The Coalition Government has released their Smart Cities policy that, if re-elected, will see the establishment of a Sustainable Cities investment fund, a Smart Cities and Suburbs Program, and subsequent City Deals, including Western Sydney.

The Sustainable Cities Investment Fund will provide $100 million towards precinct-scale renewable energy plants, transport management systems, green buildings and retrofits to improve affordable housing. The Fund will be administered through the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, and managed to ensure allocation to projects with strong business cases and a reliable pool of funding that will boost investment from the private sector.

A $50 million Smart Cities and Suburbs Program for local governments was also announced, which will incentivise the use of innovative technology by councils to analyse their data and identify urban problems and their solutions.

Green Building Council Australia says it is a good start towards recognising industry recommendations and they look forward to further details on how the management process for both funds will be kept accountable and ensure best practice.

A city deal for Western Sydney is one of the first projects announced to benefit from the new funds, with a partnership between the NSW Government and local councils set to leverage the projected growth and opportunities for jobs, affordable housing and transport links, provided by the Western Sydney Airport development.

Property Council of Australia commended the joint initiative that will create a strategic approach to building a strong economy for the area. They also praised a proposal from the opposition to allocate $400 million to Western Sydney rail, awaiting independent assessment by Infrastructure Australia, as a complementary move in the right direction.

Read the Coalition’s policy here.