The Australian Government has released its first National Cities Performance Framework.

It is a major report that provides a snapshot of the productivity and progress of Australia’s largest 21 cities, including Western Sydney. The Government says it is the first official framework of its kind in Australia and “brings together critical data on our cities in an easily accessible online format.”

Cities are compared across a number of key measures: jobs and skills, infrastructure and investment, liveability and sustainability, innovation and digital opportunities, governance, planning and regulation, and housing.

Detailed comparisons of all cities across dozens of metrics are available in a separate dashboard.

Some highlights from the report and dashboard:

Housing affordability

• Best: Mackay, Townsville, Darwin
• Worst: Sunshine Coast, Sydney, Wollongong

Share of jobs within 30 minutes by car

Seven cities are on 100 percent: Albury-Wodonga, Ballarat, Bendigo, Cairns, Launceston. Mackay and Wollongong. Sydney is worst, followed by Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth.

Life expectancy at birth

• Highest: Melbourne and Sydney (83.7) Perth (83.4).
• Lowest: Albury-Wodonga (80.8), Launceston and Cairns (80.9)

Languages other than English spoken at home

• Most: Sydney (35.6 percent), Melbourne (32.2 percent)
• Least: Bendigo (5.1 percent), Sunshine Coast (5.2%)

Dwellings with access to greenspace

• Highest: Canberra (99.0 percent), Wollongong (93.5 percent), Newcastle (90.2%)
• Lowest: Toowoomba (66.3 percent), Ballarat (69.0 percent), Sunshine Coast (70.2%)

Workers in knowledge-intensive services

• Highest: Sydney (21.1 percent), Melbourne (16.5 percent), Canberra (15.4%)
• Lowest: Albury-Wodonga (5.0%), Mackay (5.5 percent), Toowoomba (7.4 percent)

The Performance Framework is designed to assist all levels of government, industry and the community to better target, monitor and evaluate cities policy and investments, including the new City Deals.

The Framework draws on a range of Australian and international performance measured, data sources and literature. The Government says it consulted widely on the Framework, through workshops, roundtables, bilateral meetings and an online forum established for the Cities Reference Group.

The Performance Framework Interim Report was released for public feedback in July 2017. The Government intends to update it annually and conduct a major review every three years.

“Australia’s success in the 21st  century economy depends on our cities, suburbs and regional centres,” said Angus Taylor, Assistant Minister for Cities, releasing the report.

“Australia’s most valuable resource is our human capital. Our people – their ideas, skills, experience and enterprise – are the driving force of productivity growth and our future prosperity.

“Great cities attract, retain and develop talent – our bright minds and businesses – facilitating job creation and supporting growth. Increasingly our cities compete on a global stage, and the liveability of a city can be the determining factor in a city’s success.”

The report is available here. The online dashboard is available here.