Cr Michael Zaiter said Cumberland had always welcomed anyone who chose to live in its community… “we are one of the most multicultural areas in the State and therefore will always attract new migrants”, but solutions were needed to make sure the city could cope with the increased population.
“While the number of migrants may seem to be excessive over an 18-month period, we need to keep in mind that during the covid pandemic our borders were closed and this is simply a catch-up to the immigration that should have occurred during those years,” he said.
“But, at present we have the perfect storm occurring – inflation is at record levels, interest rates have increased dramatically, and international challenges including covid, which has led to a significant increase in the cost of living.
“If government policies result in substantially increasing the population in a specific area, then those government authorities should fund the infrastructure needed to cater for those additional residents.
Councillors were unanimous in their call at last month’s council meeting.
Cr Joe Rahme said: “We need to make the powers that can implement change and (bring) infrastructure that ensures we are ready for this level of immigration”, while Cr Steve Christou said Cumberland was in dire need of upgrades to public transport and schools and didn’t have the infrastructure to support its current population.
