Tomorrow's Canberra

From the Film Australia Collection. Made by the Commonwealth Film Unit 1972. Directed by Fred Schepisi. Of particular interest to those involved in urban planning, this film describes the general development of Canberra as Australia’s national capital and as an inland metropolis. It portrays the Canberra of the late 1960s and outlines the planning techniques and systems used to put into effect programs for the development of “the Canberra of tomorrow”. The film takes the viewer through the city, showing the pattern of current development, and gives as insight into discussions between personnel of Canberra’s planning and development authority - the National Capital Development Commission - and advisory committees and associated departments regarding projects such as the Parliamentary Triangle and Tuggeranong.

[@duncanyourmate2433]

Well done Fred ,& then Commonwealth Film Unit

[@simonf8902]

Fred Schepsi. Very talented director.

[@MultiDesignGuy]

So this is the national capital planning committee members in 1972, mmm we certainly need them back the NCDC legacy is being squandered apace...

[@avidtom52]

It is interesting to note that the discussions the planning committee were having about a future and permanent parliament house and the prominence it must have in the city vistas. There was at this time (1972) where there was no consideration of siting the parliament on Capital Hill, where it is now placed.
Capital Hill is only discussed here by the highest levels of the Commission as a traffic engineering device and as a distributor of road traffic out of the parliamentary area with two concentric ring roads! Just a big round-about. Inspired!! No thoughts then of this hill being a special place.
There was a lack of clarity of where the parliament site should be as the Griffin Plan had by then been so compromised by the NCDC and its predecessors. At making of this video, the NCDC was still recovering from Prime Minister Menzies influence and departure in 1966, as Menzies had previously made a very clear preference for a lakeside site as recommended by Lord Holford, with the parliament reflecting in the waters of the lake, somewhat like the houses of parliament at Westminster. All were major departures from the original Griffin Plan and very typical of the anglophile Menzies since the 1950s.
So in this video, the preference for siting parliament house has shifted back to immediately behind the provisional parliament building, with obvious incongruencies.
The matter was finally settled AFTER the time of making this video, when Prime Minister Whitlam brought a bill to the Australian parliament to decide the site in 1975. The choice offered to the parliament was firstly, the site by the lake (as preferred by Menzies) or secondly the site on Capital Hill that had previously not been considered. The Capital Hill site however avoided the conflict with the provisional parliament house and its by then rather dated architecture. However, both sites were in conflict with the Griffin Plan, which placed the parliament on Camp Hill already used by the provisional building, with Capital Hill being a place reserved for the people and over the parliament.
So in that vote between the Lakites and the Hillites, the Hillites won! Simple as that really.
Great work to preserve this film material.

[@sew747]

Awesome!

[@FlyxPat]

The Y plan disaster. 40x25 kms for 500k people.

[@Angryetigaming]

My brother used to work at Canberra’s museum also known as the war memorial

[@markwilkins8314]

A lot of plummy voices

[@freedomcall5233]

TRIANGLE??? why does it have to be triangular? a circular structure symbolically would have been appropriate, NO EDGES in true representation of the Earth and the universe we live in, architecture is just that, against the natural a man made artificial construct to better suite the sign of the times, away from Nature, perhapes these sharp edges represent the cutting corners that parliaments so adequately good at and the structures themselves a standing testament symbolic of their nefarious behaviours. IN NO WAY ILLISTRATING DIVINE NATURE.

[@jesusislukeskywalker4294]

some say freemasons eye of providence thingy.... same reason there's a giant pyramid on the roof of the new parliament house. and to others: a wink and a nod

[@PS-nf3xw]

Indian parliament is reconsidered as a triangle

[@godsinbox]

it has a curved top, so its more like an icecream shape.
YOU LIKE ICECREAM DON'T YOU?

[@Laconic-ws4bz]

DAG and CULTURAL CRINGE ALERT. Back when Aussies were 2nd hand Brits and journo's and others of strange repute tried to emulate the poncy upper class English accent. The meetings had great choreography. White and yellow shirts, black ties, suit jackets with shinny bum trousers. 24 hour liquor licence and brothels with half a dozen servo's on each block. No front fences for the AFP to bother with when attending regular murder/suicides in the bush capital. When asked young man 'what does your father do in the public service'. I replied 'not a pube' but a fencer. I might be a 'cordy' as my hair was short and didn't wear denim, when asked I stated a detached public servant but didn't get a discount at Gowrie hostel. The Civic hotel and the AMF bowls in Civic, every where sold booze and the corner shop/milk bars often sold dope.