Sally Capp: Why Melbourne needs its city workers to return

Before the pandemic, Melbourne was one of the fastest-growing cities in the developed world. Now, we have to focus all our attention on stimulating growth again.

We face enormous challenges in this COVID world but there are opportunities for developing new industries and jobs. Picture: David Crosling

It’s time to get to work, Melbourne.

As workers slowly and safely return to the city, they provide much-needed impetus to our city economy as it commences its recovery.

We acknowledge there will need to be deliberate efforts to nurture and sustain economic development if we are to deliver maximum benefits in the shortest time frame to our community.

The pandemic has been a big hit to our economic momentum. We were one of the fastest-growing cities in the developed world. Our pre-COVID economic challenge was to successfully manage the growing pains of a decades-long booming economy. Now, we have to focus all our attention on stimulating and driving growth.

In the City of Melbourne before the pandemic, workers made up almost half of the average daily population, which was just under one million people each day.

Having workers return to our city will be a critical plank of our economic recovery.

Every worker who comes back to their city office represents another potential sale for struggling cafes and retail stores. They are also an important — and very visible — sign of our returning confidence.

Roy Morgan surveyed more than 500 city workers and found the majority would feel safe to return to work if COVID-safe procedures were in place.

Our city is world-renown for attracting people from across the country and the globe to pursue their passions and projects here. Picture: David Crosling

The City of Melbourne is encouraging all businesses, big and small, to start bringing their workers back to the office safely. There will be benefits for individual businesses by having their teams collaborate more closely and hospitality venues and retail stores will get a huge boost from more customers walking our streets each day.

Every councillor at the City of Melbourne is committed to revitalising our economy and realising the opportunities in a post-COVID world.

We need mindset shifts. For example, consider sustainability and equity issues in ways that can enhance economic growth rather than impede it.

We recently passed our Affordable Housing Strategy because we know providing attainable housing options for people on modest incomes delivers equity outcomes but also underpins big benefits for our economy.

Businesses benefit from having a local workforce, while workers get benefits from having a stable and secure home closer to their jobs. Commute times reduce, health outcomes improve and we ensure a richer and more diverse community.

Resurrecting the vibrancy and excitement of Melbourne as a destination is another key focus for our team. We need to bring back the buzz to our city streets.

Bringing back the buzz means more than people having a good time across our city. It means our businesses start to thrive again, cash registers “ringing” and — most importantly — more Melburnians in jobs.

Our city is world-renowned for attracting people from across the country and the globe to pursue their passions and projects here.

We face enormous challenges in this COVID world but there are opportunities for developing new industries and jobs, while continuing to provide support for what has made Melbourne marvellous over so many decades.

A key part of our response is an economic development strategy for the city. We need to build on our current strengths but also contest tenaciously for new industries and jobs to be based here in Melbourne. Our knowledge, creative and visitor sectors are key assets to be leveraged as we drive new growth.

For example, we should work to make Melbourne an internationally recognised tech hub — the “Silicon Valley” of the southern hemisphere.

Resurrecting the vibrancy and excitement of Melbourne as a destination is a key focus for Melbourne City Council. Picture: David Crosling

We can develop the innovation and commercial ecosystems needed to turn great ideas into dynamic businesses that compete globally and create jobs locally.

Our credentials to achieve this ambition are strong. The knowledge economy (which includes education, professional services and financial services) accounted for 61 per cent of our $104bn gross local product pre-COVID. We have a global reputation as a university city and we have world-class research and development institutions.

As a capital city council, we must play a leading role in rebuilding Melbourne’s economy and resurrecting our cultural and creative scene. In our city ecosystem, these elements have become symbiotic. We also know we cannot do this on our own and working with partners will be critical to our city recovery.

Our city has overcome big challenges during the pandemic by working together and focusing on what mattered most. We now have the chance to realise opportunities that may not have been considered before COVID. The work is ahead of us but Melburnians have never shirked from that.

With a shift to creating economic opportunities and embracing cultural, community and environmental outcomes to lead us out of this downturn, we have the chance to create and sustain a renaissance of Marvellous Melbourne.