Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2025C00174:front:0:p8
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2025C00174
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 20618–23584

a 'great and beautiful city', has ensured that the immediate landscape setting of the City as well as the distant mountains in the Australian Capital Territory have been consciously protected from development; has protected the environment of the ACT from excessive pollution; has created the open space system which separates individual towns yet binds the whole together into the city of Canberra; and has preserved the integrity of land and buildings for national purposes.
As the seat of Australia's robust democracy, Canberra provides the Australian community with public spaces for vibrant exchange between the citizenry and their parliamentary representatives. Canberra has been the site for momentous decisions and movements for change that have impacted on the lives of all Australians and continue to resonate today.
The city is significant for its role in commemoration – the celebration of people, events or ideas that have meaning and value for the community, and sites or objects which are a physical expression of prevailing ideas and beliefs of the Australian people. The central national areas of Canberra are home to the many commemorative works representing people, ideas and events that have cultural significance for the nation, which reflect the evolving values, ideas and aspirations of the Australian community, and which contribute to the education of all Australians by enhancing our sense of place and increasing our understanding of cultural diversity.
The major criteria defined in the aspirations of our first Members of Parliament and translated so eloquently in the Griffins' plans, are the keys to the character of the Canberra of today. These principles and the city they produced were judged to be of national significance when first espoused in 1907, and remain so today.
Matters of national significance in the planning and development of Canberra and the Territory include:

       * The pre‑eminence of the role of Canberra and the Territory as the centre of National Capital functions, and as the symbol of Australian national life and values.

       * Conservation and enhancement of the landscape features which give the National Capital its character and setting, and which contribute to the integration of natural and urban environments.

       * Respect for the key elements of the Griffins' formally adopted plan for Canberra.

       * Creation, conservation and enhancement of fitting sites, approaches and backdrops for national institutions and ceremonies as well as National Capital uses.

       * The development of a city which both respects environmental values and reflects national concerns with the sustainability of Australia's urban areas.

1.2 Designated Areas
In identifying lands that have the 'special characteristics of the National Capital' and deciding the extent of the Designated Areas, three primary factors are relevant:
•         Canberra hosts a wide range of national functions – activities