The Federal Government says it will need councils to help it deliver the Smart Policy pillar of its Smart Cities Plan.

The plan aims to improve the liveability, productivity and connectivity of our major cities, and Assistant Minister for Cities, Angus Taylor, has acknowledged local government will be an important partner in delivering the Government's ‘City Deals’.

Mr Taylor says the plan will rely on collaboration across all tiers of government, as well as the private sector and the community, to realise the full potential of our cities.

“The work required to deliver the Smart Cities Plan is a logical extension to the work of many councils in local and regional economic development,” the Australian Local Government Association said in a statement this week.

“[This includes] the identified opportunities to: facilitate plans to meet the gap between infrastructure needs and the fiscal capacity of governments through value capture; deliver 'Cities Deals' to make our cities more liveable and productive; and provide the data collected through local government services to help make our cities smarter,” ALGA says.

“In this respect, it is vital that the Commonwealth and states actively engage with local government as a crucial partner and we welcome Minister Taylor's recognition of this as an important factor of the Smart Cities Plan.

“ALGA, and councils across Australia, look forward to working with the Australian Government, and state governments, on opportunities to progress the cities agenda through the announced $50 million infrastructure planning program, which aims to accelerate planning and development for major infrastructure projects.

“We also look forward to working with the Infrastructure Financing Unit which will be established to look at innovative financing solutions for major infrastructure projects.”