How Aussie town form guide may encourage migrants out of Sydney

A “FORM guide” showing the benefits of living in regional cities is being touted as a solution to Sydney’s overcrowding crisis.

A “FORM guide” showing the benefits of living in regional cities is being touted as a solution to Sydney’s overcrowding crisis.

Bennelong federal Liberal MP John Alexander said Sydney is a victim of bad planning and must a find a better way to absorb record levels of immigration.

In a bipartisan federal Parliament report to be tabled tomorrow, Mr Alexander said more must be done to promote the benefits of living outside of Sydney.

Mr Alexander said a town “form guide” could show you’re better off earning $80,000 a year in Launceston, Tasmania, rather than $120,000 in Sydney.

Bennelong federal Liberal MP John Alexander said Sydney is a victim of bad planning.

“This would make cities instantly comparable in a meaningful way,” he told The Sunday Telegraph in an exclusive interview.

“This would be a form guide for that league table which would consider all issues; the cost of housing, wages, opportunities of work and commuting times.”

The report of the ­Standing Committee on ­Infrastructure, Transport and Cities promotes high speed rail and has addressed Sydney’s inability to cope with a surging immigrant population.

Between 2016 and 2017 Sydney’s population grew by 100,000 people — the biggest annual increase ever.

Sydney now is home to more than 5 million people, with NSW set to tick over the 8 million mark next week.

Mr Alexander said more must be done to promote the benefits of living outside of Sydney. Picture: AAP Image/Paul Braven

Mr Alexander, whose electorate has one of the highest proportion of migrant communities in the country, said Sydney and Melbourne was failing to absorb more people properly.

“With no plan our cities are over congested and there has been a shortfall in housing,” he said.

“You would say now, given our capacity to absorb people, yes the level of immigration is too high at this point.

“The better the plan, the higher the level of immigration can be.”

Swinburne University Associate Professor Wendy Stone supported the plan to make regional areas more attractive.

“For migrants, Generation Y trying to leave home and others, there is a lack of information out there about the areas they are moving to,” the urban planning expert said.

“In theory, making data more accessible to more people is a great thing for people’s capacity to make decisions about how they can make a new life in a new area.”