Page 3979 - Week 13 - Wednesday, 30 October 2013
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The city is more culturally diverse and has become a renowned centre for the creative arts and sciences. The underlying ability for the city to make these changes was a development of the collective capacity and skill within our residents to find the technical and political solutions to move forward successfully.
The alliances between our universities, event sectors, national security, business and government expanded to provide much greater levels of engagement and cooperation, enhancing the knowledge and skills of all citizens of the city. Canberra has cemented its reputation as an international centre of expertise in technology and governance and in creating sustainable cities. Infrastructure has been provided and adapted through innovative procurement, design, financing and delivery approaches.
By 2020 the transformation of the city centre was becoming clearly evident. Canberrans realised they were living in a city that had developed an urban culture with a revered public realm that allowed for the city to renew itself, to evolve and to adapt with its own distinctive ethos and, more importantly, with foresight.
Capital metro transformed the way people engage with the city centre. The initial city to Gungahlin rail link proved the sceptics wrong. Light rail now moves large numbers of people into the city. It is now—in the 2030s—the most dominant mode of transport into and out of our city centre. The success of the project has been to make the city centre a more attractive destination with more things to do on weekends and during the week. West Basin, the new city stadium and the Australia forum have become major attractions for the region, and the vast majority of residents and visitors now prefer to access these facilities through the capital metro. New arrivals to our city find it hard to believe that only 20 years ago it was a drive-through place. It is now the living heart of Canberra.
Our city is one of the most popular destinations for the under-35s and for students, having developed a reputation for tolerance, inclusiveness and openness to new ideas and innovation. The students came here to study; they stayed to work, and now they are raising families. They want to take part in the rich and vibrant culture of the city of Canberra in 2033.
Madam Speaker, we are in 2013. This future is possible—possible if we take the opportunities that are before us with the draft city plan and the city to the lake project and if we ensure that we are innovative, flexible and respond to changing circumstances, that we capture the imagination and the passion of the people of Canberra to see their city adapt and transform in its second century. I think this is a worthwhile vision to strive towards. It will not all be smooth sailing. There will be differences of opinion, not just on what the final outcomes should be but also on how best to get there. I think we may have a debate on that coming up after lunch. Nonetheless, the objective is there, the vision is there, and we look forward over the rest of this decade and beyond to the implementation of what is an important series of transformative projects for our city. I thank Ms Berry for bringing the motion to the Assembly today.
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