SPEECH 3Y THE PRIME MINISTER, TI-HON. E. G. :. TITLAM, O. C.,
TO A DINER GIVEN BY TEV L LAiD DEVELOPME'lNT COiHFEUNC
OF VICTORIA, MELBOU2i-E, 13 FEBRUARY 1973
The decisive issue at the last election was the future
of our cities. It was the response of those who must live in
those cities particularly the growing areas of Melbourne and
Sydney which decided the outcome. The national swing to my
party was about In outer Sydney and Melbourne it was never
less than 5% and as high as 11%. Cities and city life became
one of the great issues in a national election campaign because
the Australian Labor Party believed that the national Government
must increasingly share with State and local Government
responsibility for rebuilding our existing cities and building
new ones. That was the central theme of my campaign.
You will forgive me if I quote myself, but I do so only
to re-affirm my central conviction of the mlevance of the cities
to practically every other national issue which Australia must
face. I said in the Policy Speech:
" Increasingly, a citizen's real standard of living,
the health of himself and his family, his children's
opportunities for education and self-improvement,
his access to employment opportunities, his ability
to enjoy the Nation's resources for recreation and
culture, his ability to participate in the discussions
and activities of the community are determined not by
the hours he works, but by where he lives. This is
why Labor believes that the National Government must
involve itself directly in cities. Practically every
major national problem relates to cities."
Believing this, we have moved promptly to implement our
undertakings. A Department of Urban and Regional Development has
already been created. It will be a major policy department of the
Government. It is to have a creative, initiating and coordinating
role in policy as well as an administrative responsibility for the
application of that policy.
The department will have a responsibility for creating
a National Urban strategy a statement of a national attitude
to urban and regional growth, a statement of priorities in the
urban field and a guideline statement for Government and private
action. This strategy will be concerned with the future of all
urban areas, old as well as new.
I am reminded of the definition of an urban planner as
a person who rearranges the deck chairs on ' The Titanic'. Despite
the tone of fatalism that is often reflected in debate on urban
affairs, I am convinced that we can that we must succeed.
! e are all in the same boat whatever its name.
-2-
ee should not be discouraged by the failures of the past.
" here is a new factor which should not be underestimated: the full
resources and expertise of the Australian Government are now committed
to the task. While the Labor administration is mindful of the important
contribution the various State Governments can mlake towards determining
national iolicies on the cities and regions, we reject the implicit
. ownradin of the role of the iational Government. The shibboleth
of States rights must no lone or be used as an excuse to deny the rights
of the majori of itrlians. Certainly, we know that only with
ta:; c co-ou'eration will we be able to solve the problems of the cities.
WTe recognise, however, that the iational Government must
involve itself in the problems of all urban areas, the old as Iwell as
the ne, the existing cities as much as the new ones which we believe
must be built before the end of this century.
If I night again refer to the Policy Speech my colleague,
hr. Deazley, refers to it as the Hew Testament to distinguish it from
the Old Testament embodied in the Party platform I said:
" A Labor Government will have two over-riding objectives
to give Australian mfailios access to land and housing
at fair prices and to Preserve and enhance the quality
of the national estate of which land is the very foundation."
There should be no doubt about our c. termination to halt the
rise in land prices. There is scarcely an undertahirng we gave to which
we are so firmly committed. Te are convinced that if any serious
effort is to be made to et land prices down, then Governments must
participate in the buying, development and leasing or selling of
residential land. It is a practice long accepted in most comnparable
countries. Yet because it has not been the Australian eractice I
presume because it was regarded as socialism the price of land in
every State capital has more than trebled in the last decade. Tha
Comonwealth Banking Corporation has conducted periodic surveys of
land prices. Thcy show that in ieolbourne between 1968 and 1971 the
average price for a block of land which the Banh classified as modest,
increased by In Canberra, alone the local authority which happens to be
the 1ational Government owined, develoed and leased the residential
land. In Canberra clone were prices held stable. Two years ago the
rules were changed and the result was Canberra exerienced last year
the most expensive land boom in Australia. So, at no gain to the
community, hundreds of Australians obli ed to live in Canberra for
their living, are being needlessly > urdened by high land prices.
Conversely, hundreds of thousands of Australians can be saved millions
if only the Commoronwealth will make grants to the States to enable
then to acquire, sub-divide, develop and sell or lease at cost
substantial tracts of housing land. , Te prooose to do it.
-3-
exeineaob ' r nicat es tlie value leaseold
tenv.'' e systIem. This Has n ow boon a. cce-pted boy b oth1 theI o 1ecu S o uth alS
adVictorian Gcvernments. " Th areem ent sir: need at klbury on
Ja: 2ar' r mse12X e Siir :.. oort ksldn c, -I) es
is t t1e-' oe evelo int corp: orat'ion., unless
0 1e, 0ae Cx. 1ce-tio: 1al circumstances, will -follow C, policy
o2 DrOvicin,, -2u ly serviced sites for develolment on a
lon--terri le as eh-. oIdC tenure, normally, 99 er"
heeis tes-) ecial : roblem ofL la-nd sl'eculatJ--ion-. in alreas
dosi-atd or conecnt ated development. In tHese ccases thIc duty o: L
UG-Overnm-Kent s to 2ct' is c ear and ine s c) cb 1be.
I w. elcomec th'-e a ction o2 h South Australian Goverj] meont, whica.
in h1. arcil 197" 2 in-roduced lo-islation to stabilise land_ 6 -oricos in -U-ao
area-th-e Tpro-osoJ neO, Tr town of'Kray n I welcoime.-the announc eiment
on 17 Januar-, y thsyear by theI'aJ ost Asrla: Governmenrt to cont-Irol
land, prices-in an aranorthI' ofL 2erthl. iLy Government is particularly
heartenbC. by theo action: o-f te ! Tiu South Talos Governmoei,. in pro-, osinr-,
theI~ st-aUI, i7i -sati on o$ l2c1 pr ic cs in the'.. Go s ford JTonr IeCnai-o13s1orth,
1o actiAon by the Ir South71 Uales Gover.-fmntw followsta
Cecision-th-,? e utrinowSouth61 *. Talos adVictLorian oen ns
at thi criotin-.,, in-7 JA-L ry-.' To'o on-2' Jnur o sta-bilise ln
in that,, area at values a~ li.' on~ 3 October 197,2. '. he_
recmonsitkAd a lbtury-JToeon: ncue the1-foll owing unaribi-Lious
: 2ot be allowed6 tU'o ~ r> 6 the-. Succoss th-e pro-oct a-nd
it is notl intenoJdd to b1uy land a prices whlich-rellect th6e1
incremr-t in. val ue arsij romteineed evoret
o--th new : otncorleu.-
The -) ric e o2 la7-nd to0 be0 a'cGired ' for the: I ) Ur~ oscs o1ft _. e
p~ roec withU-'-in the,.' ra -J. iinltld be0 ba3se_ Onl1t he
maktlevel of' o. rices -p-evailin-S cat te date of 3 Octo'ber
19 7, buiihay icossary ad: juUti17iIn t o0 r1 Cen era lan7d
p0ricechne ( ut fatr other-than thn ao er t
of the devolo-. ymentv' of-2' he' cori.) loe:-) dui: 7i. Criod U-0
to the sate ofC a-ctQual-1-a u -c. rchs e.
111e ! rinciple of 11hatn-land ) rice corols is Cr,
ac Co0, Y 0C. notu only, by the nlew 7, abor-Government-.' 1 but ' y the Libea I
I sho uld( adI-f: a urt., er vri~ h ~ toa Jbnao
2eDiovnea l~ met uthri ~ Tis reetvcoin( uciA7r,' a nu.: n br o:"
stUrfieJs in a num. I'er OIL aeswicmy eSuitaj" DIC 201--Lu-U._ e d0v0clo-) iment._
Th ac ffesbiiystd s nnowytob as a. Governmeont
iion to su-) port some -DL-rtVicu-, 7r cent-Ire for ute rOn. Cwleodr'e
_-1s-_ c1 atufdy isbi; care is aO.-D-oory ba,-sis for
CP e -01. t n n land. n cI -ch an'rea., rh o n umi; rj 0 1 0St'ud_ i e S
i: 2~ 1aedsholdbe sufcin oof o0 that
In , ivir_ eewanns-A ~ 2O dloln't want, it
to be thou-! it tat I ': eliovo h ltand s-poculation is teonly problem
lor our Policy Of limiltin heesalix of Aus trcliani rosieontacl
. Ll" pziccs. It hIas booen theo no; lect andi apath-y of O" overnmcnts,
not th1 a,( c tio-' rivat citizen-s, w-H ich-1ha-ve mde_ theo -rice of an
an husn hesoil a-WZ. cconoriiic roroblem it is today. At t>. el core
of tLh e ~ rbc as been th dwrain of local adscmi-overr: 1nt
by both ' a17 . dr] State-oL-G overn--__ mcnts. V 3ecause of the-i lack1 ol a-douau
a" ccess tU'o -1 fi Linciañ, resoorces, = nd Sei-Govornrment
autnriti z: c c c-Ci te Unn-zalo to ; orovide the'i scrvices fLor w -ica-, nIy
are ronn~. I0 ILIeSe communjjjity-s crvi Ccs a rc too f2requently roc: uLJroed
Of Ldevolopcrs, Or e vec n r s c no'tu rovided La all. In thei fce ofL
te lmite sply of serviced landfoce
) ricCe 0 km-arcs i-. y Governrmont is ersett so4o. r: iodta
Couicillorz n ldre will haersosblte ncti~ up thenationalcak1e
Of ', orro'Tin[; a7s rnieprnr n~ n drlsiti
kus-L-rcalia a.. Is 900"' local ' Govo rnrmiont ' 0oCis he bocics
selC~ om c-' eaeon a. re'in asis arid t-oo oft wve to co1-ircte'-
for : eosources with. in their* 1 OUZn rerjon. wjoe l -Isn r'~ i~ i2[ local
Governo orncu e tto on: th Loan:: Council, we -oropose to amencl
t>. e Cor~ n. el> G~ t eiszion ActU' So that h Comi. iion wi~ lI
be involved in nrmtn~ ec 1b) eiWOyO 0: n rc:' ion1s LIS .2ith r o betweoen
tUe State t wil beo recoucs ted t1o :. ccor~ f. 1orien the%. rn.: ouzat o2 Comz-ion-ce'. lth"
ascisteance needed-t'o rei-iov-re the inocualit-ies of soe: Vicinr-. ceovolopin3
' 2. r G~ b-r ierne -, iss o 2o-~ ha1m~ eo re jirect role
i -in es! urinL 1 avaibiity of l-2 Inz, my Pfolicy Speech-i propose
the creat-Cion ofL a Comm1ronwalhStt Lan Dvelo-pme. 1ntU Co] Missiol in7
each1 Stae, o caccu-iro subostantuial tra-cts o' landZ in new , arned-st o
lea-se or Sell ati cost fully service h--ousinrj-blocks. In this roc
we SOO. k the-fu-ll co-oiocration o' tt Governmentar_-s and I Have alr edy
written-to the'-, Premiers on this r.~ tter.
I want o ei'-_ 7setht hre is
in,. crea-se !) ye pthoe~: bitiiotn a Governmeint sho uld mean
Eiminishe opot ' t -, or -rivate dovelo: ers. On thI onrrybeolieve
cur rain L terestU s lin . and1 a-nd ha we sha1rea
com-mon in-teresct in-oitn' > eealt n fcienr o u ii
iheG overme: 1t r: Objective is tht ve,:, r utainfml
ehuble abl t. 1oo ob:) t ainl and-% Ousin at re a Sonale pr ice0s. 2i
is sre~ i~ you:. r interest. Otir ob. etv is tatLoaan e: i
GovernIMent sh-oule. have adeuate a. ccess to the. -ITio:.-ffis:: anc e s. i'i
i -Tour inte-e, sOt Cur-0,7 obictive is thtLocal-Gov rnme nt
shudable t-o -oor'orr.-its ro-ec~-c ) ins and6 y) rovide mod-ern
a eiAcL. services-or resic-ents candc oai~ jr-, Tisi srl
in. y or -net. Oo o-: etiv is tUo. reduc nU-1 ti-icity ofL
s ~ zsad oesw: cns edlessly 7dC. o cost of la,-nd an,-(
h-osn: iJ _ 3 2i 10i1, er inerst Or bective is tohveuane
and c1imn te *. e. r0ho1e o _ 10Fas10 erip i s a sourlce o2. ea
o: rid. e rahr thnuno1ndcing-adc utn rutain is inioi
If I may, I will roaovCt sonothing i said in this sca. me place
to your conforence in june S1O
" Tie Srcnt con-tribution 7rhich Sevoloers can ad Should nce
to the crction and recreation of our cities is to ascsnble
and co-ordinato ch varied resources and slills of te
surveyor, nrchitoct, quantity surveyor, builder, trcaosnaa,
c. cs 2 nor, lanscapcr, in-terior aecorator c~ nn to soe tin. t
finance is cvailcble fron a. bank, insurance cor. mpny, building.
society or oolicior. You of these speciclists can cpply
their shilo ns ll in isolation no tcy can apply them
tho acis of a ccveloper. Very fou homnebuildrs can,
siaLJc--n: Lec nosemblo sucz skills ns Voll s a cevelopr
can assenblo them."
I believe we can havC citics A2 which we can be 2.: roul and
biulilaing theni I belicve Avoeioaers can -Ky a role of which t-er can
be proud throurh a callin of2 which they can be proud.