Page 489 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 19 March 2014
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of major ACT government economic development prizes last year, and are a spin-off of work originally commenced in the CSIRO. Windlab now have international operations, as well as operations here in Australia, mapping wind resources and selling that intellectual capacity, property and knowledge to wind farm developers globally.
The windscape institute has been announced by Windlab as a mechanism to support the training and development of wind resource professionals. It is a fantastic investment by a local Canberra business and is a good example of the level of knowledge and skill already present in the ACT in the renewables arena. Windlab have chosen Canberra as their base not just because they come here, but because it is a great place to live, and they continue to invest in their city. It clearly demonstrates what we have to offer in this space. Who knows how this example may further develop as the initiatives of the wind auction and priorities of the renewable energy local investment framework start to be realised.
I now turn to some other major elements which support and promote the ACT economy, in particular the development of our first light rail route of capital metro.
This is a major infrastructure project for the ACT. It will do much for local industry and local jobs. Firstly, light rail is proven to increase employment. Based on experience in other cities, we anticipate significant economic activity by intensifying land use along the corridor. In Washington, areas within two kilometres of a light rail stop have eight times the employment density and three times the population compared to outside the area. On the Gold Coast, stage one of the light rail system generated around 6,300 direct and indirect jobs. And Sydney’s CBD and south-east light rail is projected to create approximately 10,000 jobs.
This increased economic activity can drive new opportunities for other parts of the city and will support other important initiatives such as the city to the lake initiative. Capital metro will also assist in the revitalisation of the declining Northbourne Avenue corridor. According to research undertaken to date, building rail in advance of market demand can yield positive economic reward if done in conjunction with effective land use planning. That is exactly what this government is doing right now by planning development along these corridors and projecting future uses.
Capital metro will provide business and investment certainty, stimulating significant economic activity as land surrounding the light rail increases in value and is used more efficiently. And the project will leave rich opportunities for local employment. We are seeing that right now. The recently appointed consortium of technical advisers to the project include a range of local specialist consultancies, including Brown Consulting, LANDdata Surveys, Philip Chun Access, SLR Consulting, GML Heritage Consultants and dsb Landscape Architects—all local firms benefiting from this government’s investment in the development of light rail. The consortium leader of these firms, the global firm Arup, has had a Canberra presence since 1968 and will be growing its presence here in Canberra as a result.
Light rail is a powerful tool to revitalise and reshape cities. It is not just a form of transport. Tracks in the ground provide business certainty, encourage investment and connect people and places.
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