News - Government

Announcements like this one really have to make you wonder...

Instead of focussing on getting a pivotal first sale of a major office block happening in Gungahlin - what we need to start the ball rolling for provision of jobs in our area - the ACT Government decides to release yet another major inner city land parcel for sale.

This site is currently a 700-space car park. Apparently there will be a requirement for 1000 spaces to be made available over and above the requirements of the new building tenants.

Of course the Property Council of Australia's Catherine Carter was singing praises for this proposal - one of her constituents would likely be the developer who gets the project - while being strangely (but very temporarily) quiet on the project's impact on her pet subject of the so-called 'car-parking crisis'.

But back to the jobs likely lost to Gungahlin. We've just had the Federal budget and the proposed creation of another 5000-odd jobs for Canberra - an ideal opportunity to give government office space in Gungahlin the jump-start it really needs. And Mr Stanhope could have chosen to sell this block off at any stage over coming years â- it's only going to increase in value.

Why now? Why stifle a golden opportunity for Gungahlin? Mr Stanhope and his Planning Ministers have been telling us that they have no control over where the Federal Government chooses to place their office accommodation. Well Mr Stanhope - this is exactly the sort of influence you can have over this issue, but I'm sorry to say instead given us a real 'hospital pass'.

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