Page 3232 - Week 11 - Tuesday, 17 September 2013
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Canberra Business Council and local industry. The cluster promotes collaboration between government, industry and research in finding innovative ICT solutions to the increasingly complex problems faced by government today.
An independent analysis by Deloitte estimates that two of NICTA’s projects based solely in the ACT—the ePASA and automap projects—will have a combined annual impact of $354 million a year on the national economy either through cost savings or increased productivity. The same Deloitte study quantified NICTA’s current impact on the national economy at $2 billion per annum through productivity and efficiency savings. It is a great shame, therefore, that the incoming federal government does not value the work NICTA perform and has decided to slash funding to NICTA, one of the most short-sighted decisions the new government has made in its very short time since the 7 September election.
The ACT’s innovation ecosystem also is blessed with the ANU, the University of Canberra and the CSIRO. The ANU is Australia’s premier research university. As smart cities throughout the world have demonstrated, the right research environment is the key to industry innovation. The ACT government has worked closely with the ANU to strengthen links between the university and the business community.
The regeneration of City West is an excellent example of collaboration to build the infrastructure necessary to foster innovation and to develop knowledge-based business opportunities. The location of NICTA in City West was the key to its redevelopment. Indeed, NICTA was one of the first buildings to emerge from the dirt car parks you might remember in City West just 10 years ago.
The new City West is a testament to how the government and research institutions can provide the infrastructure that drives innovation. The government’s city to the lake vision builds upon what has been achieved in City West. City to the lake reinforces Canberra as a smart city, as an exemplar of a progressive, inclusive and vibrant city with a distinctive urban culture. It is fundamental to making Civic more than just a “drive through” city centre, delivering over 1.2 million square metres of mixed use development for over 10,000 new residents located in the most accessible location in the city around West Basin and City Hill and along Constitution Avenue. This land is also the most strategically important land in the capital. It enables further growth for knowledge-based businesses in the corridor between the ANU and the CSIRO, the City, Russell and the airport.
City to the lake will be a world-class project. The project has been nationally recognised for design excellence, innovation and sustainability with receipt of the 2013 Australia Award for Urban Design. Having similar ambition and scope to other major waterfront projects in other Australian cities such as Barangaroo, Docklands in Melbourne, South Bank in Brisbane and the Perth waterfront, it enhances the ability for the city to attract and retain creative industries and people.
Rather than turn its back on the lake and Commonwealth Park, the city will embrace these assets of our national capital. Connectivity between the city, the ANU and existing and new lake-side national attractions will be dramatically enhanced with a grand new public waterfront at West Basin. The daily life of the city will engage with
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