Alicia Payne (Canberra, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

On behalf of the Joint Standing Committee on the National Capital and External Territories, I present the committee's report, incorporating additional comments, entitled A capital for all Australians: report of the inquiry into fostering and promoting the significance of Australia's national capital.

Report made a parliamentary paper in accordance with standing order 39(e).

by leave—Australia's national capital, Canberra, belongs to all of us. It is our meeting place, the centre of our democracy. It is where our stories and history are shared through our national institutions. It is a representation of our values and aspirations. It is an expression of who we are as a nation. It is a place we should all be proud of. Unfortunately, our national capital is not always looked upon with the sense of pride or affection that befits a nation's capital. In fact, criticising and dismissing the national capital can often be not only acceptable but politically advantageous for public figures in a way that would be unacceptable of any other city. This inquiry sought to change that narrative by shining a light on and building upon all that our capital has to offer. It sought to ensure that Canberra is equipped to meet the expectations and needs of a city designed to provide for and reflect who we are as Australians.

The committee's inquiry was referred by the Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories, Hon. Kristy McBain MP, and I thank her for allowing us to undertake this inquiry. Through the inquiry, we received 48 thoughtful and detailed submissions and conducted nine public hearings to hear directly from the heads of national institutions located in Canberra, from leaders in business and tourism, and from sporting, community, education and environment groups. I really wanted to do this inquiry to give voice to the wonderful people that I meet with as the member for Canberra every day and their visions and the challenges they face in our nation's capital. I wanted to put those on the parliamentary record and enable our committee to make recommendations to government on how we can foster the significance of our nation's capital. I sincerely want to thank everyone who shared their ideas for their commitment to our nation's capital.

The committee has made 21 recommendations about how the federal government can foster and promote the significance of the national capital, from nation-building infrastructure projects to supporting stronger collaboration between the national institutions and improved accessibility, particularly for those living in rural, regional and remote Australia. A key focus of the committee's recommendations is investing in and developing essential infrastructure, such as sporting, entertainment and art facilities. This includes stadium infrastructure, Manuka Oval, the AIS, the National Convention Centre Canberra, the Canberra Theatre Centre and Stage 88. It is vital that facilities be modern and comfortable and have the capacity to host world-class sporting events, meetings and performances—events that we can all enjoy, either as athletes, performers, participants or spectators.

To experience everything on offer in the national capital, visitors and those who live in Canberra need ready access to it. The committee has made several recommendations relating to accessibility within and to the national capital. This includes the introduction of a hop-on hop-off shuttle bus stopping at each national institution and other attractions around the ACT; improving rail connectivity between Sydney and Canberra, with more services and more passenger capacity; and improving public transport and pedestrian access throughout popular attractions, including in the Parliamentary Triangle.

To complement these measures, the committee has recommended better coordination of and collaboration between the fabulous national institutions to support collective storytelling and shared promotion of the national capital. This includes introducing a Canberra ticket or pass to use across the capital and establishing a single online platform to access visitor information. The committee also sees an important role for the National Capital Authority in coordinating these tourism opportunities.

Each year, schoolchildren across Australia visit the national capital as part of the PACER program. For most students, it is their first visit to Canberra and an experience they share with their families. The committee heard that access to the national capital through the PACER program is limited for some schools, and more can be done to improve accessibility to the program and to ensure that PACER meets the educational and travel needs of students. The committee agrees and has recommended a review of the PACER program. I want to particularly thank Garry Watson and Jose Robertson from the National Capital Educational Tourism Project for their contribution to this inquiry and their passion for the PACER program and for our capital.

Visiting the national capital is not the only way to enjoy it. The committee has made a number of recommendations to support remote access to Canberra and its collections, particularly for Australians living in rural, regional and remote communities. This includes marketing digital access to Australia's national collections and funding touring exhibitions. These recommendations are about bringing the national capital to Australians.

The committee's recommendations aim to ensure that all Australians can take pride in our national capital, its institutions and how it represents us. The work set out in this report will help to strengthen Canberra's reputation as a modern and representative capital, ensure that it can be accessed within and outside of Canberra and provide appropriate levels of funding for national facilities.

I'd like to just briefly stress, in particular, the importance of the recommendation around a national convention centre and the need for our nation's capital to have the facilities it needs to host the international events and conferences that befits a nation's capital. At the moment, the current facility has to turn away business, and there are larger facilities in much smaller cities around our country. This is something that has been talked about for many years and something that I hope will be seen as a nation-building project and one that we will take up.

I would like to really thank my fellow committee members for their hard work and ongoing engagement in this inquiry, especially the deputy chair, the member for Forrest, Nola Marino. I've really appreciated her input and commitment to the nation's capital throughout this process. I'd also like to thank the committee secretariat—in particular Ms Fran Denny, our secretary—for your incredible work in putting this very comprehensive report together. Committee work is such an important mechanism of our democracy, and it is an honour to work with such a professional and dedicated secretariat on this committee, as others.

Canberra is more than just a city. It is a symbol of who we are as Australians. It is important that this significant role is recognised, fostered and celebrated. I commend our report to the government as a road map towards this and I commend the report to the House.

See this speech in context