In August, Committee for Adelaide Chief Executive Sam Dighton joined fellow city leaders in Canberra to advocate for a stronger national urban agenda and ensure the priorities of Australia’s capital cities are heard at the federal level.

The annual delegation brought together the Committees for Adelaide, Brisbane, Greater Hobart, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney, collectively known as the Committee for Capital Cities.

Across three days, the delegation met with federal parliamentarians, advisers, departmental leaders, Treasury and the Productivity Commission. Discussions focused on the shared challenges and opportunities facing Australia’s cities, including housing, transport, infrastructure, productivity, innovation, climate, liveability, skills and migration.

Australia’s capital cities are home to around two-thirds of the nation’s population and generate approximately 70 per cent of its economic output. While each city has its own identity and priorities, many of the pressures they face are shared. By working together, the Committees can present a unified voice and strengthen the case for coordinated national action.

Central to this year’s advocacy was the release of Density Done Well, a shared agenda for creating more productive, affordable, connected and resilient cities.

The agenda recognises that density is not simply about building more homes. It is about locating housing and jobs in the right places and supporting growth with quality design, transport, infrastructure, services and public spaces.

Density Done Well presents three key policy recommendations:

• Fast-tracked federal funding to accelerate housing and supporting infrastructure
• A new City Partnerships model to strengthen collaboration between all levels of government
• Dedicated Commonwealth funding for the Committee for Capital Cities to support research and implementation of the national urban agenda

The delegation also attended a Parliamentary Friends of Cities event in the Speaker’s Courtyard at Parliament House, hosted by Speaker of the House the Hon Milton Dick MP. The event brought city leaders together with elected representatives and included remarks from Parliamentary Friends of Cities co-chairs Senator Richard Dowling and Simon Kennedy MP.

A strong partnership between cities and the Australian Government will be critical as our population grows. The Committee for Adelaide will continue working with its counterparts across Australia to champion policies that support well-planned growth while protecting the liveability, character and economic strength of our cities.