Population planning has become a major focus since 2016

Since the 2016 Australian Infrastructure Plan20, Australia's actual population growth has exceeded projections, with the exception of Darwin.21

Governments have also developed policy plans to encourage greater population growth. All state and territory governments have delivered long-term infrastructure plans that include analysis of population growth and associated infrastructure implications.

The Australian Government has implemented initiatives that support infrastructure reform in urban planning and operation in response to population growth:

Centre for Population: Launched in 2019, the Centre works with state, territory and local governments to better understand Australia's population growth patterns and likely implications for governments at all levels. Establishing the Centre was an important step towards the vision of creating stronger links between population growth, land use and infrastructure needs outlined in the 2016 Plan.

City and Regional Deals: These Deals brings together all levels of government with communities or industry to stimulate growth in individual cities and regions by making them more liveable and sustainable, with infrastructure planning and delivery a major component.

In Australia's regions, the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the trend towards regionalisation, with more people choosing to leave cities for regional cities and towns, and more residents choosing to stay there.22

This increase is emphasising the need to ensure regional infrastructure is prioritised in areas of current and potential population growth. Currently, there is significant activity in regional infrastructure planning, but approaches are inconsistent across jurisdictions and government agencies.

This is hindering the creation of the efficient, liveable and productive regional hubs that could act as national economic assets.

There needs to be a more consistent approach to ensure regional infrastructure plans are integrated with wider decision-making processes.