The Property Council of Australia is urging the state government of Victoria to roll out policies that would stimulate recovery after the recent lockdown.
Danni Hunter, executive director for Victoria at the Property Council, said the decision of the state to end its fifth lockdown last week would help kickstart its recovery and build towards a post-pandemic future.
“We now need an urgent focus from the Victorian government to reopen our city as soon as possible by enabling people to return to living their lives safely and repositioning Melbourne and Victoria as a place to invest and call home," he said.
Hunter believes that a certain focus on Melbourne’s CBD is critical for the state recovery, given that it contributes around 7% to the national GDP and almost a quarter of the state's economic growth.
"With every lockdown we take another step backwards and we can’t afford to sit by and watch the CBD’s slow demise without taking action. We need to look beyond the lockdown cycle and create a new vision to attract people back to the city to live, work and play," he said.
Hunter said that policies should include a hybrid working model that would allow people to work from home and the office, a stimulus package targeted at preserving CBD businesses, and an aggressive strategy to attract national and global headquarters to locate in Melbourne’s CBD.
“Urgent action is critical if Melbourne is going to retain its status as a global city in which high-quality businesses, and high-quality talent want to live, work and invest," Hunter said.
