Page 379 - Week 02 - Tuesday, 22 March 2022
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are implementing the $150 million Sustainable Household Scheme to help Canberrans transition to a clean energy future.
We have implemented policy reforms and legislation that recognise, celebrate and support our commitment to diversity and inclusion. We are the first government in Australia to implement a wellbeing framework, putting the wellbeing of Canberrans at the core of government decision-making. This focus on wellbeing sets our city apart and will help Canberra attract those seeking a better work-life balance.
I turn now to the key missions of our economic development strategy, Madam Speaker. It is clear that the most successful cities collaborate. This is one of Canberra’s greatest strengths, and one of our greatest opportunities, because of our size and our smart, connected community.
We have adopted a mission-led approach for the next phase of economic development, providing an open invitation to share in and shape Canberra’s future. The three key missions outlined in CBR Switched On set ambitious objectives that are bold, but they are realistic. Importantly, everyone has the capacity to contribute to a mission-led approach across a diverse range of disciplines.
The first mission, Madam Speaker, is for Canberra to be a city that gives you back time; a city that prioritises wellbeing and liveability. Canberra is many things to many people. As National Gallery of Australia director Nick Mitzevich describes it, we are a city of nature, of world-leading cultural institutions, Australia’s heart of government and a city that is easy to get around.
Across the world, the pandemic has forced people to reassess how they want to live and work. Canberra is uniquely placed to meet the need for a better work-life balance. We will achieve this through better design, implementation and access to secure digital services, as well as improvements in urban planning and transport links. We will make it even easier for business to emerge and grow. We are nation-leading in that regard. Unlike other jurisdictions, we have one layer of government at a subnational level, making it easier for business to set up and get decisions faster.
The second mission is to move towards a net zero emissions city and go beyond with environmental responsibility and concrete actions. The ACT government has already committed to net zero emissions by 2045 and decarbonised our electricity grid. But we can go further and faster, through delivering the Big Canberra Battery; through increasing the energy efficiency of our buildings, homes and businesses, which will bring down energy bills; through phasing out, in a measured way, fossil fuel gas; and through driving down transport emissions, including significantly expanding the number of zero-emissions vehicles in the territory.
The 2020 bushfires and the flood disaster on the east coast have highlighted, in the most devastating way for so many Australians, the need for climate adaptation and resilience. So we are taking action now to prepare our city. By meeting our targets and building on our status as an early mover on climate action, we can attract new talent, ideas and investment to Canberra. As Mineral Carbonation International CEO Sophia Hamblin Wang has said, the ACT government’s ambition in this space has enabled
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