Editing Albury–Wodonga

{{Short description|Metropolitan area in Australia}}
{{Use Australian English|date=October 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}

{{Infobox settlement
| name                            = [[Albury]]-[[Wodonga]]
| settlement_type                 = [[Metropolitan area]]
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| map_caption                     = Map of Australia with Albury-Wodonga labelled
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| subdivision_type                = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name                = {{flag|Australia}}
| subdivision_type1               = [[States and territories of Australia|States]]
| subdivision_name1               = {{flag|New South Wales}}<br />{{flag|Victoria}}
| established_title               = 
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| parts_type                      = Principal cities
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| area_water_km2                  = 
| area_urban_km2                  = 628.3
| area_urban_sq_mi                = 242.6
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| population_as_of                = 2021
| population_footnotes            = 
| population_density_km2          = 155.7
| population_density_sq_mi        = 403.2
| population_urban                = 100,095 ([[List of cities in Australia by population|20th]])
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| timezone                        = [[Time in Australia|AEST]]
| utc_offset                      = +10:00
| timezone_DST                    = [[Daylight saving time in Australia|AEDT]]
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}}

'''Albury-Wodonga''' is the broad settlement incorporating the [[list of cities in Australia|twin Australian cities]] of [[Albury]] and [[Wodonga]], which are separated geographically by the [[Murray River]] and politically by a state border: Albury on the north of the river is part of [[New South Wales]], while Wodonga on the south bank is in [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]].

[[File:Albury-new-south-wales-aerial.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of [[Albury]]]]
[[File:Wodonga-victoria-aerial.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of [[Wodonga]], to the left of the stream of water]]

In the early 1970s, Albury-Wodonga was selected as the primary focus of the [[Gough Whitlam|Whitlam]] Federal Labor government's scheme to arrest the uncontrolled growth of Australia's large metropolitan areas (in particular [[Sydney]] and [[Melbourne]]) by encouraging decentralisation. The National Urban Growth Centres initiative, which was Australia’s closest attempt to replicate the 'New Towns' strategy of post-war European models,<ref name="auto">{{cite book |last1=Grant |first1=Jane |last2=Walker |first2=Paul |last3=Nichols |first3=David |title=What's it all About, Monarto?: John Andrews, Boris Kazanski and the centre of South Australia's unbuilt second "new town"', in Landscapes and Ecologies of Urban and Planning History |date=2014 |publisher=Australasian Urban History / Planning History Group and Victoria University of Wellington |location=Wellington |pages=255–269}}</ref> had grand plans to turn Albury–Wodonga into a major inland city. Albury–Wodonga, it was said, was 'central to the most ambitious plan for deliberate Commonwealth government intervention in regional development since the founding of Canberra as the National Capital'.<ref name="auto2">{{cite journal |last1=Pennay |first1=Bruce |title=Submission to the House of Representative Select Committee on Regionalisation and Decentralisation |journal=Inquiry into Regional Development and Decentralisation |date=2017 |pages=1–9}}</ref>

Embarking on what was deemed 'an exciting adventure',<ref name="auto2"/> the Albury-Wodonga pilot scheme involved three governments—the Commonwealth, NSW and Victoria.<ref name="auto1">{{cite book |last1=Freestone |first1=Robert |title=Urban Nation: Australia's Planning Heritage |date=2010 |publisher=CSIRO Publishing; The Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts; and The Australian Heritage Council |location=Melbourne}}</ref> On 25 January 1973 the Premier of New South Wales, Sir Robert Askin, the Premier of Victoria, Rupert Hamer and the Prime Minister, Gough Whitlam signed the initial agreement for the accelerated development of Albury-Wodonga.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Pennay |first1=Bruce |title=Making a City in the Country: The Albury Wodonga National Growth Centre 1973–2003 |date=2005 |publisher=UNSW Press |location=Sydney}}</ref> According to some, it was a unique cross-border agreement that illustrated a 'spirit of cooperative federalism'.<ref name="auto2"/><ref name="auto1"/>

Under Whitlam’s newly established Department of Urban and Regional Development (DURD), the ambition to decentralise Australia and promote new growth centres was further demonstrated in the budget allocations of 1973/4 and 1974/75—a provision of $33 million and $223 million for urban growth centres consecutively. In 1973/74, $9 million of the $33 million was allocated to the urban growth centre of Albury–Wodonga. The remaining $24 million was distributed between six other nominated growth centres.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Sandercok |first1=Leonie |title=Cities for Sale: Property, Politics and Urban Planning in Australia |date=1975 |publisher=Melbourne University Press |location=Melbourne |pages=213–231}}</ref>

However, due to the subsequent Fraser Government's repudiation of Labor's decentralisation policies, the plan to populate inland areas and cities other than the State capitals was abandoned. No other Commonwealth Government since, either [[Coalition (Australia)|Coalition]] or [[Australian Labor Party|Labor]], has made any attempt at repopulating inland areas. Thus the current Albury–Wodonga population is far below the 300,000 projected by Gough Whitlam in the 1970s.<ref name="Wright2010">{{cite news|url=http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/population-its-time-again-20101022-16xvm.html|title=Population: it's time (again)|last=Wright|first=Tony|date=23 October 2010|work=The Age|publisher=Fairfax Publications|access-date=2 October 2016}}</ref>

The population increased by 1.1% per year on average from 81,540 in 2008 to 86,274 in 2013.<ref name=factsheet>{{cite web | url= https://infrastructure.gov.au/infrastructure/pab/soac/files/factsheets_2014/Albury-Wodonga_Factsheet_2014.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://infrastructure.gov.au/infrastructure/pab/soac/files/factsheets_2014/Albury-Wodonga_Factsheet_2014.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live | title=Albury Wodonga Factsheet | work = State of Australian Cities 2014–15 | author= Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development | publisher= Commonwealth of Australia | access-date= 2 October 2016 | date=2014}}</ref> Further increasing to 89,007 by the [[2016 Australian census|2016 census]], giving an average annual growth rate of 1.04%.<ref>{{cite web |title=2016 Census QuickStats: Albury – Wodonga |url=https://quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2016/quickstat/1001 |website=quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au |publisher=Australian Bureau of Statistics |access-date=10 January 2020 |language=en |archive-date=16 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220316143918/https://quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2016/quickstat/1001 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In the 2021 census, Albury-Wodonga had a population of 97,793.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.abs.gov.au/census/find-census-data/quickstats/2021/1001 | title=2021 Albury - Wodonga, Census All persons QuickStats &#124; Australian Bureau of Statistics }}</ref> As of 2023, the Albury-Wodonga website describes it as having a combined population around 100,000 residents and being [[List of cities in Australia by population|Australia's 20th largest city]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://alburywodonga.gov.au/region | title=Our Region | date=11 October 2017 }}</ref> The website Invest Albury Wodonga claims that the city has reached a population milestone and sustainable population tipping point by having 250,000 people within 100km of Albury-Wodonga.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.investalburywodonga.com.au/news/2021/apr/more-than-ever-making-the-move-to-regional | title=More than ever making the move to regional | date=3 May 2021 }}</ref>

== Albury–Wodonga's National Growth Centre Experience ==
Albury–Wodonga’s national growth centre experience derived from Australia’s decentralisation processes in the post-war era. Australia, at the time was seen to be borrowing the idea from British town and country planning which had developed from the Garden City concept.<ref name="auto1"/><ref name="auto"/> The 'New Towns' approach, as it was known, was a popular form of planning used in 1940–50’s UK to aid national decentralisation.<ref name="auto1"/><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hall |first1=Peter |title=The Containment of Urban England |journal=The Geographical Journal |date=1974 |volume=130 |issue=3 |pages=386–408|doi=10.2307/1796533 |jstor=1796533 }}</ref> The main features of the concept were the strengthening of neighbourhoods and civic centres, development of industrial zones and greenbelts. Meanwhile, in Australia, some began to term the new development as 'satellite towns' and emphasised the improved conditions around housing, more open spaces and easier access to the countryside.<ref name="auto1"/> Soon after, elements of the 'new towns' could be found in metropolitan planning strategies in Australian cities such as Canberra and Elizabeth.<ref name="auto1"/>

By the 1970’s the concept was adopted by the Whitlam government who took up the idea as a national urban development policy, and nominated a range of cities to be affected, some pre-existing (Albury–Wodonga, Bathurst-Orange) and others to be developed (Monarto).<ref name="auto"/><ref name="auto1"/> 
Both the Commonwealth and State governments were involved in the strategies to accelerate the growth of Albury–Wodonga.<ref name="auto2"/> Together they established the Albury–Wodonga Development Corporation which held mandates for local land development, economic and community planning and reafforestation and for the overall implementation of the project.<ref name="auto1"/><ref name="auto2"/>

=== Strategies for relocation ===

From a Commonwealth perspective there was a desire to relocate public servants from larger cities such as Canberra and Sydney to Albury–Wodonga due to concerns around rising costs in highly populated urban areas.<ref name="auto2"/> Further support came from the AWDC who, in turn, offered high standard rental housing and support for key transferred public servants and developed an innovative newcomer program to help those transferred and their families.<ref name="auto2"/>  Despite these efforts, a high-level of public service relocation did not take place. However, Albury–Wodonga was, successful in establishing an Australia Tax Office bureau and today still has a large number of defence jobs as a result of a major logistics centre development and training school set up by the federal government.<ref name="auto2"/>

Universities and corporate decentralisation were also seen as a way to grow a prosperous urban area. The establishment of a university would not only increase the number of jobs but also expand the occupational breadth in the workforce.<ref name="auto2"/> A university would provide access to tertiary education for rural and regional students and limit the loss of local school leavers from the region.<ref name="auto2"/>

Similarly, attracting private enterprise was used as a mechanism to accelerate growth. Thus the AWDC developed an economic strategy focussed on the strengthening of distribution and manufacturing services in the region.<ref name="auto2"/> Albury–Wodonga was to become a regional distribution hub. Moreover, the AWDC enticed new businesses to relocate by providing rental start-up factories, rental housing for employees and promoting the child-care and education facilities already available.<ref name="auto2"/> To attract larger private enterprises (for example Mars Petcare and the Newsprint Mill at Ettamogah) the state and Commonwealth governments intervened, enforcing provisions such a social housing for employees, to help accelerate growth.<ref name="auto2"/>

Furthermore, similar to other places that fell under the 'New Towns' strategy, retaining green space was important for the Albury–Wodonga growth centre. In and around the area, the AWDC planted approximately 3 million trees and shrubs, becoming one of Australia’s biggest urban re-afforestation programs.<ref name="auto2"/> Today Albury–Wodonga continues to exercise environmental leadership through various sustainability initiatives.<ref>{{cite web |title=Albury City Council Environment and Sustainability |url=https://www.alburycity.nsw.gov.au/environment/sustainability |website=Albury City NSW |date=23 August 2019 |publisher=AlburyCity |access-date=10 April 2020}}</ref>

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==See also==
{{Portal|New South Wales|Australia}}
* [[Christmas Eye]], a seasonal epidemic of corneal ulceration which predominantly occurs only within a particular region of Australia

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wikivoyage|Albury-Wodonga}}
* [http://www.alburycity.nsw.gov.au/ Albury City Council]
* [http://www.wodonga.vic.gov.au/ City of Wodonga Council]

{{Coord|-36.08422|146.90974|display=title}}

[[Category:Albury]]
[[Category:Twin cities]]
[[Category:Wodonga]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Albury-Wodonga}}