Page 1429 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 10 April 2013
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
wonderful parks, gardens, nature reserves and tree-lined streets. However, our city is more than this as it matures to become a truly great city, an exemplar of progressive, inclusive and vibrant planning with something to offer people from all walks of life.
But there is no doubt, Madam Speaker, that this transformational change will not happen on its own. It will only happen if the government, working in collaboration with the community and with the business sector, takes proactive steps to guide and encourage this transformational development. This is exactly what the government is seeking to do through the city to the lake project, the city plan project and the capital metro project.
Our city offers fantastic services, entertainment, hospitality and amenities for a rapidly growing local and regional community. Our growth rates in recent years have been well above the national average. I think it is fair to observe that Canberra is a place where people from many, many different backgrounds live, work and play in great harmony. One of the keys to building this city is the opportunity to realise the great potential of our city centre and of Lake Burley Griffin. Linking the city to the lake must be seen as fundamental to the transformation of Civic. For it to be more than just a drive-through city, it needs to become a place where Canberrans visit more often, linger longer and where more of us live.
In ambition and scope, linking the city to the lake can be compared with other major waterfront projects in other Australian cities such as Barangaroo at Darling Harbour in Sydney, the Docklands projects in Melbourne, Southbank in Brisbane and the Perth waterfront.
Importantly, we are starting a strategic public initiative to create a robust and memorable public domain and waterfront in line with the Griffin legacy. I think here we can learn from progressive cities that are reversing their motorway domination such as San Francisco, Boston, Barcelona, Seoul and Toronto. These cities have either demolished or moved underground their inner city motorways. This has allowed much improved access to their waterfronts.
Rather than turning our back on the lake and on Commonwealth Park, our city should embrace these wonderful natural and cultural assets and thus ensure they are not remote and not segregated but in fact unified with the centre of the city. West Basin will provide a fantastic new waterfront public area and expand the identity of the city to encompass this important lakeside element as well as providing a wide variety of new commercial, residential and retail opportunities.
It will be anchored by that much sought after urban beach for our city, an aquatic centre that signifies that this is a place for all Canberrans and a place where the daily life of the city can engage with the lake. Madam Speaker, it is worth observing that capital metro is a key plank in this vision. The capital metro project will completely change the way people engage with our city centre.
Light rail would move large numbers of people into the city quickly and efficiently. Through the city plan, the government is ensuring we can accommodate the future
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video