Andrew Leigh

I welcomed the announcement by the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, the Hon Anthony Albanese MP that the Gillard Labor Government is providing $500,000 to the ACT Government as part of the Liveable Cities Program to help 'Realise the Capital' in our great city.

The media release is below.

MINISTER FOR INFRASTRUCTURE AND TRANSPORT

THE HON ANTHONY ALBANESE MP

MEMBER FOR FRASER

ANDREW LEIGH MP

JOINT MEDIA RELEASE

Gillard Government Support Plan for More Liveable Capital

I’m pleased to announce that Canberra will soon be home to an innovative project showcasing the best in urban design, planning and renewal, funded as part of our efforts to make the nation’s major cities more productive, sustainable and liveable.

The Gillard Labor Government is providing $500,000 to the ACT Government for a major planning project to unlock the potential of the city’s CBD and better integrate it with public transport, residential buildings, surrounding parklands  and ANU and CIT campuses.

The Canberra community will be invited to provide input into the masterplan – Realising the Capital in the City - which will become a blueprint to encourage people to visit, live and invest in the CBD.

It will support Walter Burley Griffin’s original vision for Canberra as a highly liveable city where people can participate with ease in its cultural, business and political activities.

The plan will also look at the feasibility of introducing a rapid transit system down Northbourne Avenue and the redevelopment of public housing immediately to the east and north of the CBD.

The ACT Government will work closely with the National Capital Authority to set out clear strategies for investment in the urban quality and amenity of Canberra’s city centre.

From a national perspective, this project is a great example of the kind of cooperation between governments needed to address the big challenges facing our cities such as climate change, a lack of affordable housing, traffic congestion and a growing, ageing population.

That’s why Federal Labor has ended the Commonwealth’s self-imposed, decade long exile from our major cities and is again engaging with the states and territories and local councils to bring about a much needed urban renaissance.

As one of the most urbanised societies on the planet, Australia’s future economic prosperity and social cohesion will depend largely on how successful we are at making our cities more productive, sustainable and liveable.

Realising the Capital in the City ($500,000 in program funding) is being funded as part of the Gillard Government’s Liveable Cities Program.

Federal Member for Fraser, Andrew Leigh, welcomed the announcement.

‘I believe that Canberra is the best city in Australia’, said Dr Leigh. ‘But we should always be thinking about ways of making a great city even better. With Canberra’s centenary coming up in 2013, this major planning project couldn’t be more timely.’