Page 2958 - Week 09 - Thursday, 18 September 2014
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and we are seeing, through the commitment to light rail, the government biting the bullet and starting to put in place the long-term infrastructure that this city needs so that we do not end up being a city of congested roadways as Sydney has become but we continue to be the city that Canberrans love, one that is easy to get around and one that has a high quality of life.
MR GENTLEMAN (Brindabella—Minister for Planning, Minister for Community Services, Minister for Workplace Safety and Industrial Relations, Minister for Children and Young People and Minister for Ageing) (3.58): The ACT government knows the importance of public transport, and is investing, through a range of visionary policies and projects, to make our city a better place to live, work and to do business.
If we look at the history of public transport in Canberra we see that public transport is not one size fits all for the city. A detailed understanding of a city is therefore required to ensure that the solutions meet the economic, environmental and social needs of the city. Canberra is a multi-centred city, made up of the districts of Belconnen, central Canberra, Gungahlin, Tuggeranong, Woden valley, Weston Creek and Molonglo valley, each separated by hills and natural open spaces. And the ACT districts were designed with a range of activity centres to have a high degree of self-containment and reduced travel distances.
Each district is made up of residential suburbs clustered around local group and town centres. To our east, of course, Queanbeyan has a population equivalent to a Canberra district and is an increasingly important part of planning for Canberra. Canberra is also the centre of the Australian capital region, a growing region of approximately 600,000 people with a diverse population, economy and environment. The ACT’s population is projected to grow from an estimated 365,000 in 2011 to 553,500 by 2041. Queanbeyan’s population is also projected to increase to 67,900 by 2041, leading to a total population in the area of 621,400 people by 2041.
In comparison with other Australian jurisdictions, Canberra’s population is relatively youthful. People aged 20 to 39 make up 33 per cent of the ACT population, compared to 29 per cent Australia wide. But our city’s population is also ageing. In 2011 Canberrans aged 65 and over comprised 11 per cent of Canberra’s population, compared with the national average of 13 per cent. Canberra’s population is expected to continue to age; by 2056 the number of people over 65 is expected to more than double, to account for 20 to 23 per cent of Canberra’s population.
To meet the needs of our population in the future we need to look at providing choice in housing close to public transport to meet the needs of young people and families and also allow our ageing population to “age in the community”. We need to provide good public transport connections to key health, community, recreation, education and aged care facilities. We need to ensure that the city’s streets and public spaces are vibrant and activated, with restaurants and retail land uses at ground level which attract custom during the day and of course in the evening.Like in all major Australian cities, car use climbed in Canberra in the latter part of the 20th century. This has led to growing congestion, transport disadvantage, greenhouse
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