Implications of Population Growth on Infrastructure and Resources in Regional Cities

Regional Cities Victoria (RCV) has engaged Essential Economics to undertake an assessment of future population expansion in regional centres under a number of growth scenarios and to identify resources and infrastructure required to support each growth outcome.

RCV is an organisation which represents the 10 largest provincial centres in Victoria, comprising the municipalities of Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong, Horsham, Latrobe City, Mildura, Shepparton, Wangaratta, Warrnambool and Wodonga.

RCV is committed to expanding the population of regional Victoria through promoting business and Government investment and skilled migration to regional centres. In particular, it is RCV's view that securing infrastructure and resource investment will improve economic development outcomes, liveability, sustainability and environmental awareness in Victoria's regions, making them attractive alternatives to metropolitan Melbourne from both a population and business investment perspective.

This outcome would also relieve metropolitan Melbourne of some of the pressures and costs associated with population growth over the coming decades.