Alicia Payne (Canberra, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to 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.

Nola Marino (Forrest, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—I want to thank the Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on the National Capital and External Territories for her work as well. This report is about fostering and promoting the significance of Australia's national capital; I think the title says it all. It is a Capital for all Australians. Initially, I do want to thank not just the chair but also the rest of the committee and all of those groups, organisations and bodies who came along and presented to us at those hearings. Their great passion and commitment to whatever institution or group they were representing was commendable and gave the committee very valuable information and advice. I do—as the Chair has—want to thank Fran Denny and her very capable team in the secretariat for their work, the way they approached this and what they've delivered for us through the terms of reference: for the national institutions to convey a dynamic, representative national story; to be a source of pride and international recognition; to raise the profile and to focus on the character, values and identity of Australia—which we should be so proud of, because I am—to highlight our sporting, cultural and tourism potential; and to consider future infrastructure needs.

As the previous minister in this role, I had the national capital within my scope. I love the capital very much. It was a great privilege to serve in that role. What we see around us here, in my mind, is the vision, the planning and the development of Walter and Marion Mahony Griffin. We see it to this day. It needs to be preserved, which is in part what we're about with this report—to not just preserve it but to enhance it for the future in what is our national capital. I certainly have a particular love for the work of Charles Weston and the two million trees and shrubs he planned and planted between 1911 and 1926. Every time I arrive from Western Australia, every day I walk into this place, one of the great pleasures is to see what changes there have been in the colours, in the foliage and in the constant plantings that remain that are quintessentially Canberra. That's such a treat for someone from rural and regional Australia who doesn't get to see this in their own electorate. We're seeing that ongoing legacy today. I'm very proud of that.

I'm also quietly proud of commissioning, when I was the minister, those two wonderful sculptures of Dame Dorothy Tangney and Dame Enid Lyons for the Parliamentary Triangle. They were the first two female federal MPs, elected in 1943. What a wonderful thing that we now have the sculptures of these two fabulous women right next to Old Parliament House, where they first walked in together. I hope that is something that is celebrated forever.

In the recommendations we talked about so many of our national institutions. We did acknowledge the need for people to be able to move around Canberra and that same Parliamentary Triangle efficiently and effectively, without having to use their own vehicles. It was something that came up regularly. We made practical recommendations about public transport, shuttle buses and constant stopping at different institutions so that people could move easily from one to the other. It's really important to be able to do that with the points of interest.

I thought the practical recommendations around a Canberra pass were excellent—a ticket that allows people entry to a range of institutions and that lets them get on and off the bus. They choose wherever they go. They use the same ticket. They walk in and make the most of it. These are great offerings for the National Capital Authority to pursue, from pedestrian and footpath access through to providing information and support beyond private vehicles.

There was strong support for the government to prioritise the Sydney to Canberra rail option and work with the ACT and New South Wales governments to increase the train services and the number of carriages—a very good thing. No doubt those of us who live in regional and remote Australia certainly need far better access. It was something that I took up with those who came and spoke to us. We actually explored, when we talk about a capital for all Australians, how do those who can never get here ever—and there are some who can never and will never—still be part of this and enjoy the experience? We talked about digital marketing campaigns that were recommended to promote the digital access to national collections, so you can still enjoy these whether you're in Canberra itself or in a very rural, regional or remote part of our country. To actually enable that option for remote participation so that it continues to be a capital for all Australians is something I feel very strongly about. We should not have to miss out just because we can't afford to travel if we're from a remote area. We should be able to enjoy all of these wonderful institutions and what they've got to offer in this digital way. There were other recommendations for regional and remote access and the need for touring exhibitions to take more of these exhibits physically from Canberra and our national institutions to the people in their communities. It creates such an interest and a direct connection back to Canberra.

For me, one of the key recommendations was around the proposal to review the current PACER program for schools, to provide a much better opportunity for as many Australian schools as possible to come to Canberra. I'm from WA and I know there are members from other states and territories—it's a huge cost. It's a cost on the parents and on the school community, as well as what's provided through the parliament here and the Commonwealth. But one of the great benefits in their lives is to come to Canberra as a school student. So don't just review the actual opportunities to get here, review the one-size approach as it doesn't necessarily work for some schools or their students because they might have particular focuses in those schools that want to visit different institutions, and smaller institutions, rather than those that are currently on the lists.

I had a school of my own here not so long ago. They were from Georgiana Molloy Anglican School in Busselton. It's one of the furthest places from here. In hearing what they got from that, it was just precious to visit them afterwards and say: 'What was it that you got out of this, and will you come back with your family or friends at a particular time? Did you enjoy what you saw? What stood out the most? What about your capital meant the most to you when you were here? What were your favourite sights and experiences?' They will never forget that and what they shared with their friends. Even the things they may not have liked or appreciated at the time will resonate with them as they go through life. They actually came to their national capital, and I'd love to see more young people have that opportunity.

We did make recommendations around upgrading Canberra's sporting venues to support national and international events. We are, after all, a very proud sporting nation, and where better to see that than in our national capital at appropriate times. We do need to maintain the AIS as a world-class venue and up to world-class standards so our athletes can get all the help they need to achieve. We actually made recommendations around the redevelopment of the National Convention Centre. It is the 'National' Convention Centre. It needs to be internationally recognised but fit for purpose, not only as a showpiece but as a venue that will do the job that's needed of a national convention centre.

For me personally, previously in this role I was very supportive of the development of Stage 88. I think it's a beautiful venue, and there's much more that can be done and enjoyed there. So I think it's a very worthwhile investment.

I want to just thank everyone who came, once again, and the committee and our secretariat. I'm looking forward to the government's response to the recommendations that we've made in this report.

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

I move:

That the House take note of the report.

Mike Freelander (Macarthur, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In accordance with standing order 39, the debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.