Canberra 2030 Outcomes Report

The biggest consultation exercise in ACT Government history also showed that people want to see greenhouse gas emissions reduced and planning laws that allow new homes to be more sustainable.

Canberrans have told us in their tens of thousands how they want their city to look in 20 years' time and now it is up to the Government to ensure those opinions are included as we plan for the future.

One of the interesting perspectives in Time to Talk is that the community acknowledges that future development in existing areas will increasingly need to take place close to our town centres and transport links

Having the enormous amount of feedback gained through Time to Talk means that we can include these views as these strategies are developed.

Although the initial round of Time to Talk had ended, this is an ongoing process with more detailed consultations to be undertaken this year on transport, planning, sustainability and climate change.

The Time to Talk consultation was carried out in late 2010. It saw 20,000 people visit the dedicated website, with almost 34,000 opinions and comments posted. Almost 2,500 people participated in online and telephone surveys while hundreds more attended face-to-face forums, focus groups, workshops and provided opinions via postcards and the media.

The feedback underlined the broad, sometimes opposing, views people held on critical issues. For example, some challenged the inevitability of the ACT's population growth, although there was a general acceptance that the Territory will grow and so adequate infrastructure and services must be provided.

One of the biggest successes of Time to Talk had been its ability to engage with all age groups in Canberra, including the younger residents.

Thanks to this engagement, we know that young people showed a strong preference for a more compact city. 

The most consistently strong message was that they wanted to ensure Canberra had a clean and healthy environment.

There was also the need to provide convenient and inexpensive public transport; ensure that planning allowed for easy access to work and social spaces and a need to increase employment opportunities through industry.

The next steps during this year will involve the Government reviewing policies. This means identifying where increased density can occur, how we can reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, how we can make sustainable transport options more convenient and accessible, and it means identifying what quality we want our city and neighbourhoods to look and ‘feel' like."

The report is available to view and download at http://www.canberra2030.org.au/