And there’s every suggestion he thinks that path leads through our increasingly dense suburbs.

The opposition leader, whose own seat of Grayndler is no stranger to development controversies, is championing calls for a nationwide master planning division to create blueprints for integrated development across the country.

Speaking to The Saturday Telegraph, Albanese — who managed the commonwealth portfolios of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government under the former Rudd and Gillard governments — forecast dramatic increases in population would lead to current infrastructure “struggling to cope with demand”.

“We are already seeing concerns in local communities, particularly in metropolitan Sydney, where infrastructure is unable to keep up with the demands of an increasing population,” Mr Albanese said.

“Transport infrastructure, localised employment opportunities and even service delivery for an ageing population are all buckling under the strain of a growing nation.

Mr Albanese said it was his vision to “re-establish” the axed Major Cities Unit to act as a National Urban Master Planning Division, which would assess and approve regional plans such as the Greater Sydney Commission’s Metropolis of Three Cities vision for the next 40 years.

“A nationwide master planning committee could work within Infrastructure Australia to collaborate with local and state governments for city deals, much like the current western Sydney deal that is building the Aerotropolis,” he said.

“Master planned communities would be developed across the country as a condition of funding, meaning we would change the mindset of planning at a local and state level to encourage best practice.

Albanese also said the collaborative approach to master planning for a “Big Australia” would result in local councils and state governments identifying the infrastructure requirements of new and existing communities.

“Planners will develop the best possible communities, and consider the needs of future growth, because they are competing for the funding that the commonwealth could offer,” he said.

Mr Albanese said Sydney’ west and northwest have seen massive increases in development, population and funding for transport infrastructure, such as the Sydney Metro Northwest network, however, was still struggling in other areas when it comes to infrastructure.

”We have not see increased opportunities to expand employment hubs, health and education precincts or open space — which is a real issue for the future,” he said.

“The densification of Greater Sydney is resulting in pressure on our infrastructure.

“Developers are not considering the needs of local employment opportunities, education, healthcare and public open space to ensure a community is a great place to live, because development is looked at in isolation, rather than masterplanned.”

The Morrison Liberal Government currently has a total of nine long-term “city deals” in place across the country, including a 20-year agreement with the NSW Government and local councils such as Blue Mountains, Camden, Campbelltown, Fairfield, Hawkesbury, Liverpool, Penrith and Wollondilly to deliver stage one of the $3.45 billion driverless North-South Rail Link, providing 200,000 jobs within the Western Sydney Aerotropolis and agribusiness precinct and the creation of an Aerospace Institute.

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Other city deals include a 15-year “smart city vision” for Townsville and a plan to transform southeast Queensland to improve transport links, increase employment opportunities and housing diversity.

But Mr Albanese said more could be done to allow other regional communities to compete for the opportunity of Federal Government funding.

“We want to streamline development across all levels of government,” he said.

“A local council has an incentive to approve development because it benefits from rates, however, a state government is the authorising body for the creation of schools, hospitals and other critical infrastructure.

“But, we are asking, as a commonwealth, how can we marry it all up to ensure that proactive planning provides critical infrastructure before a new community is developed, or identify the kinds of infrastructure required for existing communities to thrive.”

He said he was concerned around the lack of proactive planning and governments reliance on “retrofitting infrastructure, which comes as a higher cost”.

“We have found that outer-urban communities suffer from great disconnect, because they are a mix of established suburbs suffering from a lack of infrastructure and new communities where infrastructure is under construction or already provided,” he said.

“We are seeing a failure to plan properly, so we need an integrated approach across all levels of government.

Urban Design expert, and University of Technology Sydney professor, Craig Allchin, is one of several members of the development industry supporting a bid for a “national urban master plan”.

“This is essential for Australia’s future growth,” Prof. Alchin said.

“A nationwide planning division could establish an ecosystem of governance, which takes the politics out of planning.”

Prof. Allchin said the Greater Sydney Commission’s structure could be used as a blueprint to appoint regional experts across the country.

“We are seeing some of the fastest levels of growth in the developed world,” he said. “People understand we need growth and change, but we need good planning to make this work.

“The Major Cities Unit was good, but it needed to interact with statewide commissions to make these plans a reality.”

Mr Albanese said re-establishing the Major Cities Unit would also enable Infrastructure Australia to create an independent expert panel to update strategic planning guidelines for cities, and develop new guidelines for more opportunities for city partnerships.

“We need to create liveable, workable communities, and a great example of this is the Sydney Science Park.

“This precinct, which makes up part of the Western Sydney Aerotropolis, features a masterplan for a Kinder to Year 12 STEM school, collaboration with several tertiary education and training facilities, retail, entertainment and residential precincts.

Mr Albanese said the Sydney Science Park was “an example of future-proofed planning that will create a sustainable community for 10,000 residents and 12,000 employees”.

“This precinct will have transport options and employment opportunities all in one centralised location,” he said.

“This is an example of increasing value in a community.”

Developers Celestino are the visionaries behind the groundbreaking $5 billion blueprint for the Sydney Science Park at Luddenham.

The Western Sydney-based developers partnered with the University of Technology Sydney and Transport for NSW — alongside several global experts in autonomous technology — to develop the masterplan for the new precinct.

In April, several companies including driverless transport exerts, Navya, smart city and road rail and air technology experts Sage Automation, manufacturers Hyundai and Bosch and

Westfield — the leading provider of autonomous vehicles in the UK, Local Motors — collaborated to establish the blueprints for an autonomous city at the heart of the science park.

Mr Albanese said the precinct was one of the biggest steps forward in “Sydney’s decentralisation”.

“Sydney doesn’t work if everyone is forced to the CBD, so we need more business and employment precincts with integrated transport opportunities,” he said.

“That is why infrastructure projects, like the north-south rail link, are critically important and need to be fast-tracked.

“Even if the airport wasn’t there, we would see demand for the network from southern Sydney to the Western suburbs and the north as well. “

Mr Albanese said it was time for all levels of government to reimagine urban policy to, “recognise the important role the Federal Government can play to help provide fast-tracked critical infrastructure funding”.

“We need to see some accountability and co-ordination from the top down,” he argued

To create sustainable, liveable community we need the health an education precincts, employment hubs, the transport networks and social infrastructure — and the Federal Government can play a much larger role in co-ordinating this.”

The call for a national plan to streamline development and fast-track major infrastructure projects comes amid fears stage two of the Parramatta Light Rail could be dumped.

Mayor Andrew Wilson called for the NSW Government to secure funding for the promised project: “The second stage of the Parramatta Light Rail project is crucial for … Parramatta, as it will play a significant role in connecting the City’s newer neighbourhoods to the CBD,” he said.

“It will also link these suburbs with key public transport hubs, including future Metro stations.

“Parramatta has contributed heavily to the Premier’s goal to increase housing supply by providing the largest number of housing approvals in NSW, but the City needs the continued commitment of the State Government to provide the necessary infrastructure to support this growth.”

Similar demands have also been made from Hills Shire Mayor, Michelle Byrne, who is calling on the NSW Government to fast track the funding of the autonomous North-South Metro from Badgerys Creek to St Mary’s and link it to the newly-completed Sydney Metro northwest.

Cr Byrne said the failure to connect the Sydney Metro network and The Hills Shire to Western Sydney Airport through the North-South link would create “Sydney’s missing link”.

“The Greater Sydney Commission and Hills strategic plan shows the infrastructure including the North-South rail extension … will be required to support a growing population,” Cr Byrne said.

“We need a funding commitment from State and Federal governments to ensure this critical link becomes a reality sooner, rather than later.”

Cr Byrne also raised the significance the Outer Sydney Orbital will have on connecting Hills businesses to the airport.