The Federal Government has announced $28.5 million for 52 projects around Australia in the first round of funding for the Smart Cities and Suburbs program.
About 40% of the program funding will go to projects in regional areas.
Darwin was the big winner, scoring $5 million for its Smart Technology Project. The City of Darwin and the Northern Territory Government will both contribute $2.5 million to see the $10 million project become a reality.
As a member of IPWEA’s Street Lighting and Smart Controls (SLSC) Programme technical advisory group (TAG), IPWEA CEO Robert Fuller congratulated Darwin on its successful grant bid, which will allow the city to install smart LED lighting.
In Bicentennial Park, smart lighting will include sound monitoring to detect people in distress and potentially notify policy and emergency services. The free wifi network will be expanded in key tourist and shopping areas, and smart parking sensors will indicate available parking.
CCTV cameras will also be installed in various locations around the city.
Assistant Minister for Cities and Digital Transformation Angus Taylor said the project would literally ‘switch on’ the city.
“This will be a multi-layered communication network to let Darwin plug in different types of technologies,” he said.
“The Smart Cities and Suburbs Program wants to support clever ideas that fix problems and can be replicated in other places, particularly in the outer suburbs of our cities and the regions.
“We’ve already agreed to work with the NT Government on a future City Deal for Darwin, and this project will support the City Deal’s aim of creating a more vibrant and liveable city and revitalising Darwin’s CBD.”
City of Darwin Lord Mayor Kon Vatskalis said the funding would help the city develop leading edge infrastructure that was aligned with the city’s vision and digital strategy.
“This is a really exciting time for Darwin and I look forward to working with the Australian Government, Northern Territory Government and other key stakeholders to transform Darwin into a smarter city.”
Round two of the $50 million Smart Cities and Suburbs Program is expected to open in the first half of 2018.