PROLOGUE

James Birrell
Chairman, Parliamentary Advisory Panel
Member, National Capital Authority

The National Capital Plan nominates Canberra’s ‘Parliamentary Zone’ as:

... the physical manifestation of Australian democratic government and the home of the nation’s most important cultural and judicial institutions and symbols.

Parliament House on Capital Hill, directly above Old Parliament House, sits at the apex of the Parliamentary Zone, with a magnificent visual connection to the Australian War Memorial along Walter Burley Griffin’s Land Axis of the capital.

Parallel to the foreshore of Lake Burley Griffin are the High Court of Australia, National Gallery of Australia, National Library of Australia and the National Science and Technology Centre. Together with the National Archives of Australia, these institutions make the Parliamentary Zone the most visited and highly visible area of the Nation’s Capital.

With the start of a new millennium and the celebration of the Centenary of Federation in 2001, it is fitting that the Parliamentary Zone should be reviewed to ensure that its meaning and relevance as a symbol of Australian unity endure for this, and future generations.

Therefore, at the request of the Commonwealth Government of Australia, the National Capital Authority has undertaken a strategic review of the Parliamentary Zone.

The aim has been to refresh and promulgate the historical vision for the Zone and to provide innovative and practical ways of translating this vision into reality.

Because of the significance of the task and the potential benefits for all Australians, the Authority established a panel of eminent people to guide the review and advise the Authority. This substantially increased the expertise available to the Authority and allowed a very high calibre of relevant experience to be applied to the task.

The Parliamentary Zone Advisory Panel was required to advise on the review process and on the future management of the Zone. The panel also had to consider the Zone’s history, stakeholder’s interest and consultations, the future promotion of the Zone, the funding and investment implications of proposals, and the implications of current works in progress.

The panel members comprised:

• Mr James Birrell, Chairman of the panel and member of the National Capital Authority;
• Mr. Michael Ball, an eminent businessman and one of Australia’s most successful advertising executives;
• Mr. Romaldo Giurgola, AO, an architect of international repute and principal design architect with Mitchell/Giurgola and Thorp, architects for Australia’s Parliament House;
• Ms Geraldine O'Brien, a reporter of distinction on matters of heritage, environment and planning with the Sydney Morning Herald;
• Professor James Weirick, Professor of Landscape Architecture at the University of New South Wales and a leading scholar on the work of Walter Burley Griffin and his wife, Marion Mahony Griffin.

I was pleased to be the Authority member nominated as Chairman of the panel.

At its inaugural meeting, the panel developed a Statement of Principles, which has focused and directed the review.

The core principle is:

The Parliamentary Zone will be given meaning as:

The Place of the People, accessible to all Australians so that they can more fully understand and appreciate the collective experience and rich diversity of this country.

The Statement of Principles has provided a frame of reference against which all the critical issues and proposed initiatives have been appraised.

As the review advanced, the panel was presented with a number of background papers and briefings on issues, consultations, initiatives and business planning. The members spirited advice and positive direction have been invaluable to the project team.

The outcome of the review is a comprehensive framework for enhancement of the Parliamentary Zone as The Place of the People.

The recommended initiatives evolved from an appreciation of the role and significance of the Parliamentary Zone, a critical appraisal of previous schemes for the area, an assessment of its present and future needs, an understanding of Australians’ perceptions of their National Capital, and wide consultation. These establish both the needs of the institutions located in the Zone, and the aspirations of Australians at large for their National Capital.

The initiatives are robust, achievable and vital to the National Capital. Chief amongst these are a new major lakeside public place, several new pedestrian spaces, the development of a ‘campus’ planning system, a cultural policy and a walking track to interpret Australian history and achievements. Any construction works will require the approval of Parliament in accordance with the Parliament Act 1974.

The Statement of Implementation sets realistic targets for key works to mark the Centenary of Federation in 2001 and for the 2013 centenary of the naming of the Capital of Australia as Canberra.

Importantly, if the principles and objectives of the review are supported through amendments to the National Capital Plan, they will enhance that plan’s current provisions and replace the 1986 Parliamentary Zone Development Plan.

The National Capital Authority has endorsed this report and agrees with the initiatives it proposes and recommendations for their implementation.

With this report, the work of the Parliamentary Zone Advisory Panel has come to a conclusion. I thank the panel for their excellent guidance and remarkable enthusiasm. The National Capital Authority commends their commitment to the Parliamentary Zone, Australia’s Place of the People.