← All decisions

1. What was proposedAndrew BraddockGreens · Crossbench
   Read the original wording (450 words)

   That this Assembly: (1) notes that: (a) the Gungahlin Community Council’s 2025 Gungahlin community survey with 1,320 responses found: (i) 91 percent of respondents work outside Gungahlin; (ii) 82 percent believe the Government should develop strategies to attract more commercial businesses; (iii) limited retail options in the town centre; and (iv) desire for a stronger night-time economy; (b) the Assembly unanimously agreed to the motion of 6 June 2023 calling on the Minister for Economic Development to: (i) as a part of CBR Switched On, investigate strategies to enhance economic development in districts that lack an anchor employer; (ii) advocate for Commonwealth investment in the Gungahlin district with the Federal Labor Government; and (iii) investigate setting ambitious targets for employment growth in Gungahlin and other districts for the census years of 2026 and 2031, including as a proportion of the workforce resident in the district; (c) since this motion, the Government: (i) declined to set employment targets for Gungahlin or investigate district-specific economic development strategies; and (ii) failed to obtain significant increases in federal government employment in the Gungahlin district; (d) the developer of the Gungahlin cinema site has not commenced construction, failing to comply with the building and development provision in the lease requiring the cinema to be built by 28 February 2024; (e) under section 99 of the Planning (General) Regulation 2023, the fee is zero for the first to the fourth year of noncompliance, which has proven to be ineffective at enforcing development conditions and instead incentivises lease squatting; and (f) the lack of noise standards for the Gungahlin Town Centre Entertainment Precinct are creating uncertainty and inhibiting development applications; and (2) calls on the Government to: (a) acknowledge that people who live in Gungahlin have limited opportunities to work in the area and that many are forced to look for employment in other parts of Canberra; (b) review the future release of land so that it is consistent with economic development strategies that will increase the level of local employment opportunities so that the proportion of Gungahlin residents commuting outside of their region for employment matches Canberra averages; (c) review the land uses in the Gungahlin policy to ensure that local employment opportunities are maximised; (d) amend section 99 of the Planning (General) Regulation 2023 to ensure noncompliance fees are fully payable throughout the entire noncompliance period; (e) develop noise standards for the Gungahlin Town Centre Entertainment Precinct; (f) set ambitious targets for employment growth in Gungahlin and other districts for the census years of 2031 and 2036, including as a proportion of the workforce resident in the district; and (g) report back to the Assembly by the first sitting day in December 2026 on these actions.

2. Proposed changeAndrew BarrLabor · Minister25 March 2026

   Grouped by key words as: rewrote the proposal, changed a date or deadline, added reporting or consultation, turned an action into a review.

   Before

   (d) the developer of the Gungahlin cinema site has not commenced construction, failing to comply with the building and development provision in the lease requiring the cinema to be built by 28 February 2024

   After this change

   (d) the developer of the Gungahlin cinema site has not commenced construction, noting the building and development provision in the lease requires a cinema to be built by 28 February 2024;

   The exact wording of this change

   together: 1. After paragraph (1)(c)(ii), insert: “(iii) has undertaken community consultation on the subdivision design elements of Gungahlin Town Centre East, gathering feedback from Gungahlin residents on the design for the expansion of the Town Centre due for release in the 2026-2027 financial year;”. 2. Omit paragraph (1)(d), substitute: “(d) the developer of the Gungahlin cinema site has not commenced construction, noting the building and development provision in the lease requires a cinema to be built by 28 February 2024;”. 3. Omit all text after paragraph (2)(a), substitute: “(b) release land in the Gungahlin district as outlined in the Government’s indicative land release program; (c) ensure that residential, commercial and community zoning is appropriate for the district in any new land release in the Gungahlin district; (d) consider amendments to section 99 of the Planning (General) Regulation 2023 as part of a review into lease enforcement powers; (e) develop noise standards for the Gungahlin Town Centre Entertainment Precinct; (f) set ambitious targets for employment growth in Gungahlin and other districts for the census years of 2031 and 2036, including as a proportion of the workforce resident in the district; and (g) report back to the Assembly, by the first sitting day in December 2026, on these actions.”. Debate continued.

   Agreed on the voices. No individual votes were recorded. Its wording is in the final text.

3. What the Assembly decidedAgreed

   Decided on the voices: no individual votes were recorded, so this doesn’t show that every MLA agreed.

   Final agreed wording, with changes marked

   That this Assembly: (1) notes that: (a) the Gungahlin Community Council’s 2025 Gungahlin community survey with 1,320 responses found: (i) 91 percent of respondents work outside Gungahlin; (ii) 82 percent believe the Government should develop strategies to attract more commercial businesses; (iii) limited retail options in the town centre; and (iv) desire for a stronger night-time economy; (b) the Assembly unanimously agreed to the motion of 6 June 2023 calling on the Minister for Economic Development to: (i) as a part of CBR Switched On, investigate strategies to enhance economic development in districts that lack an anchor employer; (ii) advocate for Commonwealth investment in the Gungahlin district with the Federal Labor Government; and (iii) investigate setting ambitious targets for employment growth in Gungahlin and other districts for the census years of 2026 and 2031, including as a proportion of the workforce resident in the district; (c) since this motion, the Government: (i) declined to set employment targets for Gungahlin or investigate district-specific economic development strategies; (ii) failed to obtain significant increases in federal government employment in the Gungahlin district; and (iii) has undertaken community consultation on the subdivision design elements of Gungahlin Town Centre East, gathering feedback from Gungahlin residents on the design for the expansion of the Town Centre due for release in the 2026-2027 financial yearBarr; (d) the developer of the Gungahlin cinema site has not commenced construction, noting the building and development provision in the lease requires a cinema to be built by 28 February 2024Barr; (e) under section 99 of the Planning (General) Regulation 2023, the fee is zero for the first to the fourth year of noncompliance, which has proven to be ineffective at enforcing development conditions and instead incentivises lease squatting; and (f) the lack of noise standards for the Gungahlin Town Centre Entertainment Precinct are creating uncertainty and inhibiting development applications; and (2) calls on the Government to: (a) acknowledge that people who live in Gungahlin have limited opportunities to work in the area and that many are forced to look for employment in other parts of Canberra; (b) release land in the Gungahlin district as outlined in the Government’s indicative land release program; (c) ensure that residential, commercial and community zoning is appropriate for the district in any new land release in the Gungahlin district; (d) consider amendments to section 99 of the Planning (General) Regulation 2023 as part of a review into lease enforcement powers; (e) develop noise standards for the Gungahlin Town Centre Entertainment Precinct; (f) set ambitious targets for employment growth in Gungahlin and other districts for the census years of 2031 and 2036, including as a proportion of the workforce resident in the district; and (g) report back to the Assembly, by the first sitting day in December 2026, on these actionsBarr.

   Original and final wording compared

   taken out put in

   That this Assembly: (1) notes that: (a) the Gungahlin Community Council’s 2025 Gungahlin community survey with 1,320 responses found: (i) 91 percent of respondents work outside Gungahlin; (ii) 82 percent believe the Government should develop strategies to attract more commercial businesses; (iii) limited retail options in the town centre; and (iv) desire for a stronger night-time economy; (b) the Assembly unanimously agreed to the motion of 6 June 2023 calling on the Minister for Economic Development to: (i) as a part of CBR Switched On, investigate strategies to enhance economic development in districts that lack an anchor employer; (ii) advocate for Commonwealth investment in the Gungahlin district with the Federal Labor Government; and (iii) investigate setting ambitious targets for employment growth in Gungahlin and other districts for the census years of 2026 and 2031, including as a proportion of the workforce resident in the district; (c) since this motion, the Government: (i) declined to set employment targets for Gungahlin or investigate district-specific economic development strategies; [taken out: and](ii) failed to obtain significant increases in federal government employment in the Gungahlin district; [put in: and (iii) has undertaken community consultation on the subdivision design elements of Gungahlin Town Centre East, gathering feedback from Gungahlin residents on the design for the expansion of the Town Centre due for release in the 2026-2027 financial year;](d) the developer of the Gungahlin cinema site has not commenced construction, [taken out: failing to comply with][put in: noting]the building and development provision in the lease [taken out: requiring the][put in: requires a]cinema to be built by 28 February 2024; (e) under section 99 of the Planning (General) Regulation 2023, the fee is zero for the first to the fourth year of noncompliance, which has proven to be ineffective at enforcing development conditions and instead incentivises lease squatting; and (f) the lack of noise standards for the Gungahlin Town Centre Entertainment Precinct are creating uncertainty and inhibiting development applications; and (2) calls on the Government to: (a) acknowledge that people who live in Gungahlin have limited opportunities to work in the area and that many are forced to look for employment in other parts of Canberra; (b) [taken out: review the future]release [taken out: of]land [taken out: so that it is consistent with economic development strategies that will increase the level of local employment opportunities so that][put in: in]the [taken out: proportion of]Gungahlin [taken out: residents commuting outside of their region for employment matches Canberra averages;][put in: district as outlined in the Government’s indicative land release program;](c) [taken out: review][put in: ensure that residential, commercial and community zoning is appropriate for]the [put in: district in any new]land [taken out: uses][put in: release]in the Gungahlin [taken out: policy to ensure that local employment opportunities are maximised;][put in: district;](d) [taken out: amend][put in: consider amendments to]section 99 of the Planning (General) Regulation 2023 [taken out: to ensure noncompliance fees are fully payable throughout the entire noncompliance period;][put in: as part of a review into lease enforcement powers;](e) develop noise standards for the Gungahlin Town Centre Entertainment Precinct; (f) set ambitious targets for employment growth in Gungahlin and other districts for the census years of 2031 and 2036, including as a proportion of the workforce resident in the district; and (g) report back to the Assembly, by the first sitting day in December 2026, on these actions.

   Compared word by word by computer, ignoring punctuation. It shows what differs, not which change made each difference; the steps above show that.