Yuma!

I can't believe it's November already. Annual report hearings start next week on 9 November. Please let me know if there are any questions you would like me to ask or things that would be good to get on the public record.

Environment catchment groups

Following my questions at budget estimates a few months ago, The Canberra Times has now reported that the three environment catchment groups did not win the tender process to coordinate volunteer land care services. The process looks very unusual. I'm concerned about volunteers leaving after this experience and I'm concerned that the ACT Government may not fully appreciate the value of our wonderful existing volunteers. 

I asked some questions to get a baseline of what the government believes current volunteer numbers and hours are. If you have differing data to the answer I received, I'd love to hear from you. 

Bird flu

I also asked about how the ACT Government is preparing for the arrival of bird flu and how it might impact our vulnerable species like gang-gang cockatoos. If you have thoughts on the government's response or what we should be doing to follow up further, please let me know.

Soft plastic recycling

The government announced that construction has finally begun on the replacement materials recovery facility since it burnt down in 2022. Unfortunately there is still no plan to recycle soft plastics which is doubly disappointing as Federal Labor has also abandoned their promise to bring in national mandatory product stewardship. 

And food organics and garden organics (FOGO) recycling for households has been pushed back to 2030, despite the Greens getting promises from Labor to recycle food waste for all Canberra households by 2023. Labor then delayed this to 2026, then 2028, and now they say 2030. It’s a real climate fail as food waste sent to landfill will create climate pollution for 20 years. It’s one of the many things we could not reach agreement on with Labor in recent supply and confidence negotiations.

Data centres

In September, my Greens colleague Laura Nuttall MLA put forward a motion on data centres calling for a moratorium on new data centres until the ACT Government finalises a comprehensive framework that protects Canberra's environment, resources, and communities. 

The motion also called for the framework to ensure that new data centres do not drive up water or energy costs for Canberrans, use best practice water recirculation, are fully powered by additional renewable electricity, and demonstrate clear benefits to local communities. 

The motion also called for clear and genuine consultation with the community and also with Traditional Custodians. Unfortunately, Labor and the Liberals combined to not only strip out these best practice calls and community consultation, but added their own calls to actively court major international data centres to build large new data centres across Canberra.

Missing middle housing

The new Missing Middle controls are now part of the planning framework.

This is exciting as it puts into place what the ACT Greens have been talking about for many years – we need to be denser and to have the right homes in the right locations. More houses closer to shops, schools, community services, jobs and public transport make sense, and using existing infrastructure is cheaper than building more greenfield estates.

More recently, the ACT Greens supported amendments to the Planning Act which are designed to make residential Missing Middle sub-divisions easier and to allow granny flat developments without requiring a lease variation.

The government is hoping that these changes, along with lease variation charge remissions for Missing Middle developments will encourage uptake of townhouses, row houses, terrace houses and small-scale apartments. I have asked the Minister for Planning how many Missing Middle development applications have been lodged and I will pass that information on to you in a future newsletter.

Inquiry into controlled activities

The Environment and Planning Committee that I chair held public hearings as part of its inquiry into controlled activities. The Committee is looking into compliance action that is, or is not, being taken by Access Canberra on blocks that include: Big Splash at Macquarie, the former tennis centre at Hawker, Richardson shops, a car park at Brindabella Christian College Lyneham, Gungahlin cinema, the Phillip pool, among other sites.

The hearings included people who were concerned about how the non-use and issues with the sites were impacting community. A clear message was that Access Canberra needed to take more compliance action. But giving Access Canberra the right compliance tools was also important.

Access Canberra also spoke about their compliance processes. The capacity of Access Canberra to take action seems limited and I will be pursuing this matter further, especially with respect to the Big Splash site.

You can find information about the Committee’s inquiry at Inquiry into the use of controlled activity orders - ACT Legislative Assembly, including submissions and access to hearings.

Earless dragons

The Commissioner for Sustainability and the Environment recently released a report into the critically endangered Canberra Grasslands Earless Dragons.

The report made seven recommendations to assist the ACT Government in addressing the conservation of the Canberra Dragon and Natural Temperate Grassland. The ACT Government tabled their response which agreed in principle to six of the recommendations, and stating the other was existing government policy. I will be holding the government to account to make sure they follow through on these recommendations.

The Conservation Council has launched their vision for conserving the Western edge landscape. In April 2025, the Assembly passed my motion that called on the government to protect the Western Edge this term. There are many parts to the finalising of the Western Edge, as well as the urban growth boundary.

I believe all of the studies that the government has been undertaking into the Western Edge area have been completed. The latest information on establishing the urban growth boundary can be found at Statement on progress in considering an urban growth boundary – July 2026. 

The government is incorporating the urban growth boundary as part of a broader planning reform agenda, including the development of an integrated Planning and Transport Strategy. The Government Landscape Architect is involved in this process and is progressing the development of an ACT Landscape Plan. 

The ACT Greens pushed hard to establish the position, so it is good that this position is playing a role in these broader planning considerations. The Minister has said he is still committed to bringing forward an urban growth boundary by the middle of next year.
 

Until the next update!

 

Jo Clay MLA
ACT Greens Leader, Member for Ginninderra
clay@parliament.act.gov.au
(02) 6205 0131

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