CHIEF Minister Katy Gallagher paints a bleak picture in her opinion piece published today of a city about to be slammed with unfair and lopsided job losses.

She is right when she says Canberra's employment market will always be heavily skewed by the public sector, and therefore suffer more than most cities when that sector is cut back.

But despite the many calls of complaint since Tuesday from local business groups and politicians, one thing seems clear – there has never been, and is unlikely to ever be much sympathy beyond the ACT border for the disproportionate impact of public servant job cuts on our city.

Clearly there will be an impact, if the Budget goes through, but complaining that it is unfair is unlikely to achieve much when  the body the message is directed at – the federal government –doesn't seem particularly interested. Few of the calls for assistance – such as helping build a new convention centre – are met with a positive response, and the Prime Minister has reportedly even stopped returning calls from the Chief Minister.

Which leaves only one alternative. It isencumbent on those who have prospered in this city and who have enjoyed the great lifestyle and opportunities on offer, to help paint a roadmap for future growth.

To this end, it is encouraging to see Ms Gallagher has already put in place plans for a high-level advisory group and a series of round-table discussions with some of Canberra's most successful entrepreneurs. 

Hopefully those involved in those discussions will focus on the opportunities, rather than the negative impacts, and come up with bold, creative proposals for stimulating economic activity.

For too long the fortunes of Canberra have risen and fallen on the whim of the Commonwealth. This will always be the case to some degree, but as a mature city, we need to have diversity to ensure our community continues to prosper, continues to provide opportunity to our young people entering the workforce, and continues to be attractive to the best and brightest talent beyond our borders. 

It will not be an easy task, and will require collaboration, unity and a willingness to take risks that may ultimately end in failure. 

History is littered with examples of communities initiating major projects during periods of economic depression, when finding funding for such projects is at its hardest. With the Canberra community entering uncertain times, our greatest hopes of riding out the downturn lie with moving on from analysing the negatives to focusing all our efforts on the opportunities to innovate.

With a positive attitude and a willingness to change, this could become a pivotal moment for our city that will leave a legacy for generations to come.