I have observed for quite a long time now along with comparisons to other countries of equal developmental status and notice that the overall urban concentration in Australia is similar or near similar to other developed nations but is concentrated so much in comparison in the top 5 urban areas. Along the coast-side of the Great Divide even the other cities are miniscule in comparison, and on the immediate in-land side of the Great Divide which is still more than suitable for settlement the problem is even more pronounce. Also, I have my observed the State government in my state often seems to act as a metropolitan government without seemingly much consideration for what goes on outside the urban borders other than expecting their taxes and taking their water. Also whilst I hear of other countries creating great projects to try and alleviate problems, here unless a election is coming up and they need a excuse to get re-elected we seem to live in a era of almost erie stability whereby nothing gets done and we go ahead and live our lives whilst the world just wizes away in front of our eyes. Why are we not doing more to inter-connect our inhabitable areas? Why can we not finally move on from the old days, and start catching up. Let the average joe just go along with his own life, but for god sakes government if you want to sit back and do nothing go and get a much simpler job, you are there to make our country better not let it fall back and down.

The post is an interesting one but governments can not compel people to live in any place.
The history of this country has always been youth leaving the bush for a better job and life.
Our drought prone country side stops development in some areas, so does lack of work life style is very much playing its part.
We have problems getting health services to even near coastal towns how do we get them out back?
Water for drinking?
It seems uncharitable to blame governments alone for this but if we are to change they would need to play a part.
The house next door to me could bring $500.000 in some Sydney suburbs but is less than $200.000 it has sold twice but each time suburban people miss the lifestyle and return to high rents?
big issue no easy fix but interesting.

The states need to be abolished and several provinces created instead, 6 big-nation-sized states obviously allows for too much oddness in the distrubution of resources and population. The fact of the matter is, this problem does need to be solved. It is not easy to fix no, but unless as usual the governments (who have the most money and resources to fix these problems, other than wealthy people who haven't expressed much desire to help) are bringing up grand plans to try and fix the water crisis, the problem will only get worse and worse, the country areas will slowly die out 5-city-urban cencentration will be worse and worse, distrubution of resources will be more and more concentrated and ineffecient which in turn will limit the time more and more that we will have to fix these problems. The 2020 summit was proof the authorities see seriously solving our real-time problems as a bit of a joke and nothing to worry about too much. We can just talk and talk and let it just slide on from there with nowhere to go. Big-wigs in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Darwin, Hobart cannot properly account for the interests where only a minority of their voters live, a area vast enough to be essentially a starved lion, because the baby cub that is the "big five" cities get fed much more.

The only way to encourage people to move out of the larger urban areas is to provide jobs, services and cultural opportunities in the rural centres. Cities are burgeoning under the weight of population and existing infrastructure can no longer cope.

Some efforts to decentralise have worked (Albury/Wodonga) but other plans have failed (Monarto, SA).

We need to reduce or maintain the current population growth not add to it that is the first problem and the second is to provide incentives for business to move and that means also providing efficient and reliable transport networks like rail. Once a centre grows to a certain point there is a snowball effect and other services/business follow (and all other needs are met as above).

There may be some opportunities rurally from alternative and renewable energy investments and research (there was recent talk of a large solar plant in the West - not sure where).

Well firstly, the idea is not to stop population growth, Australia needs it if we are to keep up as a whole nation (I am frequently told that small population is the reason Australia lacks any significant influence in the world, and is merely reliant on others). The infrastructure needs to be continuously improved and developed to cope with the growth, preferably even to adeventually gain a foothold ahead of the population growth. There is no excuse for continuing to support inadequate infrastructure especially when the governments are sitting on notable surpluses, and their pay packets continue to increase. Renewable energy is for sure something that must be developed not just thought about. Also, reconsidering the administrative subdivision heirarchy in Australia is necessary, perhaps before anything else to allow for smaller provincial or county governments to take care of smaller areas.

Dear Eagle,

I fully agree with you. It's up to the Federal Government to initiate change. I'm not sure whether any of this came up as a topic on the 2020 Summit, but unless changes are made things will only get worse.

Studies that were done as far back as the 1950s and the 1960s concluded that with the then agricultural production and water storage of our arid continent Australia's population should not exceed 20 million.

Now we have some experts who claim that with our water shortages, reduced agricultural and industrial productivity this drying continent can support a population of 50 million by mid 21st century.
A realistic assessment of our future is desperately needed before commitments are made on immigration and imports of skiiled labour.

It is time to regenerate the land with native growth it once had, to retain the moisture and soil. Time to learn about native food sources. Time to reverse the population drift into the big cities.

Move city jobs to country centres and pipe water from coastal rivers to sustain the population. Analyse agricultural practices and eliminate production using excessive irrigation.

Move agriculture and population centres to the Northern regions where water is available. Relocate government departments to create work. Build hotels to attract people for the tourist market. Everything is achievable. Over the past decades we simply did not want to try.

For example, a suggestion to the Victorian Government to move the Port of Melbourne to Westernport, dam Port Philip Bay and create a fresh water lake, every reason why this couldn't be done was found despite every means of how it can be done was given.