Australians broadly agree that families are the backbone of our society. Yet due to housing prices, young families are relying on higher density dwellings that were normally not designed for young children in mind. Family support services are also being challenged due to rising costs especially from real estate related expenses. And what about making child care more affordable? And could there be more employer-based child care?

With the unanimous support of all Parramatta City Councillors, a pro-family working committee or taskforce is being considered.

Other questions being contemplated include:

(a) who are the emerging or new socially disadvantaged members within the family that require support

(b) what incentives can the city produce that will attract family support agencies to be relocated to Parramatta so that they can deploy their services to the local community

(c) with the increasing number of single person residences, what can be done to ensure they are not isolated, but instead better connected socially within the local community

(d) with a greying population, what new/existing infrastructure and also social programs can be created/expanded so as to assist the carers of elderly parents in their own homes

(e) how can we close the distance between home and work so that working parents can spend more time with their family and not waste time travelling great distances to/from work

(f) families used to be able to purchase homes at 3-4 times their average annual income. Now, they need at least 7 times their average annual income to own an average home. Is it possible to produce housing stock that is closer to 3-4 times average family income

So, if you would like to contribute towards this pro-family initiative, I look forward to your ideas, suggestions and proposals.