Public consultation continues on Smart Cities technology

The federal government’s Smart Cities and Suburbs Program draft guidelines have been released for public consultations, with communities given the opportunity to provide their feedback.

The aim of the program is to employ new technology ideas not yet seen in Australia, and which take a ‘people-first’ approach.

When the first funding round opens in the second quarter of 2017, eligible applicants will be able to apply for up to $5 million in federal grant funding. At least $10 million will be available to support smaller projects with a total value under $1 million.

The program has been designed to accelerate the rollout of ready-to-deploy projects, and to provide support and incubation for projects in their early stages.

So far there have been more than 800 downloads of the guidelines.

“We’ve had significant interest in the draft guidelines and I encourage the public and stakeholders to take advantage of the opportunity to have a say on the program before consultation closes,” said Assistant Minister for Cities and Digital Transformation, Angus Taylor.

“Communities of all sizes will be able to apply for funding under the program. We’re looking for digital and data solutions which solve everyday urban problems and have the potential to be scaled up and delivered Australia-wide.

“The projects must place the citizen at the centre. Smart cities need to take a people-first approach to designing and delivering responsive public services, with the help of smart technologies.”

Stakeholders interested in the program can download the draft guidelines and provide comment until 20 January through the government’s Cities website: cities.dpmc.gov.au.

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