Leaders set next steps towards population boom

Daily Advertiser September 27th 2019 – Seminar – Next Steps

A taskforce focused on identifying ideas for Wagga's future growth could be the next step towards making a population of 100,000 residents by 2038 a reality. During a Q&A discussion at a seminar working on Wagga's 20-year vision, a panel of six experts emphasised the need to outline the core ideas to help the city's population grow and thrive.

Panelist James Bolton, who is the Riverina-Murray director for the department of Premier and Cabinet, suggested the city create a taskforce that could coordinate the voice of the community. It is an idea that NSW chief planner Gary White endorsed as he stressed the importance of creating a narrative that showed exactly where the city plans to go in the next 20 years. Looking ahead, former Riverina MP Kay Hull, who is a NSW Skills Board member, said the city needs an education system that promotes opportunities for further study and training while also connecting people to employment pathways.

Enirgi Power Storage's Darren Nelson said the community should find a way to drive people and businesses to Wagga through incentives. Meanwhile, Professor Gerard Carroll, of Riverina Cardiology, said resources for aged care and acute care services face an enormous burden as the population grows. He said there needs to be a proactive rather than reactive approach from the state and federal governments, as well as the community, to ensure Wagga has the resources and infrastructure required to deliver quality care. The majority of the panelists identified that money will be the biggest challenge preventing the city's grand vision from moving forward. Mr Bolton said the three tiers of government, as well as all service providers in Wagga, will need to work in collaboration to achieve the city's goal of 100,000 residents by 2038.