David Pocock (ACT, Independent) | Link to this | Hansard source

A little over a week ago the Prime Minister announced the establishment of a new national capital investment framework in partnership with the ACT government. This is what community members across the Canberra region have been calling for for a long time now—a partnership and framework to realise an ambitious vision for Canberra's future.

Canberra is the fastest-growing capital city in the country and has suffered from decades of underinvestment. The ACT is the only jurisdiction to not have signed one of the 12 city deals or regional deals since 2016. These deals included almost $10 billion of Commonwealth money, matched in many cases by states and territories, and the ACT has received zero dollars of that. Forward thinking and coordinated investment can transform Canberra. It can set us up for the future as a growing city in our own right and as a national capital that Australians can be proud of.

I look forward to continuing to engage with our community and collaborate with my parliamentary colleagues on this. We need to ensure that the National Capital Investment Framework meets community expectations and delivers the infrastructure we need. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build Canberra's future, and I look forward to engaging with all the various community groups, stakeholders and businesses who've been crying out for investment in infrastructure that will increase visits to the national capital, with conferences and major events.