News - Planning & development

Bob McMullan - Member for Fraser (ALP) attended our July General Meeting at our request, following his media statements about the need for future office accommodation for Federal Government Departments to be in Gungahlin.

At the meeting, he emphasised his personal commitment to working for the devolution of some government offices to Gungahlin. He spoke of working on his proposition for a strategy whereby special approval would need to be sought for the location of government offices. The model would locate offices not only to Civic, but also to the outer areas, with his own emphasis of an employment node at Gungahlin. This would need the cooperation of the ACT Government to synchronise land release with development needs.

It was noted that the ACT Government was releasing land in Civic. Bob responded by commenting that sometimes for security reasons this is necessary; it may be a continuation of the Griffin Plan and by demand where tenants wish to be located.
    
With regard to continued government departmental relocation to the airport, Bob said there are problems with the Federal Government airport contracts that may prevent him from doing anything about the actual development occurring there. However he could seek to limit, through the previously mentioned approval process, the extent of any further departments moving out there, due to the infrastructure problems that are being caused by all the office development there, and the financial impacts on the ACT. Bob is in favour of a limited freight hub, without curfews, based at Canberra airport, as he feels that this would be good for Canberra's growth. He believes it is not a good principle to have urban development under a flight path.

He was questioned as to whether there would be cut-backs to the Public Service if there was a change of Government he was adamant there would be no cuts but a reallocation of some roles to reduce duplication.

The role of the National Capital Authority was raised. If the government changed, he said he would be a moving for a contraction of its control to essentially the Parliamentary Triangle, Lake Foreshore, perhaps the embassy precinct, but with strict controls on lakeside commercialisation.

He said he'd also pursue transparency in the filling of vacancies in the NCA Board. These appointments would be according to set criteria, with a body established to determine if candidates meet the criteria. He believes the Board membership composition should be 50% each ACT and external.

All up, it was a very interested discussion, and should Labor get into government at the upcoming election, we'll be looking to see these commitments carried through. 

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