Sydney must address growing inequality to prosper
BY LUCAS BAIRD
The City of Sydney is calling on comments from the public on its Social Sustainability Discussion Paper, which is aimed at tackling the growing inequality that is becoming more and more prevalent in the inner-city.
The discussion paper is a product of the desire to address growing inequality following an increase in homelessness and housing affordability stress in the inner City.
Research conducted by the Organanisation for Economic Cooperation and Development shows global cities that have tackled inequality offer better personal wellbeing and success for individuals.
The City intends to spend $563 million on community programs and facilities over the next decade, up from $335 million over the last ten years.
City Hub understands that City wants to spend more addressing housing stress, homelessness, food insecurity, early childhood education.
It is anticipated that the City will boost programs that connect people and make the city more liveable, such as affordable housing, community transport, homelessness, social programs.
A council spokesperson said that research showed the most successful global cities were characterised by high levels of social wellbeing.
The spokesperson said that the City was anticipating population growth of 50 percent by 2031. “This will increase the pressure on services and facilities, and also have an impact on social cohesion,” they said.
“The City is asking all the community – residents, businesses, visitors, other government agencies and community groups – to look at the big challenges facing Sydney, and to share their ideas on how we can all work together to build a stronger society.
The spokesperson said the input would forumulate how the City addresses issues such as housing affordability, rising inequality and rapid population growth and change over the next decade.
“Ensuring the city offers a great quality of life and opportunities for all Sydneysiders was the driving force behind all the City’s policies and the draft social sustainability policy reinforced this further,” The Lord Mayor said in a statement.
“The draft policy outlines our vision and guiding principles, while the discussion paper proposes actions across four pillars or ways to make Sydney more: inclusive; connected; livable; and engaged,” she said.
The Mayor also stated that the the discussion paper had been developed with advice from an independent Social Sustainability Taskforce, who draw on independent research, best practice evidence and community feedback.
The City of Sydney Council also decided to include inequality as a central focus of the Social Sustainability Policy at last Monday’s council meeting.
Labor councillor Linda Scott said she welcomed this development because over the last twelve years, inequality in Sydney has increased exponentially.
“The key focus of all government should be on taking action reducing inequality, and I welcome Council’s support for my calls to focus on this matter. However, there is no point having a policy without action,” Cllr Scott said.
“With the housing situation going from very bad to worse, this has had flow-on effects. In Sydney, we now have the number of rough sleepers and people experiencing homelessness ever recorded.”
Councillor Scott said that it was vital that any social policy was followed up by council with concrete action.
“Without a clear commitment and action plan to reduce inequality, the principles behind the Council’s social sustainability policies will miss the point of building a more just, fairer, and more equal Sydney,” she said.
Councillor Jenny Green said that there needed to be more economic analysis of inequality.
Cllr Green also made note that these issues were not going to be solely the City of Sydney’s to fix. She said that Federal and State governments would need to help out to fix these issues.
“I believe one of the policy’s main aims as an advocacy tool is to try and bring state and federal MPs to change things within their jurisdiction,” Cllr Green said.
