Page 2753 - Week 09 - Thursday, 26 August 1993
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CANBERRA IN THE YEAR 2020 STUDY
Final Report and Paper
MS FOLLETT (Chief Minister and Treasurer) (12.22): Madam Speaker, pursuant to order, I present the final report of the Canberra in the Year 2020 study, together with a report by the reference group. I move:
That the Assembly takes note of the papers.
I am very pleased today to be able to table the final report of the Canberra in the Year 2020 study. Members will recall that this study was initiated by a reference from this Assembly in August 1992 and that the Government has tabled three reports outlining progress with the study. During the 12 months of the study a great number of people in Canberra have contributed to the development of a vision of what Canberra should be like in the year 2020. The study has benefited from significant inputs from ACT government agencies, particularly in the form of detailed issues papers presented with the second quarter report. I would like also to pay particular tribute to the staff of the Economic Development Division, who had overall carriage of the task.
I am very pleased that the Canberra community has shown considerable support for the study. Dr Peter Ellyard, the chair of the reference group appointed by the Government to gain community views, reports that the group met with 60 community organisations and other interested groups and received more than 50 written submissions from the community. I understand that reference group members also consulted extensively within their own networks and participated in a number of media events to gain community views. I would like to record my appreciation for the reference group's efforts to consult with the community in this study. I understand that many members gave generously of their time and expertise during the consultation period.
I believe that this report builds on Canberra's tradition of imagination and excellence. Canberra was founded on a vision of the people of Australia for a capital that would reflect the best of Australian life and demonstrate the capabilities of Australians. This vision has been refined and enhanced through the years to provide a capital Australians can be proud of, a superb city, both enhanced by and enhancing its natural environment. The time is now ripe for the further redefinition of Canberra's guiding vision. The goals of the past have now largely been achieved. Canberra is now much more than a Commonwealth administrative centre. It is one of Australia's key regional centres, with a developing economy of its own. Self-government means that the residents of Canberra now have more opportunity than ever before to take an active role in shaping the destiny of the city.
The report sets out a preferred future for Canberra from the perspective of the people who live in the city. While I believe that it is important for the people of Australia to continue to develop visions for their national capital, it is equally important for the residents of Canberra to have their own visions for their own city. This study has been a significant step forward for the development of that vision. The Canberra of the year 2020 envisaged in the report is a prosperous, attractive, healthy and safe city. The future Canberra of the report does not merely survive, but thrives as the leading city of one of Australia's most productive regions as well as the national capital. Canberra is seen as continuing its leading role in terms of its environmental and social policies, and also in the level of community participation and responsibility.
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