The federal opposition has announced its intention to embed a smart cities agenda in its National Urban Policy, a policy developed when Labor was last in power from 2007 through 2013.
While there are examples in cities and towns across Australia of smart technology being used effectively, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Cities and Regional Development Anthony Albanese said there is no unifying framework at a national level to facilitate a genuine smart cities agenda.
According to Albanese, a one-off program can provide targeted investment that gets projects and trials off the ground; however it is "no driver of change".
"Like it or not, technology is changing the way we live, the way we work and the way we play," Albanese told the Australian Smart Communities Conference in Melbourne on Friday.
"Keeping pace, not just as individuals but also as cities and towns, remains a challenge. It is up to policy makers, experts and government to ensure that all people benefit from advancements in technology."
The Labor shadow minister believes that without a National Urban Policy, it is very hard to have a smart cities policy.
"That's why I'm announcing today that a federal Labor government would embed a smart cities agenda in our national urban policy," he said. "This builds on our legacy from when we were last in government where we released 'Our Cities, Our Future' -- Australia's first ever comprehensive National Urban Policy.
"Labor is committed to integrating a smart cities agenda in our National Urban Policy because we know that technology has a key role to play in improving the productivity, sustainability, and liveability of our cities."
Albanese said the initial challenge with smart cities is defining