First round of Smart Cities and Suburbs grants allocated

Assistant Minister for Cities and Digital Transformation Angus Taylor has announced the recipients of the first grants under the federal Smart Cities and Suburbs program, awarding $28.5 million to 52 projects across Australia.

The program intends to support projects that apply innovative smart technology solutions to urban problems, encouraging collaborative initiatives involving local governments, the private sector, research organisations and not-for-profit bodies to improve the livability, productivity and sustainability of Australian cities, suburbs and towns.

The new grants include $5 million in funding for Darwin to install CCTV cameras, smart street lighting and parking sensors across the CBD. Smart lighting deployed in the city’s Bicentennial Park will include sound monitoring to detect people in distress and potentially notify emergency services. The city’s free Wi-Fi network will also be expanded in key tourist and shopping areas.

Perth has meanwhile been awarded $6 million in technology grants under the program, which includes $9 million in co-investment. Of this, $8.26 million will go to the City of Fremantle to fund renewable energy generation and storage, rainwater storage and distribution, and an electric vehicle shared ownership trial program.

In addition, $1 million has been allocated for a program from the University of Western Australia and the City of Wanneroo to use real-time rail travel data to improve development of stations along the Metronet expansion, while $2.63 million will go towards building communications facilities around the new Perth Stadium.

In South Perth, $980,000 will be spent on a trial of driverless electric shuttles to reduce congestion. In Joondalup, $2.05 million will be allocated for a monitoring system to better manage the Yellagonga wetlands.

Queensland’s Moreton Bay Regional Council has meanwhile been awarded a $450,000 grant to implement a smart parking project in North Lakes, in which local streets will be upgraded with digital street signs that will tell drivers how many free parking spaces are available on a given street. A smartphone app will also be developed with a virtual map of free and occupied spaces updated in real time. Moreton Bay Regional Council will match the federal government’s contribution.

The city of Greater Geelong in Victoria will be provided with a $415,000 grant for a similar initiative that includes installing parking sensors to indicate parking availability. In addition, the city will install ‘smart street furniture’ which will provide high-speed Wi-Fi across the city, LED streetlights that can boost brightness to reduce street crime, air and water quality sensors, touch screens and a public address system. The city and private partners will contribute $518,000 in joint funding towards the project.

The Australian Smart Communities Association (ASCA), the peak body for smart city organisations, has welcomed the announcement of the grants, in particular the presence of so many ASCA members among the recipients.

“We congratulate the government on this important initiative and express our members’ sincere thanks to Assistant Minister for Cities and Digital Transformation Angus Taylor for his support for these projects, each of which will contribute to improving the lives of the people in those communities,” said ASCA’s new CEO, Laurie Patton.

“We look forward to working with the federal government to ensure that Australia is a global leader in the deployment of smart technologies.”

Patton said the grants are indicative of the growing support in government circles for organisations deploying smart technologies that will positively transform our communities. He noted that there is “already a good deal of energy at local government level, [but] we’ll need Canberra and the states and territories on board if we are to become world class”.

More funding announcements will be made as part of Round Two of the program, early next year.

Image credit: ©fabioberti.it/Dollar Photo Club