital Canberra as an historical example of how decentralisation can work.
In a report called Balancing Victoria: Prospects for Decentralisation, the research team has suggested – surprise, surprise – that there needs to be long-term government commitment and broad community buy-in for decentralisation to work.
Australia started building Canberra in regional Australia from scratch in the early 1900s after Federation. Report authors said its success as a thriving city had come from long-term cross-institutional support. Report co-author RMIT Research and Innovation vice-chancellor Professor Ralph Horne said, “Victoria planners and governments can learn a lot from the Canberra model, particularly the government commitment and community buy-in as the way to build successful cities.
