Multifunction Polis
Encyclopedia
The Multifunction Polis (MFP) was a controversial proposal for a planned community
in Australia
first proposed in 1987 which was abandoned in 1998.
The MFP was to have an initial population of over 100,000 and include futuristic villages containing housing, education, employment and recreation.
A modern communication system was proposed to attract high tech industry. Asian
investors were targeted as the source of funds for infrastructure, with an emphasis on Japan
ese investors.
Several locations were put forward and in 1990, a site north of Adelaide
was selected. The proposal generated considerable opposition in Australia, and many viewed the project as a virtual Japanese settlement on Australian soil. However funding for the MFP never eventuated.
in January 1987 in Canberra
.
It was billed as "a multifunctional facility (which) would incorporate future oriented high technology and leisure facilities and could promote international exchange in the Pacific Region on new industry and lifestyle."
An early draft, produced a month after the initial meeting, described the Multifunction Polis as a "cosmopolis to become a forum for international exchange in the region and a model for new industries and new lifestyles looking ahead to the twenty-first century."
Originally proposed for the Gold Coast
The Committee For Melbourne
lobbied strongly throughout 1990 for the MFP to be the centrepiece for a redevelopment of Melbourne Docklands
. However the Melbourne bid fell through.
In 1990, northern Adelaide
was selected.
A Japanese press release said the Multifunction Polis will be "a place of providing, gathering, and reproducing information of diverse aspects, strata, and form, as well as relaxation, comfort, surprise, joy, entertainment and intellectual stimulation."
A rumor spread around Australia that 200,000 Japanese wanted to settle in the Multifunction Polis.
The Multifunction Polis project failed to attract the investment required, and the Australian Federal Government withdrew funding in 1996. In 1998, the Premier of South Australia
, John Olsen
officially announced its demise.
The cost of the failed project to the Australian taxpayer was $150 million.
Former Labor South Australian Shadow Treasurer, John Quirke, described the MFP saga as one of the most bizarre development projects in Australia's history. Denis Gastin, who headed the feasibility study into the project, said the demise of the Multifunction Polis was an embarrassment to the nation internationally.
"It's an international embarrassment that we deliberately sought and captured international attention for a project that we did not deliver," said Gastin. "South Australia had a chance to do something that would make the nation take it more seriously but what history shows is it bit off more than it could chew."
leader, Andrew Peacock
, was especially critical of the Multifunction Polis proposal, as was RSL
president Brigadier Alf Garland. Peacock and Garland both argued that the Multifunction Polis would become an 'Asian enclave'.
The Daily Mirror
newspaper at the time published huge numbers of readers' letters attacking the Multifunction Polis and Asian
immigration.
Victorian
RSL
President Bruce Ruxton
said the Multifunction Polis would become a "Jap City".
The area is now occupied by Technology Park Adelaide and Mawson Lakes. Technology Park features mostly high-tech industrial businesses and the adjacent Mawson Lakes is a mostly residential development set around several artificial lakes. It features a mix of low and medium density housing, nearly all of modern design. There are also numerous shops, cafes, restaurants, a hotel, and office based businesses in Mawson Central (the business district of Mawson Lakes). All homes and businesses in the area feature reticulated water for use in toilets and lawn watering, and a home management system which controls lighting, air-conditioning, and security installations. The layout of Mawson Lakes and Technology Park is designed to encourage residents to cycle or walk rather than drive, and there is also a centrally located bus and train interchange. Many educational and recreational facilities exist adjacent to Mawson Lakes including a University and Golf Course.
Planned community
A planned community, or planned city, is any community that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed in a previously undeveloped area. This contrasts with settlements that evolve in a more ad hoc fashion. Land use conflicts are less frequent in planned communities since...
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
first proposed in 1987 which was abandoned in 1998.
The MFP was to have an initial population of over 100,000 and include futuristic villages containing housing, education, employment and recreation.
A modern communication system was proposed to attract high tech industry. Asian
Asian people
Asian people or Asiatic people is a term with multiple meanings that refers to people who descend from a portion of Asia's population.- Central Asia :...
investors were targeted as the source of funds for infrastructure, with an emphasis on Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese investors.
Several locations were put forward and in 1990, a site north of Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
was selected. The proposal generated considerable opposition in Australia, and many viewed the project as a virtual Japanese settlement on Australian soil. However funding for the MFP never eventuated.
History
The Multifunction Polis was first proposed at a Japanese / Australian ministerial meeting between Japanese Trade Minister Hajima Tamura and Australia's Senator John ButtonJohn Button
John Norman Button was an Australian politician, who served as a senior minister in the Hawke and Keating Labor governments...
in January 1987 in Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
.
It was billed as "a multifunctional facility (which) would incorporate future oriented high technology and leisure facilities and could promote international exchange in the Pacific Region on new industry and lifestyle."
An early draft, produced a month after the initial meeting, described the Multifunction Polis as a "cosmopolis to become a forum for international exchange in the region and a model for new industries and new lifestyles looking ahead to the twenty-first century."
Originally proposed for the Gold Coast
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
The Committee For Melbourne
Committee For Melbourne
The Committee for Melbourne is a non-profit organisation based in Melbourne, Australia, made up of businesses and organisation. The Committee was founded in 1985 to bring together businesses, academia and non-profit organisations to do activities, networking, and policy advice to government...
lobbied strongly throughout 1990 for the MFP to be the centrepiece for a redevelopment of Melbourne Docklands
Melbourne Docklands
Docklands is an inner city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia occupying an area extending up to 2 km west of and adjacent to Melbourne's Central Business District . Its Local Government Area is the City of Melbourne...
. However the Melbourne bid fell through.
In 1990, northern Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
was selected.
A Japanese press release said the Multifunction Polis will be "a place of providing, gathering, and reproducing information of diverse aspects, strata, and form, as well as relaxation, comfort, surprise, joy, entertainment and intellectual stimulation."
A rumor spread around Australia that 200,000 Japanese wanted to settle in the Multifunction Polis.
The Multifunction Polis project failed to attract the investment required, and the Australian Federal Government withdrew funding in 1996. In 1998, the Premier of South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
, John Olsen
John Olsen
John Wayne Olsen, AO was Premier of South Australia between 28 November 1996 and 22 October 2001.-Parliament:Olsen was a member of the Liberal Party and Member of Parliament for more than 20 years...
officially announced its demise.
The cost of the failed project to the Australian taxpayer was $150 million.
Former Labor South Australian Shadow Treasurer, John Quirke, described the MFP saga as one of the most bizarre development projects in Australia's history. Denis Gastin, who headed the feasibility study into the project, said the demise of the Multifunction Polis was an embarrassment to the nation internationally.
"It's an international embarrassment that we deliberately sought and captured international attention for a project that we did not deliver," said Gastin. "South Australia had a chance to do something that would make the nation take it more seriously but what history shows is it bit off more than it could chew."
Opposition to the Multifunction Polis
Liberal PartyLiberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
leader, Andrew Peacock
Andrew Peacock
Andrew Sharp Peacock AC, GCL , is a former Australian Liberal politician. He was a minister in the Gorton, McMahon and Fraser governments, and was federal leader of the Liberal Party of Australia 1983–1985 and 1989–1990...
, was especially critical of the Multifunction Polis proposal, as was RSL
Returned and Services League of Australia
The Returned and Services League of Australia is a support organisation for men and women who have served or are serving in the Australian Defence Force ....
president Brigadier Alf Garland. Peacock and Garland both argued that the Multifunction Polis would become an 'Asian enclave'.
The Daily Mirror
The Daily Mirror (Australia)
The Daily Mirror was an afternoon paper established by Ezra Norton in Sydney, Australia in 1941, gaining a licence from the Minister for Trade and Customs, Eric Harrison, despite wartime paper rationing. In October 1958, Norton and his partners sold his newspapers to the Fairfax group, which...
newspaper at the time published huge numbers of readers' letters attacking the Multifunction Polis and Asian
Asian people
Asian people or Asiatic people is a term with multiple meanings that refers to people who descend from a portion of Asia's population.- Central Asia :...
immigration.
Victorian
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
RSL
Returned and Services League of Australia
The Returned and Services League of Australia is a support organisation for men and women who have served or are serving in the Australian Defence Force ....
President Bruce Ruxton
Bruce Ruxton
Bruce Caryle Ruxton AM, OBE is an Australian ex-serviceman and former President of the Victorian Returned and Services League.-Early life:Ruxton grew up in Kew, Victoria...
said the Multifunction Polis would become a "Jap City".
Current status
Eventually development did proceed on the Northern Adelaide site around the year 2000. The South Australian Government in conjunction with developer Delfin Lend Lease have developed the site along similar lines to what was proposed for the multi-function polis, although that name was dropped due to the controversy that had surrounded it.The area is now occupied by Technology Park Adelaide and Mawson Lakes. Technology Park features mostly high-tech industrial businesses and the adjacent Mawson Lakes is a mostly residential development set around several artificial lakes. It features a mix of low and medium density housing, nearly all of modern design. There are also numerous shops, cafes, restaurants, a hotel, and office based businesses in Mawson Central (the business district of Mawson Lakes). All homes and businesses in the area feature reticulated water for use in toilets and lawn watering, and a home management system which controls lighting, air-conditioning, and security installations. The layout of Mawson Lakes and Technology Park is designed to encourage residents to cycle or walk rather than drive, and there is also a centrally located bus and train interchange. Many educational and recreational facilities exist adjacent to Mawson Lakes including a University and Golf Course.