By Colin MacGillivray

MITCHELL Shire Council leaders have called on the state and federal governments to adequately address rapid population growth in the region, with a recent study showing the shire was growing faster than initially predicted.

Research company .id used data from the 2021 census to provide an updated snapshot of Mitchell Shire’s population and create new estimates of population growth in the region.

While about 53,000 people currently call the municipality home, that figure is set to more than triple in the next two decades, hitting more than 181,000 by 2041.

Beveridge and Wallan will shoulder the bulk of the population boom, with Beveridge tipped to expand from its current 6000 residents to more than 78,000 by 2041, and Wallan set to surge from 16,000 to about 50,000.

Kilmore and Kilmore East are forecasted to more than double from about 10,000 to 22,000 residents in the next two decades, with Broadford’s population also tipped to nearly double from 5600 to 10,200.

Seymour’s population will rise from about 7000 to more than 12,000, while smaller towns such as Wandong, Heathcote Junction, Pyalong and Tooborac will see more modest population growth.

The only part of Mitchell Shire the .id figures predicted would not grow in the next 20 years was the ‘rural north east’ region encompassing towns around Seymour such as Puckapunyal, Tallarook, Hilldene and Trawool. The region’s population was predicted to remain stable, shrinking slightly from 2723 this year to 2615 in 2041.

Mitchell Shire Mayor Bill Chisholm said the population growth, particularly in the shire’s south, would strain the shire’s infrastructure and services, and called on the state and federal governments to help accommodate new residents.

He said council had plans for kindergartens, maternal and child health facilities, multipurpose community hubs and sporting facilities including ovals, pitches, courts and stadiums, but it was unable to fund them on its own.

“A critical factor in all this growth is to have jobs and employment,” he said.

“Our region is growing at a rapid rate, and while this is exciting and brings many opportunities, it also brings many challenges and puts a strain on our existing infrastructure and services.

“This population growth is why we are advocating in the state election for the infrastructure we need including improved transport connectively, recreational facilities, schools, jobs and an investment in health and wellbeing services.”

Member for McEwen Rob Mitchell said the Federal Government was working to deliver election commitments, particularly road infrastructure, to accommodate growth across the south of the shire.

But he said the region’s services and infrastructure had been left lagging behind after ‘nine years of neglect’ under a federal Liberal-Nationals Coalition government.

“Everything they said they were going to do they never delivered. That puts us behind as more and more housing and development gets done and the infrastructure is not in place,” he said.

“Our government is more than ready and committed to working with both the [State] Government and the council on projects.

“That’s why we committed to get the Camerons Lane [Hume Freeway] interchange done, and we’re prioritising the [south-facing] Wallan [freeway] ramps, which the previous government made all the announcements about but never actually handed over the funding for.”

Mr Mitchell said he expected work on the Wallan freeway ramps to commence ‘sooner, rather than later’, but that workforce and material shortages, as well as planning issues, meant it was not feasible to start work immediately.

Mr Mitchell said money for the Wallan freeway ramps would be in the government’s budget, to be announced next month.

“That doesn’t mean everything is going to be built in five minutes flat. With the Wallan ramps, there is a fair bit of work that has to be done around where the services like gas lines run,” he said.

“We have labour shortages and we can’t get enough people for the road projects that need to be done.

“But big commitments have got to be followed through on, and that’s why we’re already having those discussions about what we need to do.”

Mr Mitchell said creating local jobs was also key to supporting a growing population.

“One of the big problems we face is that in the mornings everyone runs out of town and in the evenings they all come back in,” he said.

“We’re looking at bringing advanced manufacturing and those sorts of jobs to the north. I’m chair of the Industry, Science and Resources Parliamentary Committee, so advanced manufacturing is the big thing we’re pushing.

“We’re also working on TAFE to try to get jobs training available for people.”

Nationals candidate for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland said Mitchell Shire was perennially underfunded by the State Government, which she described as city-centric.

“A measly 13 per cent of capital funding is being spent in our regions under the Andrews government despite being home to 25 per cent of the state’s population,” she said.

“The Mitchell Shire barely received a crumb in this year’s state budget, emblematic of a government that thinks the world ends at Craigieburn.”

Ms Cleeland reasserted the Nationals’ pledge to direct a minimum of 25 per cent of capital funding to regional areas if the Coalition won November’s election.

“This will ensure we no longer have to jump up and down for basic investment and we will see vital progress on projects like the Kilmore bypass,” she said.

“Labor’s inaction on this is preventing our region from prospering and hindering its liveability.

“We must ensure our school can deal with this population growth, with more capacity urgently needed at schools like Broadford Secondary.

“The Nationals will also divert billions from white elephant city infrastructure projects to fix our health crisis and ensure regional Victorians can get the healthcare they need when they need it.”

People can view the .id population projections at https://forecast.id.com.au/mitchell.