Cade Lucas
Sunshine has been listed as one of five hubs that would benefit from increased productivity and improved public transport and amenities if public service jobs were moved there according to a new economic analysis.
Planning firm SGS Economics and Planning last week released an analysis on the impact of relocating all new public service jobs created over the next 30 years to five outer suburban locations – Sunshine, Werribee, Latrobe, Monash or Dandenong.
The analysis, contained in the report ‘Unlocking the potential: Promoting investment in Greater South East Melbourne’ was conducted on behalf of a group of councils in Melbourne’s south east interested in attracting more jobs and investment to the region.
“They were interested in what Melbourne might look like if the role of the CBD changed a little bit, if the future jobs growth that may have gone into the CBD, if some of that was relocated” said report co-author William Boadle, adding that while Sunshine, Werribee, and the area around La Trobe University in Bundoora were not in the south east, they were included to give the study more heft.
The report assumed that the five locations would absorb all new public service positions over the next 30 years and that for every government job relocated, another two private sector positions would follow.
The resulting 58,000 jobs would produce $22 billion in productivity benefits, almost $4 billion in transport benefits and $1 billion in amenity benefits.
Brimbank mayor Ranka Rasic said council sees ‘great benefits’ for more public service jobs to be located in hubs like Sunshine.
“It is strategically located to be a major centre for employment, innovation and investment with its easy access to public transport, retail, services, major roads, residential and commercial developments,” Cr Rasic said.
“Initiatives like the Melbourne Airport rail and the Sunshine Super Hub will bring unprecedented investment to Sunshine, and make it an even more dynamic, vibrant and thriving second city for Melbourne and a great location for more public service jobs.”
Sunshine, Werribee and La Trobe have long been earmarked as potential satellite cities, with all three named National Employment and Innovation Clusters (NEICs) in the state government’s Plan Melbourne blueprint aimed at guiding the city’s development over the next 35 years.
