Page 2701 - Week 09 - Tuesday, 16 September 2014
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this project. It also demonstrates that the government is prepared to act in a transparent manner that exceeds the recommendations made by the recent Select Committee on Estimates in their recommendation No 65.
I would like to strongly emphasise that this is not just a public transport project. The introduction of light rail to the city’s transport infrastructure will fundamentally change the way that the city grows and Canberrans live. It is very much a city-shaping project. It is the glue that helps bind our city urban renewal plans together. These plans include a range of important projects such as city to the lake, creating a world-class recreational facility for all residents and visitors to enjoy, and, over time, the delivery of the city stadium and convention centre.
Capital metro is also pivotal to the much-needed rejuvenation of the gateway to the city, Northbourne Avenue. This avenue has the potential to be one of the world’s impressive urban boulevards. The avenue already hosts over 40 per cent of the city’s hotels, many businesses and vibrant surrounding precincts. It is also a corridor where the government owns a large proportion of the land, so as a territory, as a community, we are in an enviable position to be able to shape and benefit from the transport-oriented development instigated by this transport investment.
The government intends to use light rail to unlock the potential of the city centre and this important avenue, catalysing urban renewal. As has been the experience in cities all over the world, the government expects that investment in light rail will stimulate business activity, whilst increasing population density and employment opportunities along the corridor. A recent interview with CityLink engineer Alan Hale in the Age discussed, and I quote:
The evidence from cities around the world where real renewal has been achieved is that public transport should the primary focus, not just more and more roads.
He admitted that for those involved in major transport projects long enough, the lessons learnt, often the hard way, are that building more roads without investing in public transport is simply a recipe for inducing more vehicular travel. Decision-makers, professionals and communities are all waking up to the fact that more roads on their own are simply not the answer.
As well as benefiting local industry, the government’s light rail investment is the economic stimulus and potential to provide new and sustainable jobs for the territory—jobs that are not public sector jobs that will be accessible to young Canberrans and the long-term unemployed. The territory is already identifying skills shortages and introducing training opportunities to increase employment through this initial light rail investment.
During the construction phase, the consultants EY have estimated that over 3,500 direct and indirect jobs will be supported. Future mapping across a 30-year period indicates that around 50,000 jobs will be supported. At a time when youth unemployment is high and public service jobs are being cut, this is an important contribution to diversifying and strengthening employment opportunities for all Canberrans.
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