Cities performance framework review to focus on livability

The National Cities Performance Framework (NCPF) is being reviewed for the first time since its 2017 launch with a view to updating liveability indicators.

The framework tracks the performance of 21 of Australia’s largest cities across key measures such as jobs, housing, and liveability – thereby enabling governments, industries and communities to better target, monitor and evaluate relevant policies and investments. 

The Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics (BITRE) review will cover a range of topics from the purpose of the NCPF to assessing individual indicators.

Since 2017, stakeholders have made numerous comments on how liveability is presented in the NCPF.

Many of the indicators in other themes can also be considered indicators of liveability – and much of the feedback relates to moving indicators into the liveability theme.

Some requests have also asked for new indicators more reflective of liveability, and for a single composite measure. A separate but related theme in feedback relates to the visibility of sustainability.

BITRE says it has been asked to explore how liveability and sustainability relate to each other, and how to make sustainability more prominent.

To start the review process, the Bureau has issued a consultation paper and is inviting local and state governments (as well as industry and the community) to provide input to the review, either by providing a written submission to NationalCitiesPerformanceFramework@infrastructure.gov.au or by responding to a survey.

The closing date for feedback is 12 February.