TIME TO TALK ABOUT THE CITY WE WANT TO BE IN 2030

The ACT Government has embarked on an in-depth conversation with the Canberra community about the kind of city we want to live in by 2030.

Canberra 2030 - Time to Talk, will seek to involve as many Canberrans as possible, using an array of consultation methods ranging from seminars and surveys to online blogs and other forms of social media.

"The focus of the conversation will be on urban form in all its facets - population, sustainable transport, addressing climate change, housing, planning and open space - and the challenges we will collectively confront as we build a better city for the future," Chief Minister Jon Stanhope said today.

"And we are serious about engaging as many Canberrans as possible in this ambitious conversation. We don't want to simply hear the views of the ‘usual suspects'. We want to hear from Canberrans from across the social spectrum, to find out what they value about our city, and what they would like to see Canberra become by the year 2030."

The jumping off point for discussion over the coming months will be 10 themes - Population, Water, Canberra Homes, Getting Around, Land Use and Planning, Liveability and Wellbeing, City Form, Environmental Sustainability, Living in the Nation's Capital, and the ultimate question: ‘Who Pays'?.

Workshops, community forums, shopping centre displays, random surveys, and online forums are some of the methods that will be used to gather people's views. Respected Canberrans from across the community will work as Champions to encourage their fellow Canberrans to get involved.

"We will reach out in every way we can, to everyone we can," Mr Stanhope said. "Together we will be actively shaping a future direction for our city - and because we will all be better informed by the end of the process, we will know why we chose it."

The views expressed by the community will be gathered into an independent report, which will help guide and inform future detailed Government policy-making. For example, the results will feed into the review of the Spatial Plan next year and the next five-year action plan under the ACT Government's climate change strategy, Weathering the Change.

Canberra 2030 - Time to Talk runs from now until November. To find out more visit www.canberra2030.org.au. A list of the Champions is attached.

Media Contact:

Chantelle Lustri 6205 2775 0434 560 770 chantelle.lustri@act.gov.au
Jess Wurf 6205 0504 0411 772 700 jess.wurf@act.gov.au