Future Melbourne: Push turn north into jobs hub

MELBOURNE’S north would become a major jobs hub under a strategy to lure private and public investment.

• Docklands shakes off its ugly tag
• Future Melbourne: What’s it all about?
• In which direction will Melbourne grow?
• What’s planned for Melbourne’s CBD of the future
• New suburbs to grow from Melbourne’s industry ashes
• Self-driving cars a terrorist risk

MELBOURNE’S north would become a major jobs hub under a strategy to lure private and public investment.

While often branded disadvantaged, the population of the northern suburbs is approaching the size of Adelaide and will reach 1.3 million by 2031.

Ford has shut down its manufacturing plant at Campbellfield, but the closure also brings opportunities.

State Labor member for Broadmeadows Frank McGuire is launching a Postcodes of Hope campaign in a bid to revitalise the area.

The northern region would become a redevelopment zone that would attract businesses through tax incentives, fast-tracked infrastructure, high-speed broadband and innovation options.

Mr McGuire, who grew up in the area but despairs at jobless rates of more than 20 per cent, said: “We’ve reached the tipping point on this because the big factory jobs are not there anymore.”

Mr McGuire said the north was hit by the global deindustrialisation trend, as exemplified by Ford’s shutdown, while the area was becoming increasingly multicultural.

“We can’t have wilful blindness or political bias about this anymore, we need systemic change,” he said.

While Ford will retain an Asia-Pacific research and development centre at Campbellfield, Mr McGuire wants the State Government to do a deal with the company to secure part of the site for the Inland Rail logistics hub.

Tenders would be called to develop the hub and the profits from the land sale put into a fund that would help redevelop about 2000 public houses built in the 1950s.

Mr McGuire said the mix of public and private housing would “revision” Broadmeadows — an area 16km from the CBD and well serviced by roads, public transport and schools.

“Let’s not wait, let’s invest in attitude, education and opportunity because they’re the attributes which largely determine where we end up in life,” he said.

He is preparing a Postcodes of Hope report and wants all tiers of government, business and community to work on a co-ordinated approach.

Also pushing for jobs and investment is business, local government and education group NORTH Link.

It estimates that over the next decade, the food-and-beverage industry will add 7000 jobs and double annual turnover from $2.6 billion to $5 billion.

Ford’s Asia-Pacific research centre will employ more than 1000 engineers and the north remains a key area for truck and caravan manufacture.

Other growth sectors include health with the Northern and Austin hospitals, transport and logistics, education with two universities and two institutes, and business and professional services.

NORTH Link wants the North East Link road project and high-speed broadband.

[e-mail]

@JMasanauskas