National Capital Plan (December 1990)
Explanatory StatementExplanatory Statement
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Explanatory Statement
Section 9 of the Australian Capital Territory (Planning and Land Management) Act 1988 (the Act) states that the object of the National Capital Plan (the Plan) is to ensure that Canberra and the Territory are planned and developed in accordance with their national significance.
In order to establish an effective relationship between the Commonwealth’s role in the planning and development of Canberra and the Territory as the National Capital, and the ACT Government’s role in the planning and development of the Territory in the interests of good government of the Territory, it is essential to have an understanding of the implications and intent of the concept of ‘national significance’ as presented in the Plan.
Part One provides a narrative describing the national significance of Canberra and the Territory. This narrative describes the aspiration of our forebears and the subsequent selection of the site for the nation’s capital, the winning plan for a city which now symbolises Australian democracy, the values, ideas and achievements of Australian people, and the city as a place of foreign representation. Following this narrative, a series of ‘matters of national significance’ are nominated. These matters of national significance are those considered vital to advancing the aspects of Canberra and the Territory which are special to the character of the city and to the National Capital role.
Having regard to the national significance of Canberra and the Territory and the matters of national significance, Part One specifies Designated Areas in accordance with section 10(1) of the Act. These areas represent those places and spaces deemed to have the special characteristics of the National Capital.