Canberra: A Statement of Ambition

The Statement of Ambition sets out the ACT Government’s vision for Canberra as one of the world’s most liveable and competitive cities – welcoming to all.

Key to delivering this vision is the provision of better metropolitan infrastructure that helps to renew our inner precincts, strengthening our suburbs and providing opportunities for all.

Transport has a critical role to play in this as highlighted in the 2016 Canberra: A Statement of Ambition, “Everywhere there is the demand from an increasingly time hungry workforce and community to live in the ‘30 minute city’ – the city of short commutes and journeys that manages congestion with a first class public transport system at its heart.” This is being driven by changing lifestyle preferences of modern families and workers in the global knowledge economy.

For many years, Canberra has met this desire through the building and widening of roads as the city expanded. However, the future of the city is to contain outward expansion. To maintain our 30-minute travel status in a growing city we will need to refocus our investment to support a more compact and efficient city and provide the opportunities for the renewal and strengthening of suburbs envisioned in the Statement of Ambition.

By providing a choice of high-quality accessible transport options we also provide greater opportunities for people to better connect with services. In turn this connection leads to vibrant community spaces which support our evolving lifestyles and promote urban infill.

In the coming years, the ACT Government will increase the options available to the community by shifting our focus to public transport, walking and cycling, while maintaining safe and reliable roads for driving and freight. Experience from other major cities has shown that investment in high-quality transport choices, partnered with effective planning, is the most effective way to conveniently and efficiently connect people with the places they need to go, while also increasing liveability and competitiveness.

ACT Planning Strategy 2018

The ACT Planning Strategy 2018 provides a vision for a more compact and efficient city and a strategic direction that future urban growth will be supported by delivering up to 70% of new homes within Canberra’s existing urban footprint. To achieve this, new development will be concentrated in areas located close to the city centre, town and group centres and along key transit corridors.

This urban form is highlighted in the ACT Planning Strategy Policy Plan Map.

The ACT Planning Strategy 2018 seeks to deliver well designed, safe and sustainable streets along with public spaces to create walkable neighbourhoods that are inclusive and fair. This will, in turn, support the creation of a better experience for walking and cycling into and within the city centre and our town centres.

The ACT Planning Strategy 2018 calls for the integration of land use and transport planning to make Canberra a more liveable city. It introduces the concept of Movement and Place to acknowledge the dual nature of roads and streets as places for both transport and people. Movement and Place provides a collaborative framework for ACT Government Directorates to work together and with the community to enhance the city by creating streets that work from both a place and a transport perspective.

The ACT Climate Change Strategy 2019-2025

In May 2019, the ACT joined many other cities, states and territories around the world in declaring a state of climate emergency. The ACT Climate Change Strategy 2019-2025 sets out the Government’s response. It outlines actions to meet the ACT’s legislated emissions reduction target of 50–60% (below 1990 levels) by 2025 and establishes a pathway for achieving net zero emissions by 2045, including the move to a zero-emission bus fleet by 2040.

Transport is the largest source of ACT greenhouse gas emissions now that the Territory is supplied with 100% renewable electricity. Transport currently accounts for around 60% of the ACT’s greenhouse gas emissions. While emissions from transport may decrease in the short-term due to COVID-19 restrictions, transport will remain the ACT’s largest source of greenhouse gas emissions and will be a high priority for emissions reduction efforts in coming years.

Most of these emissions are from private vehicles (69%), followed by freight (20%), and public transport such as buses (3%), respectively. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from transport is a key part of the ACT Government’s response to climate change.

Achieving this will require fundamental changes such as switching our private and public transport fleets to new and innovative zero emissions technologies, making more of our journeys via clean public transport options such as light rail and zero emissions buses, making more of our journeys by walking and cycling, and taking steps to reduce our need to travel by building a compact, efficient and inclusive city. The ACT Climate Change Strategy 2019-2025 sets out pathways for reducing transport emissions by reducing car use and encouraging a shift to walking, cycling and public transport. Canberra’s Living Infrastructure Plan’s directions for keeping our city cool, healthy and liveable in a changing climate will be a key part of this.

Healthy Canberra: ACT Preventative Health Plan 2020-2025

The Healthy Canberra Plan seeks to improve health and wellbeing by supporting and promoting healthy and active lifestyles. This includes promoting and enabling active living, for instance by developing Canberra as a walkable and cycle-friendly city, and prioritising walking and cycling as a mode of transport for people of all ages and abilities. The Healthy Canberra Plan aims to see more adults and children using active modes of transport as we know that physical activity and movement have many physical and mental health benefits and can reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases.

ACT Infrastructure Plan

The Infrastructure Plan provides a framework for how the ACT Government will renew established infrastructure to cater for a city of 500,000 people. The plan is a comprehensive, multi-decade plan detailing over $14 billion worth of infrastructure investments. The focus of the plan is on health, education, transport and community services.

The priorities for future transport planning and investment are walking, cycling and public transport that is well- integrated with land use planning. At the centre of this investment is our city-shaping light rail network along with supporting investment in rapid suburban bus routes, footpaths, cycleways and Park/Bike and Ride.

Regional planning and policies

The Prospectus for a Canberra Region Deal outlines cooperation and coordination with NSW Government and Councils to support the region’s transport future. A key element to this is to build faster rail between Canberra and Sydney to improve connectivity, housing choice and employment options in the region. Upgrades to track, infrastructure and rolling stock can make rail an attractive and effective transport option for the region. High Speed Rail remains an additional option for Canberra and the ACT Government has protected future potential sites to support this.

Further, this strategy describes Canberra’s global, regional and cross-border links in alignment with the ACT/NSW Memorandum of Understanding for Regional Collaboration, the South East and Tablelands Regional Plan and the NSW Regional Services and Infrastructure Plan.

The ACT has worked in collaboration with State, Territory and Commonwealth Governments to agree the National Freight and Supply Chain Strategy 2019 and associated National Action Plan 2019. Implementation of the National Action Plan will provide a mechanism to ratchet up ambition over time and further support the performance of our freight network. The National Freight Strategy has a vision of a nationally integrated freight system supporting a strong and prosperous Australia through efficiency and productivity, international competitiveness, safety and security, sustainability, skilled workforce and community acceptance.