Australian Politics and Policy - Senior, 2019a

Australian Politics and Policy
Here, it is useful to return to our consideration of the underpinning rationales
for state interventions in shaping urban economy and society. Metropolitan
strategies are an expression of urban policy and thus of urban politics. As such, the
strategies underline the shift from equity to efficiency and have made little progress
towards rectifying the spatial mismatches and inequities described above. However,
actually existing urban policy has an imperative (to an extent at least) to address the
key underlying tension between equity and efficiency. For example, in considering
strategic planning for the Sydney metropolitan region, Pauline McGuirk finds that
though its planning broadly reflects a neoliberal commitment to furthering Sydney
as a global city, redistributive compromises are necessary to achieve this. She
describes strategic planning as ‘an institutional site of negotiation’ 41 between
demands for economic development and redistribution. Other forces that shape the
urban realm, such as immigration policies and tax and finance policies like negative
gearing, underline the urban impacts of federal policies not explicitly targeted at
urban areas, which are not within the purview of metropolitan strategic planning. 42
Much debate has occurred about how Australia’s metropolitan regions should be
governed. The current complex and fragmented governance arrangements are perceived
as lacking clear and effective institutional arrangements for strategic planning
and the co-ordination of urban services, including infrastructure. Co-ordinating
policy in a fragmented system of governance dilutes policy efficacy because it can
be unclear who has responsibilities for the different elements of policy development,
delivery and implementation. Advocates for metropolitan government see it as able
to rectify the perceived democratic deficit which enables private interests to exert
undue influence. 43 Government at this level is viewed as giving metropolitan regions
a collective voice in debates about planning, resource allocation and major strategic
issues, such as immigration, economic development and sustainability. Metropolitan
governmentsarealsoperceivedasbeingabletobettertackletheperennialchallenge
of urban policy co-ordination – across government policy siloes and government
levels (including local government areas) and between the public, private and third
sectors. But the introduction of a fourth level of government in Australia would face
considerable opposition from vested interests, including state and federal governments
unwilling to cede power and responsibilities.
Greater Sydney, which has a population of 5.1 million and comprises 35 local
government areas, and Greater Melbourne, which has a population of 4.9 million
and 32 local government areas, are Australia’s two largest cities. Since 2015, metropolitan
planning for Sydney has been the responsibility of an independent
organisation created and funded by the NSW government, the Greater Sydney
Commission. Greater Melbourne does not have an equivalent agency. The extent to
which such a metropolitan planning commission comprises a step towards metro-
41 McGuirk 2007, 184.
42 Tomlinson 2012.
43 Gleeson 2017.
720