Two new Molonglo Valley suburbs will be named after prominent Australians who have contributed to change across the nation, the ACT government says.
The suburb of Bandler will be named after human rights advocate Ida Lessing Faith Bandler, who died in 2015. The suburb of Sulman will be name after architect and town planner Sir John Sulman, who died in 1934.
Bandler
Ms Bandler raised awareness for South Sea Islanders, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. She was also passionate about giving women a voice.
Her father was from Vanuatu and was taken to Australia in 1883 when he was 12. Her mother was Scottish-Indian and born in Brisbane.
Ms Bandler married Hans Bandler in 1952 and became involved in Indigenous politics as co-founder of the Aboriginal-Australian Fellowship in 1956.
The suburb is south-west of Belconnen and east of the new suburb of Whitlam.
Ms Bandler's daughter, associate professor Lilon Bandler, said her mother dedicated her life to "equality and justice".
"It is deeply moving to see her legacy honoured through the naming of this new suburb in Canberra, a city she visited many, many times," she said.
"As her daughter, I find it particularly fitting that the division of Bandler will be located next to the division of Whitlam. My mother often spoke of the importance of visionary leadership in creating social change."
Sulman
Sir John helped shape Canberra during its early development, including through a plan published for the capital in 1908.
Sir John's designs were used as inspiration for Civic's Melbourne and Sydney buildings, which use the colonnade design principle prominent throughout Canberra.
Sir John's great-grandson, emeritus professor David Carment, said his family were delighted by the honour.
"He deserves this recognition for his significant contributions to Australia as an architect, patron of the arts, town planner and writer, and particularly for his vital role in Canberra's development," he said.
"He was the unpaid but energetic chairman of the Federal Capital Advisory Committee between 1921 and 1924."
Planning Minister Chris Steel also announced themes for the naming of streets within each suburb.
"For Bandler, the theme will be 'Australian social and cultural life' and in Sulman it will be 'humanities and social sciences'," Mr Steel said.
Molonglo Valley now has seven suburbs. One more expected suburb is yet to be named.
The area is estimated to house 70,000 people once complete.
The National Capital Authority is considering whether to classify the area as a town centre .
