Welcome to Canberra, everyone. And thank you for inviting me to say a few words today.
As some of you may already know, I am a massive fan of the Committee for Perth.
So much so, I sent its Boorloo Kworp — or ‘Perth is Good’ — report to all my colleagues.
There are plenty of them here today who can confirm it!
So, I could not turn down the chance to talk cities policy.
I want to note at the outset – our Government has an ambitious agenda for regional Australia.
In fact – our plans for regional Australia are right here.
[HOLDS REGIONAL MINISTERIAL BUDGET STATEMENT]
But today, I want to talk to you about why our cities are important, too.
Australia’s cities are home to more than two-thirds of our population.
Cities are not just places to live.
They welcome Australians and welcome bold ideas.
Cities are where challenges are solved, and opportunities are seized. And they generate around 80 per cent of Australia’s GDP.
Like the Committees for Capital Cities, our government is serious about building sustainable and vibrant cities.
Not to win a top ten spot in the Global Liveability Index, but because we know thriving cities mean a stronger Australia.
Cities and democracy
Our cities bring people together at scale.
They are our centres of business, education, technology, and a large slice of Australia’s social life.
They are also vital to our democracy.
Cities are home to our parliaments.
Where we come together to exchange and interrogate ideas.
It is in cities we find common ground, and where we turn diverse perspectives into a national direction.
Canberra is a great example of compromise in action.
Twenty years ago, Eskimo Joe made the cracking album, ‘A Song is a City.’ It is about Fremantle, where I grew up.
But I think if Canberra was an album, it would have many choices.
Jimmy Barnes’ ‘The Working Class Man’ would be a finalist.
Some would joke that Silverchair’s ‘Freak Show’ might be more appropriate.
I think the winner would be Paul Kelly’s landmark album ‘Gossip’.
Obviously lots of Gossip in this building.
The single ‘Before Too Long’ could equally be the story of the decade long battle to choose a site for our national capital.
At Canberra’s official naming ceremony on Capital Hill in 1913, Prime Minister Andrew Fisher said:
‘Here on this spot, in the near future, and, I hope the distant future too, the best thoughts of Australia will be given expression to.’
Of course, Canberra does not have a monopoly on Australia’s best thoughts.
But like all our cities and their parliaments, it is where ideas are tested and refined.
And where people and views from across our vast continent are represented in one place.
Roughly translated, ‘Canberra’ is the English version of the Ngunnawal word for ‘meeting place.’
As a proud Western Australian with a few hundred Nullarbor crossings under my belt, I know how important Canberra is to bringing people together.
But whether it is in Sydney, Adelaide or Brisbane, our cities are where citizens feel empowered to have their say.
In parliaments like this, Australians from all walks of life can shape the direction we take.
In short, cities are the engines of our democracy.
And those in the business of building great cities must also defend our great democracy.
City by city, citizen by citizen we have to show that democracy serves the communities in which it exists.
Innovating to meet the big challenges
Cities are also where bold thoughts originate to become our new reality.
In Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s words, cities boost:
'… the creation, production, and exchange not just of goods and services, but also of ideas.'
A recent report from the CSIRO and the Tech Council of Australia identified four digital technology ‘super clusters’ in Australia.
Like the world’s most famous cluster — Silicon Valley — companies in these regions grow faster, innovate more, and build national wealth.
It is probably no surprise that our super clusters are all in cities.
Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra.
The creativity in our cities is not a new phenomenon.
Cities have a proud history of world-leading innovation. Dr David Warren — whose father died tragically in a plane crash — invented the ‘black box’ flight recorder in Melbourne.
In Perth, Dr Fiona Wood pioneered the ‘spray on skin’ technique for treating burns.
The PERC solar cell was invented at UNSW in Sydney.
And, here in Canberra, the CSIRO gave us Wi-Fi, polymer bank notes, and even Aerogard.
This legacy of innovation lives on today, as new challenges abound.
None more pressing than climate change.
We know Australians want us to keep backing clean energy.
And our cities are coming up with innovative solutions.
Whether it is in solar critical minerals processing or low carbon liquid fuels.
We also know our cities produce most of Australia’s emissions.
Our National Urban Policy recognises the importance of lowering emissions in our cities, as well as making our urban spaces more resilient to a changing climate.
Measures like our Cheaper Home Batteries program will help us get there.
It is bringing down the cost of a typical solar battery by around $4,000.
And, by some estimates, could lead to more than a million new battery installations by 2030.
Helping to lower power costs and emissions in our cities and beyond.
And the Public Service is doing our bit too.
More than 80 per cent of the APS is based in our cities.
And our APS operations are working towards Net Zero by 2030.
Investing in our cities
Like you, our government understands we cannot take our cities for granted.
The Prime Minister has called cities policy an ‘abiding passion’ of his time in public life.
I am honoured to be his Assistant Minister and the local member for Perth, Australia’s west coast capital.
I have already mentioned our National Urban Policy, which we released last year.
It sets our Government’s highest priorities for Australia’s cities.
Creating jobs and opportunities.
Unlocking affordable housing.
Building safe and vibrant communities, and more.
We are backing the strategy with investment in our cities, right around the nation.
Through our Thriving Suburbs Program, we have committed $350 million over three years to community infrastructure in our cities and suburbs.
Supporting everything from a sports pavilion in Hobart, to a Portuguese club in Perth.
And our $150 million urban Precincts and Partnership Program is bringing together governments, communities and businesses to co-design new urban precincts.
But it is people that make our cities thrive.
That means housing for all, not just some.
So, through our $43 billion housing agenda, we are:
- Cutting red tape.
- Delivering more social and affordable housing.
- And making it easier for Australians to buy their first home.
We are backing our cities to keep innovating, too.
We have partnered with the state government and industry to invest more than $200 million in South East Queensland’s health and biotech sectors.
This will not just lead to better health outcomes — it will help us turn our world-class research into economic gains.
Perth's answer to the Sydney Opera House
I mentioned the Committee For Perth’s Boorloo Kworp — or ‘Perth is Good’ report.
This was part of ongoing advocacy that I have been part of since 2019 for an Aboriginal Cultural Centre in Perth.
The Commonwealth and WA governments are working together to make this a reality.
We have invested $52 million in the development phase.
The Aboriginal Cultural Centre in Perth is an opportunity for the west coast capital of Australia to finally have an architectural answer to the Sydney Opera House.
The architects are preparing possible designs right now.
My message to them is simple:
This project must be one of the great pieces of 21st century Australian architecture.
Do not think small.
WA has the private wealth to make sure this is not just a government effort.
But a true partnership, led by the first peoples of this continent and sharing culture with visitors from across the world.
Connecting our cities
I have touched on the power of cities in bringing people together.
But none of it is possible without transport infrastructure.
Which is why we are backing city transport across the country.
Road and rail connections to the new Western Sydney International Airport.
Working with the Western Australian government to launch the METRONET rail system in Perth.
And helping to connect the outer suburbs of the world’s longest city in the process.
Right around the nation, we will keep investing in our cities.
Because successful cities mean a successful Australia.
Conclusion
None of this is to say we think the Commonwealth can build better cities on our own.
Quite the opposite.
Our government knows we need to work with partners across government, business, and our communities to make them even more prosperous.
The Committees for Capital Cities are front and centre in this effort.
Together, I am confident we can build more equitable and sustainable cities for future generations.
Enjoy today’s event.
Thank you.