Malcolm Turnbull's attempt to make a virtue out of promising relatively little immediate funding for transport and infrastructure projects has been met with a mixed reception by planning experts.
The Prime Minister's Cities Policy, released on Friday, commits to $50 million in planning for a new way finance major projects, but holds out a promise the government may borrow billions more to help kick-start rail lines.
"One of the best things the federal government can do is to stop being an ATM," Mr Turnbull said at an event in Melbourne.
Rather, the government should invest in initiatives that made an economic return and encouraged urban development.
Details about how that would happen, where it may happen, and when it would happen were scarce in the "Smart Cities" document released by the Prime Minister on Friday.
But the document did include a suggestion a rail line to a Badgerys Creek airport would be an early option.
Professor Peter Newman from Curtin University, a former sustainability commissioner in Sydney and a strong advocate for more urban railways, was enthusiastic about Mr Turnbull's direction.
"It actually is entirely new," said Professor Newman, whom Mr Turnbull described as his "tutor" on transport policy.
"We are unleashing a whole new approach to delivering infrastructure – instead of it being top down it actually begins with the private sector and involves them right from the start," he said.
The thrust of the approach, Professor Newman said, was that the federal government would support projects initiated by private proponents. Those proponents may use those using transport projects to support property development.
"This is actually an anti-sprawl process that's going to be unleashed here," he said.
Angus Taylor, the assistant minister for cities, said the policy reflected a "significant change" from previous initiatives.
"Right now most of our transport infrastructure investment happens without regard to the housing impact, without regard to the jobs impact," Mr Taylor said. "It is only focused on commute times – we need to broaden our view on what we are trying to achieve with our investment in cities," he said.
Others were more sanguine about the policy, which also includes talk of "City Deals" or ways for state, federal and potentially local governments to collaborate on development initiatives.
"It's good that that they're interested in cities," said Professor Peter Phibbs, from the University of Sydney. "But it is pretty small scale and it looks a bit like an election campaign in that there's a lot of text and not much hard cash."
Wendy Hayhurst, the chief executive of the NSW Federation of Housing Associations, was concerned by Mr Turnbull's focus on increasing the supply of new housing, and refusal to consider the tax treatment of existing housing.
"On its own, housing supply doesn't make housing more affordable," said Ms Hayhurst, who advocates for greater focus on dedicated affordable housing.
"This government wouldn't want housing supply on its own to make housing more affordable because that would mean a real reduction in the value of housing."
